If you could skate away on a river...

[skateluvr]

Like the Joni Mitchell song - who would you choose to be if you could be any skater?

You can choose any skater from any time any discipline. So who would you want to skate life and would you choose to actually live their skating life and all the rest?

I was thinking about the classic 70's song and I was a huge Joni fan. And it made me wonder if I could skate who I'd choose to be like?

So hard.

I think for pure skating I would choose to be Janet Lynn. Her series of jumps are still lovely and flowing. We have forgotten there's more to skating than triple lutz triple toe. If I could be someone who has had an amazing career and still had the6.0 style I'd choose to be Michelle Kwan.

She has so much and is in my mind at her peak 1996-2004. Amazingly lucky and also got very rich. Her family is amazing. So these two move softly across the ice. I also would like to skate as quickly and softly as Katia. And to have Sergei hold me aloft as we glide. I guess it's about favorite skaters.

Strangely I am not feeling Yuna nor Mao. No way Evgenia. Sometimes I think I would love to be this petite bundle of Joy named Akiko. I love how she moves. And if I could have just one moment it would be to skate like that hybrid Ashley Wagner. I think her highest high was maybe her breakout year as the swan when she won her first national title. Or was it at worlds when she skated her sp then fell to the ice? Sexy and great skating at worlds. I know how happy I was for her silver skate. It was Golden for me.

And if I could be a male? Well Kurt Browning is still the bestI ever saw. Who has had a better more fun career? He is a dancer a jumper a showman an artist. I think Kurt is the male skater I would want to be. Or perhaps the little Dynamo Scott Hamilton because of his fast feet and high energy. His career has been mostly highs and he skated as a pro so long and got the big ovations while getting to know the golden era stars in every way. He still gets to be part of skating and every Olympics. And he started late but can even adopt kids and have the family of his dreams. He seems to just have a blast in life and yes I could and do handle the serious illnesses an more. He used to just amaze me with the barrel rolls the fast footwork into the back flip. He purely has the best time of all. If I had to pick the male skate of all time I would want to be Brian on that Glacier skating with total freedom to that music. What did that feel like?

I wish skaters would join and tell us the moments the felt like they soared. Any skaters in hiding here?

And one last ice dancer who should have more world golds. To skate like ShaeLynn Bourne with or without a partner. She is still amazing in my book. Of all the skaters who would you choose to embody on the ice??? And why?

Btw the Canadian born Joni surely had rivers to skate on. I can say the province she hails from but would need to google it for spelling. I am sure she skated recreationally and hence the song she composed while living in so cal - music epicenter then and now.

 

[Daniel1998]

You know, the obvious answer for me is Yuna, since she's loved by her country and is one of the best skaters of all time.

But when you think about her career, there were many times that you could feel she'd lost the joy in competing. I think i remember her saying that she came back for Sochi because she felt like it was her obligation to her country- NOT because she necessarily wanted to. And when it was over, she cried- not because she lost, but with relief that her career was finally over.

If I could "skate away on a river", as the title suggests, I would want to be someone who may not necessarily be the winningest, successful athlete, but someone truly loves competing and exudes joy every time they step on the ice.

i thought about Kaetlyn Osmond (talented, full of joy and positivity, and really beautiful to go along with it), but I wouldn't want my body to be as uncooperative as it has been in her career.

So I'll go with Aliona Savchenko. Lovely skating skills and has had such a successful, long-lasting career, but most importantly (and now more than ever), you can see how happy she is to be skating. Even though she's accomplished nearly everything one can accomplish in the skating world, she keeps at it, because she loves improving and loves performing. Even after a disappointing program, she's still smiling and consoling poor Bruno. I'd love to be so successful and so joyful at the same time.

 

[skateluvr]

Lovely post Daniel. I'd like to be Yuna the leader. You are right she was not always happy to skate and tellingly doesn't skate anymore and she's what 25 or 26. But she's beautiful beloved and oh so rich. When I picture the mature Yuna it is her arms in her best sp- Send in the Clowns. Great music choice. She seemed to love that music and enjoy that. Her LP just had me holding my breathe because she was nervous and tight. I think her most emotional lovely skate was her retirement in ATS 2014. It was her best most heartfelt ever. Check out her Nessun Dorma and the great dress if you never saw it.

 

[desertskates]

Carolina Kostner. When she's having a really "on" performance (like her Sochi short), she radiates such a true peaceful joy.
And, it'd be fun just for once to know what it feels like to have long limbs

 

[Daniel1998]

Lovely post Daniel. I'd like to be Yuna the leader. You are right she was not always happy to skate and tellingly doesn't skate anymore and she's what25 or 26. But she's beautiful beloved and oh so rich. When I picture the mature Yuna it is her arms in her best sp- her lot Send in the clowns. She seemed to love that music and enjoy that. Her LP just had me holding my breathe because she was nervous and tight. I think her most emotional lovely skate was her retirement in ATS 2014. It was her best most heartfelt ever.

