How did 2010 stack up compared to 2006? | Golden Skate

How did 2010 stack up compared to 2006?

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Looking back at the Olympics how did the skating events compare to Torino?
MOre exciting? more predictable? better skating?

I think the quality of all the skating was better...of course the pairs team who won in 2006 was clean and Shen and Zhao techniaclly wasn't, but I still like Shen and Zhao's perfomance better.

Of course Yu-na's performance was at a whole diffrent level than Shizuka who was elegant, but with a doubled jump and no 3/3...she probably would not have even medaled in 2010.

I thought the top two dance teams were at a higher level than the gold medalists at 2006, and athough Evan did not skate with the difficulty of Plushy in 2006, I still preferered the performance.
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
For me, 2010 was way better than 2006, mostly because of the women. The last thing I expected was such good skates from the top six women and the three medalists were all memorable. And I was just so, so happy and relieved that Kim Yuna lived up to everything, and that she didn't add herself to the list of great skaters who never won OG ala Michelle Kwan, Irina Slutskaya and Sasha Cohen.
What I remember most about 2006 was Sasha Cohen's heart breaking falls in her LP. I think Shiz is a lovely skater but gave one of the more forgetable Olympic Gold medal performances. Irina was even more forgetable.
 

tarotx

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 30, 2005
I remember everything about Sasha Cohen's 2006 programs and very little about anyone elses. I remember Shizuka's 2004 worlds programs more. I have rewatched Sasha's programs 100's of times because of the greatest, the beauty and the heartache. I pretty much got no heartache at the 2010 Olympics well except for Joannie's mother but that was before the skating and Joannie's skating was special. I had a good time watching all the top programs in all the disciplines. I loved YuNa's Bond and Mao's 3A's. I loved Mirai's sweet infectious personality. This Olympics was back to normal for me. In 2006 I was too close as a Sasha uber who was also suffering from Michelle withdrawal!
 

Bennett

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Men's event was similar to 2006.

For fun, I'll compare the skaters on the same standing!

Gold --- a Plush 2006 vs. an Evan 2010. A Plush 2006 wins. He was technically more impressive than Evan in 2010. Neither of them were very impressive artistically though.

Silver --- a Stephane 2006 vs. a Plush 2010. Stephane had many mistakes in 2006, but his programs were more interesting than Plush's in 2010 to watch. Impressive spins, creative programs, and a very creative costume! So a Stephane 2006 wins!

Bronze --- A Jeff 2006 vs. a Dai 2010. I am a huge fan of Jeffrey Buttle, but he made a bit too many mistakes there. I actually wasn't following FS around that time and it was perhaps the first time I saw him, and I didn't get how the commentators praised his whole package quality because neither his jumps nor spins were clean. He fell and traveled in his spins. But I thought him very cute and he looked like an ice prince in that wine color costume and his LP was very classy and authentic! Dai had really good performances. So a 2010 Dai wins here by a large margin.

Fourth --- An Evan 2006 and a Stephane 2010. I don't recall Evan too much actually. But I don't really feel that he has changed a lot. Stephane was slow and had poor landings. His programs were very beautiful and costumes were classy and he has become 500% cuter than he was in that unique costume in 2006. But I think that judges loved him too much and held him up. So a Evan 2006 wins.

Fifth --- A Johnny 2006 and Chan. Johnny lost the sparkle in LP, but he was the most beautiful star in SP. Chan did not do too well in either programs. So a Johnny 2006 wins here.

Sixth --- A Johnny 2010 and a Joubert 2006. Johnny wins by a large margin here as he had two clean, beautiful programs. I actually feel that a Johnny 2010 wins over a Johnny 2006, a Chan 2010, an Evan 2006, a Stephane 2010, and a Jeff 2006. I also feel that a Johnny 2010 can beat an Evan 2010 under another set of panel because both had similar program contents and Johnny had a lot better 3As and great originality.

Seventh --- Savoie and Oda. Sorry I don't recall the former.

Eighth --- Kozuka 2010 vs Dai 2006. Kozuka wins! Dai had more appealing programs and he was by far a more artistic skater, but he was too nervous to show off his edges. In contrast, Kozuka had the best skating skills of the event. He skated really fast and had great steps.
 
