How would you have ranked the Ladies '94 Olympics SP in Lillehamer

[IceKween]

Wasn't Lu Chen planning on a 3lutz-3toe for both SP and LP? She was landing them in practices from what I remember in reports back then.

Nancy had a great 3lutz, really the only reason she ever did anything in the sport. She never seemed to have mastered the other jumps, except the 3toe of course. I never really felt her spins were all that great either. She always seemed to miss her camel spin, her layback had no layback in it, and she always seemed to do weird positions that only slowed her down and didn't add to the program.

[Lainerb]

Wasn't Lu Chen planning on a 3lutz-3toe for both SP and LP? She was landing them in practices from what I remember in reports back then.

I know Chen was practicing 3lutz+3toe back in those days, but didn't the ISU only start allowing triple+triple in the short program for ladies during the 1996-1997 season?

[falling_dance]

but didn't the ISU only start allowing triple+triple in the short program for ladies during the 1996-1997 season?

That's right. That was remarked on by some English-language commentator (I forget the country and network) during Czako's 1997 Worlds SP.

[judgejudy27]

If Chen did the triple lutz-triple toe she probably wins the short program even if everyone goes clean. Something like that would have been a big deal back then. I have never seen her do that combination in competition even once though.

[IceKween]

I swear I saw her land it that season. NHK? Germany? But yeah, it wasn't in the SP, but the LP. I keep forgetting the rules changes after all these years. 97 was the first year a 3/3 was allowed, and Czako nailed gorgeous ones in SP and LP.
I always thought Czako, had she had proper training time, would have been a major powerhouse. Too bad no one would sponsor her to go to Arrowhead or somewhere. She had grace, yet raw power.

[Spinner]

Am I the only one who LOVED this performance of Kerrigan's SP? It matched her style perfectly and her skating was so crisp and confident.

[IceKween]

I cannot get past the gross music, and the Jane Fonda aerobics moves. Nancy just wasn't capable of musicality and/or depth in her skating and choreography. It was clearly a Nancy problem as Paul Wylie skated many Mary masterpieces. Or he at least made them that way. So no, compared to the masterpiece of Baiul's Swan Lake, Nancy was at least 0.5 lower on the second mark. It was night and day.

[orbitz]

I cannot get past the gross music, and the Jane Fonda aerobics moves. Nancy just wasn't capable of musicality and/or depth in her skating and choreography. It was clearly a Nancy problem as Paul Wylie skated many Mary masterpieces. Or he at least made them that way. So no, compared to the masterpiece of Baiul's Swan Lake, Nancy was at least 0.5 lower on the second mark. It was night and day.

I wonder how much of the Scotvold's choreographies for Paul was really Paul's own input? I couldn't get over how lackluster Nancy's programs usually were compared to Paul's. It wasn't just in the performance. Nancy's choregraphy was really nothing special and was awkward at times.

[caseyedwards]

I always wondered why there were no Russian women at the 1994 Olympics and this answered that question! Ouch how terrible for Butryskaya.

[falling_dance]

Am I the only one who LOVED this performance of Kerrigan's SP?

Certainly not!

[chipso1]

1. Kerrigan
2. Baiul
3. Bonaly
4. Harding
5. Sato
6. Chen
7. Chouinard
8. Sweczenko
9. Witt
10. Czako

The judges were high on Bonaly that season, and going into Lillehamer as the European champ certainly would have helped her maintain her top-3 SP standing if everyone else skated cleanly. Harding/Chen/Sato are probably interchangeable, but a clean Tonya may have had the edge due to her huge 3Lz combo and 2A. Her spins were also miles better than Chen, too.

[judgejudy27]

Yeah the judges probably would have kept Bonaly in contention for the gold medal over Sato or Chen who I dont think they viewed capable of winning the gold medal anyway. Bonaly had beaten Baiul at Europeans so they probably viewed her as a threat to the gold medal and would want to keep her in the top 3 to have a shot at it. I still think they had no desire to keep Harding anywhere in medal contention if they could avoid it but who knows for sure.

[olympic]

Yeah the judges probably would have kept Bonaly in contention for the gold medal over Sato or Chen who I dont think they viewed capable of winning the gold medal anyway. Bonaly had beaten Baiul at Europeans so they probably viewed her as a threat to the gold medal and would want to keep her in the top 3 to have a shot at it. I still think they had no desire to keep Harding anywhere in medal contention if they could avoid it but who knows for sure.

It's interesting that the judges were going to give Bonaly a shot, as she was Euro Champ. However, realistically, they were actually not going to permit her to stand on the top spot of the podium. That was evident by '93 Worlds. Come to think of it, I doubt TPTB were going to allow anyone besides Kerrigan or Baiul to be Olympic champ. Bonaly for the aforementioned reasons, Lulu had no politik behind her, Harding for the black cloud of controversy that hung over her, Sato just did not have a big resume up to that point and had only recently acquired the lutz.

