Daily Appreciation Thread

A place for positive posts about your favourite things about skating! Different from Fan Fests, because you can thank skaters, coaches, choreographers in general, or be thankful for certain routines or social media posts!

chopinskate said:

I mean, it's fairly obvious from your posts.

You agree with me on Mao, and with russianfan on Yuna and Caro.

I just don't see why everyone can't appreciate what these three brought to the table, though Caro was definitely more someone who had unrealized potential than almost anything she actually managed to put out.

The three are such different skaters. Yuna had better toe jumps and had a more extroverted artistry. Mao had better edge jumps and had a more introspective style. Caro had an all around strong repertoire, and her programs were sometimes extroverted like Bolero, and sometimes introspective like Ave Maria, she's capable of so much. I guess I can see why people like one more than the others, but where's the appreciation.

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chopinskate said:

That rest of the comment wasn't really aimed at you. It's just something I felt needed to be said lol, a daily appreciation post for those three, if you will.

ETA: A part of that post was from an old comment I read on this very forum, posted when Yuna and Mao had just finished 2010. I felt it was time to bring it back, and to add something about Caro. This site has some gems from dedicated fans!

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Spirals for Miles said:

Oh okay
"Daily appreciation post" I like the sound of that. Can we do one for every skater?

Skaters: Thank you for working so hard and skating so well. You have made your countries and your fans proud

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I want to send appreciation to chopinskate for creating this very positive thread

And to all the skaters who made last season so interesting

chopinskate said:

ETA: A part of that post was from an old comment I read on this very forum, posted when Yuna and Mao had just finished 2010. I felt it was time to bring it back, and to add something about Caro. This site has some gems from dedicated fans!

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Would you be able to direct us to the thread that had that comment? I would love to read some more discussion about how complementary Yuna's and Mao's skating are. Probably also the reason why the preferences among fans can be so contrasting, but really the best experience is to appreciate both.

But to continue the spirit of this thread,

I want to send my appreciation to Daisuke Takahashi for giving us unforgettable programs with so much artistic integrity. I still hold his Blues for Klook and In the Garden of Souls as the most beautiful contrasting programs I have even seen (Don't disagree this is obviously subjective ) from the men. To echo the Euro guys, he's a genius. Truly, the Step Sequence King.

I also want to send my appreciation to Shen/Zhao. I didn't care for the pairs until someone told me to watch their Turandot program. To this day, I still think theirs is the best pairs program.

Special shout out to Hanyu's Chopin Ballad (in particular his 2016 ver) because this SP is the first time I got goosebumps just watching his spins. The way his arm movements hit those notes is magical. I appreciate that he is still here and really push the men's field not only technically, but also artistically.

Izabela said:

Would you be able to direct us to the thread that had that comment? I would love to read some more discussion about how complementary Yuna's and Mao's skating are.

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It wasn't a discussion as such, just a comment I read in Yuna's FF!

Blades of Passion said:

I do hope Yu-Na keeps competing, though, because the Yu-Na vs. Mao rivalry is an epic one and Tatiana Tarasova ruined it with her awful coaching of Mao. They are two of the most talented skaters ever and they have totally different styles in both their artistry (extroverted vs. introverted) and their technique.

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But a few discussions here can make you learn so much about art, enrich your understanding, and make you see things you previously didn't see. I knew they were different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. And that poster contributes a lot!

chopinskate said:

It wasn't a discussion as such, just a comment I read in Yuna's FF!



But a few discussions here can make you learn so much about art, enrich your understanding, and make you see things you previously didn't see. I knew they were different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. And that poster contributes a lot!

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As someone who read the entire Yuna FF a month ago, I clearly don't remember much of what has been said there Thanks for redirecting me to that post. It's interesting how that was made in 2010 because you can also clearly see the difference pre and post Vancouver Yuna. I agree with BoP's sentiment about Mao's choreography though (but that's another topic so lol) Again, thanks!

Izabela said:

It's interesting how that was made in 2010 because you can also clearly see the difference pre and post Vancouver Yuna.

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What do you mean? I think she added a few introspective pieces to her repertoire (like SITC), but those to me more her being able to invite you in while still doing so with expressiveness and projection, as opposed to Mao, whose movements invited you in.

