IRINA SLUTSKAYA - unbelievable!!

[AxelAnnie22]

[color=darkblue:54a4384420]I had the joy of seeing Irina in person at COI on Thursday. It is the first time I have ever seen Irina live. She has never appeared in the COI in my area.
First of all, she is so TINY!! I had no idea she was so small. Second of all she is so fast! Her speed and power is lightyears ahead of any of the women. She is like lightning! And those jumps.......good heavens.

I am now completely clear about why she wins. She is absolutely amazing to watch. And, to be able to watch her skate and compare her live to Sarah, Sasha and Michelle was really interesting. There is no way to judge speed and flow from TV. Not possible, and those two dimensions add quantifyably to the overall skating - both to technique and presentation.

And then there are the spins. She is so fast, and perfectly centered, as well as demonstrating the power and flexibility she has. I was sooooooo impressed and awed [/color:54a4384420]

[ik98]

It is shocking that she is so teeny in person isn't it? :) On TV she looks so much larger than the other women!!
I love her speed and power and that great big smile..

[ILoveAllSkaters]

I love Irina too! Congrats. :D

[AxelAnnie22]

[quote:7deb0219be="ik98"]It is shocking that she is so teeny in person isn't it? :) On TV she looks so much larger than the other women!!
I love her speed and power and that great big smile..[/quote:7deb0219be]

[color=darkblue:7deb0219be]I know, on TV she looks MUCH larger than most of the other skaters. I was really surprised. [/color:7deb0219be] :o :lol:

[Blue Ridge]

um, I don't think Irina is quite "tiny." She is 5'3" which makes her taller than Michelle by about an inch, and taller than Sasha. And she seems to me to be quite normal weight for 5'3".

(Disclaimer: I am 5'1" 1/2, and I don't like to think of myself as tiny :lol:)

In any case, wow, can she skate!!

[loveskating]

Thanks for the review...I've seen her live too, and, well, I agree, totally.

When you see people live who can really jump, with speed into and height and ice coverage, and those secure landings -- well, then you know the beauty of the jumps. It literally takes your breath away.

Now I just gotta see Volchkova, if she will ever get it together so she gets a slot at COI.

[lrng to skt]

[b:1348074d02]Blueridge[/b:1348074d02] - buy a bench (ducking) :lol:

I think part of the reason people seem out of whack small in person is the larger than life way we think of them. Like think of the movie people and envision them standing next to you the same height - kinda weird to me.

I think Irina is terribly underrated also - she's incredibly dynamic - it's like watching Oksana Baiul (in form) fly across the rink - that alone takes your breath away...g

[Excidra]

*Double post*

[Excidra]

Thank you for the report. I have noticed that people are WOW'd by Irina, when they see her live.
I think a lot of Irina's critics would understand why she wins competitions, if they only seen her live.

Thanx again.

[melanieuk]

I've seen her live and she is very powerful.
Her jumps have spot on technique, and her femininity - at last - is developing.
:lol:

[Blue Ridge]

uh, lrng to skt, must be too early in the morning, but i'm not getting your joke, or am I supposed to throw something at you? :lol:

whatever, I think you are right, these folks are "larger than life" to us, and as well, they fill the screen when they are on television so it is pretty hard to judge size. I still don't believe Irina is TINY at 5'3", however, :P But I guess I'll just have to find a way to see her up close!! I wish! :lol:

I'm with ya, Excidra, but you know that! :D