Intriguing characters of skating

sarama said:

I can't speak for everyone, but I do agree that she can be polarising. I Like her sometimes, and not so much other times, so maybe I can give you some perspective: I like that she owns her choices and that she often doesn't hide what she is thinking, I respect her grit and that she was able to become a powerhouse in US figure skating, when many considered her a class B skater compared to Mirai, Caroline ect.....But sometimes she can be annoying: when she screws up and says she likes to be the underdog , when she is over the top with the drama in the program while doing zero transitions and she expects all the PCS, when she is look at how good I am now I've fixed my flutz and my underrotation issues:rofl2:
All in all the respect I have for her overshadows her flaws (and really who is perfect in this world), but I understand that some people just can't stand her DIVA attitude at times. I think she knows and she has made peace with this idea, so I'm sure she isn't bothered too much by the "hate"

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Mostly agree with this, and also I think she makes too much of a big deal about her age and the age of her opponents. The "sonograms" thing, yeah I get it was supposed to be a joke, but it was belittling some very strong athletes based on their age, which I'm sure she doesn't appreciate when the shoe is on the other foot. Mao Asada, Carolina Kostner, Alena Leonova, etc. never behaved like this and neither do any of the older men who are competing against the likes of Nathan, Boyang, etc. I respect older skaters who stick around but I just don't find her nearly as edgy and witty as she seems to find herself, and her skating is nothing special in itself.

Personally, I don't mind when skaters are polite to each other. If you've got something to say to your rivals. say it with your skates.

Has Gary Beacom been mentioned on this thread yet? He went to jail in protest against paying taxes on money earned in the U.S. His "I'm your man" routine is still a classic.

Edit: I see Scrufflet beat me to it.

Laurent Tobel was always entertaining, as was Vakhtang Murvanidze.

Maria Butyrskaya.......The first of the Russian Diva's to win a World Title. A sometimes rebellious skater who stayed true to herself to the very end of her career. Not afraid to use her maturity and good looks to her advantage and she is STILL the oldest ladies world champion in history...

Living Legend's Plushenko and Orser. 2 World Champions who have stayed active in the sport and have given back to the sport through their coaching for Brian and Plushy through his academy.

Another interesting (and also quite polarising) character is certainly Meagan Duhamel; even those who don't like her attitude cannot question her committment to the sport (and to her passions in general, see her vegan lifestyle).

I met Ashley a couple of years ago (with Gracie, ironically) at a SOI Meet & Greet. I was astonished at how short she is. Anyway, she and Gracie both were extremely friendly and stood for a long time while the line snaked past them taking pictures, getting hugs, etc. I saw nothing "icy" about either of them. They were both very warm and friendly and didn't rush anyone I don't know why a group dislikes a certain skater. Sometimes I think it's just because they can! The anonymity of the internet.

What does bother me about Ashley is - as I've posted before - the "I am woman hear me roar" and sex kitten persona that she loves to perpetuate. I always think it comes off a little contrived and not truly who she is. But I don't dislike her for it.

Intriguing characters of skating: Gary Beacom! 'Nuff said.

meem said:

I can't imagine, when being asked who my favorite skater is, responding with the name of a skater I don't like. Nasty folks!

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I know, right? LOL. I guess I must shrug and cite how passionate FS fans can be.

lappo said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-08R7-C2KyQ
This is THE Olympic fluff, some quotes are just epic! (Mishin: "Coaching them was like having two wives").

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OMG! I am wiping tears out of the corners of my eyes, from laughing! I'd never read that quote before!

Alexei Mishin is another intriguing character to me. Kurt Browning says he afraid of him! He does seem intimidating, but I guess what I notice is how nurturing he is to every one of his skaters when they come off the ice, whether they've skated their best or not. At present, at least. I wasn't watching men's in the AY/EP era.