I have a lot of favorites, I really do. I would have to say that 4everchan is the poster who always "Gets" what I'm trying to say, even when we don't agree. I love that and I love this forum as a whole. We get to chat with likeminded people and discuss a sport that we all love...It's great. This site also has the best Moderators. Educated and fair.

chopinskate said:

What do you mean? I think she added a few introspective pieces to her repertoire (like SITC), but those to me more her being able to invite you in while still doing so with expressiveness and projection, as opposed to Mao, whose movements invited you in.

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Maybe I squarely equated introverted with introspective which IMO Yuna's programs post Vancouver are. I don't think Yuna's HtK or her Adios Nonino are in line in terms of extroversion with her James Bond Medley or Danse Macabre. Even Giselle doesn't have feeling to me. Maybe not movements, but the aura of her programs post-2010 are less about outside projection as much as they are about inviting you in. I think my mileage is that I don't think her post-Vancouver programs are extroverted IN relation to what she had before.


Also, I think Mao's 2014 Rach 2 is more expressive in this regard (not about heckling the audience but the whole tone of the program); there's this feeling of I'm letting everything go. It was explosive in the last leg. Again, probably different mileage here.

Izabela said:

Maybe I squarely equated introverted with introspective which IMO Yuna's programs post Vancouver are. I don't think Yuna's HtK or her Adios Nonino are in line in terms of extroversion with her James Bond Medley or Danse Macabre. Even Giselle doesn't have feeling to me. Maybe not movements, but the aura of her programs post-2010 are less about outside projection as much as they are about inviting you in. I think my mileage is that I don't think her post-Vancouver programs are extroverted IN relation to what she had before.


Also, I think Mao's 2014 Rach 2 is more expressive in this regard (not about heckling the audience but the whole tone of the program); there's this feeling of I'm letting everything go. It was explosive in the last leg. Again, probably different mileage here.

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I do think they became more well-rounded, more mature artists as they advanced through the years. They explored! :yes: Mao's Madame Butterfly was wonderful to see, but it is an epitome of her introspection to me.

chopinskate said:

I do think they became more well-rounded, more mature artists as they advanced through the years. They explored! :yes: Mao's Madame Butterfly was wonderful to see, but it is an epitome of her introspection to me.

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Ha! When I watched Mao's Madame Butterfly (although introspection was not the word I used), I thought it's the most impressionist program I've seen. Delicate is how I usually describe Mao's skating.

(I miss them so much. Still hoping for a rivalry in Ladies like this) This is so becoming a nostalgia fest

Just a little addition to this lovely, positive thread. Thank you skaters, especially if you're part of one of those exquisite pair teams, who have made me laugh, gasp and cry through the years. I love all disciplines, both the athletiscm and elegance of singles, as well as the incredible edges and musical interpretation of ice dancers, but the pairs can beat them all if they're on. They combine difficult pairs elements (seeing a well executed twist can make me get all emotional), unison in jumps and spins, spectacular lifts and throw jumps, and if their programmes are choreographed well, and the music is well chosen, I can get goosebumps and start sniffing. So, this year I particularly thank Aljona and Bruno for one of the most fantastic, breathtaking skates ever at an Olympics or World's, Wengjing and Cong for their lovely interpretation of Turandot, and Megan and Eric's technically superb skates (all 4 of them) at the Olympics. But that's not all...I thank Evghenia and Vladimir for a beautiful Short that resonated with me all season, Vanessa and Morgan for their lovely skates as well as Valentina and Ondrej for just being in the moment at the Olympics and skating so well there. And these are just the toppers, because the level of skating was such that lower in the ranks there were so many more enjoyable skates. Love them all. What a season of pairs skating! Thanks!

Thank you, Midori Ito, for making me a figure skating fan. I remember reading a magazine story before the '92 Olympics about a female skater who was doing what no woman had done before, and myself being a teenage girl with a natural antipathy to any statement that started with "Girls can't...", that was enough to make me cheer for you. Seeing you fall broke my heart, seeing you nail that last 3A in the LP brought tears of joy to my eyes. Now, after years of watching ladies' skating, those grainy Youtube videos of your jumps give me an even greater appreciation of what an exceptional and inspiring athlete you were.

