Underrated skaters

[TallyT]

Oh Misha! I agree, such a talented, beautiful skater He is really missed, he left a huge gap in figure skating when he retired that doesn't seem any closer to be filled.

But, was he really underrated? Seems to me (mostly) everyone appreciated his talent and skating, and he was highly regarded by fans, commentators and judges.

He was very sadly underachieving, that yes, as his results medals-wise did not end-up matching his enormous talent, not even close but that was mostly due to sad jump inconsistencies, injuries, and general lack of luck and misfortunes that appeared at the worst possible times in his career, and not really to lack of recognition.

Incidentally, I was also reminded of him just a couple of days ago in another thread about a skater coming back to competition after many years of retirement. I always felt Misha's career didn't end "right", between injuries and the Russian ban he didn't get to skate during his last season and didn't have a proper farewell as he deserved. So, though it's extremely unlikely, I do wish he would come back even for just one season, not just so we could all enjoy his skating once more, but also so he could have a fitting closing.

I think he did underachieve but some of that was due to the pressure and really savage criticism he got from Russian fans for not doing better even though he peaked at a time when a raft of specific stars were dominating... it was hard for anyone else's qualities to get the attention they deserved.

 

[lariko]

Incidentally, I was also reminded of him just a couple of days ago in another thread about a skater coming back to competition after many years of retirement. I always felt Misha's career didn't end "right", between injuries and the Russian ban he didn't get to skate during his last season and didn't have a proper farewell as he deserved. So, though it's extremely unlikely, I do wish he would come back even for just one season, not just so we could all enjoy his skating once more, but also so he could have a fitting closing.

Unfortunately, Kolyada had to deal with serious backlash after Olympics to the point of him having nightmares according to his interview; it (understandably) soured his attitude toward the press, so I never saw anything but curt, snide side of him until he commentated RGP last season. He made an amazing guest commentator with a totally different persona. For the sake of Russian TV (that has some really horrid picks for ice show hosts) I hope that this is going to become his career in the future (as we all mourn Grishin's tragic passing). I feel it might open up a different side of his talent and ease the disappointment more than trying to land 4Lz again.

And, since Kolyada was brought up, well, beloved Mozalev is in that bag as well with the studiousness and jumping problems getting in the way of interesting personality.

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Rion sumiyoshi?
I love her and her long program!
I wish she had a chance of making the Japanese Olympic team!

 

[Magill]

Katia Kurakova.
I know she tends to underrotate and seems to have lost her best combo but overall she is a much better skater and much more loved by the audiences than any of her placements would show! I am also pretty sure if she was from a bigger or more influential fed she would have been scored way more leniently

 

[viennaskater]

Marie Dupayage and Thomas Nabais. Such great music choices and innovative choreography.

Vladimir Litvintsev. I've liked him for years but he doesn't seem to progress as far as I think he should.

Donovan Carillo. A smile which lights up the rink and cuts a great figure on the ice.

 

[Skater Boy]

Underrated skaters. Shishkova and Naumova, RIP were kind of unlucky. They skated when the blurring of amateur and pros becaume more blurred and seemed to be always in that unluck position. Josee Chouinard from Canada who succumbed to pressure but when she was on she may have been one of the best skaters a tthe time. Her programs were well put together, she had natural charm and her jumps were powerful - really powerful. Paul Wylie and Emanual Sandu were beautiful skates with sure pureness.

 

[noskates]

I agree about Josee but IIRC she had consistency issues. Same with Paul Wylie. I was so happy for him when he finally put it all together at the Olympics. My son is an athlete but always on teams. I can't imagine the pressure these young men and women must be under when a whole lifetime is summed up in a few minutes.

 

[4everchan]

Josée was amazing. Too bad she was the nervous kind. She is my first skating love. Power and charisma. Class on the ice.

 

[moonvine]

My mom is eccentric. I get second hand embarrassment once in a while. But, when it comes to throwing a hand-made toy to a junior skater during a deserted JWC for another fan, mom is there for it. So, I don't cramp her style.

I’m going to have to start calling myself eccentric instead of crazy.

 

[moonvine]

I agree on Kaitlyn and Jean Luc. Also think Keegan is underrated.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Kerr/Kerr.

 

[paulusfr]

Kornel Witkowski. I like his skating

 

[TallyT]

I’m going to have to start calling myself eccentric instead of crazy.

Being eccentric is great as we get older, I thoroughly recommend it. We get away with so much more.......

 

[Ruthypegs]

I agree on Kaitlyn and Jean Luc. Also think Keegan is underrated.

Agree about Keegan, too - the first time I saw him skate (Skate Canada, Regina, 2017), the people next to me were muttering that he was "just a show skater". I hope they ate their words when he came 8th at Worlds a few months later...

 

[Isk]

I agree about Josee but IIRC she had consistency issues. Same with Paul Wylie. I was so happy for him when he finally put it all together at the Olympics. My son is an athlete but always on teams. I can't imagine the pressure these young men and women must be under when a whole lifetime is summed up in a few minutes.

When I rewatched the 1992 Olys, I was not convinced Paul Wylie should have lost to Viktor Petrenko, but I guess it's the reputation. Viktor was second best in the world for a few years after Kurt. On the sad note, the next two best Ukrainian skaters Dmytro Dmytrenko (he was also known as Dmitri back then) and Slava Zagorodnyuk had their best years early on. Maybe it's the difficulties of being in a small Fed and general hardship of that time. I don't know. Dmitri won Euros on two left blades, his right one broke, and he only could get another left one for replacement. I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on this, but it sure was not an easy time.

 

[Isk]

I agree on Kaitlyn and Jean Luc. Also think Keegan is underrated.

He and Ralph are quite a duo. When Keegan shows in K&K in a cowboy hat I always think "Don't mess with Texas Messing", you know.

 

[noskates]

Some of the skaters listed here weren't so much underrated as their competition skates were either not chronically not clean or their technical ability wasn't as strong as others in their discipline. That's my opinion anyway/

 

[Karoltyna]

Kornel Witkowski. I like his skating

PCS 20 points higher than TES? Not a problem for my boy... and his PCS are still underscored, although something starts to change in right direction

 

[Isk]

Some of the skaters listed here weren't so much underrated as their competition skates were either not chronically not clean or their technical ability wasn't as strong as others in their discipline. That's my opinion anyway/

It's more of our wishing that they could have done better and achieved more because we have soft feelings for them.

 

[moonvine]

It's more of our wishing that they could have done better and achieved more because we have soft feelings for them.

Perhaps, and I do have feelings for Kaitlyn & Jean Luc but also think they were chronically underscored. Just my opinion.