Irina Slutskaya

[VIETgrlTerifa]

And the US judge was still marking her down on the 2nd mark

No matter which style she was trying, some judges always found an excuse to let their biases shine through to be able to put their faves above Slutskaya based on the (more subjective) presentation mark.

Yeah well, she would later benefit from subjective scoring as well...and the beat goes on.

[bardtoob]

Above all, and not unlike Michelle Kwan, Irina was a courageous fighter and a champion.

As a former Kwaniac, I remember being rather critical of Irina. However, I no longer feel the need to say such things. I agree, they are both great skaters and champions. In fact, when addressing Tuktamysheva's struggles this past week I found myself hoping that she finds her way a la Irina, that is to multiple Euro, World, and Olympic medals after she matures

I get the impression that Tuktamysheva's response to her growth is to try harder, which makes a good impression on me. I'm hoping that over time she will go the way of Irina.

[arakwafan2006]

As a former Kwaniac, I remember being rather critical of Irina. However, I no longer feel the need to say such things. I agree, they are both great skaters and champions. In fact, when addressing Tuktamysheva's struggles this past week I found myself hoping that she finds her way a la Irina, that is to multiple Euro, World, and Olympic medals after she matures

Not to make this about Liza but I as well hope that she finds her way. She does seem to be mentally doing better with the idea that it's not as easy as it looks. Even though Mishin did nothing to change her technique, to her, everything must feel totally new as her body is VERY different than it was. You almost dont want a skater that talented to win too early because when you're young like that, you come to expect that all will go well ( it has up until that point) and when repeatedly it does not, it's a tough pill to swallow.

[johndockley92]

To be honest, not that impressed.

[briancoogaert]

She was wonderful. I never understood the 'truck driver' comments, unless they were just gratuitous nastiness.

LOL, I don't think I'm that nasty, but IMO, she is not graceful at all. And a "truck driver" comment is, for me, an objective fact.
Of course, this has nothing to do with her fantastic technical qualities.

[gkelly]

And a "truck driver" comment is, for me, an objective fact.

For you, maybe. For others, it's an opinion. With which they might agree, or not.
For one thing, what does it even mean in terms of skating?

If you've seen her driving a truck on a regular basis, or seen her commercial driving license, then I guess it is an objective fact.

[briancoogaert]

For you, maybe. For others, it's an opinion. With which they might agree, or not.
For one thing, what does it even mean in terms of skating?

If you've seen her driving a truck on a regular basis, or seen her commercial driving license, then I guess it is an objective fact.

Hehe, that's right.
What I wanted to say was just that it's not that important. She is not graceful, but she has other qualities and is a very good skater. So, I can enjoy her skating, and not being shocked by "truck driver" comments.

[Louis]

I loved the spiral sequence in this program. This particular execution of it was not the best (I remember better at other competitions), but the rocker turn from back spiral to forward spiral and the amount of ice covered with minimal pushing was still quite spectacular.

Flip seemed rather lippy to me, no?

[Excidra]

Hmm, I'll be the bad one here. Her grating landings, her ugly posture, her ill positioned back and posture. I will give her props on all those 3turns going into her flip combo and loop. This is not art, this is not pleasant (to me). She should have been hammered for this program. I know "Autumn Leaves", know the film, know the soap operaish of it. This is not a winner. IMO. I love the song "Autumn Leaves". I would never endorse if this program was next to me. Let's get a little real here. It was a change for her from truck driving and steamrolling through Broadway musicals. Yes she was clearly trying to grow, but it doesn't mean it was GOOD. I think her Autumn Leaves was horrendous. (except for the continuous 3turns into her flip combo., interesting...)

Was this necessary?

Clearly this thread was created for Slutskaya fans to gush about her skating skills and past programs.. But you waltz in only to tear her down. You're a class act.

[kwanatic]

I was never a big fan of Irina's skating (I'm still not) but over the year's I've gained a big appreciation for what she did during her time. Her jumps were big, her speed was excellent, her spins (while not always the prettiest in terms of position) were difficult and fast, and she pushed herself technically. I preferred (and still prefer) a softer, more graceful and controlled skater but I've learned to appreciate Irina's energy and personality on the ice. The thing I loved the most about her was her longevity and her love for the sport. To go through the trials that she did and still return to skating just because you love to compete...that really made me a fan of hers.