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SamuraiKike

Medalist
Joined
Jan 26, 2008
I think, I'd rank the podium LP/FD performances as follows:

Men:
Takahashi
Plushenko 2006
Lysacek
Plushenko 2010
Lambiel
Buttle

Ladies:
Kim
Arakawa
Asada
Rochette
Slutskaya
Cohen

Dance :
VirtueMoir
NavkaKostomarov
DavisWhite
BelbinAgosto
DomninaShabalin
GrushinaGoncharov

Pairs :
PangTong
TotmianinaMarinin
ShenZhao 2010
ZhangZhang
SavchenkoSzolkowy
ShenZhao 2006

So its definetly a win for 2010.
 

mishieru07

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 23, 2009
Personally, I far preferred the 2010 Games. At least the OGMs had more memorable performances for me.

Dance:
2006: I like N/K but Carmen ought to be banned from FS. Forever. There's nothing very memorable about N/K's Carmen or their OD. Neither was B/A or G/G's performances.
2010: D/W and V/M put up wonderful ODs and FDs that I will undoubtedly watch over and over again. And the OD was a far better skated event. The Italians had really nice programmes too.
2010 by a mile.

Pairs:
2006: TTMM were wonderful technicians but I just don't appreciate their artistry. Z/Zs had a horrible fall and S/Z weren't exactly fab either.
2010: P/T took my breath away; they went out there and killed their programme. S/Z were tight but their SP was :love:, as was S/S' SP (I really liked their Out of Africa LP too; pity about the mistakes! :cry:). That said, most of the LP felt like a splatfest of sorts.
I would have 2010 above 2006 purely based on personal preference.

Ladies:
2006: I love Arakawa but she didn't really deliver (OTOH, her 2004 LP is one of the best performances ever imo). Sasha broke my heart again. Loved her SP and LP though. Overall, it just felt very underwhelming. No one really skated their best.
2010: Yu Na blows everyone else out of the water (Okay I still don't like Gershwin but the Bond SP is total win). Mao landing 3 ratified 3As in the Olympics. Joannie and her courageous performances. Mirai skating well.
2010 duh.

Men:
2006: Plushenko had far better jumps than in 2006. Lambiel and Buttle both had nice programmes, albeit marred by errors.
2010: Lysacek skated well but his jumps are no where near 2006 Plushy's standards. Plushy was okay (his programmes have always revolved around the jumps anyway so it's nothing new), Dai is the :love:. Also got to see nice performances from the Sochi group; Kozuka, Brezina etc. The competition, for all it's hype, was underwhelming though.
Can't decide between the 2. Never really followed Men's closely either.
 

wonderlen3000

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
For Ladies:

Gold: (Shizuka Arakawa vs. Yuna Kim) Arakawa artistically better than Kim. The music cut of Violin Fantasy really suit her style, cool, elegant and powerful. Kim has technically brillance, with her 3Lz+3T and of course the technical rules had changed a lot since 2006 so I am not going to compare about the score or GOE given. If you take a look at the score, you will notice the judges are very stingy with the +GOE given @ Torino. Kim 6 triples vs. Arakawa 5 triples program, Kim has the edge by a margin, but not too much. She was clean and crisp no doubt, but I think Kim could have done a lot better with the LP music choice. I wish she sticked with her Schharazade program from last year world or Lark Ascending from 2007, which was artistically devine.
Kim win for technical brillance, speed and spins.

Silver: (Sasha Cohen vs. Mao Asada) Mao landed three 3A while Sasha had a double triple splat. Both lacks the other strong point, Sasha with her jumps inconsistency and Mao with her lacks of facial and artistic impression. Both their SP are strong so bottom line, I give it Mao the edge by the hair because she managed to stay on her feet and at least made a history.

Bronze: (Irina Slutaskay vs. Rochett) Irina SP was great, but her LP was a mess. Lacks of speed, sloppy footwork and a fall on the 3Loop. Both Rochett SP and LP are beautiful, and she managed to keep her bum off the ice, even with a few stumble on jumps. Rochett with her mom passing away and the emotion coming out, intention or not, it work and sold the crowd and the judges. Rochett win.

