What's Your Favourite Elvis moment?

[Snowflake3939]

Mine? The first time I actually saw Elvis skate live at Worlds 96 in Edmonton. He had fallen in the short program but came back with a mesmerizing "1496" program and to see the smile on his face as he landed a clean quad in our corner brought tears to my eyes (happy tears!). His 1496 program will always be one of my favourites and no matter who else skates to it, I will always remember that Elvis moment!

[leap of faith]

pulling up from 5th to 2nd at worlds in 1993 giving Canada a 1,2 ranking in mens. WOW! I'm not sure Canada will see that again any time soon.

[Peter G]

Every moment.

Even when he fell on his butt.

Even when he "failed" in the eyes of anyone (not mine).

Because he always acted with grace and dignity regardless of the situation.

I could never pick one moment!!!

[lBrokenAnkle]

Wow, Peter G, I like the way you think! ITA!

I could not narrow it down to one, but I can give three moments that really stayed with me.

1. The first time I saw him skate, the SP at 1994 Olympics. My overwelming thought was that this is what happened when someone took skating to its full potential, and I am not talking jumps, I am talking about how he skated from the blade.

2. I know this is weird, but him standing on the podium at the 1998 Olympics. He'd gone through the whole month before the Olympics dealing with the injury, then whole week before with it worsening plus the flu, then the whole LP with more muscles tearing as he skated, so for him to stand up there on the podium, was kind of the epotome of courage> I wish he did not have to go through that but the way he handled it was beyond inspirational

3. The quad toe at Nationals this year, it just seems to be the "I told you so" moment of his career. Being American, I didn't even get to see it live, but when a friend emailed me I cried and I do not usualy cry over sporting events, even skating.

Laura

[Lynnet]

There's no way I could really pick one favourite but I'll mention the first ones that come to mind.
1. Edmonton Worlds - 1492 free skate. The calm unhurried way he looked into the crowd before he skated, the fabulous skate and the joy and love for him in the crowd. Who cared if he was fourth? He was first in our hearts.
2. This year at Canadians when he landed the quad triple again and you knew he had triumphed over his own devils. He had rebuilt himself into as good (if not better) a skater than he was prior to Nagano. Also at Canadians, how moved he was by the support of the crowd and the tribute at the end of the week.

[TRAxel]

I too admire Elvis for all that he is... always being true to himself and the grace Elvis showed to other skaters, even when they defeated him...

My absolute favorite Elvis moment was at the GPF (was known as the Champion Series Final at that time) in Hamilton, where Elvis made history by landing the quad/triple combo... I will NEVER forget the excitement in the building that day... that will remain one of my best memories of skating...

[Shae & Vic Forever]

This year at Canadians, I was visiting a skater friend in the Sheraton attatched to Copps, I walked out of the elevator into the basement of copps and walked STRAIGHT INTO Elvis! :oops: He was so kind, gave me an autograph and even asked somebody to take a picture of us for me!

It was the experience of a lifetime! That and seeing his fairwell to Canadians.

[ElvisStojkofan]

Fave Elvis' moments:

1. 1995 World Championships, which was the competition that made me a huge fan because he was injured and skated with determinance. Even as to attempt a Quad and not use his injury as an excuse.

2. 1996 Worlds: After a bad short program and the media being so hard on him, he came back and skated his heart out!
It didn't matter that he was a spot away from being on the podium, but the come back was awesome.

3. 1997 Worlds: I was mad when the judges placed him in fourth place thinking it would be impossible for him to win, but he won!! And he show the judges no one can stop him from being the best

4. 1998 Olympics: He showed everyone what he's all about which is "fire to the end". He never used his injury and flu as an excuse. He just skated his heart out and was determinant to finish his long program.

5. 2000 World Championships: Critics told him he was nuts to stay amateur b/c of his serious groin injury, but he decided to defied the so called critics and ended up winning silver at worlds.

6. 2001 Skate Canada: Once again he proved the judges he had it in him and that he could compete against the young guns.

7. 2002 Olympics: he finished his career with 2 quads. I truly think
he was marked down brutally after the short program.Compare to Plushenko's mistake in the short, Elvis' mistake was a lesser one.

------------------------------------------------------
Elvis Stojko: Heart of Gold
http://heartofgold.topcities.com

[Elvii]

Well I enjoyed all the moments when Elvis said something that showed what an amazing person he is.
My favourite Elvis skating moment would have to be this year's Canadians when I finally got to see him compete live. I was on a high forever because of watching that one night of amazing skating.......I think I'm getting high again just thinking about it :)!

