Is there any skater that EVERYBODY loves?

[Joesitz (RIP)]

If we are looking for the Most Loved Figure Skaters, we need to get a hold of E Network to run off 500 of them with no. 500 being the least of the most loved.

No. 48 would be Sonia Henie; no.47 would be Ullrich Salchow. No. 5 would be Jacqueline duBief and no. 4 would be Sonja Klopfer.

Joe

 

[krenseby]

LOL indeed.

That skater has got to be Michelle Kwan. Oh, I know there are some seriously deranged cretins who can't help but pick on her every move, but seriously, the sheer numbers of people who are taken by her kind of overwhelms those who are not. She must be the most universally beloved skater of all time, Janet Lynn notwithstanding. Janet Lynn is beloved by all as well, but she isn't as much of a superstar as Kwan is. I mean, figure skating doesn't exist as a sport where I live, and people here still admire and know of Michelle Kwan.

I think that with Kwan a lot of people take exception to the overhyping tendency of the media rather than to the skater herself.

One can pick on her spins, her reduction in choreography post 2001 to make a case that she isn't perfect and some aspects of her skating aren't top notch.

However, no one would disagree that though not perfect she is still pretty amazing!

 

[Ladskater]

Kurt and Scott have quite a few detractors... especially for their commentary (apparently both are anti-Russian bigots )

I agree there's not a single skater that doesn't have their share of haters, just some are more vocal than the others.

???? Kurt an anti-Russian Bigot? I don't think so. Kurt never says an unkind word about any skater.

 

[Mathman]

I don't know anyone who doesn't like Naomi Nari Nam.

 

[Kasey]

Just because one does not "love" a skater, that doesn't make them a hater. There are a lot of skaters I just don't care for, either their style on the ice, or their attitude/behavior off of it.

But I think it's impossible to find a skater (or any other person in general) whom everyone "loves". I've heard negative comments about Kwan, Gordeeva/Grinkov, Nikodinov, Hamilton, Browning, and pretty much every other skater. About the only skater I can think of that I have not heard any nasty comments about is John Curry; but no doubt, had the internet been around in his day, there would have been snarking. It's just the nature of the beast.

 

[Mathman]

About the only skater I can think of that I have not heard any nasty comments about is John Curry;...

I have read that when Curry had his own professional touring company he had a reputation for being a stern task-master and a perfectionist who was short on toerance for cast members who didn't tow the mark. I believe there was a certain amount of grumbing among the troops, even as they recognized Curry's creative genius.

 

[attyfan]

???? Kurt an anti-Russian Bigot? I don't think so. Kurt never says an unkind word about any skater.

Sorry, but when Kurt praised Yagudin for "giving back to the sport" (when Alexei had just gone pro), btu dismissed Alexei Urmanov as "that Lillehamer guy" and says that he hasn't done anything for the sport -- when Urmanov is both coaching the next generation of skaters and serving as a tech specialist -- then that, IMO is saying something unkind.

Kurt may not be anti-Russian in general, but his comments about Urmanov are even more bitter than some comments about Tara that I've read on the MKF! Kurt doesn't have to like the judging in '94, but making nasty comments about the winner js simply tacky and unnecessary. S/P didn't like the judging in SLC, either, but they didn't make nasty comments about Anton and Elena.

 

[Tonichelle]

???? Kurt an anti-Russian Bigot? I don't think so. Kurt never says an unkind word about any skater.

were you not around for US nationals this past year? he got labeled a whole lot of things because of some choice comments he and ABC had for Johnny Weir... (totally blown out of proportion; I'm just saying what was said)

not that I agree - I find him to the most genuine of the 'idols' I have met - I'm just stating it how it has been

then there was the whole Urmanov debacle in... 94? so he's had some choice words about skaters... but no I don't think he's unkind. but we're not talking about his fans, we're talking about others who don't care for him.

 

[hockeyfan228]

About the only skater I can think of that I have not heard any nasty comments about is John Curry; but no doubt, had the internet been around in his day, there would have been snarking. It's just the nature of the beast.

You haven't read much Toller Cranston then

 

[cygnus]

Don Jackson!

Maybe you have one here. I certainly haven't heard much negative about him, but then his best years were more than 40 years ago (maybe if there was in internet back then, he would have been more talked about!)

