Who is the greatest COMPETITOR?

Fossi · Dec 30, 2006

Forget who your favorite SKATER is. Who, in your opinion, is the greatest COMPETITOR? I wish I knew more of the up and coming skaters to include them in my guesses. I would have to say for me, I think the greatest competitors are:

FEMALE:
Katarina Witt - she had all the mind games and the mental toughness and edge to pull it off.
Tara Lipinski - never gave up. Feisty little stinker. :rofl:

MALE:
Alexei Yagudin- Very good, strong and full of mind games in himself and his coach.
Brian Boitano- Whoa! He was good!

My honorable mention goes to: Sarah Hughes. When they counted her out she rose above and showed them all.
Rudy Galindo: he did the same.

bronxgirl · Dec 30, 2006

Although Michelle never won her elusive Olympic gold, any one who could win 9 national championships and 5 worlds throughout a long skating career, has to be considered among the greatest competitors. She had to face down skaters challenging her from around the world through her career to win as she had. The Olympics are the one competition (although I grant quite special) that her
nerves got to her

dance: Torville and Dean. They were so heads and shoulders above the rest of the dancers , that they showed the ice dance world a new way to compete. Too bad the judges have stoped true competition in this field since (JMHO)

men I'd agree - Yagudin. just one word for him- FIERCE!!!

Antilles · Dec 30, 2006

I agree about Kwan, Witt and T&D. I also think Plushenko should be added to the list. He rarely showed nerves or lost his form.

mskater93 · Dec 30, 2006

For men, how about Elvis Stojko? Pulled groin, Silver Medal at the Olys? That's a tough and focused competitor!! :rock:

gio · Dec 30, 2006

Agree on Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano and Alexei Yagudin. I'll add also Sonia Henie, Michelle Kwan, Irina Slutskaya, Midori Ito, Denise Biellmann, John Curry, Brian Orser, Robin Cousins, Scott Hamilton... For dance I'll say Torvill/Dean, Grishuk/Platov and Anissina/Peizerat, for Pairs I'll add Rodnina with both Ulanov and Zaitsev, Protopopov/Belousova, Gordeeva/Grinkov

Completely disagree with the choices of Tara Lipinski, Sarah Hughes and Rudy Galindo. There were many other greater competitors.

R.D. · Dec 30, 2006

Not to take away from Kwan or Slute but I don't think you can call them the GREATEST competitors if they let the Olympics get to them. Sure, they've accomplished a heck of a lot outside of that, but if one falters (and more than once) on the biggest stage, is one really a better competitor than those who HAVE won the Olympics?

The two are great competitors but are they the greatEST? Just a question

nymkfan51 · Dec 30, 2006

I don't really think you can use the Olympic gold medal as a pre-requisite in answering this question. Many OGM did not skate their best and still won, only because others skated worse. And in Michelle's case, she skated a perfect 7 triple program in '98 and still lost.
I think you have to consider what kind of competitor they were over their entire career.

SeaniBu · Dec 30, 2006

It is impossible to say really. If you go for a Lance Armstrong comparison, Ira overcoming something that would be an easy way to say no more. Rene and the cancer along with others...etc..

I don't take the view that they would have had to win everything to be a great "competitor." That I would classify as a great champion IMO.

Fumie being out "jumped" and still staying in there and doing so well???

Hard Question. I guess It comes down to what is a competitor and what would put one above the another.

Ira might just get my vote due to all that was happening even before her illness was diagnosed and then being told to stay away from skating for months - then competing 2 weeks after. That is up there IMO even though she received 9th.

Ladskater · Dec 30, 2006

For the Men:

I have to add Elivs Stojko - he is the most focussed male skater competitor I have ever seen. Elvis has nerves of steel. Even when injured Elvis would continue to skate his program and never let another competitor unnerve him. He also was very gracious towards his fellow competitors. Kurt dubbed Elvis - "The Terminator."

chuckm · Dec 30, 2006

I don't see Sarah Hughes as such a great competitor. Under normal conditions, she tended to skate conservatively and without much pizzazz. She put it all out there just once, at SLC, and IMO she was able to do it then only because she thought she had no chance to win. She skated before Cohen, Kwan and Slutskaya and had no clue that they were all going to falter.

Now if Sarah had delivered that same performance AFTER all the others had faltered, that would be a completely different story.

hockeyfan228 · Dec 30, 2006

Witt, Plushenko, Gritshuk/Platov, Rodnina.

attyfan · Dec 30, 2006

Does anyone know if Sonia Henie had good competitive nerves, or, was she just so much better than every one else that she never really worried?

In testing out how good a competitor a skater is, the results are not always conclusive. For example, MK showed more competitive nerve and focus skating in handling the streaker incident in '04 than she did at Worlds in '98.

Mathman · Dec 30, 2006

I don't think Sonia Henie had many worries. One time a judge voted against her and her father chased him down the street and beat him up. :laugh:

SeaniBu · Dec 30, 2006

Mathman said:
I don't think Sonia Henie had many worries. One time a judge voted against her and her father chased him down the street and beat him up.

Is that for real??? Thats great!:agree:

bx11 · Dec 30, 2006

Michelle kwan
alexis Yagudin

demarinis5 · Dec 31, 2006

Kwan, Witt, Stojko, Plushenko

Nan · Dec 31, 2006

Alexei Yagudin

Torville and Dean.

anything_for_skating · Dec 31, 2006

Carolina

Irina

Plush

Stephane

:agree:

Joesitz (RIP) · Dec 31, 2006

Red Dog said:
Not to take away from Kwan or Slute but I don't think you can call them the GREATEST competitors if they let the Olympics get to them. Sure, they've accomplished a heck of a lot outside of that, but if one falters (and more than once) on the biggest stage, is one really a better competitor than those who HAVE won the Olympics?

The two are great competitors but are they the greatEST? Just a question

Nothing wrong with your opinion of the two mentioned. NOW, tell us who you think is greater than these two.

Joe

Joesitz (RIP) · Dec 31, 2006

Presume you mean among the 1990 crowd, but......

I'd have to go with Sonia Henie and Dick Button, if it's the all time greatest.

Otherwise, I would go with Kwan. She's always been cool under fire.

Not so with other skaters despite their one best ever.

Joe

Who is the greatest COMPETITOR?

Fossi

bronxgirl

Antilles

mskater93

gio

R.D.

nymkfan51

SeaniBu

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

chuckm

hockeyfan228

attyfan

Custom Title

Mathman

SeaniBu

bx11

demarinis5

Gold for the Winter Prince!

Nan

anything_for_skating

Joesitz (RIP)

Joesitz (RIP)

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