When you first became interested in figure skating. . . .

[Verbalgirl77]

I became a big time fan back in 92 with Paul Wylie. I just had a basic understanding of what skating was. It went something like:

"Hey, that little Harvard guy was great, and he's only in 3rd?"

"Whoa, that dude from Canada looks mad."

"Hey, that Ukranian guy fell out all over the place and ran out of gas! What's up with those high scores! MOM!"

"Wheee, little Harvard guy did good! He's happy!"

"Whoa, this Czech guy looks serious. What's up with the skull?"


So yeah, not the most insightful fan. But I've gotten better over the years, I think.

 

[icenut84]

1994. Torvill & Dean. I'd just had my 10th birthday.

Didn't start watching regularly again till 2001. Loved Irina Slutskaya's LP, Evgeny Plushenko's exhibition, Alexei Yagudin's SP and B&S's LP.

 

[ballerinagrl]

I actually wanted to be a skater before I wanted to be a dancer.

Back in the 1970's I would watch Robin Cousins and later John Curry training at the rinks I skated at (Queens and Richmond), and I fell in love with it. Mom said dance would be a good thing and would help my skating, so I started ballet and modern at 3years, and skating at 4yrs.

I landed my first axel when I was 7. It was the proudest day of my life! Back in those days skating actually got some coverage on the UK TV stations, and I'd be glued to Worlds and Europeans every year, trying to learn from every last skater. I particularly loved watching pairs, and wanted to try it, but the ballet school I was attending said no way to that. They didn't even want me to skate. I remember how much I loved John Curry, as he was always really nice in person and really complimentary. On TV I remember watching Gordeeva and Grinkov when she was just 14 and their music never came on but they skated anyway. I thought they were incredible. I loved T&D, and Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano and Brian Orser.

By the time I was 10 I was skating and dancing competitively, and actually doing better in skating meets (which I tended to win) than I was in ballet meets! Through doing well in skating meets, I got to skate in the UK's Sports Aid Figure Skating Gala, which was fantastic, as I got to meet so many of my heroes, including T&D, and they were all so friendly and kind. I also got to meet Kurt Browning when he skated in the same show as me, and he was so cool. I was just this star-struck 12 year old. I think that was actually a Nicky Slater tour, because I remember getting to meet him and Karen at the same time, and they were really lovely. The more I skated the more I loved it. I loved the feeling of flying you just don't get with ballet. I loved the jumps especially.

When I hit 16 they said I had to choose, skating or ballet, and there was a lot of pressure on me to go with ballet. I never stopped following skating, and attending live events whenever possible, and now I am sort of retired I get to skate again which is wonderful. I'm hoping to get my triples back, though I don't know if this is feasible!

So I guess I've been an avid follower since about 1975 (when I was 4!)

Sorry this turned into a bit of a life story!
Best, Lilia

 

[icenut84]

That's a really nice story, Lilia (I'm from Britain too)

 

[mari60]

I think I first was aware of skating in 1961.The first time I can remember it being on tv.Then the plain crash. Don't remember anymore untill maybe ten years ago. Had to go back to work, and the babies kept me busy. Now all babies grown up. Pluss two more. Anyway I started going to COI. That got me watching again. Don't know much about the moves, just enjoy it all. mari

 

[Pookie]

Very nice story, Lilia.

Verbalgirl,
It sounds like we have the same knowledge of skating. I've improved over the years but I don't think I will every attempt to become a commentator.

 

[Tonichelle]

When: 1989
Who: Scott Hamilton & My Auntie Marge
What (pre 1997): Scott Hamilton & pro skating
What (post 1997/pre 2000): professional figure skating
What (post 2000 - present): skating message boards/ pro skating/ am skating

 

[taf2002]

I had skated until I was 9 yrs old & then I broke my leg in 2 places while skating so I ended quitting. Until then I had wanted to be a serious skater. Then in 1960 I saw Carol Heiss on the news for winning the Oly gold. She was so pretty & athletic (they showed part of her program) and I fell in love with skating all over again. I started watching it every time it came on TV. One of my biggest thrills was meeting Carol at 2003 Nationals & getting to tell her what she has meant to me.