4th: (Fumie Suguri vs. Marai Nagasu) Fumie landed 5 triples, but other then that, her program was lackluster and forgettable. Marai rocks both her SP and LP and bring the house down, and she was techically miles a head and her spins and spiral, you jsut cannot compare. Bottom line: Marai rocks!!!

5th: (Rochett vs. Miki Ando) I can't remember much from Rochett Torino program, but heard it was good. Miki Ando was just a mess, and although she landed all her jumps, they are no where what she is capable off. She seem labour and heavy and her jumps barely lift off the ice. Artistically both are neck to neck. Rochett win because at least she show more attack.

6th: (Kimmie Meissner vs. Laura Lepisto) Both landed 5 triples program. Meissner was sloppy and stumble on both her 3+3 attempts. Laura had 3+3, speed, flare, spins and command and she skated like a lady. Even with her lacks of 3Flip and only one 3Lutz, she skated the 3rd or 4th best skate of the night. Laura win by a large margin.

7th: (E Hughs vs. R Flatt) Emily had a fall, and that is the only part I remember about her program. Rachael landed 7 triples, + the two <. Both skated very slow, heavy and labour, but Rachael managed to land the triple triple and has better spins, so I give her the edge.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
There's no way Cohen or Slutskaya would have medaled at the 2010 Olympics with their 2006 performances. I mean, the silver medalist has 2 falls? Give me a break. If I had to rank it would look like this:

1.) Yuna 2010
2.) Mao 2010
3.) Shizuka 2006
4.) Joannie 2010
5.) Mirai 2010
6.) Laura 2010
7.) Miki 2010
8.) Rachael 2010
9.) Sasha 2006
10.) Irina 2006
 

miki88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
For pairs, the overall performance was better this time.

For men, it was more unpredictable and exciting this time.

Well, since 2006 was a splatfest, the ladies competition is definitely better this time. A better comparison would have been 1998, where the overall competition for ladies was pretty good, maybe even better.
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
For pairs, the overall performance was better this time.

For men, it was more unpredictable and exciting this time.

Well, since 2006 was a splatfest, the ladies competition is definitely better this time. A better comparison would have been 1998, where the overall competition for ladies was pretty good, maybe even better.

Since I've been watching the Olympics (1992) '98 and '10 have by far been the best for the ladies. Think it's ridiculous that the silver medalists had two falls in '06? In 92, the Olympic Gold medalist AND the silver medalist had falls. And yet nobody slams Kristi or Midori as "headcases."
In '94 Oksana and Nancy had pretty clean skates but Oskana's technical level was stuck in the 90s and I didn't like Nancy's style.
 

MissCleo

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 27, 2005
There's no way Cohen or Slutskaya would have medaled at the 2010 Olympics with their 2006 performances. I mean, the silver medalist has 2 falls? Give me a break. If I had to rank it would look like this:

1.) Yuna 2010
2.) Mao 2010
3.) Shizuka 2006
4.) Joannie 2010
5.) Mirai 2010
6.) Laura 2010
7.) Miki 2010
8.) Rachael 2010
9.) Sasha 2006
10.) Irina 2006

I kinda agree, but I think the judges would have finagled and at least had sasha and irina 5 and 6 respectively
 

Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Country
France
There's no way Cohen or Slutskaya would have medaled at the 2010 Olympics with their 2006 performances. I mean, the silver medalist has 2 falls? Give me a break.

Mao Asada made 2 mistakes (underrotate + 3turn out of a jump and singled another jump) that were just as costly as Cohen's fall + near fall. I would place Cohen over her.

I believe 2006 was better artistically in the singles events, although 2010 saw skaters doing better technically for the most part. My overall top 5 for both of the Olympics would be:

MEN:
01. Plushenko - 2006
02. Takahashi - 2010
03. Lysacek - 2010
04. Lambiel - 2006
05. Kozuka - 2010

WOMEN:
01. Kim - 2010
02. Arakawa - 2006
03. Cohen - 2006
04. Asada - 2010
05. Rochette - 2010
 

jennylovskt

Medalist
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Men's event was similar to 2006.

For fun, I'll compare the skaters on the same standing!

Gold --- a Plush 2006 vs. an Evan 2010. A Plush 2006 wins. He was technically more impressive than Evan in 2010. Neither of them were very impressive artistically though.

