The performance that got you hooked

el henry · Jun 5, 2015

Boy, do I feel old reading these posts?

I feel the need to put in another vote for the 70s ( I remember Peggy, but I can't really say she drew me in.) and although of course Toller was my eventual fave, what drew me in was Janet Lynn and "Afternoon of a Faun" in 70 or 71. Once I truly discovered men's skating, the ladies became an afterthought, but at the Beginning, there was Janet.

leoncorazon · Jun 5, 2015

Rosalynn Sumners in 1983 and then watching Kat Witt in 1984...what a great showdown...sad for Roz being from the PNW but what a great rivalry...and then I was hooked in 1988 with the battle of the Brians...what a time for great rivalries.

TwinnerA · Jun 5, 2015

I liked Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamil when I was young, but I was never really drawn in until 1993 when I attended Nationals to see Nancy Kerrigan and then I saw a little wisp of a girl named Michelle Kwan who was unpolished, but she was just so cute! I went to see Nancy, but I left loving Michelle! I followed MK in the years after and really fell in love with her for good when she transformed herself in the 1995-1996 season. After that I don't think I ever missed seeing one of her competitions, whether it was Grand Prix events, Nationals, Worlds or made for TV competitions and there were a ton of those back in the mid to late 1990's. I knew the day would come when she wouldn't compete any longer, but for me there will never be anyone as special as Michelle!

Jaana · Jun 6, 2015

We got tv in early sixties and there were not so much interesting on the tv in that time, but figure skating and ski-jumping were the sports I watched and enjoyed together with my parents. First I was interested in the skating of pairs and ladies and only got really hooked into men´s skating as John Curry came onto the scene....

Names that come into my mind from past: Kilius & Baumler, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, John Curry and Robin Cousins.

Sam-Skwantch · Jun 6, 2015

Jaana said:
We got tv in early sixties and there were not so much interesting on the tv in that time, but figure skating and ski-jumping were the sports I watched and enjoyed together with my parents. First I was interested in the skating of pairs and ladies and only got really hooked into men´s skating as John Curry came onto the scene....

Names that come into my mind from past: Kilius & Baumler, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, John Curry and Robin Cousins.

Wow. You've really seen the sport grow. TV is probably the biggest factor in the growth and interest but longtime fans like yourself are invaluable to its existsence. It's no wonder I enjoy reading your posts so much.

franco1991 · Jun 6, 2015

I became a fan of figure skating when I watched Caro skating to dumsky trio at worlds in 2008. WOW!!! For me that program is a masterpiece but like so many of Caro's exquisitely choreographed programs, they were never skated to their full potential which is such a shame because she is truly one of the greatest and most naturally talented skaters of all time but equally one of the worst competitors (to a greater extent until 1st quarter of 2010 and to a lesser extent from there onwards).

Sabrina · Jun 6, 2015

I could say I was hooked to figure skating since I was born. I loved skating and when I learned to talk I asked for skates. My mom kept telling me I was too young, and when I was 4 y o I finally got my first skates...I also loved ballet...
As for performances, the oldest memory I have is Katarina Witt. I liked her at that time, but now I prefer Denise Bielmann from the same period. I was hooked to Maria Burirskaya, and Sasha Cohen forever. I have the same addiction now to Julia Lipniskaya. I also loved Mao' s skating on Masquerade waltz.
In men, from the old memories I loved Philipe Candeloro immensely. Then I moved to Lambiel, Daisuke, and now Jason Brown.
In pairs I remember Charlie Chaplin program from Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze...
In dance I loved a lot the French pair Anissina/Peizerat...And so it goes.

andyjo24 · Jun 6, 2015

I never liked figure skating. Like the "typical" guy, I always thought figure skating was a "girly" sport (I know you guys are probably insulting me for this, but that is how I thought before), but after watching Yu-na Kim's Danse Macabre in 2009, my view of figure skating changed 180 degrees. It was everything for me: athletic, elegant, powerful, deadly. After that, I looked into other skaters as well, learned the different kinds of jumps, learned about PCS and TES, skating skills, etcetc. I'm proud to say I'm a figure skating addict now. Thank you Yu-na Kim. I MISS YOU!

TCAngel18 · Jun 6, 2015

I first remember watching as a 7 year old during the Albertville Olympics, and watching Paul Wylie have his skate of a lifetime, and his exhibition with Nancy Kerrigan, as friends who both had their Olympic moment. However, the skate that got me HOOKED was Katarina Witt skating her LP to "Where have all the Flowers Gone" by Pete Seeger in Lillehammer. You knew she could not win, but she was skating for HERSELF, for her memory of Sarajevo, and the memory of those who died in the Balkans. Even as a 9 year old, I could tell that there was something "more" to that program; it captivated me, and I have never looked back.

