Rank the World Championship-winning ladies FPs from 2000-2009

[Matryeshka]

My rankings:
1. 2004 Arakawa: This performance was ground-breaking! She set new technical standards with a 3lz-3toe-2loop and 3flip-3toe in the same program, and had created a superior artistic impact with Turandot. Her best performance ever!
2. 2003 Kwan: Her Worlds performance was a joy, considering how much pressure and pain she suffered the year before. I only placed it second, in my opinion behind Arakawa's, because her technical content wasn't nearly as high.
3. 2005 Slutskaya: A very inspiring performance after her struggles with sickness (and with her mother's), and a 3lz-3loop as well! In terms of PCS/presentation it wasn't as great as some of the other performances, but it was definitely a great program to watch.
4. 2001 Kwan: Another great program with Kwan - she handled the pressure tremendously well, considering she wasn't the favorite
5. 2000 Kwan
6. 2007 Ando: A solid performance, but it wasn't phenomenal, which was why it only placed 2nd for the freeskate. But her reaction afterwards was priceless, one of my favorite moments
7. 2002 Slutskaya: A clean program, but a bit conservative and not nearly as much impact as her 2005 winning performance
8. 2008 Asada: She skated wonderfully, but she did have a fall in the beginning
9. 2006 Meissner: Clean program with triple-triples, but the rest of her program just wasn't as impressive, though she received a great reaction
10. 2009 Kim: I can't believe I put this record-breaking performance at the end But I didn't think her program for this year was that great - it was kind of flat and didn't catch my attention, and she even popped a jump. Not to mention, she skated to Scheherzade[/QUOTE]

This is haaaaaard. I don't know whether it's better to rank them based on how I felt when I originally saw them, or how I feel watching them again now.

So, I'll do both

How I felt at the time watching them in terms of joy of watching:
1. Irina Slutskaya, Queen of Spades
2. Shizuka Arakwaka
3. Miki Ando
4. Yuna Kim
*big gap*
5. Mao Asada
6. Irina Slutskaya, Tosca
7. Kimmie Meissner
8. Michelle Kwan, Red Violin
9. Kwan, Song of the Black Swan
*big gap*
10. Kwan, Aranjuez (sorry, I hated this program)

Watching them now though through the filter of time and with less emotion, I'd rank them:
1. Shizuka Arakawa
*big gap*
2. Yuna Kim
3. Michelle Kwan, Song of the Black Swan
4. Mao Asada (yes, she fell twice, but the last three minutes of that program was beyond amazing)
5. Michelle Kwan, Red Violen
6. Irina Slutskaya, Queen of Spades
7. Irina Slutskaya, Tosca
8. Miki Ando
*big gap*
9. Kimmie Meissner
10. Kwan, Aranjuez (I still hate this program as it turns out)

[shady82]

Wow, Aranjuez behind Meissner, that's new

[icedance21]

1. Shizuka Arakawa 2004
2. Kween 2000, Red Violin
3. Slute 2002, Tosca
4. Miki Ando 2007
5. Kween 2003, Concierto de Aranjuez
6. Kween 2001, Song of the Black Swan
7. Yuna Kim 2009, Scheherezade
8. Mao Asada 2008
9. Slute 2005, Wonderland - Whisper from the Mirror - As much as I lurves the Slute, I just watched it again and I can't stand the posing section in the middle where she deals out the cards.
10. Kimmie Meissner 2006 - I've just never cared for her skating, what can I say..

[MikiAndoFan#1]

1. Shizuka 2004
2. Michelle 2000
3. Miki 2007
4. Yu-Na 2009
5. Mao 2008
6. Michelle 2001
7. Michelle 2003
8. Irina 2005
9. Irina 2002
10. Kimmie 2006

[query5]

i cant- difference in scoring especially from 2005 on.

[siouxdonym]

9. Slute 2005, Wonderland - Whisper from the Mirror - As much as I lurves the Slute, I just watched it again and I can't stand the posing section in the middle where she deals out the cards.

She was feeding chickens. GAWD, get it right.

[dawnie]

1. Kwan- 2001
2. Arakawa- 2004
3. Kim- 2009
4. Kwan- 2000
5. Kwan- 2003
6. Meissner- 2006
7. Ando- 2007
8. Slutskaya- 2005: Agree with the card dealing/chicken feeding choreography.
9. Asada- 2008: That fall in the beginning was really disruptive.
10. Slutskaya- 2002: Kwan should have won the free skate and hair-pulling as choreography...really?

[pollyanna]

2006: Kimmie Meissner, Queen of Sheba
Unfortunately, I couldn't find a link =[

YouTube - 06 Worlds LP Meissner

[blue_idealist]

1) Arakawa 2004 - While I enjoyed Michelle Kwan's more, I had to put this one first because of the jumps.