[Ice Queen]

Oh, there are so many that it's hard to decide. But, I'd have to say the first time I saw Elvis skate in person. It was back in l996 in Hamilton for his tour. It was like a dream come true. His jumps just took my breath away, they were so high and powerful. He spinned & smiled throughout the entire show. And to think, his footwork is even faster then it was back then. But that's Elvis, always pushing, always reaching to be the best that he can be. I was a fan before the show, but little did I know just how much Elvis's career would touch me. He persevered through all the injuries, & I kept praying that he'd be able to recover competely. The critical press that he got, just made him fight harder. And I'm so grateful for all that Elvis has brought to the sport. He made me believe that anything is possible, if you try hard enough.

"Sometimes in life you don't get what you want, you get what you need"

"It's not about victory or defeat. It's about the challenge to one's self"

Elvis Stojko

[SShaste]

I like many of you cannot pick just one. Actually all of the Elvis moments are my faves, lol. But here are a few that are at the top.

1. Going from 4th to 1st in '97 and landing the quad-triple.

2. '94 Olympics SP

3. winning silver at the 2000 Worlds and that great look on his face when he realized he won the silver, lol

[Sammie]

There have been SO many through the years and it has been an honor to be about to experience those times. I'm also thankful for my Canadian friends who make tapes of Elvis and share them and him with me. The first that come to mind - 1994 Olys and Worlds. Didn't have Canadian friends then!! lol Nagano for all that it meant to us and to him, the tribute at Canadians and the entire week really, what a send off for such a wonderful person - Good job, Canada!! But my all time favorite:

I got to to fly to Vancouver to the very first Elvis Tour after the 98 Oly's. Elvis had been off of the ice after Nagano for 4 months, the struggled to get his jumps back and put 2 programs together that his health would allow him to skate in competition. He had just finished Sk Am and Sk CA, very difficult for him - Vancouver was the first city of the tour and he looked just like a giddy little kid!! All of the sudden, after an absolutely stressfilled year, he was home in Canada, on his own tour and the it was play time with the crowd. I really felt he needed it really bad. To just get out there and have some fun. That he did!! lol

[Smiley]

This year at Canadians!! It was the first and only time i've been able to see him skate live and it was amazing!! The skaters could sit anywhere so me and a friend went right to the front durning the Q rounds and we got to see him up close! :D It was so cool!! After the long I got to see him back stage as well and he was soooooo nice and I was just standing there star struck!!! heehee :D:D
But his long program at the Nationals 2002 was the best preformanace I think he has done in soooooooo many years! Good for him!!!!!!!!

[ernibear140]

Would have to be his 2002 Free skate at Nationals....that is the way I will remember him as an amateur. He showed everything that he stands for all in that one event

[donnamarie]

There are so many, but I'll try ~

The first quad/triple at GPF in Hamilton ...

The second quad/triple at 97 Worlds ...

His face (on French tv) when he found out he won 97 Worlds - he looked so surprised :)

The long program at Canadian Nationals in 98 - when he got all those 6's and he jumped out of his seat and hugged Uschi ...

All the times he would stop in the middle of a serious competitive program and wiggle his eyebrows at the audience :)

When he walked to the podium in his tennis shoes in Nagano to receive his silver medal - what dignity ...

The times I saw him teaching young skaters at Uschi's rink ... he showed incredible patience with the kids ...

The times I saw him sign autograph after autograph for his fans, always trying to sign as many as he possibly could ...

The countless times he went out of his way to shake his competitors' hands ... whether he won or lost, either way ...

The many times he sat in the kiss & cry and said into the camera: "I love you, Dad, that was for you."

The many times I've seen him hug & kiss his mom after winning or losing ...

The many media interviews wherein he was always patient and always tried to be as honest and thorough as possible ...

The time he wrote a letter to his fans for my webpage and signed it "The Kid Next Door" :)))

Backstage watching him clown around with his friend & sifu, Glen Doyle :)))

I could go on ...........

[Dragonheart97]

There are very many...

1. Every time I've had the chance to meet him. He's always been nothing but gracious and sweet, and always makes a point of saying "Hi, how are you?"