But to this day he remains a true gentleman in the very best sense of the word, and he is still making contributions to the skating world.

 

[Tonichelle]

I don't know anyone who doesn't like Naomi Nari Nam.

*knows a few, personally*

 

[hockeyfan228]

Kiira Korpi? (is the closest to loved by most that I can think of)

 

[russell30]

Gordeeva/Grinkov, Petr Barna, Kristi Yamaguchi and presently Sussanna Poykio have it for me for cleaness of lines, use of edges, musicality, softness of landings

 

[demarinis5]

Yuka Sato.

 

[slutskayafan21]

I don't know anyone who doesn't like Naomi Nari Nam.

Ugh, cant stand her. One of the most overhyped skaters in history. There you go, cross her off.

 

[cassieandcheetah]

Ugh, cant stand her. One of the most overhyped skaters in history. There you go, cross her off.

Gosh, why do you have to sound so mean and dismissive? Why can't you say something nice? Naomi Nari Nam certainly isn't the best skater around, but give her credit for overcoming her injury and all, for goodness's sake.

 

[astimegoesby]

For the record, here's the article containing the exact quote Kurt said about Urmanov which generated so much controversy:
http://www.kurtfiles.com/articles/article.php?id=498&cat=KURT

While I agree Kurt perhaps could have made that statement about Urmanov in a more diplomatic way, I'd hardly call it "bashing." If you read the whole article, Kurt was frustrated with the declining popularity of skating at the time, and people tend to say things they may regret later out of frustration. I'd hardly call one off-the-cuff remark as anti-Urmanov or anti-Russian skating in general. I just call it being human.

And even the journalist who wrote this article--and who's covered Kurt's career since his early eligible years--describes Kurt as "walking the fine line between quotability and putting his foot in it, usually erring on the side of diplomacy." And the amount of positive remarks Kurt has made about fellow skaters--including Russian ones--has far outweighed the ones where he's "put his foot in it."

Now back to the original topic of this thread--skaters whom I've never heard a negative remark against, either by fellow skaters or Internet posters.

Josée Chouinard--it's true she was never able to put it all together to win a World or Olympic medal, but I've never heard anyone bash her for it. And her fellow skaters certainly had nothing but good things to say about her personality.

Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov--apart from the choreography of some of their eligible programs, I've never heard a negative remark about either of them.

Midori Ito--she may have been more of a "jumping bean" than an artist, but unlike many other skaters, I've never heard anyone bash her for it, and most fans and fellow skaters have nothing but good things to say about her.

Caryn Kadavy--never heard a negative word about her or her skating

Christine Hough and Doug Ladret--ditto

Christopher Mabee

Natalia Annenko and Genrich Sretensky--probably the least-bashed Russian ice dancers in the history of skating

Isabelle Brasseur--it's true Lloyd has been bashed quite a bit for some of the less-than-diplomatic things he's said and done over the years (and more recently over his personal life), but I can't remember anyone making a negative remark about Isabelle.

 

[attyfan]

For the record, here's the article containing the exact quote Kurt said about Urmanov which generated so much controversy:
http://www.kurtfiles.com/articles/article.php?id=498&cat=KURT

While I agree Kurt perhaps could have made that statement about Urmanov in a more diplomatic way, I'd hardly call it "bashing." ...

First, I noticed the article described the "Lillehamer guy" as Kulik .. Second, and more important, it is the "invisible" people, like Urmanov, who are going to rebuild this sport. After all, when the US program needed re-building, wasn't it people like Fossi who played a big part in giving us Fleming?

BTW -- has anyone made any nasty comments about Kulik? I recall some from Yagudin when Kulik left Russia -- and Kulik's comments about Yags weren't all that nice either -- but nothing since then

 

[slutskayafan21]

Gosh, why do you have to sound so mean and dismissive? Why can't you say something nice? Naomi Nari Nam certainly isn't the best skater around, but give her credit for overcoming her injury and all, for goodness's sake.

I am just giving my opinion and clarifying there is atleast one person who doesnt like her. Yeah it is good she made a nice comeback, but she was proposterously overrated as a singles skater. She had one good event, coming 2nd in one of the worst U.S Championship fields in history, nothing else.

 

[CB1AB2]

Todd Eldredge = ( think I spelled his last name wrong) He is one heck of a skater and well respected by others == I don't think I've ever heard him say anything bad about another skater.