Tanka · Jun 6, 2015

el henry said:
Boy, do I feel old reading these posts?

At least you make me feel young.

I got hooked in 1998 during the Olympics in Nagano and it was Berezhnaya&Sikharulidze's SP that draw my attention. I froze and wasn't able to move until they finished skating. I'd never been interested in figure skating before and that was the moment that changed my attitude towards it.
At first I liked watching pairs and men, but I remember the moment I liked ladies. It wasn't a performance, it was one of Michelle's spirals. I was shocked with its beauty and with Michelle being so gorgeous while doing this element.

KLKDMD · Jun 7, 2015

I remember watching the 1992 and 1994 Olympics, but I was too young to really have any emotional investment in the sport. But I remember being a fan of Yamaguchi. But I remember every second of watching Kwan's Salome at Worlds...and from then on, I was hooked. One thing I clearly remember from that time period in my life is that after Kwan won the silver medal at Nagano, I would announce to my friends at our New Year's Eve parties that "one less year we have left to wait until 2002 Olympics." I literally counted down from 1998 to 2002 for Michelle's apotheosis at the 2002 Games...but I don't have any anti-anxiety medications around at this time, so I won't go any further:confused2:

Interspectator · Jun 7, 2015

KLKDMD said:
I remember watching the 1992 and 1994 Olympics, but I was too young to really have any emotional investment in the sport. But I remember being a fan of Yamaguchi. But I remember every second of watching Kwan's Salome at Worlds...and from then on, I was hooked. One thing I clearly remember from that time period in my life is that after Kwan won the silver medal at Nagano, I would announce to my friends at our New Year's Eve parties that "one less year we have left to wait until 2002 Olympics." I literally counted down from 1998 to 2002 for Michelle's apotheosis at the 2002 Games...but I don't have any anti-anxiety medications around at this time, so I won't go any further:confused2:

Welcome and thanks for sharing your story! Post often and long. :cheer2:

KLKDMD · Jun 7, 2015

Thank you! I have actually been a passive observer on this forum for many years, but for some reason, this thread was the one that got me to actually post!

plushyfan · Jun 7, 2015

All my life I watched the figure skating, because of my mother.. since when I was 5-6 years old. It was not now. :biggrin:

So I can not recall the exact moment when I became a devotee of this sport by a program ... Lots of my favorite skaters, dancers .... But I remember perfectly when I became committed to Plushenko.. In 1998 his first European championships, when he was 15. And in that moment he knocked out Yagudin and Kulik from the biggest favorites status .
I remember when I became a real fan of Yuzuru. At WCH 2012 his first Romeo and Juliette program( my all time favorite program of him).... he fell and after he stood up... on his face was great determination and passion... and he began the final footwork... :yes:

JayW · Jun 7, 2015

1996, Kwan's Salome and Chen's Rach #2.
I have been so torn between these two wonderful performances.

edenlover · Jun 7, 2015

JayW said:
1996, Kwan's Salome and Chen's Rach #2.
I have been so torn between these two wonderful performances.

You are sp right. They were both brilliiant, and I often felt that there should be two gold medals. But, Michelle's Flamenco short program was absolutely brilliant as well. I don't recall Chen Lui's.
IT was a wonderful and memorable competition.

JayW · Jun 7, 2015

edenlover said:
You are sp right. They were both brilliiant, and I often felt that there should be two gold medals. But, Michelle's Flamenco short program was absolutely brilliant as well. I don't recall Chen Lui's.
IT was a wonderful and memorable competition.

Kwan's Romanza, fresh, exotic, exciting, razar sharp...
Chen's Spring Breeze, beautiful, elegent, light, effortless...

Since 1996, I have been completely hooked.

TontoK · Jun 7, 2015

OK, time for the old man to chime in. My selection is not a single performance, but an entire competition.

Picture a young farm boy with his family in the rural South of the United States. This is back in the days when there were three channels on television, all picked up by an aerial antenna. The 1976 Winter Olympics were being broadcast by ABC. The skating was hosted by Jim McKay and Dick Button.

We had never seen anything like that in our entire life. It was as though we were seeing something from another planet. My sister and I couldn't wait for school and chores to finish up so we could watch skating on TV. Our mother was charmed, and even our father made sure his evening chores were finished up quickly. We all sat huddled together in front of a small television and saw something magical.

