Figure Skating Chat!- Page 8

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/15/06 at 7:14pm

I'm no expert,
but Oksana was the reining WC Champion, while Nancy was 5th at the worlds(1st after the SP, but NUMEROUS mistakes in the LP). Oksana also had her big run-in the day before and it was a question to whether or not she could even skate. She received two Olympic-Approved injections and was able to. So if she got any sympathy it helped. Nancy could have used sympathy a vote of her own too.

Although, I haven't seen Oksana complete SP, I hear she two-footed her triple Lutz-double toe combination.
I have seen her LP many times and there were mistakes.
But the judging was like this, 4 gave it to Kerrigan, 4 Gave it to Oksana and one judge ties them. Giving Nancy 5.9 for techincal score and 5.7 for Artistic score and he gave Oksana two 5.8's and the new rule said to break a tie you go with the artistic mark, and that's what they did.

So in the end, Nancy had four 1st place marks and five second place marks. However, Oksana had five 1st place marks, and the other four placements were not only 2nd BUT also 3rd!

If you watch the E! True Hollywood story on Oksana, they get her program all wrong! Saying she landed difficult triple and difficult triple, then she jumps to her programs(it was really just one because she doubled it earlier). Anyways, they have it all wrong.

[JLSatUD]

Posted: 1/15/06 at 7:15pm

Tanith and Ben's exhibition show was fantastic. I hope we get to see it again! Do the Olympics do an exhibition at the end? I forget. I know I've seen it done with Gymnastics when the girls won in Atlanta. Well even if they don't get to do it in Torino maybe we'll get to see it at Worlds. :)

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/15/06 at 7:22pm

So who are your favorites? I have two favorite male skaters-Evgeny Plushenko-he's my idea of the skater's skater and have never seen anyone who compares. My other favorite is Johnny Weird (I say that with only love). I admire him because he IS, in fact weird. I relate to weird. Oh-and he's also a beautiful skater!

My favorite females are Michelle Kwan-for her beauty in skating, emphasized by her inner joy of the sport which shines through and makes you love her. I also like Irina Slutskya, but for different reasons. I saw dramatic growth in her skill from the start of her career to now. Just a few years ago, she had very little choreography and her arms were flailing around (to quote Dick Button). She looked like she struggled a lot to complete her jumps and spins. Now, I see some nice choreography (if not the most graceful), and stupendous jumps (although to me it looks like she struggles just a tiny bit). First and foremost with Irina, though, I admire her comeback after being so seriously ill for such a long time. And her adorable smile and personality has won me over.

As for pairs and dance, I'm not as focused on individual teams. To me, they're all wonderful. I could single out Navka and her partner. After all, they have Sasha choreographing!

[erikaamato]

Posted: 1/15/06 at 8:00pm

MTVMANN, I love you. (I was so annoyed that year when Oksana won!)

[cturtle]

Posted: 1/15/06 at 10:01pm

so much to discuss!

NANCY: she was a good all-around skater, and in those days she was extremely consistent with her jumps. but she did not have the natural grace and artistry of the truly great skater - it was laid on top of her technique and always looked a bit forced. i like OKSANA because her artistry came from within. her short to the daying swan was exquisite. yes, she did two-foot some of her jumps. but that was before the judges had instant replay, and they gave her the benefit of the doubt. i would have given her the higher artistic mark also.

SASHA: yes, i think her personality is maturing. she SOUNDS more mature in interviews. i could hardly stand to listen to her talk in years past. now she's bearable.

EVGENY: can't stand him. his skating skill is superb, and he's got great stretch. but he uses neither asset to good result. he does too much posing and flashing of the arms and hands and too much body language that says "here i am aren't i great." i have never liked his over-the-top style, and it is a great waste considering how much talent he has. i'd rather watch JOHNNY or MATT any day.

THE EXHIBITION: there was still too much wasted air time, BUT they had the good sense to show the performances WITHOUT COMMENTARY - hurray for ABC! yes, tanith and ben's routine was perfect!

SKYCAM: awful! didn't they learn how awful it was last year? i heard nothing but complaints about it. and they're still using it?! i don't mind seeing it used for slow-mo replays if they happen to get a good shot with it, but it's perfectly dreadful when it's used as one of the primary cameras during a routine. ditch it for good!

[cturtle]

Posted: 1/15/06 at 10:53pm

i might add that i LOVE sasha's exhibition number to DON'T RAIN ON MY PARADE! sasha and babs ... a wonderful combination

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:39am

Agreed with the skycam thing...SO stupid.

And anyone skating to Babs makes me happy, but especially Sasha.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 9:18am

Hate the skycam. Since the Olympics is on NBC, I'm hoping they don't use it during the skating.

As much as I don't care for Michael Weiss, I couldn't help but feel bad for him not making the team. Kudos to him for setting up a foundation that helps financially strapped skaters help with their training expenses.

