Kristi Yamaguchi

I rewatched some of her pro programs and I have to say she was one of the best woman pro skater. Her programs were always different and interesting. Kudos to Kristi. Thanks for your performances that delighted us! :agree:

A suggestion to the new skaters: take Kristi as an inspiriation/role model. Programs such as Hernando's Hideway and Doop Doop could be used as SP with interesting choreography and performance.
Even in her amateur years she came with interesting programs, that I rewatch every now and then (Valencia, Blue Danube Waltz, Samson and Delilah, Malaguena).
But she blossomed as a pro IMO

Oh, I agree completely. And even programs where she revisited pair skating as a professional - for instance, there is a lovely pair duet with Denis Petrov from SOI that shows her versatility.

She is a very classy lady, but I always felt that she shoud have reamined a pari skater. I enjoyed watcing her more then, and she and Rudy had some excellent content in thier programs.
Kristi''s programs were nice, but the the chreography and interprtation of the music was basic compared the sasha, micehlle or naomi.

As a pro skater, Kritis was the all time best. She delivered the goods at every stop, kept up her technical skills (she was still doing a triple Lutz at age 28), and charmed audiences all the way down to their toes.

In SOI, Kristi was the one indispensible spoke in the wheel. When she retired, they had to scramble to find a lady star to fill the void. And then, to top it all off, she went on to set TV viewing records for Dancing With The Stars.

Totally agree Mathman. Was great to see how a whole generation of skaters, when they "went pro" kept up incredibly high standards. Brian Boitano as well, but I agree that her level of technical proficiency set an incredibly high standard that few could ever approach or match. Great technique - once you have it, it serves you well. Quality and intelligence - can be applied in so many realms.

For all you who think Kristi thought of those programs by herself, she didn't kristi had to be convinced to do them. at first she rebel, than she skated them-it took her a few skates to skate them decent. Yes i liked them.
But Kristi only skated two different programs that was out of her character, most memorable was the doop-doop program, which I loved. and the other was the spanish one with the low-cut outfit in front, which i didn't care for.
in all 2 programs out of 10 years .
Most skaters just change outfits and music and still skate the same thing., ust the jumps are in different order.
Those was the two most different ones which i am glad she tried. telling other skaters to do the same thing might be plausible, but unlikely since figure skating as a whole is about "sameness" in a way. just the interpretation to music is different. we are suppose to see the skaters personality in the music, under this new system, we don't we see moves not their soul.

I love her Linus and Lucy Program from Ice Wars 05

What was the program that started out like a kid throwing a tantrum? I want to say she had big daisies or sunflowers or something on the costume. Anyway, that was kind of different.

^ Is this what you were thinking?
"It's Oh So Quiet"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Nnw_dkEwY

fairly4 - I don't think anyone thinks any skater comes up with a whole program on their own.

and I ADORED "It's Oh So Quiet"

actually I adore Kristi, period...

I thought "Bridge over Troubled Waters," which I think she used in her last season with SOI, was superb.

if she used it in her last year then she reused it... it debuted in the SOI season before Scott retired... so I think that was 2001-2002? no... 2000-2001? I don't remember lol it was a while ago lol... it was two years before that awful "GOLD" season... aka furnature on ice.

Tonichelle said:

and I ADORED "It's Oh So Quiet"

actually I adore Kristi, period...

Click to expand...

"It's Oh, So Quiet" is one of my all time favorite Kristi programs, along with "Doop Doop."

I also loved when she skated with Denis Petrov in SOI - "Someday I'll Fly Away" (Moulin Rouge) during the "GOLD" tour (Yeah, I know it was during that tour, and I hated the G-O-L-D rap, but there were individual performances in that tour that I still really liked). Another performance I remember fondly was during one of her "Salute to Gold" shows. There was an ensemble piece with Roca & Sur, Todd, & Kristi to "Perpetuum Mobile" (this music was used in one of the computer company ads). Does anyone remember this program?

"Doop Doop" and "Bridge over Troubled Waters" are Kristi's favourite programs and I have to say she is right! Those two programs were superb!
Overall I love all of Kristi's programs.

She used a lot of different music pieces (classical, spanish, latin, tango, dance/techno, rock, pop, middle eastern music, ballads, alternative rock, waltz, musical etc...) and that is something to appreciate. She wasn't intimidated by different genres.

Kristi's solos in SOI were:

92-93
"Wishing On A Star" (The Cover Girls)
"My Lovin' Never Gonna Get It" (En Vogue)
"Who Wants To Live Forever" (Queen)

93-94
"Romeo and Juliet" (Nina Rota)
"Pavane pour une Infante Defunte" (Ravel) w/ Bechke & Petrov, Annenko & Sretenski
Edges of Spain: "Concerto de Aranjuez" (Rodrigo)
I believe she also did a second solo, to "Being Alive" by Barbra Streisand.

94-95
"Madame Butterfly" (Puccini)
"Doop-Doop" (Dancelife Orchestra)
"Wildflower" (Lisa Fischer) w/ Katerina Witt

95-96
"The Seasons" (Glazunov)
"It's Oh So Quiet" (Bjork)
She skates a brief duet with Kurt and skates in a brief group ensemble before her solo.

96-97
"Love Is All Around" (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts)
"La Cumparisita"
Four Women: "Killing Me Softly" (Fugees) w/ Rosalynn Sumners, Ekatarina Gordeeva and Jill Trenary
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Women" (Celine Dion)


97-98
"No Quarter" (Led Zeppelin) w/ Brian Orser, Rosalynn Sumners, Rene Roca & Gorsha Sur
"SWAK" (Louis Armstrong medley)
"Fever" (Elvis Presley) w/ Ekaterina Gordeeva and Kurt Browning
"Trouble"
"Surrender" (Elvis) w/ Kurt & Katia

She also had a prominent role in the group number parodying competitive skating.

98-99
Violin Concerto in D Minor" by Tchaikovsky
(She skated a brief duet with Ilia Kulik)
"Poem" From the book "The Ink Dark Moon" Narrated by Jane Luk, translated Jane Hirshfield with Mariko Aratani

99-00:
Bridge Over Troubled Waters (During the Old Friends/Simon & Garfunkel group segment)
Smooth
She also to Jazzin with Lulu during the Club AC number.

00-01
Let Er Rip (During the Cowboy section of the show.)
Desert Rose
Both Sides Now- With Denis Petrov and Jenni Meno.

01-02
Gold
Trust A Try
One Day I'll Fly Away- With Denis Petrov

^ Thanks for the trip down memory lane.