Intriguing characters of skating

mrrice said:

2011 was a very interesting year......All 3 medalist had Character driven LP's....Our entire group called Richard Dornbush "Inspector Gadget" but he was actually playing Sherlock Holmes.

I couldn't find his performance from Nationals but here's his performance from the JGPF which he won:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XT82NgCuzo

Here's Ross Miner performing to the soundtrack from Casablanca. He was the Bronze Medalist. He blew a kiss at the judges and even poored himself a drink during his LP.
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hOgpzmj4Lc

There were great LP's by Keegan Messing who played the Hulk. Armin Mahbanoozadeh was also quite good and skated to the Avatar Soundtrack. Jeremy Abbott had an off night and I think was the pewter medalist but, as I said. It was a great final flight on Men and the audience definitely got their monies worth. There were several standing ovations.

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Jeremy was having equipment problems that Nationals and skated a breathtakingly gorgeous LP to "Life is Beautiful." I often wonder what would have happened had Abbott been clean that year. :think:

Ic3Rabbit said:

Jeremy was having equipment problems that Nationals and skated a breathtakingly gorgeous LP to "Life is Beautiful." I often wonder what would have happened had Abbott been clean that year. :think:

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So do I. He did skate the same program later at 4cc and did quite well. This was the year he did his Spanish themed SP and I thought it was amazing and a great change of pace!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jil6EMQnNcA

Deanna Stellato was mentioned. How amazing it was that she came back to competition after 16 years, switched disciplines, and did so well at 2017 Nationals!!! I'll never forget her, back in the day, calling her choreographer and saying, "I got a 6.0 for artistic! A 6.0!" Such a sweet moment that was caught on camera. I hope she and Nate can keep improving. I loved watching them!

Same goes for Naomi Nari Nam. Silver medal at 1999 Nationals in singles when she was 13 (hard fall and head bump in SP, then a breathtaking LP). Then in 2001 she had a major hip injury. She switched to pairs and won a bronze medal at 2007 Nationals with Themi Leftheris. It was wonderful to see how happy she was at that competition.

Yuko Kavaguti - Gave up her Japanese citizenship in order to fulfill her dream of competing in the Olympics. She personally asked Moskvina to coach her. She and Smirnov have had a career plagued by inconsistency and injuries, but they've given us some real gems as well. Kavaguti never gave up, despite the strong backlash she received from Japan.

Irina Slutskaya - One of the most athletic skaters I can remember. She also had a wonderful smile and ice presence. I remember first seeing her in 1996, and she was so cute. She told Dick Button once, "All the old men like to pinch my cheeks." She did combos like 3S+3Lo and 3Lz+3Lo, that are very rare. She did Biellmann spins on both feet and Biellmann spirals (not my favorite spiral position but they worked well for her). She is the only woman to have won seven European titles and has an OSM and an OBM, just like Michelle Kwan. I'll never forget her LP at 2005 Worlds after coming back from serious illness. She had her best skate ever on home ice and burst into tears right when she finished. What a sweet moment! There's no one quite like her.

Denise Biellmann - The only skater to have a spin named after her in the ISU rules. Her name may be the most repeated one on the forums, like Elaine Zayak's. "No more Biellmanns, please!" "It's so frustrating when skaters Zayak!"

Ic3Rabbit said:

Yes, even he tends to laugh/smile a bit when he gets into position (like at the 2011 LP), and yes he's a great guy. That win was made sweeter by the fact that his sister Becky was there at the boards and in the K and C with him for it. Anyway, getting back on topic programs can have humor but there aren't many out there that do them because they have a hard time pulling them off. Ryan and Ricky never had that problem. Currently: Keegan Messing is one to watch for some humor on the competitive side of things.

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Thanks, I'll take a look at Keegan! I just really wasn't expecting to laugh since competitions are usually so serious. It's a nice change of pace.

renla said:

Thanks, I'll take a look at Keegan! I just really wasn't expecting to laugh since competitions are usually so serious. It's a nice change of pace.

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The way we as skaters at that level see them if we are open with ourselves is this: It is what you make of it. It doesn't have to be all "serious" so to speak.

