Wow....U.S. Figure Skating launches "greatest ever" bracket

[Layfan]

Imagine how Frank Carroll must have felt?

And again before SLC?

I love Todd Eldredge's half-poker-face/half-smile, sort of ironic expression at the end of Tara's skate and then again after the camera pans back to him after her scores are announced. It sort of spells out how a lot people must have felt about that upset.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZhIs6OIJ-I

 

[gmyers]

Wow-he was soo pro Kwan!

 

[Olympia]

I thought it was funny.........

but here is how I really feel about Michelle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVq_ZEVSfkY&feature=player_embedded#!

I love the parts with Frank and Michelle together - what memories

Wow; that's glorious. When you see bits from all the routines together like that, you realize how unparalleled she is. The emotional quality of her skating melded with the technical assurance...no wonder she has so many of us by the hearts. This is why she is the Kween.

 

[wonbinfan86]

GOOOOSH! It really upsets me that the Icenetwork is comparing Michelle and Kim. Michelle is in totally totally different class. Her charisma, longevity, athletic attitude(she never complained about anything)and her diverse skating skill is not even comparable to Kim's.
What is wrong with those people?

Why does there have to be something "wrong" with someone if he/she thinks that Yuna is on the same level if not better than Michelle? Michelle has always been a really boring skater to me, she's slow and her jumps are tiny, and it always bugged me that she kept recycling the same moves/choreography over and over again. Yuna won the OGM, Michelle did not.

 

[A.H.Black]

There are lots of upsets possible in this one. I would like to know who did the seeding. It seems off to me. Personally, I'm voting for Dick Button.

Here's my argument - (this is from memory so I might be off by a little)

1 European championship (after he and Barbara Ann Scott (?) won they made it so North Americans couldn't enter anymore)
2 Olympic Gold Medals.
5 World Championships
6 North American Championships
7 US Championships

First to land a double axel.
First to land a triple jump - a loop. (interesting that the toe loop was the last triple jump to be landed)
Invented the fliying camel (button camel)

This was in the era when they took the boat to compete in Europe. Incidentally, he attended Harvard between 1948-52, finished in 4 years and graduated magna(?) cum laude - all while his skating career was in full swing.

In all of his skating career he won every competition he ever entered except 2 - his very first competition (when his coach said he had no talent), and his first World Championships - where he finished 2nd.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Dick Button's back to back gold Olys. No one has ever done that in the USA. Over and out.

 

[Mathman]

But Dick Button could face strong competition in his bracket.

He is in the same bracket with Gilles Grafstrom who won three consecutive Olympic gold medals, and a silver. And also with Karl Schafer who won two consecutive Olympic gold medals and seven world championships.

However, realistically speaking, Grafstrom will probably be beaten by Brian Orser in the first round, and Schafer will be taken out by Barbara Ann Scott. So Button has a clear pass to the round of eight, by beating Trixie Schuba in the first round, then Orser, then Scott.

But then it's curtains for the Dickster -- he meets the 800-pound gorilla, Michelle Kwan, in the quarterfinals. (Followed by the Clash of the Titans -- Kwan versus Kim in the semis. Release the Kracken! )

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

But Dick Button could face strong competition in his bracket.

He is in the same bracket with Gilles Grafstrom who won three consecutive Olympic gold medals, and a silver. And also with Karl Schafer who won two consecutive Olympic gold medals and seven world championships.

However, realistically speaking, Grafstrom will probably be beaten by Brian Orser in the first round, and Schafer will be taken out by Barbara Ann Scott. So Button has a clear pass to the round of eight, by beating Trixie Schuba in the first round, then Orser, then Scott.

But then it's curtains for the Dickster -- he meets the 800-pound gorilla, Michelle Kwan, in the quarterfinals. (Followed by the Clash of the Titans -- Kwan versus Kim in the semis. Release the Kracken! )

Oh where would I be without your Wikipedia knowledge? :yes:

Seriously, no one in this Forum will mention anyone before 1980, if that; and anyone who isn't a current favorite? No? So Henie, Klopfer, Dubief, Flemming, Hamil, Magnuson are out of contention if this is meant to be a poll. It's agimmick to keep what's left of the fans entertained.

 

[Olympia]

I love Todd Eldredge's half-poker-face/half-smile, sort of ironic expression at the end of Tara's skate and then again after the camera pans back to him after her scores are announced. It sort of spells out how a lot people must have felt about that upset.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZhIs6OIJ-I

As I recall, Todd had a unique reason to react to Tara's win. He and Tara were both coached by Callaghan. He didn't even medal, and she, aged fifteen or so, won the whole thing. Always a gentleman, he praised her but let drop one comment about the extra sting her win had for him--or rather, his lack of a win compared to her stunning victory. I seem to remember that he teared up a bit and couldn't finish his sentence. Not to take anything away from her amazing achievement, her gold versus his empty hands must have been salt in the wound for him.

 

[Mathman]

Oh where would I be without your Wikipedia knowledge? :yes:

I live to serve.