I'm sorry Timothy Goebel didn't skate better. I liked his music and choreography.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 11:22am

Okay, I went home last night and watched a lot of Olympic Figure Skating Tape.
I will agree that artistically I think I enjoyed Oksana's program a bit better. BUT Nancy Definately had the techincal edge she did five triples, include a 3-3 combination and a 3-2. Her only mistake was doubling her triple flip at the beginning of her. If she did a 3, surely the gold would be her.

However, that really shouldn't matter because Oksana two-footed her triple flip EXTREMELY BAD. Scott Hamilton the commentators says "Slightly two-footed" but it's EXTREMELY two-footed because two-foot jumps can sometimes be hard for me to spot, but this one is SO OBVIOUS.

Her only combination was a shakey 2-2 at the very end of her program. If she didn't do that, I think it would have been over for her.

But I guess it could have gone both ways, and I would have let it go Nancy's way, but it went Oksana's and we can live with it because it's porbably not the worst case.
Updated On: 1/16/06 at 11:22 AM

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 11:47am

However, upon watching that 1994 Olympics tape and a Bud Greenspan documentary it reminded me of another case at those Olympics.

IMO, Torvill and Dean should have won their second Ice-Dance Olympic Gold. They won the Original Dance, and their free dance to Irving Berlin's "Face the Music and Dance" was SOOO GOOD! I mean by watching it you can easily see why they are considered the best dance team ever, I just love watching them skate to that.
I haven't seen their Free Dance at the 1994 Europeans, which they won, but I do know that they had to change 80% of their program based on judges comments and things. I think they had a less flashier routine and more pure dancing. At any rate I LOVED what they did, it's so fun to watch.

Plus they were so much better than the two Russian teams!!!!!! Maya Usova and Alexander Zhulin had this had this kind of light-hearted routine and I know it ended to the circus-type music of 8 1/2. I just didn't perfer it to Torvill and Dean's at all. A side note, if you've seen pictures or video's of that, Maya Usova looked AWFUL!!!!!! She's actually very pretty and I've seen her now at professional skating events and in the kiss and cry with skaters and she looked great. But the way her hair and make-up looked on the day of the free dance maybe her look like 50-year whore! No joke.

Oksana(later Pasha) Grisuk and Evgeny Platov skated to "Rock Around the Clock" and some other song for their slow section. It was good and probably deserved a medal, but not gold.

Anyways, Torvill and Dean should have been the first Ice Dance Team to win 2 Olympic Gold Medals, but because of the results in 1994 and 1998 it allowed Grisuk and Platov to win.
Speaking of them, on another tape I have from the 1998 Olympics, it shows a mistake made by them in complusories and they were still placed first. It was a HUGE mistake for a team to make during compulsories too. Shame.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 12:24pm

Here are some other thoughts about current skaters since we're talking about skaters.

Sasha: I also watched her LP at the 2002 Olympics last night. It's amazing to see how she's matured. Even down to her costumes! Now she wear the designers skating dresses with all the jewels, but in 2002 her dress was much more "Homemade" for lack of a better word. Best Spirals ever!!!!!! Never hits a bad Position. Overall, probably one of the greatest skaters ever in terms of the complete package.

Irina: How I LOVE Irina. Many people say she just doesn't do it for them, but I enjoy her skates. I even loved the highly criticized "Tosca" program she did in 2002. IMO, that dramatic music added so much to that dramatic moment at the Games. LOVE her jumps and BEST combination Spin in the world. I also admire all she's had to do to skate. From dealing with her changing body to some illness to her heart, she's come back. I also feel that she's in a better frame of mind and is(or rather was) jumping better than she was in 2002. I don't really know how I feel about her new Long Program, but I do know that this new code really helps her, and I'm glad. Honestly, I would be TRILLED if she won the gold medal. At any rate, I can not imagine a Podium in Turino without her or Sasha.

Japanese Girls: Well my favorite was Fumie Sugri, but I also like 2004 WC Shizuka Arakawa and Miki Ando. I think that those are going to be on the Olympic Team. There are some more contenders, but not really in love with them, nor have I seen them that well. Even though, it's a shame for her, I feel glad for our other girls that the young Mao Asado is too young to go to the Olympics.

Carolina Kostner of Italy: Ohhhh, she's going to have sooo much pressure on her!!!!!! She is doing something pretty big during the opening ceremonies, perhaps lighting the flame. I don't think she competed at all during the Grand Prix. But she is the 2005 World Bronze Medalist. She can do 3-3's but often has mistakes and not always the best positions. None-the-less, she's a contender, but she'll surprise me if she gets a medal.

BTW, anyone know anything about the other the Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maritsio Margalio(something like that!), the 2001 WC's and 2002 Olympic Bronze Medalist in Ice Dance? I heard that they were going to come back for the Olympics.