2. The 2001 Richmond Hill Gala. After the end of the first show, he skated over to the edge of the rink to sign an autograph. That turned into no less than half an hour in which he went around the rink and, one by one, hugged every person waiting at the boards, signed an autograph, took a picture, whatever. He certainly didn't have to do that, but he did and it was really great to see. He made a *lot* of people very happy -- especially the little girl (about 6 yrs. old) next to me, who got a big snuggly hug with silly noises thrown in. :) It was adorable. :))))

3. At a small skating show in Newmarket back in December, Elvis was part of a group number that had him in costume as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, complete with red nose, Roots hat with antlers, and red plaid pajamas. He was absolutely hysterical! It looked like he was having a blast, getting really silly. I never laughed so hard at (or with!) him!

[LIKathy]

When I finally took notice of him was the 1998 Olympics. He was so dynamic that when I went to sit down I missed the chair! :lol: I loved how different he is as a skater and how he takes chances and always strives for the best. In a way, he is like a Hero to me because I lost my mother in 1997 and he brought out the sadness that I was carrying for so long and gave me the push to move on. I think this is the first time I've ever told anyone that but it's true.

[ss_skater]

OMG you guys are the best. This is my first post here, i really like this place. Everytime i mentioned Elvis on FSworld, people would bash him left right and center, which made me sad. I am so happy to see that all of you appreciate him:)

hmmmm my favourite Elvis moment, oh there are so many
but my favourite Elvis moment was at the worlds in 1997, in Lausanne. He was in 4th after the short, and everyone had counted him out for the gold. Elvis went out there and literally brought the house down, with his Dragon Heart routine. It was amazing, a beautiful quad-triple, two clean triple Axels, minor wobble on the triple loop, but he landed it. And near the end after he landed the triple sow ( the last jump), he had the biggest smile on his face, the crowd went nuts , and then Rod Black goes " hes bringing it home now, and he could be bringing more gold back to Canada", I was jumping up and down and screaming and this point, yelling GO ELVIS GO. Then at the end of his program, he was so happy, ahhhhh the memories.

I miss him so much, and Donna i miss your site:(

[ILoveAllSkaters]

Mine was when I saw him skate LIVE to "You Really Got Me" (Champions on Ice).

[barnita]

When I finally met him in Otttawa last May 2001. I was speechless. He was so down-to-earth and sweet.

When he skated in the Skate the Rock Tour November 2000.
Every competition - he always tried his best - what a champion!

[professordeb]

Hmmmmm. How about the time after his practice at Canadians this year. He had signed many papers, posed for lots of shots and was walking past me (I went to the wrong spot AGAIN) when I desperately called out his name. He looked back at me and I held out the stuffed puppy I had for him and he came right over to take it from me. He thanked me and I gave his some inane advice (don't ask!). What a smile he gave me and then he hung around and gave more autographs. What a gentleman, answering to the "need" of an old lady (hey, I'm over 40 and I can be old if I want to :P ).

Anyway, he's one tough act to follow and he has raised the bar in more ways than one. Elvis, thanks for all the memories.

Oops, just one more! At Canadians in 2002, when they had the tribute and Rod (I think it was him) told of how one young woman named her son after Elvis. Well, Elvis let his emotions come through. Tears of happiness, yet overwhelmed too. What a tribute, hey?

til later,
Deb

[SShaste]

[quote:b649195675="professordeb"]Hmmmmm. How about the time after his practice at Canadians this year. He had signed many papers, posed for lots of shots and was walking past me (I went to the wrong spot AGAIN) when I desperately called out his name. He looked back at me and I held out the stuffed puppy I had for him and he came right over to take it from me. He thanked me and I gave his some inane advice (don't ask!). What a smile he gave me and then he hung around and gave more autographs. What a gentleman, answering to the "need" of an old lady (hey, I'm over 40 and I can be old if I want to :P ).

Anyway, he's one tough act to follow and he has raised the bar in more ways than one. Elvis, thanks for all the memories.

