The ""Other" Skating - Figure Skating

[number1fan]

YES! august...your passion for brian b is unparalleled!
eagerly awaiting your ladies post!

[lexi]

August - LOVED your post! Another Brian B. fan. YAY! He and Yagudin are my very favorite all time skaters. I totally agree with you on every point you made about Brian. He's unbelievable and incredibly entertaining, especially today given his age.

My favorite performance of his was definitely his long program that won him Olympic Gold. Being Canadian, I should have been supporting Brian Orser, but Brian Boitano won me over forever. He's solid. He's consistent. He rarely flubs up. I agree that others may beat him on artistry, but almost no one can beat him technically. His Boitano Lutz still captivates me as does his spread eagle. Not to mention the height and length of his jumps!

I've already admitted that I've never been a fan of Elvis'. His skating never held my attention like Kurt's did. I loved Witt in her day. She didn't necessarily have the best talent, but she won people over with her charisma and seduction on the ice.

I'm looking forward to reading what you have to share with us next......

[vegas]

Well it's too bad that people in here have such a distain for Elvis. When I met him I found him to be charming and charismatic, not a typical skater, but a wonderful athlete just the same.

I dare say people like Boitano unless they have good choreography they have a real problem with technique because they can't rise to the level of quads. That's just a fact. What he did do, he did well, and I enjoyed his work, only after he got ahold of a good choreographer.

Of course, The Patiner by Canada's Sandra Bezic, or any of the great routines by Lori Nichol, also Canadian made these skaters great.

And I've said my piece about Russian skaters. Admired for their technique, but I absolutely Hate the over dramatic angst...let's bring some fun to skating instead of routines about death and dying...on the ice. Oh brother.

Katerina Witt was great, but I HATED the Olympic Carmen...that was simply awful. Way too omuch drama and not enough substance. I was actually embarrassed for her.

[August]

Love the 'tano Lutz and the spread eagle does defy all laws of physics. Flying death drop, unreal. Now if someone could just talk him into growing back the goatee and moustache, I'd be a happy girl.

I'll throw more roses at Brian's feet later. Now quickly my Petrenko story. Somewhere along the line, Viktor became somewhat of a ladies man on the ice. I didn't see it. Sure, I saw how talented he was, but I had no idea what the rest of the big deal could be. Then came "Stranger in Paradise".

This program was skated as part of a team competition. He was partnered with Oksana who sat with her eyes gleaming while he brought all new meaning to "suave". Viktor, clad in a lovely black tuxedo was still trying to recover from a back injury, but you would never have known it. Beautiful layback spins belied his pain. All but one jump was perfect, and that one he fought for and won. I remember Hamilton yelling "... and he haaaangs onto it!!" Gotta love Scott. He gets all emotional. The program was beautiful though. Artistry in his gestures, drama in his face, skill in his moves. At the end he poses, smiles and straightens his tie. That sealed it. I was sooo taken by it! I was looking up the words to the song. Trying to find out who sang it. All kinds of happy nonsense. Finally I saw what everyone else had seen. Viktor was the man on the ice. Well... one of the men

[August]

Vegas, I'm sorry. I really didn't want to dislike Elvis. There's only so well you can like your favorite's rival. Phillipe Candolero (sp) was working my nerves too, but I got to respect both of them once the olympics were over. Love that sit spin Phillipe does, and Elvis skated to Del Amitri's "Roll to Me" and was amazing.

[lexi]

I wouldn't say I have disdain for Elvis. It's simply a preference thing. And if I'm being perfectly honest, two co-workers - on two separate occassions - had less than pleasant interactions with him. I'm influenced by that too.

August, I share your enthusiasm for Viktor. He came out of nowhere to win bronze in the '88 Olympics and, in my opinion, only got better and better as the years went on. I was happy for Ilia's win that year though. He deserved that gold medal. He wasn't very well known going in, if I recall, and I remember it being ashame that he captivated his audience during the Olympics only to retire from amateur skating and retreat for some time. Nice to see him living happily ever after with Ekaterina though.

