The performance that got you hooked

[cheerknithanson]

Seeing some of these posts makes me feel like I'm young enough to be some of your grandkids!

 

[Mrs. P]

Seeing some of these posts makes me feel like I'm young enough to be some of your grandkids!

Probably not a great idea to remind people they're getting old.

I would say that the first time around, it was the 1991 World Championships that got me hooked to skating initially. The whole will Kristi Yamaguchi overcome the Triple Axel gals (i.e. Tonya and Midori) narrative was interesting. Then Midori skated off the board, which made things more interesting. And then there was a USA sweep! Given there was no live streaming....being as serious follower meant watching Nationals and Worlds when it came on TV.

I watched it hard core until probably until the 1998 Olympics. Then I got busy with high school, then college and my early career. From 1998 until 2009 I basically just watched the Olympics.

I will say it was Yuna Kim's Dance Macabre SP from 2009 World Championships that got me back. By then, I had been settled in my career and engaged (I wasn't Mrs. P yet, though I was just a few months out from getting that title). I ended up following the entire 2009-2010 season thanks to Universal Sports being available over-the-air where i lived and eventually signing up for Golden Skate in the wee hours while waiting for the results of Japanese nationals.

Oddly enough while it was the Ladies, both times, that got me hooked, I'm probably now hooked on other disciplines way much more now.

 

[Spiral]

TontoK, thank you so much for sharing you story! It's the most moving and riveting account of a skating fan I've ever read anywhere.

John Curry was other-worldly. Rodnina and Zaitsev were powerful and strong. Pakhomova and Gorshkov... well, we didn't understand what we were seeing, but they were lovely. It was years later before I truly appreciated them. But best of all, Dorothy Hamill won the Ladies event, and we cheered like she was part of our family! Heck, we even cheered for the Russians, and this was in the middle of the Cold War.

As someone for whom the skaters' nationality was never a factor - it's always whoever's skating touches me the most - I wish all figure skating fans were like you!

I've been watching figure skating ever since I can remember myself, because the neighbor who babysat me was a fan - I saw pictures of skaters in action in her home and wanted to see it in motion. So I can't point to any specific performance that hooked me. But it's interesting that my mother used to be a fan in her youth, then drifted off somehow, but then became interested in it again when she began watching it with me and stayed a devoted fan ever since.

 

[Tutto]

Like many here I can't remember any particular performance which got me hooked -I was 3 or 4 when I started watching FS. We lived then in a big industrial city that was grey & drab like nearly everything in Soviet Union. Figure skating I guess was my getaway to a different world, so beautiful & fascinating. And so it remains to this day (along with opera & classical music in general) though I lived since in many charming places.
I remember having a serious crush on Toller Cranston & Yuri Ovchinnikov. I'd pray for them to do well enough to skate at EXp which always was a treat. At 1976 Olympics I remember cheering for Lena Vodorezova, a little girl with pigtails. In the 90s I didnt get to watch a lot till Sasha Cohen brought me back

 

[TMC]

I've been watching FS ever since I can remember, mostly with my mum when I was very young. I remember quite clearly that the first WOW-moment for me was watching the very young G&G being incredibly synchronized (compared to other pairs).

But the one performance that really got me hooked was Oksana Baiul's Olympic Gold SP - I was just absolutely fascinated and mesmerised - I thought she really brought the ballet to the ice.

Oksana piqued my interest in fs but what kept me (and my mum) watching was Michelle Kwan. She had that unique charisma that just forced you to root for her. I rarely watched other disciplines until I fell in love with Candeloro, Plushenko and Elvis Stojko (and I remember fuming because I thought he was so robbed ) and from there on I have watched & followed the men more than any other discipline. And just like Mrs P, life happened in the 00s and I watched only very occasionally, mostly if I happened to be at my parents' and happened to have time and my mum happened to be watching. I can't really remember what exactly brought me back, but I do think that the increase in difficulty (=transitions for singles, lifts for dance) that the CoP brought along had a lot to do with it. For sure I found ice dance extremely boring before 2005, and now it's my 2nd favourite discipline

So, Oksana's Swan Lake performance got me to stand up and take notice, but Michelle Kwan really got me hooked. Without either one, I doubt I would be a fan today.

 

[AsadaFanBoy]

Not one, but many:

Mao Asada 2005: All of them. She has given me so many moments over the years that captivate and recaptivate me.

Akiko Susuzki: that program she did with the leather (faux leather) dress. And then also most of them.

Ashley Wagner: Shine on you crazy Diamond TEB. Worlds 2015 LP, WTT 2015 LP.

Satoko Miyahara: Skate Canada LP, Worlds 2015 LP.

Yuzuru Hanyu: all of them.

Stephen Carriere: 2014 LP

Jeremy Abbott: Oly 2014.
-------------------

What hooks me: passion, fire, charisma, nuance, attention to detail, determination, personal growth, improvement over time.

