Which Was The Greatest Performance Of A Program By A Ladies Singles Skater Ever?

[MikiAndoFan#1]

This is the best performance in Ladies Singles ever.

Midori Ito 伊藤 みどり (JPN) - 1988 Calgary, Ladies' Long Program (HQ)

. . . but, if it must have a 3A, then

Midori Ito 伊藤 みどり(JPN) - 1989 NHK Trophy, Ladies' Free Skate

[Maofan7]

And where is Shizuka from 2004?!

Pfff, I am outraged. I am off to kill a kitten.

As the old cliche goes, you cannot satisfy all of the people all of the time - go on spare the pussy!

This is the best performance in Ladies Singles ever.

Midori Ito 伊藤 みどり (JPN) - 1988 Calgary, Ladies' Long Program (HQ)

. . . but, if it must have a 3A, then

Midori Ito 伊藤 みどり(JPN) - 1989 NHK Trophy, Ladies' Free Skate

As for which was Midori's best skate, has to be 1989 Worlds LP. There was no triple axel in her 1988 Olympic LP. As for her NHK 1989 LP, another superb performance in which she again landed all of the 6 different triples in the same program. So how do you choose which was the best? Well, the deciding factor has to be that in the 1989 Worlds, she was skating in a pressure cooker atmosphere going for her first world title (which unfortunately would ultimately be her only world title) with Jill Trenary in close contention. To do what she did in that context was absolutely incredible. That for me makes it her best performance. The atmosphere at the NHK in front of her home crowd was far more relaxed. Hence, 1989 Worlds was the best for me, with the 1989 NHK second.

[aftershocks]

My picks:

Janet Lynn 1970 U.S. Nationals fs
Michelle Kwan 1996 Worlds fs
Midori Ito 1989 Worlds fs
Michelle Kwan 1998 U.S. Nationals sp and fs
Midori Ito 1988 Olympic fs

[Moka-Ananas]

Slutskaya's FP from 2005 Worlds, hands down.
I remember me and my mother sitting in front of the tv crying like babies

[PashaFan]

For me it was Nancy Kerrigan's free skate at the 1994 Olympics.
Yes, she doubled the flip but no one ever (maybe Kwan in 1998 Olympics) had to go on to the ice with more attention. The way she held it together was amazing.
Kwan at the 98 US Champs would be a close second with Arakawa at the 04 Worlds then it would be Kwan at the 2000 Worlds (just coz I've watched it about a hundred times & never get bored !).

[paskatefan]

Of these listed choices, I had to go for Michele's LP @ 1998 US Nationals (what an honor to see it live). My absolutely favorite Olympic performance has to be Midori Ito's 1988 Calgary free skate!

[Jenny81]

It is likely if you are a fan of a particular skater, or style, their greatest performance is likely to be the greatest to you and here would be the perfect place to share them.

As far as the real world is concerned however, the 'greatest' performance is likely to be the one that has won the biggest championship, smashed all the world records,
being repeated replayed on youtube, and mentioned the most by the world press in multiple languages.
It should have rippling effect include attract new fans to the sport, and set new bars in figure skating to be savored and appreciated in the many years to come.
- by os168 (from Goldenskate) -

=> I totally agreed with this post.



For me, there's no doubt that this is 'the Greatest performance' in ladies' figure skating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc35P...yer_detailpage


Her great performances & distinguished achievements in figure skating will be remembered for years to come.

[Jarrett]

Ito wins from these options offered.

[l'etoile]

For me Michelle's '98 Nationals FS and Yuna's Olympic FS ties. Each had particular circumstances of facing pressures, Michelle having to meet incredibly high expectation after injuries and Yuna having to have THE perfect skates under the immense pressure from her countrymen watching. (Heck, while the girl was skating, Korea's stock exchange market was silenced!) And boy did they deliver the way that no one could ever do, like one cannot want no more!

[smarts1]

Yuna's 2010 Olympics LP performance did nothing for me. I felt like her only mission was to land the jumps. The performance was pretty uninspired IMO. You compare it to what Sarah Hughes did in '02 (who even screamed at the end of her performance and got a standing ovation even before the program ended) and what Tara did in 98 and Yuna's 2010 Olympics LP performance was quite reserved.

[Zokko!]

Other. Underrated as usual. Not even one mention so far.

[bardtoob]

As for which was Midori's best skate, has to be 1989 Worlds LP. There was no triple axel in her 1988 Olympic LP. As for her NHK 1989 LP, another superb performance in which she again landed all of the 6 different triples in the same program. So how do you choose which was the best? Well, the deciding factor has to be that in the 1989 Worlds, she was skating in a pressure cooker atmosphere going for her first world title (which unfortunately would ultimately be her only world title) with Jill Trenary in close contention. To do what she did in that context was absolutely incredible. That for me makes it her best performance. The atmosphere at the NHK in front of her home crowd was far more relaxed. Hence, 1989 Worlds was the best for me, with the 1989 NHK second.