 

[BrokenAnkle]

I always watched it

but when I saw Elvis Stojko's Frogs in Space at the 1994 Olympics, I became a fan, and Michelle Kwan blossoming the next year didn't hurt matters either! I have taken lessons, and it is really an amazing thing (which is all I can do even if all I can do is skate around a rink with the odd fall or two)

BA

 

[SkateFan4Life]

I first started to watch figure skating on ABC television's Wide World of Sports, back in the early 1960s. I remember the black and white television coverage, always taped, showing the likes of Don Jackson, Maria & Otto Jelinek, and other great skaters of that era. I first watched the Winter Olympics in 1964 and remember seeing 14-year-old Scott Ethan Allen of Smoke Rise, NJ win the bronze medal, a great achievement. I enjoyed watching Canadian Petra Burka, who won the bronze medal with a wonderful performance. And, of course, the magical Ludmilla and Oleg Protopopov of the Soviet Union won the gold medal in 1964 with a stunning performance.

That started a decades-long interest and admiration of figure skating and the wonderful skaters who train so hard to achieve greatness in this sport. Peggy Fleming, Janet Lynn, Dorothy Hamill, Toller Cranston, John Curry, Ludmila Pakhomova/Aleksandr
Gorschkov, Jayne Torvill/Christopher Dean, Robin Cousins, Katarina Witt, Midoro Ito, Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, Lu Chen, Elvis Stojko, Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Brian Boitano, Scott Davis, Scott Hamilton, etc. -- so many of these great skaters have graced the rinks over the past decades. And that is just a small list!

 

[show 42]

It was in the 60's, watching television on an old black and white set when I saw John Misha Petkovich fly through the air in an amazing death-drop equaled only to Brian Boitano's. I was hooked and have been ever since.............42

 

[dewet]

I'm a new fan, since the '98 Olympics.

 

[Lisa]

My parents used to watch when I was a kid and my mom and my granny took me to Holiday on Ice. I became a fan when I watched Norbert Schramm for the first time - it must have been back in 1982. I also watched the other categories, of course, but the men have always been my favorites

 

[shdotz]

First Liked Skating

1988 Olympics.

G&G made everything look soooooooo easy.

I think that was a particularly good skating year in many ways.

Excellent skating is a source of relaxation for me; seeing the beauty and the command of the ice.

I used to ice skate as a young girl in Cincinnati. I could only go forward, but I loved the feeling of freedom. I can only imagine what true skaters feel, but I know I can see the joy of good skaters when they fly across the ice; Katia Gordeeva is one of the best female skaters around. Her skating is purely gorgeous.

sh

 

[lil lion 816]

Figure skating was on the periphery for a while - I do vaguely remember Dorothy Hamill's shampoo commercial. But it didn't really capture my interest until the Sarejevo Olympics in 84, when I was a freshman in college. I remember Scott Hamilton winning the gold, but what really seized my attention and drew me into skating was watching Torvill & Dean's "Bolero". I loved the drama, I loved the intensity, and I thought, "wow, they can do all of that on *skates*?" My viewership was erratic until the early 90s, then again in the mid-90s, but I've been coming back to figure skating for nearly 20 years.

 

[Chele615]

Ever since I can remember I have watched skating on television if I happened to pass through it. I never actively searched out figure skating, but back in the 90's you didn't really have to actively search for skating...it was ALWAYS on with all the professional competitions and whatnot. I miss the professional competitions!

 

[John King]

When a cute,bubbly blonde named Liz Manley won the Silver in 1988!

 

[kappa_1]

I used to always watch skating very casually off and on through the later 90s, but I got hooked about 01-02 season the first few competitions leading up to the Olympics. I remember watching a fluff comp in that December and just enjoyed seeing these people glide around the ice. I then watched a rerun of Skate America (or was it nationals?), and seeing a really good scratch spin for the first by Todd and was fascinated. I then studied up on the sport and eventually became a big sasha fan, and am hooked on watchin the sport. Ironically I don't really like Todd that much now.

 

[Ice Princess]

When you first became interested in figure skating.....

Me & my family always watched ice skating! It hit me hard-really got my attention when I saw Dorothy Hamill in the Olympics. I was about 7 years old-I got her hair style!