The performance that got you hooked

[Layback11]

For many of us, one memorable program got us hooked on skating. I've heard everything from forgotten 80s skaters to Ashley's Black Swan, and almost all of us have that one captivating program we saw early in our skating obsession that really took skating from a cool, every-four-years Olympic sport to OMG FIREWORKS I MUST SEE MORE OF THIS! What program(s) did that for you? If none, anything particularly memorable?

For me, it was really any memorable performance from the 2014 Olympics (the ones that got me back into skating, jokingly referred to as "my Olympics"): Gracie's Sleeping Beauty at the team event, both of Yulia's team event programs, D/W's Scheherazade, I/K's Swan Lake, both of V/T's programs...the list goes on and on!

 

[gotoschool]

I remember Kristi Yamaguchi's Malaguena made me really like the sport and see the beautiful fluidity of movement in it. But, it was Mao's Czardas in the 2007 Worlds LP that first made it seem truly magical: the elegant symmetry of the triple axel and the triple flip and loop, the cross grab Biellmann, fan and all the other incredibly limber and lovely spirals and spins, the intricate ballet on skates and so much charming emotion. My attention was captured and I was enraptured.

 

[ice coverage]

Virtue/Moir in Vancouver . Their CD got me curious about them ... and their Mahler FD got me completely hooked on them :yes:.

I had never really cared for ice dance up until then, although I had watched other disciplines on and off over the years.

Tessa and Scott sparked my interest in ice dance, and renewed my interest in skating in general.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Sasha Cohen 2002 SP at Salt Lake City Olympics ( http://youtu.be/PljG5ZiD2Y0 ) was the first time I really felt drawn to the sport and found myself really pulling for someone. **notice it's the same SP music that Serafima used this season I was young and my memory is a bit fuzzy of those days but for whatever reason she became one of my favorite athletes of the moment although I was drawn into the Olympics instead by snowboarding which was a sport I actually followed and participated in :

After Sasha left I sort of become detached from the sport for a while on the international scene until I heard about Yulia. I started watching her Junior performances on recommendation of a coach I know from Russia. What really pulled me back to the sport though was Yulia's Schindlers List at Skate Canada. By chance I was home sick when it was on NBC and I was flipping through the tv and instantly recognized her. It was such a good blend of athletics and emotional carriage. I was hooked. Still am

For some reason this time around I find myself rooting for nearly all skaters and enjoy almost everyone to some degree instead of just following a particular skater or nation. In that sense I get hooked now anytime just about anyone skates. :yes:

 

[aa456]

Yuna Kim, Dance Macabre at the 2009 worlds. It got me hooked. Her Scheherazade LP then made me fall in love.

 

[actualrealliveanna]

Yuna Kim's Les Mis. Happened to catch it while it was on NBC and was immediately sucked in! And after watching Davis/White's performance at the 2014 US Nats I knew that ice dancing was definitely my favorite, and I've been following that more avidly than ladies, mens, and pairs, since then.

 

[Imagine]

Yulia - Sochi SP in the Team Event (courtesy of Buzzfeed). All it took was a 15 sec. Vine to lure me in and....damn. I kind of regret ever watching that lol. This addiction is actually kind of serious...

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I first got interested in figure skating probably around the 2001/2002 season. I would be in the kitchen doing my homework, and would need a break. So I would flick on Eurosport to see what was on. And, sometimes there would be figure skating on. Irina Slutskaya was at the height of her success at the time. I was really impressed by her, and whenever I came across skating, I would keep an eye out for how Irina was doing.

But, I can tell you the exact date that I became a proper fan. Thursday 23rd January 2003. During the Ladies Free Programme at the 2003 European Championships. To be precise, during Carolina Kostner's performance.

Carolina Kostner: 2003 European Championships FS

Here was this beautiful wee 15 year old Italian girl. And she put on a performance that was absolutely amazing! I instantly fell in love! And I have been hooked ever since!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[kresslia]

V/M in Vancouver. It was my first time seeing them. I really fell in love with them after Mahler and began watching figure skating outside of the Olympics whenever I saw it on TV.