 

[TartanSk8ter01]

The first time I ever heard of figure skating was when Karen Magnussen won the World Championship. It is a very vague memory for me. Then I saw Toller Cranston on TV at the Innsbruck Oympics in 1976. That blew me away, and I've been a fan of figure skating ever since. Some of the years I was casual fan of mostly Canadian skaters, but I broadened my scope and I enjoy all figure skaters. I'm glad I did, because I would have missed out on some glorious skating!

 

[apgold]

I’ve been watching figure skating on and off since the early 90s and loved watching ladies figure skating during the Kwan/Cohen era, but I was more of a casual fan, and not really interested in the men’s or ice dance. (Pairs I can still take or leave but will always love Pang and Tong.)

I think since 2010, I’ve gotten more into men’s and ice dance since the Vancouver Olympics. Up until I saw V/M win their gold in ice dance, I had always thought ice dance was a tacky joke (bad costumes, bad hair, crazy drama) until I saw their Mahler program and had no idea that ice dance could be beautiful, classy, and transformative. Perhaps it was also the packaging (no crazy costumes or hair) or Tessa’s balletic qualities but I was blown away. Then I followed their rivalry with D/W and while I could appreciate what D/W did, I will always love V/M and how they changed my perception of the sport. I do hope they return to competition, but if not, I think they changed what ice dance could be.

2010 Vancouver men’s had such great skating between Plushy and Evan, Johnny, Dai, Stephane, Patrick, etc. And some “up and comers” like Javi and Denis and eventually Yuzu and the current crop US men (Jason/Josh/Max/Adam, etc). Now I watch the men’s with the same interest as the women.

 

[el henry]

The first time I ever heard of figure skating was when Karen Magnussen won the World Championship. It is a very vague memory for me. Then I saw Toller Cranston on TV at the Innsbruck Oympics in 1976. That blew me away, and I've been a fan of figure skating ever since. Some of the years I was casual fan of mostly Canadian skaters, but I broadened my scope and I enjoy all figure skaters. I'm glad I did, because I would have missed out on some glorious skating!

:agree:

And in response to previous posters, I will definitely cop to being that old, as it beats the alternative ... and means I was able to enjoy Toller in semi-real time.

 

[heyang]

Ice Dance - Torvill/Dean's Bolero.
Men's - Brian Boitano
Pairs - Gordeeva and Grinkov - probably their 1998 Olympics, they were just so special...back then only US Nationals, Olympics and maybe Worlds were broadcast.
Ladies - I can't pin down... when I started watching, the US was super strong and there were lots of skaters to enjoy.

 

[TontoK]

Seeing some of these posts makes me feel like I'm young enough to be some of your grandkids!

You're such a charming person that I would be proud.

Imagine what you'll see in our sport as the years progress. I promise there will be surprises you can't imagine right now.

I remember when pairs doing double axels were at the head of the pack in terms of technical difficulty. A man doing a 3A was an absolute beast, it was only rarely attempted. Linda Fratianne set the world ablaze when she did not just one, but TWO!!!, triple jumps in her long program.

I remember when the idea an American dance team... or a Russian woman... being on top of the podium was laughable.

You're in for a wild ride the next 50 or 60 years!

 

[cheerknithanson]

You're such a charming person that I would be proud.

Imagine what you'll see in our sport as the years progress. I promise there will be surprises you can't imagine right now.

I remember when pairs doing double axels were at the head of the pack in terms of technical difficulty. A man doing a 3A was an absolute beast, it was only rarely attempted. Linda Fratianne set the world ablaze when she did not just one, but TWO!!!, triple jumps in her long program.

I remember when the idea an American dance team... or a Russian woman... being on top of the podium was laughable.

You're in for a wild ride the next 50 or 60 years!

Oh I can imagine. I mean even with stuff not relating to skating never crossed my mind on it would happen about 10-11 years ago. Like incorporating listening to music on a cell phone, being able to buy songs without needing to buy albums, Being able to talk to people through the internet, watching episodes of TV shows or people just posting videos for a living.

But back to skating. Hopefully eventually, more ladies will be doing 3As and more will attemps quads. And hopefully some will try quints lol.

 

[SashaJuliaSpins]

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:

Twinzies! I thought I was going to lose it when Sasha Cohen left! I started watching because of Sasha and held on hoping she'd be back in 2010! Nowadays, I do enjoy several skaters and cheer for them, but I am particularly partial to Julia because she sometimes reminds me of Sasha.