Carolina Kostner - Has been around for 4 Olympic cycles now as Italy's top singles skater. There is such a huge difference between early Kostner and later/current Kostner. In 2003, she did 2 triple-triple combos and had all the speed in the world. In 2006, she placed 9th at a home Olympics and in 2010 she was 16th (her LP was an epic meltdown ). For me, she came into her own in 2012 and her LP that year was the first program of hers that I found truly memorable. She did less technical difficulty than in her early days but showed much greater control and attention to detail. From 2012 onward, she has shown calm elegance, two words I would not have used for her earlier in her career. Her 2014 Olympic medal was well-deserved and I was so happy for her. She rediscovered her joy in skating after 2010 and started skating for herself. What an incredible journey, and it's still going! I thought Sochi would be it but, suspension notwithstanding, she came back to competition! I wasn't a huge fan of her 2016/2017 programs, but at this point, she's Carolina and she's amazing and I'm glad she's back.

Skaters representing countries with little or no figure skating history - Tugba Karademir, Elene Gedevanishvili, Michael Christian Martinez, and Deniss Vasiljevs come to mind. Yuna Kim was also in this category. Karademir's goal at the Olympics was simply to qualify for the LP. Not everyone who competes expects to get a medal.

Marina Zoueva - Extremely instrumental in the rise of U.S. Ice Dance. Coached B&A and D&W and V&M and still coaches the Shibs. Coached both the gold and silver medalists at the last two Olympics. She now coaches/helps with singles skaters Nathan Chen and Patrick Chan. I never expected she would coach singles skaters, but she is.

V&M and D&W - Rivals who trained together for a long time and fought each other for gold. Both teams had skated together since childhood. Both won OGM and OSM, swapping places in 2010 and 2014. V&M made a comeback and won everything last season. They definitely still have that hunger for gold.

P&C - After being 13th at Worlds in 2014, they won the title in 2015. Has any other team made that big of a jump in the Worlds standings from one year to the next? Their FD was absolutely stunning that year. I thought, "I've never paid attention to them before, but they won and it was beautiful!"

French Ice Dance always brings interesting things to the table. I'll never forget A&P or P&B either.

skatingfan4ever said:

Marina Zoueva - Extremely instrumental in the rise of U.S. Ice Dance. Coached B&A. D&W, V&M, and still coaches the Shibs. Coached both the gold and silver medalists at the last two Olympics. I don't know if that will happen again anytime soon. She now coaches/helps with singles skaters Nathan Chen and Patrick Chan. I never expected she would coach singles skaters, but she is.

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Chan and Gold. No longer Chen.

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. 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.

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Oh please. The sonogram comment was one of the single funniest comments I've ever heard in figure skating. I'm sure Ashley has heard her share of "decrepit old lady" comments and SHE isn't walking around with a boulder on HER shoulder.

If Ashley had done nothing else except being one of the ONLY US Olympiams -- not skater, OLYMPIANS -- to speak out against Russia's heinous anti-LGBT law before Sochi, I would love her forever.

The sonogram comment was just the cherry on top.

And yes, Sam, I too am waiting for the complete story of Laetitia Hubert. Mad genius? Alien invader? You know there's a story there...

THere are lots of skaters I want to know more about but most of them I wouldn't call intriguing. Toller Cranston, John Curry, Tonya Harding, Debbie Thomas possibly Nicole Bobek and definitely Laetitia Hubert I find intriguing.

Ic3Rabbit said:

Chan and Gold. No longer Chen.

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Oh, yes, I forgot about Gracie. And I guess Marina was more of a "short-term consultant" for Nathan. Is he back with Raf full-time now? I never thought of Marina as someone who would be interested in helping singles skaters, but obviously she doesn't mind nowadays.

skatingfan4ever said:

Oh, yes, I forgot about Gracie. And I guess Marina was more of a "short-term consultant" for Nathan. Is he back with Raf full-time now? I never thought of Marina as someone who would be interested in helping singles skaters, but obviously she doesn't mind nowadays.

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Yes and she actually has worked with singles for at least going on 20 years now.

Ic3Rabbit said:

Yes and she actually has worked with singles for at least going on 20 years now.

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Oh, interesting. I didn't know that it went that far back.