Send in the clowns was my personal favourite program of hers. I always said if that didn't get a 10.00 for choreography and interpretation, I don't know what would. You could feel her emotions so clearly when she skated to it at Sochi- it was such a lovely moment and felt much more like a lyrical gala performance than a competitive skate (and quite underscored, imo). Agree that her long program was tight- the second lutz almost made my heart skip a beat. I also liked her Imagine gala performance at Sochi.

 

[mrrice]

This is a really beautiful question. As a male skater, I would choose to be Brian Boitano. He was my late Partner's favorite skater and he's been an inspiration to many Men in the Gay Community and not just the skaters. In Northern, Ca. where I live, Brian is one of the most recognized athletes in the area. I think he came in third for popular athlete's. Right behind Joe Montana and Steve Young.

As a female skater. I'd without question be Maria Butyrskaya. She had to fight against the natural current and swim upstream to reach her goals. It took her much longer than most of the others but she made it back to the Ocean. She also gave me a decade of memories that I will always cherish.

 

[skateluvr]

It's interesting how we like some skaters best for their lives like mrrice. I prefer several skaters to Brian but that glacier skate looked so effortless. I actually prefer Wylie andOrser and Kurt. Also Yagudin. Brian never touched me emotionally except on that Glacier. It's nice to know he is a good guy and well regarded out there.

I thought about Caro because I love that Sochi sp and I love every version of Ave Maria. I have long limbs but hers look longer! For me she won gold there. But she went through so much before say2011. All those disastrous falls. But to move like she does. It was angelic. I can see hey you want to skate like her. She is not cookie cutter in any way and I love Polina and Gracie because most skaters are tiny now. Tall girls can make great shapes. Beautiful legs and arms on Kostner. I miss her very much.

 

[karne]

I would want to be Joshua, but with -

- the speed, power and grit of Max
- and the flexibility and tenacity of Jason
- and the unshakeable reliability of Plushy
- and the underlying quirkiness of Artur

 

[Daniel1998]

I would want to be Joshua, but with -

- the speed, power and grit of Max
- and the flexibility and tenacity of Jason
- and the unshakeable reliability of Plushy
- and the underlying quirkiness of Artur

You coulda just said Joshuartur Aarlushenkrown.

 

[brightphoton]

I like skaters who look happy, light, easy, and like they're enjoying themselves out on the ice. Competition skates are always really nerve-wracking and people only clap after jumps. Performance ice theater has always appealed more to me. You get to appreciate everything the skaters do, not just their jumps.

Even though I really admire John Curry's dream of a theater on ice, I don't think I'd want to be him, his life ended prematurely and rather sadly. It also ran out of business, but I'm happy he was able to achieve it for a little while.


Dorothy Hamill seems like a really happy skater and a very nice, pleasant, genuine person. Here's Dorothy in her Nutcracker on Ice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ7BCM_5aSc

highlights:
toy dance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwGGZkB5-U&t=4m15s

Snowflake dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyrHYUtWVV4&t=5m05s

the most sedate Spaniards you've ever seen ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s3EZEdkx_g&t=5m26s

Chinese dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB_CTXkoo1E

Russian dance, LOVE those sit spins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB_CTXkoo1E&t=0m57s

Russian Swan Lake dancers. I'm okay with this artistic change
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB_CTXkoo1E&t=2m03s

Arabian dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1RON_XSANc

Trio skate, this time with 4 cakes instead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1RON_XSANc&t=5m21s

Waltz of flowers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CkfvDJLOA&t=1m01s

 

[Layback11]

Interesting...

I think I would want to be Akiko Suzuki. She skated with so much heart and you could feel her love of skating in every movement. To me, she's the prime example of skating for love of the sport. In a word, touching. The ability to touch hearts through your sport is one of the things that makes figure skating unique, and Akiko epitomizes that.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Second place: Elena Ilinykh. Fierce, tenacious, and gorgeous, she has the best problem an ice dancer can have: being better than 99% of male dance partners. Remember that swimmer who everyone was calling the "Iron Lady" during the Olympics? I feel like Elena should steal that nickname. I would love to perform with Elena's sass and bravado.

Third place: Boss Queen Wenjing. Need I say more?


Fourth place: Elena Radionova. Another skater who skates from the heart; her arms may be flaily and her posture substandard, but she's got an incredibly special kind of charisma that can only come from geniunely loving to skate. A gift to audiences everywhere, even with voiceovers. If I were an elite skater, I would really like to have the kind of connection with audiences that Elena does.

 

[skateluvr]

Dorothy had as Button said the best back of all. I could watch her stroke around all day. As to having her life- her book is honest. Two divorces- money issues etc. called " A skating Life." I still have it. Worth reading. And I always had long hair. I did finally cut it because it was too thick and two colors! I did ask for the Dorothy Hamill cut 40 years later. I didn't quite get it tho!!

