fireballs & princesses.....

[essence_of_soy]

Which do you prefer?

In terms of ladies' singles, I love the Itos, Hardings, Czakos, etc for their power, speed, and get up and go. Pretty pretty ballerinas just don't cut it for me. Wispy and elegant as they are, firstly, knock me away with your triple axel. Then we'll talk. I would have classed Sarah Hughes in the latter category for a while, but after the Olympic Games, wow! That girl loves to compete. Just the expression on her face leading into the 3toe/3loop said it all!

Getting back in my box now.

Nick

[lBrokenAnkle]

Does it have to be and either/or proposition? I find I like skaters (male or female) who seem to follow their own tastes and talents. I think some women who might normally be "power" skaters feel pressure to be the princess type and that's when I think they have problems.

Laura

[lotusland]

I like ANY SKATER who can really get me involved in their program. You know the kind that when the music is over you think to yourself, "gosh that was fast, is it over already?"

Speed, power, beauty and grace aside, I want entertainment! This way I can appreciate any level of skater ... just give me a good performance. :)

[dbell]

For me, the only way I can 'get into' a program is if the skater knows how to 'sell it'. There are some skaters (mens included) who just have this look of 'jump', 'spin', 'pose' 'skate' and no emotion whatsoever. How are we supposed to care (and see presentation) if they look as though they are phoning the performance in or just skating laps with jumps tossed in? It could be the reason that Angela Nikodinov and Viktoria V. leave me cold. Very pretty, very elegant, but the same expression throughout.

Be it a baby-ballerina or a truck driver (Maria B. and Tonya H. spring to mind), I like emotion. Of course on the other hand, too much emotion (some ice dance couples) also sends me diving for the remote!

[Snowflake3939]

For me, a true World and Olympic champion should be both! Triple jumps are alright but if you can't make the rest look pretty, you're not worthy of a gold medal. And that's not just for the ladies, that goes for dance and pairs too. For the men, you have to be able to do the jumps and all the in between stuff too, to be worthy in my eyes.

[loveskating]

I loved Ito and Harding, and I loved Oksana and now I love Sasha...go figure!!!

It makes sense because I love and adore what is exceptional, miraculous, even...I love seeing someone do an element the best its ever been done, innovating an element, or putting everything together better than anyone has ever done it...things like that. Ito and Harding were both HIGHLY eceptional, there is no one even close to them as to jumping except perhaps Viktoria Volchkova...even Onda's jumps are not nearly as exceptional as Ito's and Harding;'s were.

In a different way, Oksana and Sasha are utterly exceptional: Sasha has a slew of SPECTACULAR elements that are either at the standard or setting the standard and yet she moves like a ballerina over the ice...VERY unusual; Oksana created a different vision of presentation than had ever existed, and IMHO raised the level of the sport --- she was also awesome technically as an amateur -- huge, perfect lutz; huge delayed 2 axel; the best catch spiral I've ever seen, which no one has topped to this day, the doughnut spin.


Sarah can land a 3 sal/3 loop, which is exceptional, and she has one of the best laybacks of any lady...but her jumps do not come close to those of Ito and Harding. Harding's lutz was absolutely to die for techincally, it was perfection, and it was HUGE. All of Ito's jumps were simply a miracle, they were absolutely HUGE...took your breath away. Apparently she had to wrap her axel to keep from OVER rotating, it, LOL!

[adrianchew]

[i:7c6d017e00]"The iron fist in the velvet glove" [/i:7c6d017e00]perhaps best describes my preference - combine athletic and artistic abilities, and package it to sell to an audience, then you've got the best!

Contrary to what most people think, ballet is very much physically athletic as much as it is artistic. While most of the time the costumes cover it up - a ballerina might have the same physical built as a gymnast, with very visible muscular tension (you'll see this in some modern ballet performances, where their legs might not be covered in tights/leggins).

That said - skaters such as Aleksei, Todd and Evgeny demonstrate this to great effect. Its much harder to find this in the ladies field though - which makes a skater that has both elements remarkable - eg. Sasha. For pairs, combining both is beyond doubt the winning clincher - both B&S and S&P have consistently been ahead of S&Z for this very reason.

[loveskating]

Agree, Adrian.

I missed it the first time, but caught last night when Hershey's was televised, that Dick Button said of Sasha, "She floats like a butterfly, but stings like a bee!" (recalling Mohammed Ali, the boxer).

I thought that nailed it...element for element, Sasha is enormously athletic, but moves like a ballernia in ALL her skating, within and through the elements, stroking, turns, etc....a very rare combination, IMHO.

[adrianchew]

Notice toepick tip-toeing too in Hernando's Hideway - similar shades of Oksana Baiul, and definitely linked to ballet. ;)