Men:
There are a lot of contenders for medals and it's hard to say who will get one, except for probably Evgeny Plushenko. I not really a die hard fan of his, but he's obviously great. I just wish all the male commentators would get over the fact that he can do a Bielmann spin! All they say is "OWWWWW"......Get over it!
There the 3 American's Johnny, Evan and Matt, There's Canadians Jeffery Buttle and Emanuel S.(very inconsistant, but hot when he's on), Brian J. from France, 2005 WC Stefan Lambiel(true to the Swiss he's an amazing spinner), and there are Japanese guys, but the only one I can think of to name is Takeshi Honda, but there is another who seems to be really hot. There's also another Russian, who Alexei Yagudin and Travosova coach, that's pretty good.

Pairs:
Shen & Zhou- Even though they said they were going to retire after 2002, I'm glad they didn't. That may not have been entirely their decesion, but I'm glad they stuck around and I hope they come back. I also like Tong and Pang and the Zhang's, but more because of the fact that they are good than actually liking them as a team.

Tatiana and Max :)(I don't want to do their last names!). I like this pair a lot, ever since I saw them in 2002, and now they are the top pair! I bet we see a fluff piece and hear a lot about her fall at 2004 Skate America(or Canada). Anyways, I think they are in Prime Position to carry on their countries pairs history at the Olympics......w/o a scandal!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 12:53pm

MTVMANN, you really know your skating!

I hated Grisuk & Platov's number from the 94 Olympics. Torvill and Dean definitely got robbed that year, I don't think they even got a medal (or maybe my memory fails me). I remember after the Olympics Grisuk had her sights set on Hollywood. Gee, I wonder what happened to her?

You might know, whatever happened to Yebin Mok (US female skater)? She skated beautifully to the Dying Swan a few seasons ago but somehow I don't see her name anymore.

Updated On: 1/16/06 at 12:53 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 12:59pm

i think Torvill and Dean got the bronze that year.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:04pm

Thanks, WAT. I really couldn't remember. I just knew that they didn't get the gold (which they truly deserved) that year. That was also the year that Michelle made a splash at the World's! I remember getting chills watching her skate. She had the crowd in her hands by her enthusiasm alone. I wish I had taped worlds that year.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:11pm

yay, i was right!


1994 Figure Skating Results

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:20pm

I remember Yebin Mok, she had a really good 2003 season, but I'm sure if she's still skating or not.

Well for Oksana Grisuk, I really don't know her whole story, but you know how those drunk Russians can be. I think she had an affair or something with Alexander Zhulin. And then she went through that whole name change. Anyways, it ended up that Evgeny Platov and Maya Usova becoming partners for a professional Career. Alexander Zhulin is a very successful ice dance coach, he coaches his wife's team that are now WC's!
Leaving Grisuk the odd lady out. I'm not sure what ever became of Hollywood, but I know she did(or tried to do) some pro skating as a singles skater, but I'm not sure how that went for her. I also know that she became a single mother(although she may not be single anymore) and had a daughter named Skylar. Now, I think she's coaching somewhere.

And yes, Torvill and Dean did get the Bronze, so atleast they got a medal.

BTW, do you guys remember the 1992 Pairs Olympic Champion and 1994 Olympic Silver Medalist, Natalia Mis.(I can't even attempt to spell that name) but she skated with Artur Dimeitrev. Anyways, she taugh(maybe still does and lives in the area)figure skating in the DFW area and that was the rink that I used to go to. Never a serious skater, just for fun, but a serious fan :)

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:29pm

Who were the brother and sister ice dancing team from Italy? I *loved* them!!

[JLSatUD]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:33pm

all this talk of Olympics makes me remember Salt Lake City ... I feel bad for all the controversy and *&&^*#$&# that went on, but Jamie Sale & David Peltier's (spelling??) long program was so fantastic that night. I remember when they finished I realized I had been holding my breath. I watched so much skating that year because my roomates and I were very into it, so it was neat to see the programs improve over the fall and into the Olympics. But other than the actual time on the ice, that whole situation just got way out of control.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:38pm

WithoutATrace, I'm not sure who they were, but I do know of the Brother and Sister team from France who were 1991 World Champions and 1992 Olympic Silver Medalist. Their names were Isabelle and Paul Duchany(probably spelled wrong :) and at that time Isabelle was married to Christopher Dean. I did read in the Torvill and Dean biography that the two of them really felt a lot of pressure of having the Olympics in their home country France.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:44pm

yes that's them. i guess they were French, not Italian. thanks!

Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay. I also *loved* Maya Usova and Alexander Zhulin!
Updated On: 1/16/06 at 01:44 PM

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:52pm

When I got older I had a crush on Alexander Zhulin :)

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:54pm

i had a crush on him in 1992 when i was 10!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 1:54pm

Didn't Christopher Dean eventually marry Jill Trenery? Wonder if they're still married.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 2:00pm

He did marry Jill Trenery, and the last thing I saw they were still married. It may have been something at the 2002 Olympics. Anyways, I think they have 2 sons nows.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 5:00pm

i remember toller cranston and rodnina and zaitzev. i must be the eminence grise of the figure skating chat.