Ari Zakarian

sarama said:

I can't speak for everyone, but I do agree that she can be polarising. I Like her sometimes, and not so much other times, so maybe I can give you some perspective: I like that she owns her choices and that she often doesn't hide what she is thinking, I respect her grit and that she was able to become a powerhouse in US figure skating, when many considered her a class B skater compared to Mirai, Caroline ect.....But sometimes she can be annoying: when she screws up and says she likes to be the underdog , when she is over the top with the drama in the program while doing zero transitions and she expects all the PCS, when she is look at how good I am now I've fixed my flutz and my underrotation issues

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Actually, I don't think she's said that. Whenever she talks about improving her technique, she says she's working on her issues and she's taking steps in the right direction. I've never heard her say she's fixed them. Also I've never heard her say she expects all the PCS. Her fans may say she deserves them; and it's clear the judges reward her interpretation and performance, particularly when she performs technically the way she's capable of.

But I really appreciate how well you balanced your negative impressions with your positive ones. Thank you!

noskates said:

I met Ashley a couple of years ago (with Gracie, ironically) at a SOI Meet & Greet. I was astonished at how short she is. Anyway, she and Gracie both were extremely friendly and stood for a long time while the line snaked past them taking pictures, getting hugs, etc. I saw nothing "icy" about either of them. They were both very warm and friendly and didn't rush anyone I don't know why a group dislikes a certain skater. Sometimes I think it's just because they can! The anonymity of the internet.

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That may be the best answer to my question. Thank you!

What does bother me about Ashley is - as I've posted before - the "I am woman hear me roar" and sex kitten persona that she loves to perpetuate. I always think it comes off a little contrived and not truly who she is. But I don't dislike her for it.

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That's interesting. I don't perceive either attitude that way. Maybe reporters have taken her answers and run with them, so to speak. I do agree that she clearly says she's committed to skating as a woman, and to her that means being strong and independent, and expressing her sexuality on the ice as well as other important ways of being.

silverfoxes said:

Mostly agree with this, and also I think she makes too much of a big deal about her age and the age of her opponents.

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I heard other people talking about Ashley's age before I heard her talking about it. So I think it's her way of taking a negative and making it a positive. But I take it differently, anyway. I see her, Carolina, and Maria Butyrskaya as positive inspiration for anyone who's ever been told they were too old, too late, or too untalented to keep pursuing their dreams.

She does have a reputation for speaking her mind. IMO, it's because she answers questions openly and honestly, and as the questions are presented. She's a military kid, and they tend to be raised to answer questions in a straightforward manner. I relate to this, not because I'm a military kid; I'm not. But in the family I was raised in, we were encouraged and expected to answer questions directly. This is in contrast to my husband's family, where everyone was/is expected to answer with a retort, clever or not so much, and then stick to that. I really admire how Evgenia, in particular I've noticed, is able to take a question, acknowledge part of it in a very positive and charming way, and take her answer from there, creating a whole direction that's what she wants to say. That's a cultural skill, somewhat like the the cultural differences between my husband's family (northern blue-collar) and mine (southern desk types); or the military sub-culture. (I've been reading Jack Reacher novels LOL).

Thanks to you all for your answers.

Aliona Savchenko: Stubborn as heck, driving the team like no other, a diva in her own right, and nobody will forget that Pink Panther costume anytime soon.
Meagan Duhamel: Vegan activist, dog lover, will rescue anything that's living, big personality and one of the most honest people in the sport.
Ksenia Stolbova: Hunger Games victor meets fashion model, a spitfire who never stops surprising us. (Clair de Lune?)
Ashley Wagner: Confident, unafraid of defying politics or unfair laws, just a "you see what you get" kind of gal that I'd love to hang out with.
Mao Asada: The angel with the triple axel.
And an honorary mention to TAT because her commentaries are hilarious.

Brian Orser: on one hand I have a huge respect and admiration for him and also loving all his reactions to his skaters performances (I wish they would show him parallel the whole time!) but his split with Yuna is so intriguing - what could have happened between two nicest people imaginable? We'll we ever know?