1. Nobody else on the list had a 3A and nobody else had a 2A-3S, so all Midori's performances were a cut above the rest for the 1980s through 2010s.

2. Midori's Olympic Program was in the face of Katarina Witt and in front of the whole world, which usually did not pay attention to figure skating in non-Olympic years.

3. NHK was not alway kind to Midori as they gave NHK 1987, the NHK right before the 1988 Olympics, to Katarina Witt and told Midori that no matter how technically high her content, Katarina was still prettier.

4. The pressure cooker of FREESKATING, not FIGURE SKATING, against Jill Trenary Really?

5. Midori's 1988 Olympic performance would have won every Olympic Freeskate since.

6. Midori's 3T-3T from her 1988 Olympic performance has less preparation than any 3-3 performed by anybody.

7. Midori's 1989 NHK performance would have gotten +GOEs on every element.

8. Midori's 1989 NHK is better than what Carolina Kostner and Mao Asada could do in the fall of 2011 put together . . . errr, literally.

[Maofan7]

1. Nobody else on the list had a 3A and nobody else had a 2A-3S, so all Midori's performances were a cut above the rest for the 1980s through 2010s.

2. Midori's Olympic Program was in the face of Katarina Witt and in front of the whole world, which usually did not pay attention to figure skating in non-Olympic years.

3. NHK was not alway kind to Midori as they gave NHK 1987, the NHK right before the 1988 Olympics, to Katarina Witt and told Midori that no matter how technically high her content, Katarina was still prettier.

4. The pressure cooker of FREESKATING against Jill Trenary Really?

5. Midori's 1988 Olympic performance would have won every Olympic Freeskate since.

6. Midori's 3T-3T from her 1988 Olympic performance has less preparation than any 3-3 performed by anybody.

Some good points, but for me the 1989 Worlds LP remains Midori's best. For sheer impact and awe, it was stunning.

[Vash01]

Slutskaya's FP from 2005 Worlds, hands down.
I remember me and my mother sitting in front of the tv crying like babies

Irina's 2005 worlds LP should have been on this list, as one of the greatest performances ever- particularly coming back from a serious illness (heart condition).

As much as I love Michelle's Lyra Angelica performance at the US nationals, I don't see it as her greatest performance (regardless of how many 6.0's she got). IMO Song of the Black Swan was her best LP performance ever. Of course that is JMO.

From the choices given, I picked Midori's 1989 worlds LP as the best ever, although I thought her 1990 worlds LP was even better.

[bardtoob]

Some good points, but for me the 1989 Worlds LP remains Midori's best. For sheer impact and awe, it was stunning.

You really don't know the impact of Midori's 1988 Olympic Freeskate, do you.

Women's competitive skating would no longer be the same. Cam Cole, a journalist covering the 1988 Olympics wrote:

"The first time that I can ever recall being struck by the powerful emotion that this [figure skating] sport drives was in the press box at the 1988 Olympics when Midori Ito was skating... There were guys there I had covered hockey with, sports columnists... guys who basically were approaching this thing in a pretty skeptical manner. And I saw a whole lot of those guys up there, when she finished her performance that night, taking their glasses off and wiping their eyes with their hands. And I'm thinking to myself, 'Now you know...now you know.'"

You go ahead and keep on thinking that the 3A is the end all be all. Maybe you'll grow out of it someday.

[falling_dance]

You really don't know the impact of Midori's 1988 Olympic Freeskate, do you.

Not really to the point of this thread, but I've wondered since the Vancouver Olympics if the flower girls' dresses were designed not only to coordinate with the boards but also as a subtle tribute to Midori Ito's free skate at the last Games held in western Canada.

[Louis]

Ito for sure. She was at least 25 years ahead of her time. Wouldn't be surprised if it takes another 15-20 years or more for that technical content to be surpassed.

Her performances from 1988-89 would be the equivalent of a skater today doing multiple quads.

[Frau Muller]

Midori 1989 Worlds, by a mile!

Tara 1998 Olys was also spectacular & exciting. It was a dream come true!

[Vash01]

You really don't know the impact of Midori's 1988 Olympic Freeskate, do you.



You go ahead and keep on thinking that the 3A is the end all be all. Maybe you'll grow out of it someday.

In the context of Midori's 1989 performance, the 3A was not meant to be "the end all and be all". It was a historic landmark in ladies skating, and don't forget that she landed all the other jumps flawlessly in that program.

[orbitz]

Katia Goordeeva's first solo performance to Maher. I cannot recall any skating performance before or since by anyone that had such an emotional impact while watching it.

( The thread title doesn't specify competition or exhibition )