2) Kwan 2003 - This one was better than 01 or 00.. I think it was skated with more passion?

3) Slutskaya 2005 - While I didn't enjoy re-watching this program, which is weird because Irina used to be my favourite in her day, the technical content was superb.

4) Kwan 2001

5) Kwan 2000

6) Kim 2009 - It was a breathtaking performance, better than her 2010 Olympics one in terms of artistry and passion, I think, but with that single I couldn't put it any higher than this

7) Ando 2007 - Great technical content, but skated so cautiously and like the commentator said, she didn't seem in control at all times.

8) Slutskaya 2002 - This one just didn't have as much technical content as the others, and wasn't that interesting

9) Asada 2008 - I don't remember seeing this before, which is weird because I thought I watched the entire Worlds in 2008. Anyway, I was really unimpressed, and I actually like Mao. I had to put this one last, because of the splat at the beginning (how can you compare that to the others, which had nary a slip?) and because I honestly thought it was boring and uninspired.

[Cheylana]

This is tough because really, there were no BAD performances! So I’m just ranking based on my personal impression and how they rated on my “wow meter”:

1) Kwan 2000 – I just loved this performance, she skated with attack and passion, and I love that she dug her way out of third place to win this title. WOWZERS!

2) Kwan 2001 – Loved this one too, and another “come from behind” victory. WOWIE WOW!

3) Arakawa 2004 – Just sensational, the two triple-triples were great, and of course she has fabulous speed and power. WOW WOW!

4) Slutskaya 2005 – Great technical content, coupled with the amazing comeback story = WOW! Music was a little cheesy, but at least it wasn’t overused, and I’ll always associate it with Irina. Somehow I didn’t mind the card-dealing…

5) Kim 2009 – Gorgeous triple triple in the beginning was WOW! The rest was good, but not an out-and-out WOW. Also, Sheherazade is so played out.

6) Meissner 2006 – Great technical effort for this youngster in her first Worlds appearance, and although I was rooting for Sasha here, I loved how Kimmie took advantage. The 3-3s were great, and the 2A-2T-2T at the very end gave this a wow! tempered by need to work on spirals and presentation.

7) Ando 2007 - Great technical content, but this stroke-jump, stroke-jump performance put me to sleep. Still, a very solid effort. Putting her ahead of Kwan 2003 based on 3-3 and non-hackneyed music.

8) Kwan 2003 – It was good but only six triples and no 3-3s reduced the wow factor for me. Also, the Aranjuez music was so overdone by then; I preferred how she left her mark with RV and SOTBS, which I consider “her” music…

9) Asada 2008 – The giant splat took me out of it, but good on her to fight her way through.

10) Slutskaya 2002 – Sort of blah, especially with no 3-3. She got the job done, but no real wow factor for me. I would have had Kwan ahead on the free.

[smarts1]

^ Wow it's amazing that everyone is putting Asada near the bottom.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

That's because she fell at a failed Triple Axel attempt and took like twenty seconds to re-group herself. The other skaters were more-or-less clean and skated with conviction.

[falling_dance]

In fairness to Mao, some of those twenty seconds were clearly leading up to a 3-3 attempt. That said, many viewers (self included) cannot help but cast a colder eye on even the triple-triple attempt that escaped downgrading, which also helps to keep her program near the bottom of most lists here.

ETA: I think I misremembered the 4CC 3F3T as the one from Worlds.

[miki88]

In fairness to Mao, some of those twenty seconds were clearly leading up to a 3-3 attempt. That said, many viewers (self included) cannot help but cast a colder eye on even the triple-triple attempt that escaped downgrading, which also helps to keep her program near the bottom of most lists here.

Are you referring to her 3F-3T right after the fall? Because I feel that was the best 3F-3T she ever did (and she was awarded good GOE for it). She did get her 2nd combo downgraded though. I actually feel the fall in the beginning makes her performance more exciting because it was so unexpected.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

1. 2001- Michelle Kwan - Song of the Black Swan. This is still my definitive Ladies LP. Subtle yet interesting music with highs and lows (I don't remember many skaters using chamber music before this), great choreography that weaved moves in and out, had tons of speed and Kwan skated with incredible conviction.

2. 2004- Shizuka Arakawa - Turandot. Two Triple/Triples, and an exciting performance that put pressure on Cohen and got the crowd going. This version had better placed elements and better music edit than her 2006 version, IMO. The only problem is that there wasn't much interesting going on in-between and all of her MITF seemed to be nothing spread eagles. Also, I know a lot of people find her lack of emotion to be a nice, cool expression that shows that one doesn't have to give over-the-top facial expressions to sell a routine. I'd agree, but I also think there's a difference between subtlety and musicality that simply isn't there. Still an exciting performance either way.