Anyone doing retro Dorothy with their hair? She was such a natural beauty!

 

[narcissa]

Hmm, Katarina Witt. She loves skating and was musical and artistic and was able to influence her country and the politics at the time with her skating.

 

[Crossover]

Kristi Yamaguchi. She is the only skater whom I can think of being versatile both in singles and pairs. She is my very first idol, so she always will be my treasure and has made me dream that we have a champion both in ladies and pairs in future. Kristi's pro-career and developing youngster are also impressive. She also has balanced well both her career and her family. Moreover, she looks always happy, modest, and elegant. When she were a competitive skater, her era was a golden age for figure skating, so I would like to choose her.

 

[skateluvr]

Hmm, Katarina Witt. She loves skating and was musical and artistic and was able to influence her country and the politics at the time with her skating.

Just wondering- are you European? She was stunning and had an incredibly long career. What was your favorite skate of hers? Me? I liked it when she skated to Michael Jackson for her exhibition. I thought her beautiful and enviable given all her success and money etc but I can't say I loved her as an amateur. I think she skated with more beauty in her later pro years. She had a figure we will not see again because no one at The top level can do the jumps with that build. It is too bad that triple jumps require a different body type altogether. I miss the diversity in terms of European women having a chance. Carolina was unique. The Russian girls cannot really mature and stil triple triple triple their way to the top. I am it Aran of Anna P but she does look like a woman out there in comparison to the tiny skinny girls that dominate the podium these days.

There really are few skaters that are tall. This is why I love the European skaters like Lucindah and Caro and their descendants here in USA like Polina and Gracie. It is so rare that tall girls get very far in ladies singles. Funny to me that Yuna wa considered tall at 5 foot 3 but she was compared to Mao and Joannie. I have often lamented that a woman like Witt could be competitive only as far as the 80s. My fave eligible skate was her return in 1994 when she skated two programs I liked. It was sad to see her struggle with jumps however. But her presence did remind us that she was once totally unbeatable. I personally loved Roz as a pro and also preferred Debbie as a skater back then. I wonder if we will ever see a female win back to back golds again? Yuna was never my fave but she sure came close in 2014 and had it not been inSochi perhaps she would have won. No can of worms intended.

But Katarina was a true competitor and Yuna Kim had that same consistent cool headed nerve. I personally do not think world events will be conducive to world Olympics in 2022. I predict the 2018 Olympics - if it happens - will be the last winter Oly event for sometime. Not to scare anyone but my economic and world predictions are quite accurate.

 

[narcissa]

Just wondering- are you European? She was stunning and had an incredibly long career. What was your favorite skate of hers? Me? I liked it when she skated to Michael Jackson for her exhibition. I thought her beautiful and enviable given all her success and money etc but I can't say I loved her as an amateur. I think she skated with more beauty in her later pro years. She had a figure we will not see again because no one at The top level can do the jumps with that build. It is too bad that triple jumps require a different body type altogether. I miss the diversity in terms of European women having a chance. Carolina was unique. The Russian girls cannot really mature and stil triple triple triple their way to the top. I am it Aran of Anna P but she does look like a woman out there in comparison to the tiny skinny girls that dominate the podium these days.

There really are few skaters that are tall. This is why I love the European skaters like Lucindah and Caro and their descendants here in USA like Polina and Gracie. It is so rare that tall girls get very far in ladies singles. Funny to me that Yuna wa considered tall at 5 foot 3 but she was compared to Mao and Joannie. I have often lamented that a woman like Witt could be competitive only as far as the 80s. My fave eligible skate was her return in 1994 when she skated two programs I liked. It was sad to see her struggle with jumps however. But her presence did remind us that she was once totally unbeatable. I personally loved Roz as a pro and also preferred Debbie as a skater back then. I wonder if we will ever see a female win back to back golds again? Yuna was never my fave but she sure came close in 2014 and had it not been inSochi perhaps she would have won. No can of worms intended.

But Katarina was a true competitor and Yuna Kim had that same consistent cool headed nerve. I personally do not think world events will be conducive to world Olympics in 2022. I predict the 2018 Olympics - if it happens - will be the last winter Oly event for sometime. Not to scare anyone but my economic and world predictions are quite accurate.

I'm actually not European, I'm Asian, but I still love Katarina nonetheless. I liked how cool and confident she was on the ice. Her Carmen performance was one of my favorites artistically, it was so over the top but I loved it haha, and I also liked her tribute performance in 1994 as well and the music she chose.

I agree with you on diversity, although I think Yuna is 5'5" or 5'6" though, no?

 

[skateluvr]

No I believe Yuna is just five foot three.

 

[Weathergal]

No I believe Yuna is just five foot three.

Wikipedia says 5 feet 4 1/2 inches.

 

[Biellmann]

Sasha Cohen :agree2: :luv17:

 

[4everchan]

the real question is which river would it be... it better be north enough otherwise it won't freeze