[briancoogaert]

Am I the only one who LOVED this performance of Kerrigan's SP? It matched her style perfectly and her skating was so crisp and confident.

No, I love it ! Especially the first part.

[judgejudy27]

It's interesting that the judges were going to give Bonaly a shot, as she was Euro Champ. However, realistically, they were actually not going to permit her to stand on the top spot of the podium. That was evident by '93 Worlds. Come to think of it, I doubt TPTB were going to allow anyone besides Kerrigan or Baiul to be Olympic champ. Bonaly for the aforementioned reasons, Lulu had no politik behind her, Harding for the black cloud of controversy that hung over her, Sato just did not have a big resume up to that point and had only recently acquired the lutz.

Yeah I think you are right. TPTB had already decided Kerrigan and Baiul were the only 2 possible winners. And IMO that is ridiculous as they were not Ito and Yamaguchi. They were not that much better than Chen, Sato, Harding, Bonaly, even Chouinard that they should have been the only 2 given a shot of winning the thing going in. As it turned out with the skates that were delivered they probably deserved the top 2 medals, actually maybe Chen deserved 1st or 2nd in the LP and a silver over Baiul though

[olympic]

...actually maybe Chen deserved 1st or 2nd in the LP and a silver over Baiul though

Yeah. If we are going by the way they skated, perhaps it should've been a contest btw. Kerrigan and Chen. It has been rehashed many times that Baiul was seriously gifted in Lillehamer

ETA - I forgot about Karen Preston who had been top 10 in Prague with a clean performance IIRC. She may have been a factor in the penultimate group if healthy.

[sk8boy]

you know... i dont think it is all mary scotvold's fault in regards to nancy's music choices. nancy has said many times that she hates classical music. i remember her being mortified when she skated at Improv Ice... she drew *Nessun Dorma* and really it was a MASTERPIECE. Mary never gave Paul or Jenny Kirk muzack. Maybe we can lynch Mark Militano? Imagine Nancy skating to a Moonlight Sonata... I think it would have been for the ages.

as for her 94 SP to desperate love... i remember being on a mission to find that music way before youtube and the web. i loved it... especially where her lutz combo was. the program also build.

[IceKween]

ETA - I forgot about Karen Preston who had been top 10 in Prague with a clean performance IIRC. She may have been a factor in the penultimate group if healthy.

Oh yes, Karen Preston, the "Grace Kelly of the ice". Gag me. No she wasn't clean in Prague, she totally ate it on her 3lutz. It was funny because I remember her being interviewed afterwards saying she didn't 'miss' the lutz, it was just that the blue hockey lines were different than in Canada so she didn't have any more room to land. If I'd have been Paul Martini I'd have said "So you DID miss the 3lutz then? What nonsense are you saying, Miss Grace Kelly on Ice?" Uggh. She also had the lowest wonkiest landings. She would never be a factor in any event in any era. I might have to youtube it to see that bizarre interview.

[judgejudy27]

Karen's biggest asset was her consistency. She is a skater who probably wouldnt even finish in the top 10 in events where everyone skated cleanly, but because she was one of the most consistent skaters of her time she always did finish somewhere in the top 10. At the 92 Olympics she was the only women in the whole field I think who did 2 clean programs yet still finished 12th in the short and 8th overall. At the 93 Worlds she skated a clean short, then in the long I think had 6 clean triples but falling on the lutz which would have given her 7. Although funny enough had she not been bumped off the 94 team for Humphries she probably would have had a shot at the bronze at the 94 Worlds if she skated her best.

Her skating was very bottom heavy. Her jumps looked very heavy and laboured. Her style was to skate classical programs that were very predictable in packaging and devoid of any personality or flair at all. She was also slow.

If Choiunard had Preston's consistency she probably could have won atleast a bronze at each of the 92 Worlds, 93 Worlds, 94 Olympics, and 94 Worlds though. Karen and Josee tended to finish virtually tied even when Josee bombed and Karen skated her usual solid self.

[Tony Wheeler]

you know... i dont think it is all mary scotvold's fault in regards to nancy's music choices. nancy has said many times that she hates classical music. i remember her being mortified when she skated at Improv Ice... she drew *Nessun Dorma* and really it was a MASTERPIECE. Mary never gave Paul or Jenny Kirk muzack. Maybe we can lynch Mark Militano? Imagine Nancy skating to a Moonlight Sonata... I think it would have been for the ages.

I absolutely LOVE this program from the 2000 Goodwill Games, and it's not something I would have ever imagined Nancy skating to, nor did I think I would even like it. It's probably my favorite program of hers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLGPcZDkEnQ