John Curry Article

[Geesesk8]

"...while John Curry's gold-medal performances have been relegated to YouTube and an occasional 1976 Olympic retrospective, his approach to skating remains. Few have embraced it more than Kimmie Meissner..."

"Curry's state of grace"
From the Baltimore Sun, 1/24/08:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/olympics/bal-sp.skate24jan24,0,4624525.story

He left an indelible mark in the sport......
John's Curry's 1976 Olympic Programs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-utXsdR9CQ

 

[Mathman]

"...while John Curry's gold-medal performances have been relegated to YouTube and an occasional 1976 Olympic retrospective, his approach to skating remains.

Few have embraced it more than Kimmie Meissner..."

What an interesting quote. Kimmie is certainly not the first skater that comes to mind when I think about the influence of John Curry.

The reference is about precision and attention to detail, especially in the basics. Well, Kimmie's up in a few hours -- go Kimmie!

"I don't think John [Curry] would be a big fan [of the new judging system], because they pack too much in to allow true interpretation of the music," she says. "The required steps and spins take up so much of the program that the art of skating has trouble coming through." -- Lori Nicole

I agree. I don't think Curry would be pleased with the direction that the sport has taken.

 

[fenway]

I'm so glad there are still people around who are actively trying to keep John's spirit alive.

 

[hockeyfan228]

John Curry's approach to skating was not compatible with the triple/quad era, decades before CoP was a figment in Cinquanta's imagination. He rarely jumped in any of his professional programs. Toller Cranston thought it scandalous that Curry didn't jump in his exhibition program at the 1980 Olympics, but years later, came to see the light.

I can see Curry's influence on Meissner, which is why I think her presentation has improved markedly since the 2006 Olympics. Her style is simple and classic, although she is still young -- Curry was in his mid-20's when he won the Olympics -- and she doesn't have the amazing posture that he had. Of course, her jump content is far more difficult, and the amount of speed she must generate to do six jumping passes with triple jumps, including combinations, is greater than Curry needed, and that dictates a lot more cross-overs.

 

[Penny]

For those of you who have asked about "ballet arms," this is it. Not just the arms but right down to the fingertips (with pointer finger extended and the others curved in softly). Notice the curve of his arms when overhead and the graceful way they come down. Can no one (male or female) spare a bit of training time to work with a ballet teacher on arms and carriage?

That said, I also enjoy and appreciate the greater athleticism of today's skaters. But they could be so much more.

Notice also that Curry wore the same simple black and white, sequin-free costume for both short and long (men take note).

 

[Mathman]

For those of you who have asked about "ballet arms," this is it. Not just the arms but right down to the fingertips (with pointer finger extended and the others curved in softly). Notice the curve of his arms when overhead and the graceful way they come down.

Just so. :yes: Is the article asserting that this sort of thing also characterizes Kimmie's skating?

 

[Jaana]

Great article!!! John Curry has always been my great favourite.... He had the kind of eligible career that I appreciate most: Moved up all the time and ended the career by winning Europeans, Olympics and Worlds. That is the best career ending a skater can have, in my opinion.

 

[Mathman]

^ It is interesting, though, that Curry himself had a different view of what was important.

Birch says Curry "wanted to win the Olympics so badly so that he could use it as a steppingstone to do what he wanted to do."

What really mattered to Curry was not winning medals, but rather this:

After retiring from competition, Curry formed skating companies that practiced his ballet-inspired style. Birch, Murphy and Nichol were members of the John Curry Skating Co., appearing in venues such as New York's Metropolitan Opera House and London's Albert Hall, sometimes with Hamill as guest star.

"He made skating more than just a sporting event. He wanted it to be an art," Nichol recalls.

.I think that's why people remember him with such awe and respect. (That and You Tube. )

 

[hockeyfan228]

He needed the medals and the Olympic title to get the funding/backing for his ultimate goal.

He had been an inconsistent underachieving competitor for a number of years leading up to his coaching change to Fassi. For the types of programs he did as a professional, he was no lesser a skater during his early competitive career.

 

[floskate]

He needed the medals and the Olympic title to get the funding/backing for his ultimate goal.

He had been an inconsistent underachieving competitor for a number of years leading up to his coaching change to Fassi. For the types of programs he did as a professional, he was no lesser a skater during his early competitive career.

I think John himself played down his amateur career a little. There's an interview where he says 'the only reason I did the Olympics thing...' or something to that effect. But John was a proud man who I think did look back with pride in his achievements. If he really wasn't so bothered about it, why would he have gone to Worlds having missed about 3 weeks of practice. He felt it was unfinished business and he put the prestige of the Olympic title on the line trying to win Worlds too, essentially risking all the future work and artistic opportunities he was to have. That speaks volumes IMO for John Curry the competitior. Although had he lost Worlds, I really don't think it would have hurt him one little bit professionally.

And although he had a tendency to bomb before the 75-76 season - most noteably 1971 and 1974 Worlds - he also skated some amazing programs, in exhibitions and competition that were just light years ahead of what any of the men, other than Toller were doing.

And as I said on FSU, I have to at the idea of John being relegated to youtube. I've posted a lot of his work on there, as have many others and frankly if it wasn't for that they'd be relegated to memory only!!!!