Oops, just one more! At Canadians in 2002, when they had the tribute and Rod (I think it was him) told of how one young woman named her son after Elvis. Well, Elvis let his emotions come through. Tears of happiness, yet overwhelmed too. What a tribute, hey?

til later,
Deb[/quote:b649195675]

OMG Deb! My experience with Elvis was almost identical!! I think I talked about it in the 3 fave figure skating experiences. It was in 1995 at the Elvis Tour in Winnipeg and a crowd of people were standing around the tour bus waiting for the skaters so I went and joined them. Elvis was the last skater to come out and as he walked to the bus he was signing autographs and taking pictures. I was standing just past the doors to the bus. Well when he got to the bus the tour manager (or some guy I don't know who) told Elvis he needed to get on the bus. So Elvis started walking up the steps of the bus and I don't know what came over me but I just screamed out his name and then to my shock and disbelief (I can't believe I thought he wouldn't hear me, lol) he turned around. I was a little stunned but I said could you sign this and held out my tour book. He actually got back off the bus (which the guy that told him he needed to get on the bus did not look to happy about) and signed my book. I had my camera but I had given it to another fan (who was so great) and asked her if she could take a picture if I was anywhere close to Elvis because I didn't want to ask him if he'd also stop for a picture (I figured I was already pushing my luck, lol). So she took a picture for me while Elvis was signing my book and when I got them developed it was such a great picture, I'm standing right next to him and you can see both of us clearly and close-up (didn't think I would get that good of a picture). Then Elvis ended up signing more autographs for people for a good 15min. So I guess he does that a lot! What a guy!!

[singerskates]

[quote:8ef840d93f="ElvisStojkofan"]Fave Elvis' moments:



7. 2002 Olympics: he finished his career with 2 quads. I truly think
he was marked down brutally after the short program.Compare to Plushenko's mistake in the short, Elvis' mistake was a lesser one.

------------------------------------------------------
Elvis Stojko: Heart of Gold
http://heartofgold.topcities.com[/quote:8ef840d93f]

In Salt Lake Elvis was marked down in the short because he spoke out for what he believed to be an in justice in the pairs event. Plus, one mistake gave the judges and out. In Elvis' long, one of his spins was short of rotation and he messed up two loop jumps, one by itself and the other on the end of second Quad/triple toe combo. Plus, by repeating the second quad/triple toe and not getting the loop to work on the end, Elvis had two identical combinations and that's a no no in competition. To me, Elvis skated great in Salt Lake but darn those stupid rules! REpeating the combo was a .4 deduction and the mess up of the loop was at least a .3 deduction. Add .7 to Elvis' marks and he would have finished much higer in the long program. But still, being back in 7th in the short was a crime which Elvis did not deserve and that made it imposible to get to the podium even if he would have place much higher in the long.

My fav Elvis moment was in Hamilton while I was volunteering for Canadians at the Howard Johnson doing the Trans Desk. I had let Uschi borrow my newspaper to read and then she gave it to Elvis and both days that I did that, Elvis took the sports section out. I had to buy antoher copy after my shift each time. Finally, I got up the nerve to talk with Elvis. He just wanted to remember his last Canadians and wanted the paper as a momento. I also got to talk with Elvis about adult skating, as I'm an adult skater. Elvis told me that after a skater retires and is 30 or so, they can compete in adult competitions if they wish. He said he just might do some in the future while he took a look at the only competition medal I had then, a bronze from the Skate Canada Central Ontario (COS) Section Adult Spring Skate. I have another Bronze now and a Gold. Elvis is from the COS and is a member of Richmond Hill FSC which is part of COS.

The other moments in which Elvis made an impression with me came during the Olympics.

In 1994, I was just watching the Olympics to root on anyone Canadian. I wasn't even really interested in watching skating at the time. But there was this Canadian kid, Elvis. He really impressed me with the way he skated. He didn't look like the rest of them. From then on, I just had to watch Elvis skate.

In 1998, it was Elvis' courage and determination even through pain and sickness that impressed me. I mean, he could have withdrawn being just sick. Or even if he was injured, he could have withdrawn. But being both sick and injured, Elvis took on the pain and sickness and stuck to his plan to skate for Canada and for himself. He never wavered or wimped out. It didn't matter in what place Elvis finished. Just that Elvis tried. That Silver medal was Golden like Elvis' heart.

Elvis is the reason I began to skate in the 1999/2000 season. Before that, I barely could get around the rink forwards. I joined a FSC and started taking lessons. I started competing because of Elvis too. Just hope that I see Elvis at an adult competiton some day while we're both competing. I heard Elvis loves practical jokes. LOL

[bcskater]

the best moment ever is really obvious to me
it was 2002 canadians-his long program. everyone just wanted him to do so well and he did! it was the most amazing feeling ever! im glad i was there to see it live. i remember who i was with, where we were sitting, what we were saying, everything about it-something i will never forget

[shopper]

i really think that elvis has left a huge mark on young skaters.. b.c. skater might be able to tell us more...