Is the greatness of a skater measured by medals?

[Joesitz (RIP)]

If you divide this question in two parts, you get Competitive Skater and Show Skater.

IMO, there are Competitive Skaters who really don't make it in Show Business. Sarah Hughes is an example but there are many more.

Show Skaters may not win as much medals but they grab the audience. Denise Bielman is an example but there are many more.

There are skaters who excell at both. Henie, comes to mind immediately, as do several others like Witt and Kwan. Any others in your opinion?

Joe

 

[Mathman]

She would have really worked on more flexible spins and spirals. (I don't think her body wasn't capable of learning them when she was like 12 years old.)

Hard to say. Michelle just wasn't blessed with a naturally flexible back like Sasha and Shizuka. I am pretty sure she did work hard on her spins and spirals, even under the 6.0 judging system.

The compromises she came up with weren't bad. For her spiral, she was able to get fine extension and amplitude by rotating her hips. (So did Nicole Bobek. Only Sasha was able to bring her free leg straight back.)

For her layback spin, she tried a lot of things and eventually came up with positions like the hands-behind-the-back, leg-lowered version, which was a pretty enough alternative.

About being remembered, I think Maria Butyrskaya has some things going for her. She was the first Russian ladies' world champion and also the oldest world champion. She was elegant and beautiful, a woman in a girls' sport. She had a true Lutz and a true flip, LOL. She had to struggle against great odds, both on and off the ice. (The Russian federation never liked her and was always trying to put her down and push her aside; her boyfriend was murdered and her car was blown up by organized criminals.)

 

[Mathman]

If you divide this question in two parts, you get Competitive Skater and Show Skater...

There are skaters who excell at both. Henie, comes to mind immediately, as do several others like Witt and Kwan. Any others in your opinion?

When you break it down like that, I would have to say that Sonie Henie is really in a class by herself. As a Competitive Skater she won ten consecutive World Championships and three Olympic Gold Medals. As a show skater, she brought figure skaying to Hollywood and put the sport front and center in the entertainment world.

I would also nominate the core SOI crew. Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Kurt Browning among them have 10 World Championships and two Olympic Gold Medals. As showpeople they created a new form of skating show and entertained millions over two decades of shows with uniformly high production values.

 

[fairly4]

greatness of skater

no the olympic gold is not a measurement
why because the skaters who i really remember are mainly not OGM
i think i will remember, Michelle -for her artistry, consitancy,
Irina for her long program in 2005
Alexi Yagudin for his performance at the olympic
Janet lynn
Peggy fleming-mainly because she was the only ogm at 1968 olympic for us in figure skating
Dick Button because of his comentating
Kurt Browning
Brian Orser
brian boitano-not because he is olympic champ =but because of his fighting to be at the 1994 olympics and than didn't want to help out in the pro-am
Paul wylie, kristi, linda fratianne.
Scott Hamilton-because of his pro career.
Katarine witt
sonja henie only because she is brought up every year as only figure skater to win 3 ogm =-her movie career
tara youngest-but tainted
we remember the skaters because of who they are on/and off the ice and how their skating impacted us personally, not of what medal they received.
we remember them of how they made us feel when they skated.

so for everyone it is a personally decision of who is remembered or not.

 

[gio]

I'll add

-Midori Ito = 3axel and her competitive jump programs (3/3, all the 6 triple jumps)
-Nancy/Tonya = because of that affair, but also because of Tonya being the first American to land a 3A, and the only one doing that in a SP.
-Denise Biellmann = Biellman spin (which she did not invent, but she perfectioned), first woman (AFAIK) to make entertaining programs and different programs.
-Kristi Yamaguchi = remembered not just because of her medals, but because of her whole package, first 3Z/3T combo, difficult jump entries, good artistry, great pro career.

 

[Mathman]

OK, but every skater on the last two lists has won googles of medals (Michelle Kwan won 42 golds in her career).

They are not great because they have medals, but they have medals because they were great.

 

[laceup]

OK, but every skater on the last two lists has won googles of medals (Michelle Kwan won 42 golds in her career).

They are not great because they have medals, but they have medals because they were great.

Couldn't have said it better Mathman !!!

 

[fairly4]

(Michelle Kwan won 42 golds in her career).

she has actually won over 50 gold medals including the pro -am events.