Hasn't been the same since they left.

 

[kinoriH]

Volosozhar / trankov LP from Worlds 2012 "black swan".

Just amazing.

 

[LiamForeman]

I'm going to age myself. Tiffany Chin's short program in 1984. I was knee deep in ballet and was losing the fun of it. She was brilliant.

 

[Barb]

Mao Asada GPF 2007 Fantasie impromptu. I was in shock.

 

[solani]

I first got interested in figure skating probably around the 2001/2002 season. I would be in the kitchen doing my homework, and would need a break. So I would flick on Eurosport to see what was on. And, sometimes there would be figure skating on. Irina Slutskaya was at the height of her success at the time. I was really impressed by her, and whenever I came across skating, I would keep an eye out for how Irina was doing.

But, I can tell you the exact date that I became a proper fan. Thursday 23rd January 2003. During the Ladies Free Programme at the 2003 European Championships. To be precise, during Carolina Kostner's performance.

Carolina Kostner: 2003 European Championships FS

Here was this beautiful wee 15 year old Italian girl. And she put on a performance that was absolutely amazing! I instantly fell in love! And I have been hooked ever since!

CaroLiza_fan

I remember that vividly, she was brilliant! But the music selection is nothing but weird.

 

[karne]

It was the King, of course.

I knew nothing about figure skating before Vancouver. Absolutely nothing. But that night, all I knew was that there was a man on the ice with a breathtakingly regal air, who I could not look away from even if I had wanted to, who stepped onto that ice like he owned it, who carried himself with an air that told me here was a great champion. And I knew, somewhere inside my brain, that his jumps were harder than the other skaters'. That he was better.

And I went straight to Google, to Youtube, because I wanted to know more about this man they called, Plushenko.

The rest is history...

 

[Rossig]

The reason I started watching figure skating was Torvill and Dean's Bolero from Sarajevo, which I still consider the best FD in the history of figure skating.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I remember that vividly, she was brilliant! But the music selection is nothing but weird.

Yeah, when you think about what the three tunes are about, it does seem a strange combination on paper. But, musically, they fitted each other perfectly. And Carolina did a great job skating to them. So, I've no complaints!

It was the King, of course.

I knew nothing about figure skating before Vancouver. Absolutely nothing. But that night, all I knew was that there was a man on the ice with a breathtakingly regal air, who I could not look away from even if I had wanted to, who stepped onto that ice like he owned it, who carried himself with an air that told me here was a great champion. And I knew, somewhere inside my brain, that his jumps were harder than the other skaters'. That he was better.

And I went straight to Google, to Youtube, because I wanted to know more about this man they called, Plushenko.

The rest is history...

Agree completely. Plushenko was my favourite by a country mile in the Men's competition at Vancouver as well. And I am still bitter that he didn't win the gold that I thought he deserved.

But, that's history now.

On a different note, congratulations on your 4,800th post!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[rugbyfan]

T and D Bolero got me properly hooked (age 8), but then didn't watch anything after Salt Lake City.
V and M drew me back in with Umbrellas and became addicted again. Still struggle with CoP though because I simply haven't the time to give to understanding it fully.

 

[matmuh]

my 1st memory of figure skating is Evgeni's Sex Bomb (it was in olympics i guess, cant remember XD) but didnt follow FS closely,i sometimes watched videos of Sasha Cohen and Yuna Kim until Sochi, then i met Yuzuru funny tihng is i kinda missed Yuzuru's SP because i was upset that Evgeni withdrawn and watching Evgeni's previous performances, then i saw his WR score and i had to look him up and i was all in
Edit: wasnt olympics, it was 20012 worlds

 

[Mathman]

Michelle Kwan, Rachmaninoff short program at the 1998 Goodwill Games.

 

[Interspectator]

The first big impression of Figure Skating for me was Elvis Stojko. After Nagano Olympics, there was a looong blank until the 2012 World Championships where I saw Yuzu for the first time.