The Best of Dick Button's Commentary | Golden Skate

The Best of Dick Button's Commentary

aftertherain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
For any American viewer who began watching skating on TV prior to 2008, you should be familiar with this man. Together, with Peggy Fleming and Terry Gannon ... oh man, the memories. :p

Anyway, I found these little gems (montages?) while I was roaming the plains of YouTube:

1. "Dick Button: The Gold Standard" - In which some of "Uncle Dick's" sarcasm and disdain for some skaters or their skating from programs over the years (about 1990-2007) is highlighted-- Yuna and Plushy are talked about; and no one, not even his favorite Michelle Kwan, is spared.
(Some posters might find his remarks a bit "pretentious" when talking about their favorite skaters, but I honestly think they're all hilarious.)

2. The Dick Button Seal of Approval - In which Mr. Button, two-time Olympic gold medalist, shows his love for skaters and/or their skating-- sometimes by yelling out his excitement.
(Volume is unstable-- if you're wearing headphones, watch your ears!)

Ah, I miss Mr. Button. :laugh:

--What are some of your favorite "Button-isms" that aren't included in the video?
--What are some other ridiculous/funny things other commentators have said?

One of mine is this one from Tonya Harding's 1993 Nationals LP -- "And this move, the Harding spin; it's sort of a cross between a Hamill Camel and a little tipsy skater!"
 
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iluvtodd

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Mar 5, 2004
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United-States
Thanks for posting these! Loved them both!

For the Dick Button Seal of Approval, I wish the videographer had included some of the many times when "Uncle" Dickie gushed about Todd's spins (1998 Worlds - end of his free skate - "This is enough to bring any audience to its feet!" 1998 Hershey's Spring Challenge - when Todd skated to "Il Mare Calmo de la Sera - he went on & on about how he thought vocal music could be used effectively in competition (I'm not saying it always works, but that version of "Il Mare" is my personal favorite), 1998 Keri Lotion Classic - he talked about the difficulty of doing well centered spins, stating that they are as difficult as doing triples, should be given more credit, etc. not to mention, "Good for you, Todd Eldredge," "Good boy, good boy!" I'm sure there are many more examples, but these are so clear in my mind.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
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Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Unfortunately, the montage maker did not include many of Uncle Dickie's positive comments on pairs and dance.

Here's his (very positive) comments about Belbin & Agosto and Davis & White following the 2008 Free Dance :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc9K5Bny3JE

Clearly a fan of ice dance, our Uncle Dick.

And here's Dick Button as a speaker, introduced by Paul Wylie,ranting about judging over the years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMoRf-RPssQ

But definitely, you should listen to the Caesar's Tribute to Dick Button
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJFQzqY9nkA

And some shots of Dick skating that I hadn't seen here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYxOXmFkdYE

some zippy footwork, Dick!
 
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FSGMT

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 10, 2012
About Plushenko's program: "Was there a program?" "No, there wasn't. there were jumps and arm movements" :clap::bow::points:
 

plushyfan

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Jun 27, 2012
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Hungary
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plushyfan

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Jun 27, 2012
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=j5CxQq1vsRU#t=364s
Dick on Plushenko at the Marshall's competition
"this guy can really bring you in"

Plushyfan, I'm not sure why you included Hamilton's (as usual) miserable commentary?

You are right, I deleted, sorry :slink: In generally I don't like Americans commentaries, if you compare with the Eurosport's commentaries, you will notice a huge difference. The NBC commentaries are too biased, and they are talking too much.
 
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Sk8Boi

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
"Unfortunately, it was heavy, slow with pedestrian choreography ... uh uh umm I mean the whole program was sort of uh .. unfortunate skating. I don't know what to say. Not her night."

re: Agnes Gosselin 1988 Olympic Ladies SP
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
And listen to Dick's commentary about Godfather program, he liked it..interesting.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5CxQq1vsRU

on Marshalls WC, and that is also interesting how much love Plush the Americans audience..

I was there! The best competition I have ever seen live. I got my picture taken with Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto. Irina Slutskaya beat Michelle Kwan in ladies, but oh well. ;)

The men's competition was a nail-biter. This was the first time anyone had ever heard of Evan Lysacek. He skated first and did great. Then one by one all the others guys took their shot at him -- Joubert, Weir, Andrei Griazev, Ryan Yanke. There was a busload of little girls in the audience that had prepared signs for each of them, one after the other. At the end, Evan was still holding on to first by a thread.

Then Plushenko came out, and that was that. :laugh:

When the ladies took the ice, Evgenie brought a folding chair out to rinkside to cheer them on. :yes: He was a huge crowd favorite. Irina, too.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
^ That Godfather is not the best skated but it is the in your face ending to the judges that I liked.:biggrin:

I m always confused with Marshalls, was it sometimes in late spring and sometimes before Christmas?
 

Sk8Boi

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
"Those sit spin positions are not the best .... kind of slumped forward like they are tired at the dinner table ...."
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I m always confused with Marshalls, was it sometimes in late spring and sometimes before Christmas?

For several years in the early 2000s USFS tried to hold three cheesefests per year, with varying formats. There were several different sponsors. For a while the Campbell's event (aka the Campbell Soup Bowl) kicked off the U.S. figure skating season around October first. For $19.99 on ebay you can still buy this Campbell's Souperstars on Ice cup, signed by Michelle kwan, Tara Lipinsky and Nicole Bobek. "rock: (I have three already. :laugh: )

http://image0-rubylane.s3.amazonaws.com/shops/hoosiercollectibles/11252.4L.jpg

Marshall's Department Stores came in as a sponsor in 2004. There was a Marshall's event in April of 2004. (Plush won for the men and Sasha Cohen gave the best performance of her life to Swan Lake and won for the ladies.) The December 2004 Marshall's is the one in the video. Then there was an April 2005 event for U.S. skaters only.

The last one was in December of 2005, which was a viewers call/text in your votes. (If you cleared your cookies every tine you voted on line, you could vote over and over. :) Matt Savoie and Sasha Cohen skated the best and should have won, but the voters went with Michelle and Johnny Weir. They never tried that format again. :laugh:
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I remember that voting competition. Michelle was injured and I think didn't do a single jump. That was one time even I thought that someone else should have won.

I envy your getting to see Plushy and all the others at that competition with Michelle and Irina, and Evan and Plushy.
 

MK's Winter

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 9, 2009
This thread has me cracking up! My favorite Buttonism: "There's no knit-picking on that" after he points out a flaw that the naked eye wouldn't have found....
 

Kitt

Final Flight
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Feb 1, 2007
Country
United-States
Johnny skates like "liquid gold." I think that was said at 2004 Nationals.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
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Jul 26, 2003
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United-States
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
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Jun 27, 2003
yeah Push Dick's Button just sounded dirty - and the non skating commentator had way too good a time with it.

I remember him using the term MoJo - and you could tell he wasn't sure what the heck it was... Terry Gannon fed it to him, and then laughed after Dick used it.
 
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