- Joined
- Sep 18, 2018
Just curious as a figure skater what is your best/most valuable skating memory?
Best Skating Memories
- Thread starter doubleaxelgirl
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2017
Watching Yuna land the last double axel of her clean legendary Gershwin FS at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. When those skates touched the ice the stadium erupted and I felt the energy pulsate through my body. I didn't know you could feel euphoria from the energy of others. For that reason, I will forever thank the Vancouver Olympics. I still have the mascot plushie sitting by my bed. Figure Skating is one of those sports where you are missing out completely when you aren't sitting there witnessing the perfection that these top athletes manage to execute.
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2015
As a fan:
-Ashley Wagner's free skate at Boston where the crowd was so loud you could barely hear her music anymore near the end of her program
-Hanyu winning his second Olympics after being sidelined by injury for months.
-Last but not least, Mao's Sochi Olympics Free Skate.
Edit: Oh as a figure skater, landing my first ever axel. I screamed so loud during a 6 AM morning freestyle session.
-Ashley Wagner's free skate at Boston where the crowd was so loud you could barely hear her music anymore near the end of her program
-Hanyu winning his second Olympics after being sidelined by injury for months.
-Last but not least, Mao's Sochi Olympics Free Skate.
Edit: Oh as a figure skater, landing my first ever axel. I screamed so loud during a 6 AM morning freestyle session.
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2017
Aliona and Bruno winning Olympic Gold this year. It was an amazing moment!
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2011
I worked my way through college as a waiter. So it would have to be the night with one of the waitresses (hi Laura!) near the end of our shift watching Kristi Yamaguchi going for the gold and asking everyone, Could you just drop off coffee at table 31? Thanks hon! And the two of us screaming at the tv set in the kitchen DON'T FALL DON'T FALL DON'T FALL and hugging because she only fell once.
Oh, and won gold.
Good times.
Oh, and won gold.
Good times.
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2011
LOl that's another lovely memory, sitting on the couch with my friends Lisa and Shelley and Shelley rating all the male skaters according to best butts.
More good times.
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2004
- Country
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As a fan:
Watching Todd win 1996 Worlds on TV!
At an SOI show late 2000's, sitting in an on ice seat, watching Todd do a Russian Split Jump - my mouth was wide open in awe of him doing it so close to our seats, and that a piece of ice landed in my mouth! 
In person, hugging Sean Rabbitt after his free skate @ 2017 US Nationals!
2014 US Nationals - right after the ice dance medal ceremony, Meryl & Charlie were having pics taken (by USFS photographers?). We were standing by the boards, ready to congratulate them. Meryl handed me her bouquet. I figured that it was just for a few minutes. Well, she didn't come back for it, so I wonder if it was meant as a "thank you for your support?" Whatever the case, I was thrilled to have had that encounter with them.
Watching Todd win 1996 Worlds on TV!
At an SOI show late 2000's, sitting in an on ice seat, watching Todd do a Russian Split Jump - my mouth was wide open in awe of him doing it so close to our seats, and that a piece of ice landed in my mouth! In person, hugging Sean Rabbitt after his free skate @ 2017 US Nationals!
2014 US Nationals - right after the ice dance medal ceremony, Meryl & Charlie were having pics taken (by USFS photographers?). We were standing by the boards, ready to congratulate them. Meryl handed me her bouquet. I figured that it was just for a few minutes. Well, she didn't come back for it, so I wonder if it was meant as a "thank you for your support?" Whatever the case, I was thrilled to have had that encounter with them.
- Joined
- May 4, 2018
- Carolina Kostner SP and Deniss Vasiljevs FS at Worlds 2018.
- Alina and Yuzuru winning the Olympics.
- Alina and Yuzuru winning the Olympics.
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2011
Hmm, I would hope not "completely"--because goodness, I have happy memories of Latvian commercials I would have missed if I could actually you know afford to go to the event!
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2005
The answer should be landing my first Axel too, but I don't remember it for some reason. I'm sure it was a great moment. But I do remember landing my first double jump, a Salchow. I had been working on it on a public session on a weekday evening, falling or two-footed landing every time. I guess I was about 11 or 12 years old, and I tried one and it just clicked in the air, that split-second feeling where you know the timing is right and you can just see yourself landing it before it happens, and then I checked out and was riding backwards on my blade. It's just such a feeling of disbelief, then joy, to find yourself standing up, on a back edge. It feels like you cracked the code. But that sense of pre-determination I felt in the air was the really cool thing, I think it was the first time I felt that. I never landed a triple jump, but I'll bet that feeling is x10.
As a spectator, those performances when a skater's years of hard work or struggle just come to fruition and they come through at just the right time. Rudy Nationals 1996 is the ultimate, and Aljona and Bruno at the 2018 Olympics, Paul Wylie's Olympic Long, Johnny Weir's first National title, Mirai 2018 Nationals, Ross Miner 2018 Nationals, and Caroline Zhang's 2017 Nationals LP just had me in tears.
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2014
Several exciting moments from watching skating on TV but the most memorable live moment for me was at 2018 Nationals towards the end of Mirai's free skate when everyone (almost everyone...) in the arena stood up as soon as she finished the last spin. I was so happy for her - I so badly wanted her to be on the Olympics team.
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2012
- Country
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I have loads of good memories of watching FS (sadly mostly not live), but the best? Well Alexei Yagudin skating his Winter SP at the 2002 Olympics and Worlds is one (I know, bit of a cheat), as is more recently the FS of Aljona and Bruno winning OG and especially the emotions after the skate. Philippe Candeloro's d'Artagnan is another, but then so is Elvis Stojko's Free Skate at the 1998 Olympics, and here I'm also influenced by the story of his injury and his obvious pain when he stumbled of the ice (not that I liked his pain, but it was such an admirable achievement). Or Mishkutionok/Dmitriev's beautiful, powerful and impressive Long in 1994. And I mustn't forget Davis and White's excellent Bollywood programme in 2010 (yes, I know they got even better later on, but this programme has always stayed with me). Torville and Dean's lovely rumba OD in 1994, making me recall their 1984 Paso Double, and their only getting the bronze eventually, which saddened me no end. I might mention others or even more tomorrow, as I really have so many beautiful memories, but I suppose these are the core.
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2013
- Country
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Some of my favourites:
- falling into an enchanted trance watching Joshua's Schindler's List from 2015 4CC, realising that the gangly kid that had first caught my eye was now starting to reach his full potential
- watching Jason, after a whole summer of criticism and people sniping at him, laying down a perfect FS at SkAm 2016, absolutely mesmerising in its beauty and perfect in its jumps (and I don't care what the protocol says he landed that damn quad and the fact they called it UR but not Rippon's is still disgusting).
- getting to see Max, live, in person, have one of the great free skates of his career in Boston
- watching Andrew's almost-perfect Schindler's List at Nationals
- sitting on my couch at close to 1am, dark outside and trying not to shout too loudly because, y'know, 1am, watching in nothing short of pure, unadulterated joy as Katia and Harley became Junior World Champions
For myself:
- last year, after two months straight suffering flus and colds (there was actually an underlying condition for that that I had no idea about at the time), and with only two weeks' preparation, pushing through my free skate with lungs and legs burning in front of my home rink who knew exactly how little preparation time I had to lay down my second-highest score ever and my personal best for PCS.
- falling into an enchanted trance watching Joshua's Schindler's List from 2015 4CC, realising that the gangly kid that had first caught my eye was now starting to reach his full potential
- watching Jason, after a whole summer of criticism and people sniping at him, laying down a perfect FS at SkAm 2016, absolutely mesmerising in its beauty and perfect in its jumps (and I don't care what the protocol says he landed that damn quad and the fact they called it UR but not Rippon's is still disgusting).
- getting to see Max, live, in person, have one of the great free skates of his career in Boston
- watching Andrew's almost-perfect Schindler's List at Nationals
- sitting on my couch at close to 1am, dark outside and trying not to shout too loudly because, y'know, 1am, watching in nothing short of pure, unadulterated joy as Katia and Harley became Junior World Champions
For myself:
- last year, after two months straight suffering flus and colds (there was actually an underlying condition for that that I had no idea about at the time), and with only two weeks' preparation, pushing through my free skate with lungs and legs burning in front of my home rink who knew exactly how little preparation time I had to lay down my second-highest score ever and my personal best for PCS.
- Joined
- May 19, 2018
As a fan: Yuzu's second OGM! All of Seimei, more or less. That. One. Step Sequence. Where he juuuuust barely landed That One Lutz and later said that he felt like the support of his fans physically held him up and kept him from falling. The grin on his face the whole time, that triumphant look getting up from the hydroblade... I still tear up every time I watch it. I'm misty just typing this. 
As a skater: my first time ever on the ice as a kid. I had been a fan my entire life. I had no idea what to expect and was scared witless when I first stepped onto the ice. Then, in no time flat, I was off like a rocket, didn't fall once. By the end of the hour, I was doing spirals.
As a skater: my first time ever on the ice as a kid. I had been a fan my entire life. I had no idea what to expect and was scared witless when I first stepped onto the ice. Then, in no time flat, I was off like a rocket, didn't fall once. By the end of the hour, I was doing spirals.
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2012
I worked my way through college as a waiter. So it would have to be the night with one of the waitresses (hi Laura!) near the end of our shift watching Kristi Yamaguchi going for the gold and asking everyone, Could you just drop off coffee at table 31? Thanks hon! And the two of us screaming at the tv set in the kitchen DON'T FALL DON'T FALL DON'T FALL and hugging because she only fell once.
Oh, and won gold.
Good times.
Oh dear, falling only once is something to celebrate? Yikes.