[apatinar]

she was always marked down on the second mark because she had absolutely no finesse... She wasn't even a skater who had awesome jumps like Midori Ito where you were so awed by them that you could overlook the flaws in other areas... I feel she got as far as she did because of Russian politics....

[lala]

Thank you for this thread! I love her, maybe she wasn't too pretty, but she was a great skater and champion.

[Vash01]

Thank you for this thread! I love her, maybe she wasn't too pretty, but she was a great skater and champion.

May be she wasn't pretty in the usual figure skating sense, but I thought she was beautiful.

[Vash01]

she was always marked down on the second mark because she had absolutely no finesse... She wasn't even a skater who had awesome jumps like Midori Ito where you were so awed by them that you could overlook the flaws in other areas... I feel she got as far as she did because of Russian politics....

Really? You don't give her any credit for landing amazing 3-3 combinations that most skaters shunned those days? No credit for her speed, power, athleticism, her connection with the audience, her pure joy of skating, her amazing footwork, and doing the Biellman on both sides when very few skaters were doing a Biellman at all? She did not have the kind of body that creates lines, but that does not mean she did not have finesse and other great qualities.

[judgejudy27]

I found her an amazing skater both technically and presentation wise. She didnt have the balletic qualities of a Kwan or Cohen, but she had her own style which was fast, dynamic, expressive, dramatic, energetic, and a great command and presence on the ice which I noticed more when seeing her live, and which led to respectable or strong 2nd marks. I think she might be the best overall technical skater ever when considering not only jumps, but jumps, jump combinations, spins, footwork, stroking and speed, even spirals (hers were actually much better than most, biased Button and Fleming made them sound bad only since Cohen and Kwan's stunning spirals were much better). Her spirals were way above hip level normally, and I look back at say the 92 Olympics and Irina's spirals are way better than Midori Ito who while I love her truly had average ones, and atleast as good as Yamaguchi who was considered one of the best at the time. Her only weakness was her problems with nerves in World or Olympic events. She was capable of winning about 6 Worlds and 2 Olympics potentially- 2000, 2001, 2006, maybe 1997, 2002 and 2006 Olympics, had she skated to her potential, but only managed 2.

[Simone411]

Hmm, I'll be the bad one here. Her grating landings, her ugly posture, her ill positioned back and posture. I will give her props on all those 3turns going into her flip combo and loop. This is not art, this is not pleasant (to me). She should have been hammered for this program. I know "Autumn Leaves", know the film, know the soap operaish of it. This is not a winner. IMO. I love the song "Autumn Leaves". I would never endorse if this program was next to me. Let's get a little real here. It was a change for her from truck driving and steamrolling through Broadway musicals. Yes she was clearly trying to grow, but it doesn't mean it was GOOD. I think her Autumn Leaves was horrendous. (except for the continuous 3turns into her flip combo., interesting...)

I just wonder if you've ever even put on a pair of skates before. If you have, then you should know that it takes a lot of grueling, exhausting hours (hard work) of practice each day whether one likes it or not.

As far as this goes ... "Her grating landings, her ugly posture, her ill positioned back and posture." When's the last time you had your eyes checked? You know, there's cheaper rates and affordable insurance now. It shouldn't cost a lot for you to visit an Optomitrist. That might actually help.

[gkelly]

Really? You don't give her any credit for landing amazing 3-3 combinations that most skaters shunned those days?

I don't think most skaters shunned them. I think most skaters couldn't do them. Even Slutskaya couldn't do them as consistently as I'm sure she would have liked.

[Vash01]

I don't think most skaters shunned them. I think most skaters couldn't do them. Even Slutskaya couldn't do them as consistently as I'm sure she would have liked.

That's what I meant. Wrong choice of words on my part.

[lala]

Yes!!! I love her smile!!!! So sweet!!

[David21]

I found her an amazing skater both technically and presentation wise. She didnt have the balletic qualities of a Kwan or Cohen, but she had her own style which was fast, dynamic, expressive, dramatic, energetic, and a great command and presence on the ice which I noticed more when seeing her live, and which led to respectable or strong 2nd marks. I think she might be the best overall technical skater ever when considering not only jumps, but jumps, jump combinations, spins, footwork, stroking and speed, even spirals (hers were actually much better than most, biased Button and Fleming made them sound bad only since Cohen and Kwan's stunning spirals were much better).

Cohen's and Kwan's spirals were clearly better only as far as quality of position was concerned. Slutskaya's speed, edges and transitions in her spirals were better than Cohen and at least on par with Kwan IMO.