[kirkland]

I, too, liked Victor Petrenko. My favorite was at a COI event the year after Oksana won the Olympics. They did the cutest 50's rock n roll number togeter, I loved it. So much fun. He was a very talented skater. It was that year I first saw G&G together, I didn't know much about them, other than "the girl with the angel face" of the pairs. I often wonder whether figure skating will capture my imagination and interest as much as it did in the earlier days and culminating with the Yagudin era.

Vegas, glad to see you are still lurking on this thread, even though we disagree about certain Canadian & Russian skaters! Let's talk Candelero...he couldn't leave his shirt on....that got old after the novelty wore off.

[vegas]

Philippe Candeloro, cheezy man..not a fave, I simply hated the Godfather thing...and how many times was he going to shoot the duck... just not classy in my books.

[August]

To me, it didn't seem like it was much about athletic prowess for Candeloro. More about being seen and putting on a show. I think he was his biggest fan.

[mellie]

kirkland said:

I, too, liked Victor Petrenko. My favorite was at a COI event the year after Oksana won the Olympics. They did the cutest 50's rock n roll number togeter, I loved it.

I happen to watch that on television, and I too thought it was cute. I loved it.

[kirkland]

august said:

To me, it didn't seem like it was much about athletic prowess for Candeloro. More about being seen and putting on a show. I think he was his biggest fan.

Isn't that the truth!

[lexi]

Candeloro did nothing for me. He was always too high on himself for me and he didn’t even have the goods to back it up. At least when Plushenko performed Sex Bomb, he didn’t take himself too seriously. Now that was a good routine!

[kirkland]

Attention YAGUDIN fans! Here is the link to a recent series of interviews by Kathleen Bangs with Alexei the day of and following his hip replacement surgery.

www.ifsmagazine.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=450

Also, a Russian TV interview (in Russian) but the video is up and you can see how he is doing. He is down to his SLC weight! Click on the picture of Alexei at the top of the right column.

www.1tv.ru/news/n107572

[lexi]

Thanks so much, Kirkland, for sharing that article. It was very well written. Some comments:

Of course, the big question of a return to competition ice is what occupies his mind. Both he and rival Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko are keenly aware of the bragging rights that would accompany a second gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Much as either would love to claim it, each would equally despair to see it go to the other. The business of figure skating would rejoice at a rematch of the two titans once again on Vancouver ice. Separately both wonder: “What if?”
I got chills reading this. I don’t know that I’d be able to handle Yagudin, Plushenko and Ohno all competing in 2010! You just know that whoever confirms returning first, the other will follow shortly behind. There’s no way Yagudin is going to pass up a shot to push the limits against Plush and fight for another gold medal.

Arguably in the best shape of his career, down to his 2002 Olympics fighting weight, he’s also religiously embraced a healthier lifestyle. Most importantly, the competitive torch within has again been lit. He is looking for a fight, mostly against the limitations that have been imposed upon him.
I’m surprised he got down to his 2002 Olympic fighting weight because he’d bulked up a lot in the past few years. He wasn’t heavy, but definitely a lot more muscular.

I love his competitive spirit within himself and against his biggest opponent. I really believe that Plush has been his biggest motivating factor in competing….unless you want to count proving something to Mishin.

“Now I would have to really think when I do the spins, to make sure they are good quality with change of edge and this and that. In the past if I got tired during a program, I might change the spins, but that is not going to work under this system. Now you have to skate with a plan, and then you have to follow it.”
It will be interesting to see how he wrestles with the changes since 2002. That’s 5 long years and a lot has changed since then. I chuckled at the ‘have to skate with a plan’ comment because he was always notorious for changing his program up while on the ice. I remember Scotty Hamilton commentating during his final skate in the long program during the ’02 Olympics and giving the audience a heads up on what jump was to come and then saying, “Interesting – he’s changing his program”. A lot must go through his head when he’s skating. He’s got to think ahead, like if he doesn’t need to put a difficult move in there to ensure a medal, he won't risk it. That said, his programs never, ever lacked for on the edge of your seat craziness.