Tutto said:

Brian Orser: on one hand I have a huge respect and admiration and loving all his reactions to his skaters performances (I wish they would show him parallel the whole time!) but his split with Yuna is so intriguing - what could have happened between two nicest people imaginable? We'll we ever know?

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I have always wondered about their split. Fortunately, they have remained very tight lipped and I think it's out of respect for what they once had. Some say that Yuna was homesick and didn't want to train in Canada anymore. I remember Brian being devastated by their breakup and it always reminded me of Michelle's breakup with Frank. Maybe they just outgrew each other.

And while we're on this topic, I gotta add Jason Brown. The sunshine of life.

If there's one thing that I hate hearing people say when discussing people they don't like, it's the generalised "attitude" comment, without very much to back up the negativity other than reference to a few soundbites from interviews where that person may be answering questions in a pressured media spotlight. I had this conversation about Ashley with someone I met at worlds in Boston and they were unable to go beyond "oh, just her general attitude" when I asked for examples of why they didn't like her. I know we're probably all guilty of this at some point but that conversation in particular just made me aware of how unfair it is to take a dislike to someone you've never met just because you didn't like a couple of things they said in the unreal world of the media spotlight...

skylark said:

OMG! I am wiping tears out of the corners of my eyes, from laughing! I'd never read that quote before!

Alexei Mishin is another intriguing character to me. Kurt Browning says he afraid of him! He does seem intimidating, but I guess what I notice is how nurturing he is to every one of his skaters when they come off the ice, whether they've skated their best or not. At present, at least. I wasn't watching men's in the AY/EP era.

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Funny thing is, when Ted Barton interviewed Mishin a couple of years ago, and asked him who his favourite non-Russian skater was, he said Kurt Browning.

Here it is, by the way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkVSC23Lj94

ETA - A fan video of Mishin & Plushy, in which their affectionate relationship comes through very clearly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKMaT6oy87c

Irina Rodnina. When she was skating, it seemed that she wasn`t a woman, she was a tank! No matter who was her partner, she won, and won, and won, and...

lappo said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-08R7-C2KyQ
This is THE Olympic fluff, some quotes are just epic! (Mishin: "Coaching them was like having two wives").
I don't know if it's my impression but the interviews of today's skaters are all along the same lines, it seems to me that they rarely go outside the super extreme PC politeness (and the very few who do get a lot of blame, even when they aren't rude at all but simply more genuine); while I don't think they have to get back the Plush/Yags "We hate each other" I wouldn't mind if they were let a bit more free and could show more of their personality.

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OMG I just can't with this video. The dramatic music, the dramatic looks, the quotes and all the shots of Russian iconic sights. This is a masterpiece.

Rada said:

Irina Rodnina. When she was skating, it seemed that she wasn`t a woman, she was a tank! No matter who was her partner, she won, and won, and won, and...

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And the politics of that time was making it easier for her.

I see Debi Thomas has not been mentioned yet. From her 1986 world championship, to "The Battle of the Carmens" and her disappointing Olympic bronze, to her success in medical school and becoming a surgeon, and then her most recent troubles that have seen her back in the news over the past couple of years: bankruptcy, an expired medical license, two divorces, estrangement from her son, living in a trailer with a fiancée and his two children, and some serious mental health issues. Have there been any recent updates on Debi? The latest articles I can find on her are from early 2016. I sincerely hope she will be able to get the help that she needs.

Moskvina, the genius queen of pairs skating - whose teams have undoubtedly had their ups and downs, but she has supported them through thick and thin, creating masterpieces in the process. While Kavaguti/Smirnov might never have the hardware of, say, Mozer's teams, there's no doubt that Manfred Symphony is the undisputed masterpiece of Russians pairs in the past several years.

Plus, she's such an important part of pairs history in general. Ah! I just love her.