 

[futurepupdoc]

I had lost interest after Michelle stopped competing. It took a uniquely fabulous skater to interest me again. Stephane Lambiel- Poeta

 

[cocovica]

Alexei Yagudin's MITIM at Olympics 2002...I could write an article about it! .... and so I did http://www.ifigureskating.com/5-minutes-that-changed-perspective-on-figure-skating/

 

[Tutto]

Twinzies! I thought I was going to lose it when Sasha Cohen left! I started watching because of Sasha and held on hoping she'd be back in 2010! Nowadays, I do enjoy several skaters and cheer for them, but I am particularly partial to Julia because she sometimes reminds me of Sasha.

:agree:it took me a long time to recover! that's why I never got to like Yuna or Mao as I should have done it was too soon. Julia does remind me of Sasha in that they both have petite at the same time feminine beautiful figures and of course flexibility. But I think Sasha an extrovert whereas Julia is definitely introvert and that makes their skating for me very different

 

[Tutto]

OK, time for the old man to chime in. My selection is not a single performance, but an entire competition.

Picture a young farm boy with his family in the rural South of the United States. This is back in the days when there were three channels on television, all picked up by an aerial antenna. The 1976 Winter Olympics were being broadcast by ABC. The skating was hosted by Jim McKay and Dick Button.

We had never seen anything like that in our entire life. It was as though we were seeing something from another planet. My sister and I couldn't wait for school and chores to finish up so we could watch skating on TV. Our mother was charmed, and even our father made sure his evening chores were finished up quickly. We all sat huddled together in front of a small television and saw something magical.

John Curry was other-worldly. Rodnina and Zaitsev were powerful and strong. Pakhomova and Gorshkov... well, we didn't understand what we were seeing, but they were lovely. It was years later before I truly appreciated them. But best of all, Dorothy Hamill won the Ladies event, and we cheered like she was part of our family! Heck, we even cheered for the Russians, and this was in the middle of the Cold War.
.

Now imagine a family in the town in depths of Siberia watching 76 Olympics on the tiny tv with only 3 state channels (which remained to be the case till the collapse of Soviet Union) glued to the screen and neglecting all chores...
I spoke on the phone with my Mum & sister to tell them your story and we all nearly cried, never could we imagine that someone on opposite side of the globe was cheering for our skaters and that in the middle of the Cold War!
Thank you for sharing your amazing story!

 

[SashaJuliaSpins]

:agree:it took me a long time to recover! that's why I never got to like Yuna or Mao as I should have done it was too soon. Julia does remind me of Sasha in that they both have petite at the same time feminine beautiful figures and of course flexibility. But I think Sasha an extrovert whereas Julia is definitely introvert and that makes their skating for me very different

Definitely! They are very different in terms of personality (but the same gritty and fierce determination), however their flexibility, spins and spiral (hoping to see more of this from Julia - spiral) are exquisite and similar! I was still new to figure skating in 2002, thought Sasha was on a different level and I could not figure out the buzz about Michelle (not that she was not totally awesome - hind sight)! Yeah, I too remembered never liking Mao, Yuna and Shizuka 'cos of Sasha. I have learned since then...I enjoy good skating now and cheer when I watch good programs from anyone while hoping that my favorites do awesomely well. The emotional roller coaster has been somewhat eliminated since I took that approach.

 

[TontoK]

Now imagine a family in the town in depths of Siberia watching 76 Olympics on the tiny tv with only 3 state channels (which remained to be the case till the collapse of Soviet Union) glued to the screen and neglecting all chores...
I spoke on the phone with my Mum & sister to tell them your story and we all nearly cried, never could we imagine that someone on opposite side of the globe was cheering for our skaters and that in the middle of the Cold War!
Thank you for sharing your amazing story!

Now, you're making me get misty-eyed! What a wonderful bookend to my part of the story!

It's the magic of sport, and skating in particular, that can unite people of such different backgrounds.

Ok, so are you like me? Still chasing the high from that competition? Many great champions have come and gone, but those Olympics were so special. Nearly 40 years have come and gone, and I'm still waiting for a repeat! It was an absolute four-for-four on the Olympic podiums, such amazing champions in every event.

My very best to you, and to your mother and sister, as well.

 

[tjskate]

Oh, what a wonderful thread!

I'll join the group of skating fan dinosaurs (not a frequent poster here yet, was more on Sandy Loosemore's website way back when!)

My first skating memories were Janet Lynn - my dad was just gaga over her, she was magic.

But the Olympics that really got me going was 1976. I loved Dorothy - that hair! And how she was so nearsighted she could hardly see her scores! How happy she was when she won! I remember that they showed John Curry's freeskate on our local 11pm news, it was considered so amazing.

I was lucky enough to go to my first Nationals in Tacoma in 1987, and discovered Brian Boitano when he was obsessed with landing a quad, and really had very little elegance to his skating. The following year he had a total transformation and won the Olympics. Jill Trenary upset Debi Thomas that year, and there was this young skater a lot of people were noticing, who was doing both Junior pairs and ladies, named Kristi Yamaguchi.

Fun memories Terri