John Curry was other-worldly. Rodnina and Zaitsev were powerful and strong. Pakhomova and Gorshkov... well, we didn't understand what we were seeing, but they were lovely. It was years later before I truly appreciated them. But best of all, Dorothy Hamill won the Ladies event, and we cheered like she was part of our family! Heck, we even cheered for the Russians, and this was in the middle of the Cold War.

To say we were hooked was an understatement. We scoured the TV Guide for skating shows to watch. The magic never dimmed for me. I've been a rabid fan ever since.

I've been chasing the high from that competition my entire life. There has never been an across-the-board lineup of gold medalists like this, legends in every single event.

Not to mention those greats who did not win the gold. A young Tai and Randy making their presence felt on the world stage for the first time. Toller Cranston. Robin Cousins giving hints of what was to come. It was glorious.

el henry · Jun 7, 2015

TontoK said:
OK, time for the old man to chime in. My selection is not a single performance, but an entire competition.

Picture a young farm boy with his family in the rural South of the United States. This is back in the days when there were three channels on television, all picked up by an aerial antenna. The 1976 Winter Olympics were being broadcast by ABC. The skating was hosted by Jim McKay and Dick Button.

We had never seen anything like that in our entire life. It was as though we were seeing something from another planet. My sister and I couldn't wait for school and chores to finish up so we could watch skating on TV. Our mother was charmed, and even our father made sure his evening chores were finished up quickly. We all sat huddled together in front of a small television and saw something magical.

John Curry was other-worldly. Rodnina and Zaitsev were powerful and strong. Pakhomova and Gorshkov... well, we didn't understand what we were seeing, but they were lovely. It was years later before I truly appreciated them. But best of all, Dorothy Hamill won the Ladies event, and we cheered like she was part of our family! Heck, we even cheered for the Russians, and this was in the middle of the Cold War.

To say we were hooked was an understatement. We scoured the TV Guide for skating shows to watch. The magic never dimmed for me. I've been a rabid fan ever since.

I've been chasing the high from that competition my entire life. There has never been an across-the-board lineup of gold medalists like this, legends in every single event.

Not to mention those greats who did not win the gold. A young Tai and Randy making their presence felt on the world stage for the first time. Toller Cranston. Robin Cousins giving hints of what was to come. It was glorious.

Jim McKay and Dick Button! :cheer:

in 72 as well, as far as I was concerned, they were skating.

Also imagine a teen in the big city in 70, 71 ... No videos, no You Tube, no internet channels, just Jim McKay and Wide World of Sports. And hoping, just hoping, that a skating competition was covered.

1976 was a great Olys, the short, no figures. I was such a fan girl for Toller that I couldn't truly love John Curry, but what a comp with Curry and Toller ....

Now did I tell you about the timesI walked ten miles barefoot in the snow to school, uphill both ways

TontoK · Jun 7, 2015

el henry said:
Jim McKay and Dick Button! in 72 as well, as far as I was concerned, they were skating.

Also imagine a teen in the big city in 70, 71 ... No videos, no You Tube, no internet channels, just Jim McKay and Wide World of Sports. And hoping, just hoping, that a skating competition was covered.

1976 was a great Olys, the short, no figures. I was such a fan girl for Toller that I couldn't truly love John Curry, but what a comp with Curry and Toller ....

Now did I tell you about the timesI walked ten miles barefoot in the snow to school, uphill both ways

Oh my, surely you're too young to remember those days! Dick Button and Jim McKay can never be rivaled as a broadcast team. Jim McKay was so professional, and he knew when to shut up.

The National Champs and World Champs were always on Wide World of Sports. I'm sure it must have all been on a tape delay.

I have very vague memories of the Sapporo Games of 1972, but very vague. I didn't click on the Winter Games until '76. The Munich Summer Games in '72 are more vivid than the Winter Games. Olga Korbut, Mark Spitz. And, sadly, the massacre of the Israeli team. So heartbreaking. It was Munich when I became a big Olympic fan, and I have been my whole life. I love the Opening Ceremonies with the Parade of Nations! Never miss it.

The performance that got you hooked

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.

leoncorazon

Skating on through

TwinnerA

Jaana

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”

franco1991

Sabrina

andyjo24

TCAngel18

Tanka

KLKDMD

Interspectator

KLKDMD

plushyfan

JayW

edenlover

JayW

TontoK

Hot Tonto

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.

TontoK

Hot Tonto

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