How many champ/elite skaters were only kids? | Golden Skate

How many champ/elite skaters were only kids?

skateluvr

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Oct 23, 2011
Well, Flatt is one. I think Weir is an only. How do you think this sport seems to select for only kids? Chan is another. National, world or Olympic Champs? Joannie Rochette is another only child. How about YuNa-does she have sibs? I'm curious as FS takes so much from parents-esp time and money. It ain't basketball!:biggrin:
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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How do you think this sport seems to select for only kids?

Unless many more examples that are accurate can be cited, I'm not convinced that skating does select for only children.
FWIW, none of the current U.S. senior champions are only children.
  • Max Aaron has sisters -- who are skaters.
  • Ashley Wagner has at least one brother (and I think he also was/is a skater?).
  • Davis and White each have at least one brother.
  • Denney's sister is a skater. Coughlin has at least one sister.

ETA, correction:
Apologies to Castelli/Shnapir. I forgot that they are the 2013 pair champions. Their IN bio says that Castelli has an older brother (who plays football). No word on Shnapir's sibs, if any.

I think Weir is an only.

FYI, Johnny Weir has a brother.
 

bara1968

On the Ice
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Mar 14, 2013
How about YuNa-does she have sibs? I'm curious as FS takes so much from parents-esp time and money. It ain't basketball!:biggrin:

Yuna has one elder sister (just like Mao-:)). I think she is a nurse. I heard that she( Yuna's sister ) kinda gave up on her dream to become a singer/artist with the exact same reason you just referred- FS(Yuna) takes so much from parents so that she could not expect full support from her parents. Yuna is a good singer too, so they both have musicality in their blood. :laugh:

For the original question..

I think Irina Slutskaya is the only child. And every Chinese skaters should be the only kids because of their government's policy. (has nothing to do with sports.)
 

karne

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Weir has a brother.

Max Aaron has two sisters who skate, but their father is a paediatrician and their mother is a neo-natal intensive care nurse so I imagine they aren't exactly short of a quid.

Joshua Farris has an older brother (David), who is a professional bowler.

Jason Brown has an older sister (Jordan) and a younger brother (Dylan - I see what you did there, Mr and Mrs Brown!). His older sister was the reason he started skating but she doesn't anymore.

Evgeni Plushenko has a younger sister whom he provides for. I think Elizaveta Tuktamysheva has a sister as well, but I believe Artur Gachinski is an only child.
 
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Aug 16, 2009
Looking back, I think Dorothy Hamill was an only child, but Peggy Fleming has two or three sisters, and Janet Lynn has several brothers. Michelle Kwan of course has Karen, plus a brother. I think Tara Lipinski is an only child, but Sarah Hughes has several siblings, including skater Emily. And Alissa has a twin. Then there are the most successful skating siblings, Hayes and David Jenkins, each an Olympic gold medalist.

What's difficult for skating champions' parents is probably keeping the other sibling(s) in the spotlight as well. Money is only part of the problem: it's also time. Skate parents spend a lot of time ferrying the skater to and from practice, sitting in the rink and waiting, and maybe traveling to competitions when the child is young. What's left over for the other siblings' class play or violin recital? I read the post that YuNa's sister had to give up her dreams of singing, and I feel sad for her. I wonder why she couldn't try her hand at singing now: it isn't as if you have to be a certain age to embark on a singing career. It's not like skating, where your skills peak and then diminish.
 

clairecloutier

Final Flight
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Aug 27, 2003
Oksana Baiul and Tara Lipinski are only children. (Not too surprising in either case! :))

Midori Ito may be an only child as well, but I'm not sure. I've never heard mention of a sibling, and couldn't find anything about it online.
 

dorispulaski

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Scott Hamilton was adopted, he has 2 siblings, one a biological child of his parents, and one adopted.

Kristi Yamaguchi has a brother & a sister.

Nancy Kerrigan has at least one brother.

Elizabeth Punsalan had at least one brother.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Pretty sure that Boitano, Galindo, and Lysacek each have a sister.

Abbott has a sister.

Virtue has one sister and two brothers. Moir has two brothers.
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
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Jason Brown has an older sister (Jordan) and a younger brother (Dylan - I see what you did there, Mr and Mrs Brown!). His older sister was the reason he started skating but she doesn't anymore.

It's probably because I'm Irish, and this is probably a reference most Americans would understand, but I'm afraid I don't know what you are getting at here. Sorry.


I think Elizaveta Tuktamysheva has a sister as well

Yeah, Liza does have a younger sister. According to the Wikipedia article about Liza, the sister is called Evgenia, and she is seven years younger than Liza.

I think I've seen a photo of them together on Liza's personal Instagram, but I don't know for sure if it was Evgenia (it wasn't labelled). But, put it like this - the wee girl in the photo had a face that looked identical to Liza's... and she was very like Liza's Mum's as well. So she is definitely related to them in some way. But whether she is Liza's sister or, say, a cousin or something, I just plain don't know.


Oh, and in case you are interested, I am an only child! ;)

CaroLiza_fan
 

karne

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It's probably because I'm Irish, and this is probably a reference most Americans would understand, but I'm afraid I don't know what you are getting at here. Sorry.

Jord-AN
Jas-ON
Dyl-AN

Same endings, all pronounced the same ;)
 

Crystallize

On the Ice
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Mar 11, 2012
Oksana Baiul and Tara Lipinski are only children. (Not too surprising in either case! :))

Midori Ito may be an only child as well, but I'm not sure. I've never heard mention of a sibling, and couldn't find anything about it online.

According to here, Ito has both an older brother and a younger sister. I was surprised because I hadn't heard of her having siblings either until I came across the article a while back.
 

Jammers

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Galindo definitely has a sister, Laura, who was his coach at one point.

Didn't Rudy have a brother who had passed away too? I remember in 1996 Dick Button saying how many tragedies he had over the last few years including his dad and brother and a couple coaches who had all died.
 

vera01

Final Flight
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Jan 6, 2013
I'm wondering if both Davis/White are only children. I've never heard about them having any sisters or brothers.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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I'm wondering if both Davis/White are only children. I've never heard about them having any sisters or brothers.

As mentioned above in post #2, Davis has at least one brother. The same for White.

When asked to give advice to other "skating moms," the mothers of Davis and White say (among other points they make) that it is important for siblings who do not skate to receive as much parental attention as those who do. :thumbsup:
 

tulosai

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Dec 21, 2011
Elena Radionova and Julia Lipnitskaia are definitely only kids. I´m nor sure about Mirai Nagasu.

Nagasu is an only. However, I do think that at least half of all elite skaters do have siblings and there's not much correlation at all. It is interesting to see who are only children and not though :)

Sasha Cohen has a sister.
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
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Jason Brown has an older sister (Jordan) and a younger brother (Dylan - I see what you did there, Mr and Mrs Brown!). His older sister was the reason he started skating but she doesn't anymore.

It's probably because I'm Irish, and this is probably a reference most Americans would understand, but I'm afraid I don't know what you are getting at here. Sorry.

Jord-AN
Jas-ON
Dyl-AN

Same endings, all pronounced the same ;)

Ah, so it's as straightforward as that! D'oh! :rolleye: :p

I though it was something more complicated, like they were named after famous people that most people on your side of the Atlantic would be familiar with, but people on this side of the Atlantic would not.

Methinks I think too much! :laugh: :p

CaroLiza_fan
 
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