Johnny Weir Robbed Big Time

[Joesitz (RIP)]

^ It's all in a matter of taste or in nationality preference. For my taste, I do not appreciate hammy skaters, who stop and pause to hear the cheers of the crowd before going on to the next move. His jumps are great, though.

Yagudin also sells his style to the audience but he does it in a more fluid fashion.

Sasha Abt was the one more closely in tune with Johnny.. and totally overlooked by the Russian hierarchy.

Joe

 

[georgia]

those horrible hand movements

I just loved the little hand movements. Just wonderful and unique. Also very much in tune with the music.

 

[Medusa]

^ It's all in a matter of taste or in nationality preference. For my taste, I do not appreciate hammy skaters, who stop and pause to hear the cheers of the crowd before going on to the next move. His jumps are great, though.

Yagudin also sells his style to the audience but he does it in a more fluid fashion.

Sasha Abt was the one more closely in tune with Johnny.. and totally overlooked by the Russian hierarchy.

I took another look at Abt - forgot a bit how he used to skate, didn't he end his career after the Olympics '02? Abt certainly has the same excellent basic skating skills that Weir has. He isn't as good as Weir concerning other stuff though, his posture is a bit sloppy, his movements aren't as graceful and sometimes a bit woody.

But Abt's jumps are way more powerful, some of them really high - very impressive. I always ask myself how Weir gets to have such a beautiful consistent Triple-Axel - it's not like he gets a lot of height on it, it's not higher than his Double. Abt's skating is artistic (more artistic than Yagudin's or Plushenko's anyway), but it's also powerful - his footwork has powerful dramatic moves and he skates his footwork with real conviction. I think that sets him apart from lots of other lyrical skaters, he is artistic, but can change to dramatic and passionate in a split-second.

So in my opinion its: Abt = Weir minus Alina Cojocaru plus Baryshnikov

As for Plushenko, I loved him more before Yagudin left the stage, he was so daring back then, I just love his 2002 Olympics LP, he really gave everything. But after that he became a bit of a businessman on ice, I was so disappointed in 2006 at the Olympics.

 

[Nan]

I don't think Plushenko had way more perfect programs than Yagudin. He certainly didn't have perfect programs at the 2002 Olympics and his 2006 Olympic program was one of the worst I have seen even though he won. He did not even try to make his program interesting, just jumped, flailing his arms around and shake his hips in front of the judges, so I don't see the miracle in his skating.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I don't think the comparisons were between skaters per se. It was comparisons as to style and not jumps. I don't think anyone was comparing jumps.

Weir's axels for those who are concerned with jumps were for the distance travelled.

Abt had numerous injury problems.

Their styles were not the same but there was a similar approach without the cossack style.

Joe

 

[ranjake]

don't hit me! but i always felt that plushenko was "somewhat" over-rated. i completely recognize the genuine genius of most of his skating, but i had a big problem with some of his positions and disjointed arm-movements, and what seemed to be inorganic theatricality. i know it's just me. i have a great admiration for russian male skaters, past and present; plushenko just wasn't my personal favorite. i love johnny weir, but i love evan, too. they do different things for me.

 

[sillylionlove]

I agree with you ranjake. I was never a plushenko fan either.

 

[Mathman]

To me, Plushenko was much more fun to watch live than on TV. Live, he always seemed totally in command without being arrogant.

He was also very courteous to fans and respectful of his fellow skaters. When he skated in cheesefests, after the men's part was over he would pull up a folding chair to the front row and cheer on the ladies with great enthusiasm. :agree:

 

[Winnipeg]

I always respected Plushenko's great ability to deliver consistently...........his confident aura was great IMO

 

[sillylionlove]

I think that my problem with Plushkeno was that I always compared him to those that came before....Patrenko, Urmanov, Kulik and Yagudin.

 

[kittyjake5]

I think that my problem with Plushkeno was that I always compared him to those that came before....Patrenko, Urmanov, Kulik and Yagudin.

I did just the opposite I never compared Plushenko to anyone else because imo he was so different from the other skaters before him. I remember the first time I saw Plushenko skate he was either fourteen or fifteen and I have been a fan of his since. I won't go into a litany on why I like his skating. Some of the criticism of his skating is justified but I sure do miss his spark, his connection to the audience, his attack and consistency on the ice.

 

[jennylovskt]

I didn't see this article's been posted. If it has, please delete it.

It's about the rounding error.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/2008/02/skating-by-the.html