Silver --- a Stephane 2006 vs. a Plush 2010. Stephane had many mistakes in 2006, but his programs were more interesting than Plush's in 2010 to watch. Impressive spins, creative programs, and a very creative costume! So a Stephane 2006 wins!

Bronze --- A Jeff 2006 vs. a Dai 2010. I am a huge fan of Jeffrey Buttle, but he made a bit too many mistakes there. I actually wasn't following FS around that time and it was perhaps the first time I saw him, and I didn't get how the commentators praised his whole package quality because neither his jumps nor spins were clean. He fell and traveled in his spins. But I thought him very cute and he looked like an ice prince in that wine color costume and his LP was very classy and authentic! Dai had really good performances. So a 2010 Dai wins here by a large margin.

Fourth --- An Evan 2006 and a Stephane 2010. I don't recall Evan too much actually. But I don't really feel that he has changed a lot. Stephane was slow and had poor landings. His programs were very beautiful and costumes were classy and he has become 500% cuter than he was in that unique costume in 2006. But I think that judges loved him too much and held him up. So a Evan 2006 wins.

Fifth --- A Johnny 2006 and Chan. Johnny lost the sparkle in LP, but he was the most beautiful star in SP. Chan did not do too well in either programs. So a Johnny 2006 wins here.

Sixth --- A Johnny 2010 and a Joubert 2006. Johnny wins by a large margin here as he had two clean, beautiful programs. I actually feel that a Johnny 2010 wins over a Johnny 2006, a Chan 2010, an Evan 2006, a Stephane 2010, and a Jeff 2006. I also feel that a Johnny 2010 can beat an Evan 2010 under another set of panel because both had similar program contents and Johnny had a lot better 3As and great originality.

Seventh --- Savoie and Oda. Sorry I don't recall the former.

Eighth --- Kozuka 2010 vs Dai 2006. Kozuka wins! Dai had more appealing programs and he was by far a more artistic skater, but he was too nervous to show off his edges. In contrast, Kozuka had the best skating skills of the event. He skated really fast and had great steps.

This is a great way to compare, Bennett!

Gold: Plushenko's 2006 gold medal was convincing. Lysacek's 2010 gold was not.

Silver: Lambiel's 2006 program was artistically superior to Plushenko's 2010's, but technically worse than Plushenko's.

Bronze: I think Buttle's 2006 program was so beautiful artistically. I am torn between these two. Didn't remember the jumping layout of Buttle's, so can't say which one is better technically.

fourth: Lysacek's 2006 LP was one of his best skating and one of his best program. His 2010 gold medal performance was actually much less passion and not as good as his 2006 one. Lambiel's program was perfect but he performed with too many flaws.

fifth: Chan's basic skating skills are much better than Johnny's. Johnny's SP in 2006 was flowless. His LP was still beautiful but not much spark. Chan didn't have very good SP (I don't even remember how he did it. That's how memorable his program was.) I think Chan's LP was a lot stronger than Weir's at 2006.

Sixth: Johnny won for sure.

Seventh: Don't remember Savoie's skating but in general, Savoie was superior in terms of the quality of skating.

Eighth: Kozuka won the 2010's performance, but in general, he could not compare with 2006's Takahashi.

Both Olympics men's skating were heart breaking for many skaters and skating fans. However, at least in 2006, the right one won the gold medal.;)
 
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miki88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Mao Asada made 2 mistakes (underrotate + 3turn out of a jump and singled another jump) that were just as costly as Cohen's fall + near fall. I would place Cohen over her.

I believe 2006 was better artistically in the singles events, although 2010 saw skaters doing better technically for the most part. My overall top 5 for both of the Olympics would be:

MEN:
01. Plushenko - 2006
02. Takahashi - 2010
03. Lysacek - 2010
04. Lambiel - 2006
05. Kozuka - 2010

WOMEN:
01. Kim - 2010
02. Arakawa - 2006
03. Cohen - 2006
04. Asada - 2010
05. Rochette - 2010

You would put Sasha over both Mao and Joannie? Really? Are you sure Sasha had fully rotated those jumps that resulted in a fall? Sometimes a skater fully rotates a jump but messes up the landing and falls, but often the fall is can be a result of not really fully rotating the jump. Either way, I still think a fall is more disruptive to the program than an UR and should be penalized more.
 

