Best spirals in ladies skating (both past & present)

[bartek]

I think Alissa has pretty spirals but the angle she holds her leg is a bit odd looking. It's more out to the side than behind her, even though she gets lovely extension.

I can agree that Sasha's positions were more difficult and more extended than Michelle's but, as Dick always said, there's just something about the way Michelle does her spiral that no one else can match. The strength of the edge, the power and the emotion she pours into that move is incredible...and the joy on her face every time was just undeniable. She wasn't just doing the move, she actually felt what she was doing.

What I will say about both Michelle and Sasha is that few people were able to use their spirals as effectively as those two did in their programs. I can't name a current lady (US or other) who uses their spirals to great effect...mostly b/c a lot of the heart has been removed from programs nowadays, but also b/c no one has the power that those two had when they skated.

You mean that her grin in her COE spiral makes it the best? You know, Sasha also smiled in her spirals a lot...

[IceAlisa]

Kostner definitely wins in the speed department.

[MR-FAN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5JnZ...ailpage#t=201s

This is the best spiral seq I've ever seen! She has not al lot of flexibility but her connection with the music, speed, ice coverage is second to none!

This is my favorite of Kostner's Spiral Sequences

[Coco]

She's going to win worlds this year if Mao doesn't stop her.

[Scintillation]

positions and variety: Sasha. Her positions were incredible, and no one else can make that fan spiral look pretty like she can.

Edge control and emotional favorite: Michelle. Damn her joyous skating, it got me every time.

[Sasha'sSpins]

Although Katherine Healy was performing fully extended spirals when Bobek was still in diapers.

I was about to mention Katherine Healy when I saw your post! Hers to me were breathtaking perhaps even more so than Cohen's-her strong ballet base also gave her a gorgeous point throughout-proof than you can 'point your toes' even in skates!:
Katherine Healy-1998 Challenge of Champions

For me Sasha's spirals wins hands down because of many different reasons. I know that Kwan had better change of egde and generally her change of edge spiral was excellent. However, her spiral glory is seen only in that one spiral and maybe also in her charlotte. And that's all!! COE arabesque and backward charlotte. Tell her to do Y spiral, fan spiral or biellman spiral and hold it for a few seconds with the same sureness and control she has in her COE arabesque. People, you won't see it there! She was brilliant only in COE, that's all. Sasha has variety of beautiful positions with fantastic control, extention, toe point, back position and when the COP came into the scene she was easily able to do all the features for levels AND bullets for GOE. On the other hand, Kwan was crushed by COP spiral sequence, because she had to include three positions, ALL held for at least three seconds. It wasn't enough anymore to hold COE arabesque for a long time and then go to the next element.

Look here, she does beautiful COE arabesque and then she has shaky edge on her fan spiral, poor extention and holds it for about one second. Then, look at her Y-spiral, it's done basically on the flat.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgYMR6B8s8I&t=2m52s

This is a perfect spiral sequence by Sasha which got one of the highest score ever:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPsDX9AiHEQ&t=1m36s
Perfect extention, toe point, minimal delay between positions, control in her edges, good change of edge etc. And the positions are very difficult, Kwan wouldn't ever do backward Y spiral and change it to fan spiral or that backward biellman.

^^^^
THIS!

[galaxy]

It is not fast as it doesn't have to be. A spiral that ends a program. It really suits the choreography. An unique choreography. She has amazing extention and posture, that is simply exquisite, lovely and graceful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOn2kyXNlbc (about 4:30)

[briancoogaert]

Now that I think about, I'm surprised there has been no mention of Czisny.

And I was never really a fan of Michelle's spiral. The edge was top notch, but I was not a fan of the line and the back position. I remember when she debuted the fan spiral at 2005 Worlds... It was ...

You can't compare MK's spiral from the begining and the one she did in 2005 and 2006.
Really, I'm an MK fan, but the fact that she was foreced to be more and more flexible killed her beautiful spiral position.

When she first tried her COE spiral : http://youtu.be/mtveDWakMFQ?t=2m10s

A beautiful one, later : http://youtu.be/qlPvFn_vwBk?t=2m15s

Still very beautiful : http://youtu.be/YDTYqmcDFpM?t=2m21s

In 2005, IMO, not as beautiful as before : http://youtu.be/YSaV440TLHg?t=2m49s

Blame it to the more and more flexible. That's what happens when Figure skating is more and more gymnastics !

[IceAlisa]

Still very beautiful : http://youtu.be/YDTYqmcDFpM?t=2m21s

The TFB at the 2003 Worlds has got to be my all time favorite performance by MK. She OWNS that music.

[kappa_1]

Not the greatest position by today's standards, but iconic at the time, inspiring much of the development that followed, and used to good choreographic effect here

Nothing special in the positions, but creative approach to the required element

Phenomenal ice coverage

It's funny, when you mentioned the second one I immediately predicted it would be Czako, but thought of another instance, from her famous Addams Family FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...FhzvSmvY#t=21s

[kwanatic]

You mean that her grin in her COE spiral makes it the best? You know, Sasha also smiled in her spirals a lot...

Well obviously if all you see is a smile, then I suppose the joy on her face is deniable to you. To me, and a lot of others, that grin spoke volumes as to what she was feeling as she skated. But if you can't see it, there's no point in trying to explain it. But speaking as someone who felt her heart when she skated, that look on her face was more than just a smile...

[duane]

IMO, Sasha is without question the Queen of the Spirals.

[skatingfan5]

The TFB at the 2003 Worlds has got to be my all time favorite performance by MK. She OWNS that music.

I think she pretty much "owned" that program from its debut at 2002 Skate America when she stepped in at the last minute for Sarah Hughes. Despite the tiny bobble near the end of the footwork, she really, really was hitting on all cylinders that night.

[Triple Butz]

In 2005, IMO, not as beautiful as before : http://youtu.be/YSaV440TLHg?t=2m49s

Blame it to the more and more flexible. That's what happens when Figure skating is more and more gymnastics !

It's a bad camera angle.
I don't know, I thought it looked as good as ever the next season:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpNvCcYNxyM#t=2m03s

[briancoogaert]

It's a bad camera angle.
I don't know, I thought it looked as good as ever the next season:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpNvCcYNxyM#t=2m03s

I don't like this one, either.
The head and back position in the second part (the outside edge) is too forced, IMO. It was so much more beautiful when she had a beautiful straight back !