3. 2000- Michelle Kwan- The Red Violin. Like 2001, a come-from-behind performance that excited the French crowd and helped solidify her status as one of the top female skaters of that generation. The only problem was that this routine was unusually front-loaded for Kwan and she had more interesting subtle moves at Skate America. Also, her jumps didn't seem as on and her landing positions not as secure as they were in 2001.

4. 2003- Michelle Kwan - Aranjuez. Kwan's most passionate performance at a World Championships. I remember at the time, many Kwan detractors weren't a fan of her style because she seemed very rehearsed and not loose like Slute. However, I also remember speaking to some who liked the direction Kwan was going (until we found out she was regressing by 2006) in terms of her moving with more abandon. Her skating seemed fresh again. However, the choreography didn't have the content her older routines had, and she only attempted 6 triples here with two combinations with back-to-basics but very well-done spins.

5. 2005- Irina Slutskaya - Queen of Hearts. Very similar to Kwan's Aranjuez in terms of abandon and freedom. This was a toss-up between Kwan's Araunjuez, but as a Kwan-fan, I simply enjoyed Kwan's skating more. Slutskaya's skate felt very improvised and exciting. It was a miracle skate after her illness and even a non-fan like me enjoyed it.

6. 2009- Yu Na Kim - Scheherezade. Great technical skate, although she botched a Triple Salchow and did 3 double axels to milk the COP. She skated blazingly fast with huge, exciting jumps. After her skate, it was a feeling of "finally" as people expected her to have this kind of skate at the prior two World Championships. Major deductions for the jumping errors and plagiarism from Kwan's Scheherezade. Watching them side-by-side was illustrative of that.

7. 2008 - Mao Asada - Fantaisie Impromptu. Would have been higher but her big mistake in the beginning was disruptive and one has to take that into account. However, Mao skates very great flow and softness and she sold the routine after that disruption in the beginning. I think this was the last LP of her's that was watchable. I quite enjoyed it. Plus, she saved us from having to have Carolina Kostner be called World Champion. With the performance Kostner gave, it would've been a shame if she won Worlds.

8. 2002- Irina Slutskaya - Tosca. Very solid and it was nice to see her win a Worlds title. She deserved the title, but I really didn't like this program and a conservative performance didn't do much for it. It was full of two-foot posing, throw-away extraneous over-dramatic upperbody movement to hide the lack of substantive choreography and just slow musical phrasing. To me, it exposed Irina's weaknesses as a skater and she should've went with something with a fast tempo and highlighted her speed and high jumps. I also thought Kwan should have won the 2002 LP considering what both of them put out (with Slutskaya winning overall due to the SP).

9. 2006- Kimmie Meissner - Queen of Sheba. Airplane arms and jump technique issues aside, Meissner was on fire in this performance and hit the highlights of the music. She gave a performance most didn't think she was capable of with two 3/3s. She was able to outscore both Cohen and Suguri despite reputation scoring and better choroegraphy from both. That said, her skating skills just aren't up to snuff with the others on this list.

10. 2007- Miki Ando - Violin Concerto. A nice performance. The win itself was more rewarding than the actual performance I found. I was happy for Miki considering the way the prior season ended up for her, but her LP performance doesn't really have much replay value. Horrible sit spins (I felt like she did a thousand of them in that routine), and insipid Morosov choreography hurt this performance, IMO.

[eurodance2001]

Agree 100% with Viet! Kwan in 2001 and 2000 was AMAZING. Her 2000 Worlds free was so underrated and didn't even get the scores that it deserved in the FP and she still managed to win.

[judgejudy27]

Agree 100% with Viet! Kwan in 2001 and 2000 was AMAZING. Her 2000 Worlds free was so underrated and didn't even get the scores that it deserved in the FP and she still managed to win.

She was 3rd after the SP and Irina was reigning Grand Prix final Champion and the pre Worlds favorite, while Maria was defending World Champion and leader after the short. I think that is why her marks were what they were skating first in the final flight. The judges believed they couldnt possibly just shut out the other 2 to come at that point.

[Marco]

Ando in 2007 and Asada in 2008 did not even win the lp.

[Seerek]

That may have been the case, but I'm not sure inserting Asada's 2007 and Kim's 2008 LPs would change the order too much from the general consensus thus far in this thread.

[eurodance2001]

She was 3rd after the SP and Irina was reigning Grand Prix final Champion and the pre Worlds favorite, while Maria was defending World Champion and leader after the short. I think that is why her marks were what they were skating first in the final flight. The judges believed they couldnt possibly just shut out the other 2 to come at that point.

Going first didn't help her, but as a former World Champion and coming out with that kind of a skate, with the triple-triple that everyone was harping on her to do, and still get 5.6's and 5.7's for technical was a joke. Irina was not the artiste Kwan was at that time (or maybe ever) so the fact that Irina pulled some 5.9's for her program was laughable. ANYWAY, I'm glad Kwan won despite the low range of scores..