Congrats, Skater Boy, it's a really great thread!
Most of my favourite intriguing characters have already been mentioned. Most of all Toller Cranston!
To me he is the embodiment of a fascinating human enigma on and off the ice. He revolutionised fs and turned the whole skating world on its head. A very complex personality in his private life as well...intriguing indeed.
I'd like to add his coach, Ellen Burka. Part of the furniture at the Cricket Club, still teaching kids and driving a car while way into her 80s! Both RIP.

TAT and Eteri are quite rightly mentioned already. They never fail to amaze me. Same goes for Kurt Browning.

I also wish to mention the Protopopovs. Politics at the time stood in the way of getting to know them as human beings, but whenever I watch an old clip or look at their pictures, there certainly was, and is, an aura of something special about them.

I think we have altogether a great bunch of skaters around these days. As everywhere in life, some are more interesting/crazy/outrages or loveable than others.
Contemporary, I say that Misha Ge is most certainly a character, just like the new Fed-residential rapper Max Kovtun
Both in their own individual ways, of course.

Shin Amano, who is famous as a strict specialist but conveniently turned some blind eyes in some occasions and be strict in some occasions for some reasons. I think Wagner was treated too harshly and lost a place to GPF last season for political reasons.

Ekaterina Gordeeva - she and Sergei were perfection on ice as one of the most beautiful pair skaters. After Seigei's passing she courageously carried on the love of skating and his legend. A beautiful soul inside and out and a gorgeous skater.
Elena Berezhnaya - her sheer determination to return to the ice after an accident leaving her near death and unable to speak. She overcame all obstacles to become Olympic silver and gold medalist with a new partner. Her revelations of being beaten by her former partner are heart wrenching.

I'm really enjoying this thread! I don't have anyone to add because I haven't been watching figure skating for very long, but it's fun looking up the people that are suggested here on youtube.

nguyhm said:

Ekaterina Gordeeva - she and Sergei were perfection on ice as one of the most beautiful pair skaters. After Seigei's passing she courageously carried on the love of skating and his legend. A beautiful soul inside and out and a gorgeous skater.

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I had always preferred Sergei more than her.

Quote Originally Posted by silverfoxes View Post
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,

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WeakAnkles said:

Oh please. The sonogram comment was one of the single funniest comments I've ever heard in figure skating. I'm sure Ashley has heard her share of "decrepit old lady" comments and SHE isn't walking around with a boulder on HER shoulder.

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:clapper:

Ashley is the very definition of a very strong athlete who has been belittled based on her age. And as you said, WeakAnkles, she laughs it off with her usual spirit and humor.

If Ashley had done nothing else except being one of the ONLY US Olympiams -- not skater, OLYMPIANS -- to speak out against Russia's heinous anti-LGBT law before Sochi, I would love her forever.

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This alone makes her an Intriguing Character of Figure Skating. Not only did she speak out, but being a female athlete in a discipline which makes a point of being demure and neutral, she showed impressive courage and fire.

For skaters I admire because they've gone against the current grain: Meryl Davis and Charlie White. They must still have that competitive drive, because they've said they're not competing this year, but said "we're not retiring." They're at the very peak of their talent and artistry. So they must still have the desire and hunger that propelled them to the very top of their sport. Everyone defends or understands V/M desire for even more gold and accolades, a la Plushenko, and lauds them for that. Charlie calls them "inspiring," and Meryl lauds how V/M have moved the spot forward.

Meryl and Charlie have chosen a different path, also IMO difficult, becasue they're competitors at heart. Meryl is involved in Figure Skating for Detroit, to give children a unique opportunity in the same way that Figure Skating in Harlem does. They continue to headline SOI, which helps give other skaters the support they need. Charlie pours his artistry and creativity into choreography. Both are commentators with a gift for highlighting positive elements and qualities; Charlie's commentary is especially sensitive and open to subtleties. They're giving so much back to the sport that they love; and the ways they do so are evolving, not static.

Then there's their stellar friendship through the years, which has been equal, mutually supportive; but at different times each one became the stronger, the rock, or the leader. Their families were friends and able to support their kids in the challenges of keeping the partnership going. And they've continued their love and friendship with each other through six or more years of long-term romantic relationships; Charlie with Tanith, and Meryl with Fedor.

I'm surprised no one seems to have mentioned Artur Dmitriev. I found him quite a unique character.