Great Skating Moments | Golden Skate

Great Skating Moments

Mk4Eva

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 27, 2003
As hard core skating fans we sit and watch every competition in hopes that someone will "let it go" and give a performance Dick Button would stand and cheer for! It’s that moment when everything goes away and one is transfixed on the music and movement. The skater is listing to the music with you and hits every beat with conviction and emotion. As the music builds with greater intensity, the speed increases and the passion becomes even more evident. With every driving beat the skater becomes more vulnerable to the music. She spins into the final position with tears of joy in her eyes and a smile plastered on her face. We sit at home truly moved by the moment also with a tear in our eye and a smile on our face. Moments like this are never promised, but these moments are what keep us coming back for more!

What is it about these moments that make us love them? Please list some very special moments that have truly moved you as a skating fan.
 

tdnuva

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
The one routine and moment which made me a skating fan (and yes, I am that old *g*) was Torvill & Dean's Bolero at Sarajevo. Wonderful skaters doing an interesting choreography just spot on the music. Btw they dealt with the rhythm especially in a very fine way which makes it even more interesting to me as I am a musician myself. And then - this was a routine about love, it was the climax of their amateur career - and all this on Valentine's day. Here is a quote from their bio: "It was St. Valentine’s Day and I gave Jayne an orchid," Dean says. "She gave me a kiss. When we knelt down on the ice we looked into each other’s eyes and saw total commitment. It was almost as if we were looking into each other’s soul."
 

attyfan

Custom Title
Medalist
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
For me, "great skating moments" are a little bit more than just merely great performances. I mean, Rudy Galindo at Nats in '96 and Irina's final FS at Worlds in '05 were great peformances, but the "story book" aspect made those events just unbelievably emotional. The "it couldn't be done" so Michelle Kwan just did it --at Worlds '00 -- was another.
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Boitano in '88 at the Olympics
Stoiko at the Olympics with his torn groin (94?)
Robin Cousins in the '80 Olympics
Midori Ito at the 89 and 90 Worlds
Harding at the 91 Nationals
And several others I can't think of at the moment...
 

anya_angie

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 20, 2003
Shen and Zhao: 2003 Worlds, 2004 Worlds long program

Gordeeva and Grinkov: (well pretty much everything) but especially 1994 Olympics long program

Irina Slutskaya: 2005 Worlds long program

Alexei Yagudin: (again pretty much everything) 2002 Olympics, 2001 season, 1999 Worlds

Ilia Kulik: 1998 Olympics
 

screech

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 23, 2005
Emanuel Sandhu - 2004 Canadians LP - a basically clean program, and he was so giddy afterwards he didn't bow right away, he just looked elated and skated right over to his coach and hugged her

Jeff Buttle - 2005 Canadians LP - everyone around me had tears in their eyes after that program, finally laying it down at a competition in Canada (where he usually bombs) and winning the Canadian title for the first time (again, where he usually bombs)

Shen/Zhao's LP at both 2003 and 2004 Worlds. I still get chills every time I watch that 2004 LP

Liz Manley's 1988 Olys LP - I get so totally happy for her every time I watch it
 

*~RussianBleux~*

Medalist
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Sale and Pelletier's Love Story LP at the 2002 Olympics. I was jumping up and down for them, especially knowing their story going in and how they both almost completely gave up skating only 4 years before. I'm sure the period of time between when they finished the preformance and when they received their marks(when the controversy began)was truly the most wonderful experience in the world for them. You could see it in their eyes!

Anissina and Pezerat's Carmina Burana FD at the 2000 Worlds. I believe it was choreographed by Torvill and Dean(no surprise). I honestly wish I could have been there! Ice dancing isn't my favorite discipline, but that preformance drew me in! Truly amazing!
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
There have been so many great performances, but here are the ones that really got to me the most on an emotional level......the ones that really inspired:

S&Z: 2003 Worlds LP - The emotion was so intense and genuine towards the end of this program....I also get chills and teary eyed everytime I watch this performance. It is truly one for the ages.

Michelle: Too many to count (00 Worlds LP, 01 Nats SP, 01 Worlds LP, 03 Nats & Worlds LPs, etc.).....but the one that really was so impressive to me for the sheer effort and expression was her 2004 Nationals LP. Granted, I am a Michelle fan and it was my first real competition.......but I had my doubts. She had struggled throughout the season and I personally thought "Tosca" was a weak program. But, she took the ice and proved me (and so many others) wrong. She made a mediocre program brilliant, IMO. The energy in that building was amazing.

Chen Lu: Her 1996 Worlds LP was a brilliant and moving moment, but her comeback at the 1998 Olympics was really exceptional. She came back from a completely disasterous year and regained her form on the grandest stage imaginable.....I was so happy for her.

Tanja Szewcenko: She had so many injuries and setbacks in her career, but her LP performance at the 1998 Champions' Series Final was such a standout. She skated a heartfelt, emotionally powerful program. I was in tears with her at the end. I still cry when I watch it.

Others:
Paul Wylie - 1992 Olympics
Angela Nikidinov - 2001 U.S. Nationals
 

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
The Battle of the Brians - Calgary, 1988 - The moment when Brian B. finished his performance and looked up to the ceiling. Both Brians were terrific. To this day, this is still my all time favorite men's competition at the Olympics.

Midori Ito's performance & reaction after her free skate in Calgary, 1988 - tears of joy! I believe that if it hadn't been for compulsory figures back then, she would have been on the podium.

Paul Wylie - Albertville, 1992 - after basically being "written off," to see him finish his amateur career like that ... wow!

