Skaters and Their Signature Moves, Elements & Programs

[Panpie]

Denise Biellmann for the spin that is named for her. She may not have invented it, and lots of people do it, but I think it is Denise's signature move.

Daisuke: Cyber Swan, Blues for Klook
Michelle (hard to choose): Spirals; Rachmaninoff, Lyra Angelica, Tosca (at U.S. Nationals), Fields of Gold, gorgeous dresses
Sasha: beautiful positions; Dark Eyes SP, Romeo and Juliet LP
Yagudin: footwork; Winter SP, Man in the Iron Mask LP
Lambiel: Fleur Lambiel spin, headless spin, and spins, in general; Four Seasons (program and costume ), William Tell, Poeta
Arakawa: flexibility, Ina Bauer
Yulia: outstanding spins and flexibility; Schindler's List LP; angelic face (since we're including physical attributes, apparently)
Yuzuru: Ina Bauer, incredible jumps when he's on; Parisian Walkways and Romeo and Juliet (the first version); angelic face that would be a perfect match for Yulia

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

based on your definition of true signature if that's what you call it
none of this would qualify

How so? I said it's not based on quality so much as if they're one of the only few doing it. Based on a definition of "signature", Gold doesn't have any signature moves since there are tons of skaters who have strong jumps, tons who can do 3-3, and several who have a Hollywood look -- and many of these skaters have won competitions no less. I guess you could say she's got a signature "lip" since most skaters with edge problems "flutz".

I mean, you're saying Kostner's signature move is "speed". That could be what she's known for, but she's not the first fast skater to ever exist.

MT/M's lunge, reverse directions lift is one of the hardest and most breathtaking lifts in the world. Osmond's little Biellmann move is just a split-second move, but she puts it in her programs and I associate it with her. And the two Chinese pairs are the only ones doing the quad twist now, and they perform it more often than G/G (although I also associate it with them).

 

[TontoK]

Boitano's spread eagles, especially the long back edged one. Bodyline straight as an arrow with lots of lean. It is a feature in nearly all of his long and show programs.

Lucida Ruh's layback spin combination. Unmatched.

Edit to add: The Protopopov's pair spiral. Breathtaking. And, I guess, death spiral, which I think they invented.

 

[Alba]

Victoria and Nikita: Blonde and beautiful.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Yuzuru along with Javier are one of the only few current elites to execute clean 4S

Um, Hanyu did it exactly twice last year and fell/popped it every other time. The two times he did it, they were barely eked out, and not a strong clean jump with good flow like Fernandez.

Among the men to cleanly execute 4S - and some of these have done 4S way more times than Hanyu ever has - Fernandez, Reynolds, Kovtun, Brezina, Amodio, Aaron, Miner, Joubert, Honda, Zhang, Klimkin, Goebel.

Kovtun landed more than twice as many clean 4S in competition this season (7 clean ones) than Hanyu has ever (3 clean ones), and Kovtun only started competing the 4S this year.

 

[skatedreamer]

Michelle's falling leaf was simply beautiful. Love her change of edge spiral, my heart lived for it!

:agree: :yes: I used to wait for those spirals in all of her programs. And the big smile that went with them -- icing on the cake!

 

[Amei]

Scott Hamilton: the back flip
Alexei Yagudin: step sequence
Yulia Lipnitskaia: spins - regardless of her artistic or jumping ability, as long as she keeps that flexibility I think she'll be known for her spins
Mao Asada: 3A

 

[Hanmgse]

Yuzuru along with Javier are one of the only few current elites to execute clean 4S

Mmm Yuzuru is still not there, he may do it clean in practices but not in competitions

 

[Alba]

:agree: :yes: I used to wait for those spirals in all of her programs. And the big smile that went with them -- icing on the cake!

Me too.

 

[arcticwolf]

Anissina/Piezerat's reverse lift is definitely their defining move

Yup! In terms of signature moves, I think theirs is really one of a kind as well as their innovative lifts.

For the current skaters, I think I've never seen anyone do a one-foot entry to a double axel much less a triple axel so I can say that Hanyu really owned that move. I can't really associate Hanyu with the 4S. Instead, I'll say that Javier has the best effortless 4S that I have ever seen. Yuna's would be her 3z-3t cause no one does it better than her.

 

[AsadaFanBoy]

Skaters and their signature moves/elements/programs

Yamaguchi: haircutter; split jump into 3T; lunge into 3T; camel spin; flying sit spin (gorgeous); layback

Wagner: 2A into split jump; 3L-2A SEQ; two footed jumps

Sotnikova: three jump combination; pumping up the crowd during a spiral

Kerrigan: the Kerrigan; 3T-3T

Suzuki: pure joy. Is that a move?

Lambiel: spins. All of them.

Lysacek: spray tanning

 

[edenlover]

:agree: :yes: I used to wait for those spirals in all of her programs. And the big smile that went with them -- icing on the cake!

THe cherry on top of the perfect sundae...to steal Michelle's words.

 

[Kitt]

Hanyu's ina bauer is pretty spectacular, right up there with Arakawa's.

 

[Rossig]

Anissina/Piezerat's reverse lift is definitely their defining move

I loved their reverse lifts. But I've heard that some people hated them.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I loved their reverse lifts. But I've heard that some people hated them.

I for one loved them. It's great to see teams be innovative. After all, the sport is meant to entertain. Yes, it didn't always go with their programs to see a woman in a dress lift her male partner, but then it can be very effective, like Hurtado/Diaz.

I wonder if the woman lifting the guy should be a level consideration?

 

[anyanka]

Lysacek: spray tanning

I did a spit take at this.

 

[sky_fly20]

from oldergenerations

Katarina Witt - Carmen
Sonja Henie - hollywood and beauty stardom,
Ulrich Salchow - salchow jump

 

[anyanka]

Surya Bonaly: back flip, landed on one foot.

Best done in front of judges during competition, as it's an illegal move. Heh.

 

[MK's Winter]

Surya Bonaly: back flip, landed on one foot. Best done in front of judges during competition, as it's an illegal move. Heh.

I loved that moment at the 98 Olympics!

 

[Meoima]

Lysacek: spray tanning

Is that a move? But seriously I almost cracked!