Thank you, Yuna Kim, for your sublime programs, for rekindling my interest in figure skating after losing track of it for years, and for singlehandedly making figure skating a thing in Korea. I enjoyed watching the entire country become enraptured by this virtually unknown sport with all the wonder and drama -- sometimes groan-inducing, sometimes endearing -- of a teenager experiencing first love. I remember how you skated the LP in Vancouver during office hours, and how my boss turned up the volume on the TV, saying, "No one's gonna be working for the next few minutes anyway, right?" and how nobody spoke on the phone, nobody typed, nobody cast a glance at anything else but you and your ethereal Gershwin Piano Concerto. I cried with you when the program was over, our colleagues in Tokyo messaged us with congratulations (I wonder if their office was as silent as ours while Mao skated, I don't know, I never asked), and there was a palpable buzz of happiness in the air for days afterward as your likeness graced all the newsstands and storefronts. And of course, all of a sudden little girls across the country were doing jumps and spins on the ice hoping to be the next you.

Thank you, Daisuke Takahashi, for getting me into the men's discipline which is now my favorite. Your hip-hop Swan Lake took my breath away and I have no idea how many times I watched it; I enjoy almost everything else you've done but Swan Lake will always be special to me. No one else can move quite like you, you could skate to elevator music and bring the crowd to their feet, you make jumps seem unnecessary because even without them you could totally sell a program.

Appreciation and big thank you to all the skaters who, during the course of a season, send me through all kinds of emotions, climaxing every year in the Worlds gala when I'm tearing up and love each and every one of them, even those I don't necessarily support.

Thanks to all you guys on the forum. Chatting with you during and off competitions is an absolute delight. You made me laugh so many times and it always feels like we're all watching together in someone's living room (or in a pub for that matter ). I also learned a lot of things from you.

Thanks to all the skating fans not only on GS, but also on other social media channels, where I found people that I actually met in real live to share my love for fs.

Unforgettable, Toller Cranston who first ignited an enthusiasm for fs in me. Brian Orser who with his amazing skaters got me back into watching it and all my faves that I support now, first and foremost the gorgeous Fedor Klimov

Thank you for starting this thread! It's the perfect thread for my first post here

Thank you Yuzuru Hanyu for getting me into the figure skating world. I've seen a couple of FS programs years before but never got into the sport, but discovering his Parisienne Walkways SP and Seimei FP a couple of weeks before this Olympics changed everything!

I'm still a fetus fan of the sport and is still in the process of learning about all the jargon and techniques. I never knew there's so much technicalities in figure skating! Must confess my original impression was that it's only about gracefully dancing on ice Anyhow, now that I know it is not so and that there's much more depth to it, I'm appreciating what each and every skater put on the ice even more. Everyone has individuality and is wonderfully talented!

Also, thank you all skaters (particularly the men, haven't had the opportunity to branch out and explore the other disciplines yet) for the terrific performance at the Olympics. It was the first competition that I follow (though I didn't get to watch the live stream and only watched them after the day ended) and had it turned out differently, I might be one of those who only drop by only once in a while to watch a couple of skates without caring much about the technical stuff. Fortunately, the Olympics cemented my interest and by the time I watched Men's Worlds streamed live, even with all the...erm...surprises it brought to my first ever FS streaming experience, there is no turning back!

Looking forward to what next season brings!

Welcome to party, khtmyzr!

As a new mom, without goldenskate and their amazing mods skating would be impossible for me to follow. Doris is the amazing lady. Her superpower of organizing details made me feel blessing during Olympic season.

Thank you.

Yes! Appreciation to the mods who keep things orderly and contained and smack us on the wrist when necessary. It can't be easy!

Spinning said:

As a new mom, without goldenskate and their amazing mods skating would be impossible for me to follow. Doris is the amazing lady. Her superpower of organizing details made me feel blessing during Olympic season.

Thank you.

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Yes, but Doris your comments on individual skaters/teams and performances is much missed. Much missed.

Appreciation for this place and all people making it positive.

Appreciation for skaters who make us watch them, follow them and feel for them regardless of results.

Appreciation (personal) for being live at Milan Worlds which changed my perception for good and woke hunger to go frequently to skating events.

***Particular Daily Appreciation*** - for Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, for making me fall in love with them more and more with each of character they are portraying, for making Disco SD program that brings smile on my face, for being great and original in their quirkiness, for signing my flag in Milan - for all the happiness!

I've been rewatching some Worlds programs, so I wanna say thanks to the audiences in Milan! Seeing them cheer and applaud for every skater and especially for the ones that had a bad day of skating was really something wonderful!! And of course thank you to every skater that competed, wether it was with a smile or through tears. They really make it all worth it