It was Morozov’s earlier collaboration with the legendary Tarasova that spawned one of the world’s most highly regarded men's short program, “Winter”, designed for Yagudin in 2001. After the trio’s triumph at the 2002 Olympics, Morozov catapulted to fame, and soon after split to go it alone. Relations chilled, and the friendship with Yagudin cooled, until an unplanned reunion at a televised Tarasova birthday tribute held in Moscow last February.
I remember all of this and recall that there was a lot of tension. Tarasova and Morozov weren’t even speaking for the longest time. It was only natural that Alexei’s loyalties would be split too. Of course, he’d support Tarasova. It’s nice to see they were all able to put the past behind them to support the person they truly care about. On a side note, I only hope Alexei's taking professional advice from Nikolai and not personal advice!!!

Part of that free skate conditioning may begin as early as November, when Yagudin has tentatively penciled in a week-long session with Morozov to create a demanding free program that will include point-boosting jumps after the two-minute mark. Even though Yagudin might use the program this year as a show number, his strategy is to load it with enough difficulty that next season he could easily segue it into a truly competitive free skate.
So exciting. Alexei would accept nothing less than a demanding and difficult program. I’m so excited to see what he, Nikolai and Tatiana come up with. He has the dream team so you know it will be nothing short of spectacular. He always wants to push the envelope.

Yagudin has often wrestled with motivation. Not that he ever lacks it, but rather trying to determine where it comes from.
LOL! I remember he always called himself lazy away from the ice. I never quite got that considering there would be workouts, endorsement commitments, personal appearances and now the real estate business.

The past few years of a lucrative pro career has brought millions, both on the ice and in the real estate market.
I think it’s probably safe to say he’s set for life between medals, endorsements, money from his professional appearances and an equally lucrative career in real estate.

The man who spent his childhood sharing a rented communal apartment, the only son of a single mom, turns slightly wistful when the topic turns to indulging himself. “It’s funny — no luxuries. I don’t even ship my Mercedes to Russia. I don’t care about clothes, and don’t wear an expensive watch," he says. "I know it’s a little strange, but somehow when you’re no longer trying to save every single penny, you wonder, maybe I’ll buy a Ferrari? Then you think, no, that would be stupid for right now, but the little voice says, ‘When is the right time? Does it ever come?"
Hmmm…..remind you of anyone else? I think it’s great that Alexei and Apolo have the money, yet refuse to indulge just yet. They appreciate the value of something having struggled growing up. It’s all part of that amazing discipline and never quite feeling like you’ve earned it just yet.

________________________________________________

I also loved Goordeva and Grinkov and came across this really wonderful Grinkov montage. It's hard to watch this and not miss him/them. It's especially sad to see the bond he shared with his daughter, even though she was only 3 at the time of his death.

youtube.com/watch?v=NBfTSsSmdbs

[mtnme]

kirkland said:

It was that year I first saw G&G together, I didn't know much about them, other than "the girl with the angel face" of the pairs. I often wonder whether figure skating will capture my imagination and interest as much as it did in the earlier days and culminating with the Yagudin era.

Thanks for actually saying this! I thought I was the only one who felt this way!. I figure skated as a kid, so needless to say, I followed it religiously for years. Now I couldn't even tell you who the major players are! (Well maybe Kimmie Meisner, 'cause lets face it, she's cute as a button, and the ice dance pair B&A for finally breaking that medal glass ceiling the US has never been able to shatter in that venue.) But I have to say, the current crop just doesn't seem to capture my interest as it did during the heyday of Boitano, Browning,Yamaguchi & G&G.

...and hey Lexi- For pure consistency and technical proficiency, you can't beat Brian, but I gotta tell ya - for the pinnacle of outside spread eagles-I gotta go with Paul Wylie. Though he was never all that consistent technically- he is my absolute favorite for artistry. Every movement is stretched from fingertip to toe to the point you get the impression he is so tight, you could pull a violin bow across him and he'd make music. And I can't tell you how exciting it was to watch him (finally!) put two clean performances together at the Olympics to win silver- when the media made it clear they didn't think he should even be there and wasn't expected to win anything. I'm probably a minority here, but I just love the guy to death!