Seriously, no one in this Forum will mention anyone before 1980, if that; and anyone who isn't a current favorite? No? So Henie, Klopfer, Dubief, Flemming, Hamil, Magnuson are out of contention if this is meant to be a poll. It's agimmick to keep what's left of the fans entertained.

I assume that most of the people who vote will be teenagers who hang out on facebook. You need a facebook account to vote. Even Michelle Kwan is probably too old to rack up the votes.

The format is a series of head-to-hed match-ups. This week you can vote between Sonia Henie and Toller Cranston. The winner moves on to the second round, to meet the winner of the Dorothy Hamil versus Brunet&Brunet match-up.

You can see all the individual match-ups here.

http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=361758

 

[fairly4]

no- michelle doesn't have it easy--
the barcket has to beat dick-i like to know how they picked them--yu-na has it easier-why--more of the older skaters, and she is current';
canada loves the canadians bourne and kratz can beat michelle
look at who kristi, irina up against hardly anyone.
to me it look like they kind of rigged it against michelle, why pit michelle in semis --why not final--
to me the harder matchups are==brian/ hayes jenkins ;;;; carol heiss and linda fratinne;;;; katarina with and janet lynn--those are really hard to chose from.

some of them are no brainers-- like yu-na and the russian dance team.

i wonder how you can have the reatest without naming all of the skaters for each disciplines and take the top 15 from each discpline and then go down to the 64 . instead of just starting out that way--

 

[seniorita]

Oh where would I be without your Wikipedia knowledge?

:agree:

i wonder how you can have the reatest without naming all of the skaters for each disciplines and take the top 15 from each discpline and then go down to the 64 . instead of just starting out that way--

mathman should have done the bracket. Cause this mixer one doesn't make much sense...

 

[Mathman]

--yu-na has it easier-why--more of the older skaters, and she is current';

Still, she has all-time legend Sonia Henie, along with both of "America's sweethearts" Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamil in her division.

...look at who kristi, irina up against hardly anyone.

Kristi will have to beat Scott Hamilton and Torville and Dean!

 

[gmyers]

Wow-I bet Yagudin and Plushenko out in the first rounds!!!!

 

[Mathman]

As I recall, Todd had a unique reason to react to Tara's win. He and Tara were both coached by Callaghan. He didn't even medal, and she, aged fifteen or so, won the whole thing...

Also I think he was a little shocked that Tara was placed ahead of Michelle, regardless of how well Tara skated. Scott Hamilton famously said on the air that Michelle had at least a "one-fall advantage" over Tara.

Even though Tara trained at the same ring as Todd that one season, Todd was already friends with Michelle from having toured with her on Champions on Ice. Todd seemed like he always enjoyed playing the big brother role to the younger skaters on tour.

 

[parma]

I didn't imagine USFS is actually doing something that would fit a voting poll thread here...

 

[Olympia]

Even though Tara trained at the same ring as Todd that one season, Todd was already friends with Michelle from having toured with her on Champions on Ice. Todd seemed like he always enjoyed playing the big brother role to the younger skaters on tour.

Good point, Mathman.

Todd seems to be one of those skaters that one would enjoy knowing off the rink. He always projects an air of decency and good sportsmanship. I imagine he'd be someone who would act as the "glue" on any tour or team. I can see that he would like looking out for the other skaters.

 

[Mathman]

No surprises so far. Sonia Henie beat Toller Cranston and moves on to face Dorthy Hamill, first round victor over Brunet & Brunet.

Fifth seed Peggy Fleming topped Willy Bockl and fourth seed Yu-na Kim held off Krylova & Ovsyannikov. Fleming and Kim will meet in the second round.

Here is Anjelika Krylova, the most beautiful woman in figure skating :yes:

http://www.leahadams.com/photo/worlds/99wak.jpg

She and partner Oleg Ovsyannikov (the handsomest man in figure skating ), won the 1998 and 1999 World Championships and 1998 Olympic silver medal.

http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/78...F970895726C257B9C302AA50FE590776E558C6A6A791E

 

[Olympia]

"...the most beautiful woman in figure skating...." Another ranking I can never make up my mind about. Does this mean I am indecisive? I'd add Marina Klimova to the list, but I'd understand if you didn't agree. And then there's the matter of Katya Gordeyeva....Certainly Krylova is in the running for such an appoelation, though. It's good that you're so partisan about it! Skaters should have devoted, partisan fans. That's what sports are for. (The husband of a friend of mine used to refer to ice dancer Natalia Annenko as "the goddess." My friend was very understanding about it.)

It'll be interesting to see who ends up at the peak of this pyramid, but I'll still think of Kwan and Browning as my top two fave raves in terms of technique, artistry, enduring influence, and every other measurement. I'm happy that everyone else feels the same force of conviction for his/her top fave raves.

 

[Mathman]

Here are the skaters who have moved on to round two, with their round two match-ups.

Sonia Henie v. Dorothy Hamill
Peggy Fleming v. Yu-na Kim
Mao Asada v. Carol Heiss
Bestemianova/Bukin v. Belousova/Protopopov
Ulrich Salchow v. Valova/Vasiliev
Shen/Zhao v. Rodnina/Zeitsev.