Kristi Yamaguchi & Rudi Galindo | Golden Skate

Kristi Yamaguchi & Rudi Galindo

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971 in Hayward, California) is an American former figure skater. In ladies' singles, Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion (1991 and 1992), and the 1992 U.S. champion. As a pairs skater with Rudy Galindo, she is the 1988 World Junior champion and a two-time national champion (1989 and 1990). In December 2005, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. In 2008, Yamaguchi became the celebrity champion in the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars.

Val Joe "Rudy or Rudi" Galindo (born September 7, 1969 in San Jose, California) is an American figure skater who competed in both single skating and pair skating. As a single skater, he is the 1996 U.S. national champion, 1987 World Junior Champion, and 1996 World Bronze medalist. As a pairs skater, he competed with Kristi Yamaguchi and was the 1988 World Junior Champion and the 1989 and 1990 U.S. National Champion. He is the first openly gay skating champion in the United States.

As a pair, the team competed as Kristi Yamaguchi & Rudi Galindo for six seasons total, two at the junior level, two at the senior level, and two years when they competed as seniors in the U.S. and as juniors internationally. They were the most successful mirror pair to date. They were twice U.S. Junior champions, in 1986 and 1987, 1987 World Junior Champions, twice U.S.Senior champions in 1989 and 1990, and finished twice in fifth place at Worlds. Kristi decided to concentrate on single skating, so the team split after the 1989-1990 season. Kristi was 18, Rudy was 20 at the time of their retirement, and would still have been eligible for juniors during their final season. Kristi and Rudi's free skate routines were so difficult that few pairs today could perform them, as they included a triple flip trip toe sequence and difficult transitions.


BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Kristi Yamaguchi's Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristi_Yamaguchi
Rudy's Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Galindo

Rudy's Official website
http://www.rudy-galindo.com

Kristi's Golden Skate thread
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?52250-Kristi-Yamaguchi


SOCIAL MEDIA


Kristi's Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/kristiyamaguchi/
Rudy's Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/rudyvalgalindo/

Kristi's Twitter
https://twitter.com/kristiyamaguchi
Rudy's Twitter
https://twitter.com/RudyValGalindo

Kristi's Business Facebook
https://business.facebook.com/kristiyamaguchi/


PROGRAMS

1989-1990
SP: The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky
FS: Coppelia

1990 World SP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9FXW2dOwxs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VId2uczbAIA
1990 World FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb16KtiuIto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb3f8yBjA8A

1990 US Nationals FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFthnJ6xg9k

1989 NHK SP Firebird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBHr0pVh340
1989 NHK FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZxSY3UJU2s

1989 Skate America FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0zD82UV3uc

1988-1989
SP: "They're Playing Our Song" performed by Rochester Pops
FS: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, TH 42; performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic, André Previn

1989 Worlds SP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dqftYMSY3c
Review of SP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIydvfjF5Ms

1989 US Nationals FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE02qmpJRJ0

1987-1988
FS: Tapdance Kids soundtrack

1988 World Junior Championships FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B35kr8srShI


1986-1987
SP: Santa Esmeralda from Another Cha Cha/Cha Cha Suite
FS: Tapdance Kids soundtrack

1987 World Junior Championships FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t21f33PVvkU

1986 Skate America SP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S14lbE2H0BY
1986 Skate America FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0N8K6bIxxM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMg2-eHUMk

1986 Olympic Festival FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJAyEHN7bAQ


INTERVIEWS AND FLUFFS OF THE PAIR

1989 Ice Chips Fluff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyeQtRf0a-A

Rudy Galindo is inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame
https://web.archive.org/web/2016030...md=20121219&content_id=40746522&vkey=ice_news

COMPETITIVE RESULTS OF THE PAIR


1984–85SPFSTotal
U.S. Championships (Juniors)5th J.
Central Pacific Junior Pairs1st
1985–86
World Junior Championships.5th
U.S. Championships (Juniors)1st J.
1986–87
World Junior Championships.3rd
U.S. Championships555th
Skate America555th (7.5)
U. S. Olympic Festival3rd
1987–88
World Junior Championships311st (2.2)
U.S. Championships555th (7.5)
1988–89
World Championships645th (7.0)
NHK Trophy333rd (4.5)
Skate Electric Challenge1st
1989–90
World Championships555th (7.5)
U.S. Championships111st
Skate America322nd (3.5)
NHK Trophy444th (6.0)


[TD="align: left"] U.S. Championships [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: gold"]2[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: gold"]1[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: gold"]1st[/TD]
[/TR]



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dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
I always found them so interesting to watch because as a well synchronized mirror pair, they could create images no other team could.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Country
United-States
I’m not sure I ever watched them back in the day. But wow:agree:

I do not know enough about pairs to know how unusual those opposite rotation spins are, but they were compelling. :cheer:
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
I would love to have seen Christopher Dean do some choreography for them!

What was amazing was how much in synch they could be while rotating in opposite directions.
 

Spiralgraph

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Country
United-States
Thanks for all the links for Y/G. But I believe there's a glitch in the info. For the 1989/1990 season the post above states that they are skating (repeating) their LP to Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. Actually I know that at least some of their free skate (and maybe all of it) was skated to music from Coppelia.
 
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