Todd Eldredge at 1996 Worlds, following a stirring performance of "First Knight", putting his medal on his mom after the medal ceremony. I still get misty eyed every time I watch that moment.
 

CDMM1991

Medalist
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Michelle's 2004 Nationals Tosca was the most emotion I have ever felt when watching a skater. During that final footwork sequence I felt like I was skating right there beside her.
 

Shmuzzy

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 20, 2005
For me it would definitely be S&P in the long program at 2002 SLC Olympics. I watch it over and over again and I still get choked up over it. I actually yelled at my TV like a lunatic when the marks were posted :no:
 

Enero

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Anissina and Peizerant performance at 2000 Worlds (Carmina Burunana) as well as their performance of The Man in the Iron Mask at 1999 Worlds (I believe). Their Olympic Flamenco was extraordinary too! They always skated with such passion and excitement. I miss them so much :(

Michelle's Lyra performance at 1998 Nationals. No words to describe this performance except it was amazing.

Tara's Olympic short and long programs were wonderful, just a true expression of joy to be out there skating. I loved it!


Misketunek and Dimitrev's Olympic Long in 1992, absolutely mesmerizing - wonderful performance.
 

Saundy

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2004
Shmuzzy said:
For me it would definitely be S&P in the long program at 2002 SLC Olympics. I watch it over and over again and I still get choked up over it. I actually yelled at my TV like a lunatic when the marks were posted :no:

Yup, me too...my jaw just dropped...it was one of THE most HORRIBLE surpirses I have ever gotten in my life.

Other highlights for me are Tara Lipinski's SP and LP at the 98 Olys.

Cynthia Phaneuf's win at the 04 Canadians. FINALLY a group of ladies in Canada that can actually compete with the world.
 

julietvalcouer

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
Torvill and Dean, 1984 Sarajevo Games. I have only seen it on tapes, as I was about six at the time and remember nothing about the Olympics, but it's still mezmerizing.

And more so than "Bolero" for me, their 1994 original dance. I watched the Olympics that year, and for all the hype about the ladies and even though I knew nothing about skating at all and less about ice dance in particular, the only clear memory I have from the time is a commentator on the replay (probably Dick Button, it's usually him) saying "It started with a wink..." and Christopher Dean winking at Jayne Torvill as they're about to start. Watching it again it's like seeing everything ice dance is supposed to be.
 

anya_angie

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 20, 2003
One of the most sentimental moments for me was Plushenko's 2001 GPF LP. On the day of my grandmother's wake, I saw that on the broadcast and smiled for the first time in weeks. I'm still convinced no other person in the world could have done that for me.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
To me the greatest skating moments have been as each of my biggest favourites (John Curry, Robin Cousins and Ilia Kulik) won their Olympic gold medal. The same applies to Torvill & Dean´s Bolero and G&G, especially in 1988..

Latest great skating moments have been Arakawa´s freeskate in 2004 Worlds and Cohen´s short programme in the same competition. Also watching Johnny Weir´s skating is always a great moment to me because of the beauty of it. I started to love men´s skating because of one person, John Curry, and Weir´s skating brings me the same kind of pleasure, it really touches my heart.
 
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Joined
Aug 3, 2003
MEN: The 100th Anniversary of Figure Skating event, 1996, St. Petersburg. The Russian Federation was also using it to decide which of their men would go to '96 Worlds. It was supposed to be a showdown between Ilia Kulik and Igor Pashkevich. Instead it turned into an "anything you can do I can do better" between Kulik and this young kid, Yagudin. For every 3/2 Yags did, Kulik did a 3/3. It was a magnificent and surprising competition in every sense of the word.

Have to add Kulik's perfect 3Axel with the peak of the parabola right over my on-ice seat in 1999. Afterwards, I almost thought I'd have to tell my boyfriend to call the paramedics.

PAIRS: 1991 Worlds, Mishketunok & Dmitriev's "Liebestraum" LP.

ICE DANCE: 2002 Olympics. Anissina & Peizerat's exhibition to "Time to Say Goodbye." Marina in her perfecto body and gold lame' unitard.

LADIES: Oksana Baiull's professional "Big 3," before everything went south about her skating. A couple of months after the Olympics, I saw her perform "The Swan" from an on-ice seat with what's now called COI at Madison Square Garden. Same place, following year, Baiul's "Meditation by Thais." Following year, the first figure skating program to Peter Gabriel's "The Feeling Begins" from Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ." For my money, Oksana's is still the best version.

Rgirl
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
Rgirl said:
MEN: The 100th Anniversary of Figure Skating event, 1996, St. Petersburg. The Russian Federation was also using it to decide which of their men would go to '96 Worlds. It was supposed to be a showdown between Ilia Kulik and Igor Pashkevich.
Rgirl

Yes, that was a veeery exciting competition for Ilia fans. As he was third at the Europeans and Pashkevich second, Ilia had to win over him to be able to go to 1996 Worlds. What medal Yagudin got or did not get, did not play any role at all in the exitement about who is going to the Worlds, Ilia or Igor.

Actually normally the skater that is better at Europeans, gets a place at Worlds. Urmanov had some eye problems and he did not participate at Europeans, but as an Olympic champion he had a sure place for the Worlds (they had only two places). The Russian Federation gave Ilia this chance before deciding about Worlds. I have understood that even Ilia´s coach Kudriatschev voted against him. Well, Pashkevich was coached by his wife, LOL.

Ilia´s freeskate in 1996 Centennial On Ice is one of the greatest moments. It is equal to his Olympic performance, in my opinion.
 
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