Better quality jumper-Tara or Irina? | Golden Skate

Better quality jumper-Tara or Irina?

Better quality jumps?

  • Irina Slutskaya

    Votes: 108 73.5%
  • Tara Lipinski

    Votes: 39 26.5%

  • Total voters
    147

slutskayafan21

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 28, 2005
This poll is just in terms of quality of jumps, not quantity or consistency. In terms of technique, height, mechanics, execution, flow, who had better jumps, 97-98 Tara or Irina? Just curious how many others might think Tara's tiny, cheated, flawed jumps are superior to Irina's quality-wise?
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
This is rather a hard one IMO because it depends on what you look for in a jump, so to speak. Some might argue that Tara was actually the better jumper in a way because despite the fact she didn't get very high off the ground she was still able to get the rotations in, which some would say is much more difficult so therefore the jump is better. However, Irina has the HEIGHT on the jumps, which I feel looks better and has a much better artistic effect, so I'd have to go with her.
 

CDMM1991

Medalist
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
I'd have to go with Tara because I'd rather see a fast flowing edge out of a jump, versus a lot of height. And Tara had a beautiful flowing edge out of all of her jumps.
 

dancindiva03

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Irina. While I liked how quickly Tara was able to rotate her jump, and the certainty with which she landed them, she had an awful flutz and her axel was a little scary. I know she tried hard to fix the lutz and it was better in the 97/98 season, but it still wasn't great. Also she had that very high kick-up before her pick jumps, and her axel barely got off the ice at all. In fact, most of her jumps got very little height. Now, this is nitpicking, overall she had very good jumps, but these points are why I would rank her behind Irina. I would like to see Irina get the flow out of her jumps like Tara had, though.
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Well I like the height on Irina's jumps so I voted for her. Though Tara had better technique on her edge jumps (save for the axel) and Tara worked on her lutz where it was looking very good by the 98 Olympics. I also liked Tara's jump run out. I think that Tara's jumps would have imprived a lot if she hadn't gotten injured. I remember Tara competing in a pro competition a year after her win and her jumps were much higher as her physique matured.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
CDMM1991 said:
I'd have to go with Tara because I'd rather see a fast flowing edge out of a jump, versus a lot of height. And Tara had a beautiful flowing edge out of all of her jumps.

This is why I voted for Tara as well... her jumps just look so much better... while I know Irina will land her jumps there are times when the jump looks either sloppy or in danger of being landed... I never really had that worry with Tara
 

Kwanford Wife

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
I vote for Tonya Harding... what a waste. Having said that, I vote for Irina... Tara's jump technique was straight out of a roller rink...
 

Dee4707

Ice Is Slippery - Alexie Yagudin
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Country
United-States
I voted for Irina.......her jumps are powerful.

Dee
 

mmscfdcsu

On the Ice
Joined
May 25, 2005
Tara's jumps were awful. And when did she ever have an edge of any kind? Okay, briefly after landing a jump. Ever see one anywhere else in her programs?:mad:
 

ladysarahchatto

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
JonnyCoop said:
This is rather a hard one IMO because it depends on what you look for in a jump, so to speak. Some might argue that Tara was actually the better jumper in a way because despite the fact she didn't get very high off the ground she was still able to get the rotations in, which some would say is much more difficult so therefore the jump is better. However, Irina has the HEIGHT on the jumps, which I feel looks better and has a much better artistic effect, so I'd have to go with her.

Irina's clearly are more powerful. Both have something wanting in technique. Irina telegraphs her jumps by holding her arms kind of bent, and then she seems to brake the jump with no real flow. Tara was a roller skater and I think that was the reason for her particular style of jumps. And she was tiny thing. It's hard for the smaller girls with slight builds to get that kind of height (Irina's) on jumps. And of course Tara was a Flutzer. Irina is not.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Irina's greatest strength is her speed. She covers the rink from one end to the other with powerful strokes and moves effortlessly from one jump to the next. She also has the ability to "pull a rabbit out of the hat" - like Elvis did - on the spot and add jumps.

Tara had her moment at the Olympics - great time to shine - but no, I would not classify Tara as a great jumper.
 

Callystarr

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 26, 2003
Tara was more consistent with her difficult elements than Irina. Irina had her in the technique, but Tara mastered the art of triple sequences and 6-7 triple performances. Tara's 3loop/3loop was practically a given in every competition from 1997-1998
 

SusanBeth

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Irina by a mile!

I could live with Tara's flutz, but her double axel caused me to clench my teeth HARD. I know it has something to do with roller skating. It's like she hurled herself sideways instead of jumping. I want it outlawed as an abomination! There should be a zero tolerance policy for perverted axels! ;) Kostner and Kirk both do it too. Why don't they fix it? Is it like trying to fix a flutz? It's just ugly.
 
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shdotz

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Irina can skate on ice skates

Better than anyone else.

Tara L. skates like she's wearing roller skates.

How did she get the gold? who knows.

rip-off. She no longer skates.

shdotz
 

alain707

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 7, 2004
Joesitz said:
What a dumb comparison. Irina gets off the ice about 6 inches while Tara got off the ice about 1/4inch.

Agreed for the first part :rofl: but Irina's jumps are much higher than 6 inches! Rather 3 times higher! Not sure for Tara though ...
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
I voted for Irina, because Tara´s tiny jumps hardly rising above the ice level have never impressed me. Besides height, Irina´s jumps have other excellent qualities also.
 
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