Nadia01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
You would put Sasha over both Mao and Joannie? Really? Are you sure Sasha had fully rotated those jumps that resulted in a fall? Sometimes a skater fully rotates a jump but messes up the landing and falls, but often the fall is can be a result of not really fully rotating the jump. Either way, I still think a fall is more disruptive to the program than an UR and should be penalized more.

I thought Sasha was prone to UR...?

So w/ strict calls, her jumps could've gotten DGs.
 

Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Country
France
You would put Sasha over both Mao and Joannie? Really? Are you sure Sasha had fully rotated those jumps that resulted in a fall? Sometimes a skater fully rotates a jump but messes up the landing and falls, but often the fall is can be a result of not really fully rotating the jump. Either way, I still think a fall is more disruptive to the program than an UR and should be penalized more.

Asada didn't just UR on her Flip, she 3-turned out of it too. And completely popping a jump is certainly just as bad as a fall (or worse). I find that Cohen's mistakes were less disruptive to the program. They happened in the first 40 seconds and then after that the program was glorious.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
Asada didn't just UR on her Flip, she 3-turned out of it too. And completely popping a jump is certainly just as bad as a fall (or worse). I find that Cohen's mistakes were less disruptive to the program. They happened in the first 40 seconds and then after that the program was glorious.

I really just can't warm up to Sasha's skating. Yeah, her spirals are pretty and some of her spins are nice (not her bielman position though) but her jumps are so small that I feel like her programs were never that exciting. A triple lutz just isn't as exciting when it's 2 inches off the ice. That's why YUNA is the queen, her jumps are BIG :love:!
 

FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
1. Kim SP > Arakawa SP
Kim LP > Arakawa LP, although Arakawa had better spirals, spins, and their speed are about the same.

2. Mao SP >>>> Sasha SP (flutzing, etc... Mao spins, spirals, and jumps >>>> Sasha)
Mao LP >>>> Sasha LP (2 3A vs. 2 Salchow)

3. Irina SP >>> Rochette SP (superior speed, spins, jumps)
Irina LP < Rochette LP (both are sloppy, although Rochette is more inspiring and landed more triples)

So, I would rank the medalists:
1. Kim 2010
2. Arakawa 2006
3. Asada 2010
4. Rochette 2010
5. Irina 2006
6. Sasha 2006

Now, factor in Mirai, Rachael, and Laura Lepisto.
1 - 4 same
5. Rachael
6. Mirai
7. Laura Lepisto
8. Irina
9. Sasha
 

dlgpffps

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 14, 2009
Asada didn't just UR on her Flip, she 3-turned out of it too. And completely popping a jump is certainly just as bad as a fall (or worse). I find that Cohen's mistakes were less disruptive to the program. They happened in the first 40 seconds and then after that the program was glorious.

That's the thing. Mao's mistakes occurred further into the program, cutting into the magic of the two 3As, leaving no room for redemption like Sasha's and ending the program on a low note, so that when Mao held her hands up in her ending pose, all viewers could think about were those major mistakes. Those failed jumping passes also ran counter to the program's rising intensity. It cut the flow when it was reaching a pinnacle, and from that moment, Mao became overpowered by the heavy Agitato. Mao's program's hot or cold -- it must be clean to get even close to fulfilling its potential, esp. after the program was willowed following Rostelecom. None of her performances could match TEB's, which despite the mistakes showed glowing potential of brilliance. The modified program lost its intricacy and connection with the music -- becoming a framework for elements, making each failed execution costlier than ever, i.e. Mao's failed jumps had a greater impression on the program than Sasha's ever could. Sasha's program was pure brilliance, in spite of those early jumping passes. Artistically, it was so, so strong that when the program ended, many people were no longer thinking about the falls, but those beautiful bits of choreography. It's important to note that Sasha's program is choreographed so that it's brilliant in spite of failed jumps -- if you were to watch it without any, it would still be glorious.

But then again, I wouldn't put Sasha over Mao, as Mao executed three 3As. That can't be dismissed for nothing. I have my doubts about people's claims that two 3As and 2 other triples trump a 7-triple program, but I have no trouble putting Mao over Sasha. In 6.0, in CoP, in 2006, in 2010, Mao's performance still would've won Sasha's.
 
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