Paul Wylie's Olympic Moment

[aftershocks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=...ture=endscreen

Wow, I'd forgotten just how great this performance was. Paul certainly deserved 59s across the board for artistic impression, and mostly 58s for technical (with perhaps a few 57s -- certainly no lower than one 56, IMHO, compared with the greater mistakes of others, so the 54s and 55s given were just political-scoring).

Skating fans are lucky that Paul's Olympic silver medal allowed him the opportunity to give us so many exquisite professional performances including Miss Saigon, JFK, On the Waterfront, Carmina Burana, and Schindler's List.

[paskatefan]

Amen to all that. I always loved watching Paul skate from the first time we saw him compete on TV (Calgary Olympics). Did he shine as a pro!!!!

We first learned about the SOI tour tour in the fall of 1992, and once we found out that Paul & Brian Orser were in it, we just had to get tickets to see them.

I miss Paul's commentary @ competitions (although I do think Mike is doing a good job with it). I hope he will continue to coach Alexander Aiken (who is injured this season, I believe).

[aftershocks]

Yes, paskatefan, ITA! Paul had a fantastic pro career. And he's one of the best post Dick Button generation commentators. I miss Paul too. So thankful for youtube! It was fun seeing Paul skating that shark program with his wife and kids on the most recent Family Skating Tribute show.

I didn't realize that Alexander Aiken is injured. Hope he recovers and can make it back to Nationals next year.

[Lacey]

Here's my feeling about Paul Wylie's Silver Olympic Medal: He should have had Gold. But was a great sport about it, and turned the silver into gold anyway with the amount of show skating he did.

[aftershocks]

^^ This!

[Cachoo]

I remember the ESPN weekly show called "The Sports Reporters" which is a panel discussion about sports (usually football, baseball, basketball and hockey.) After Paul won the silver one of the panelists (this big, gruff, old guy from Boston?) returned to talk about what he saw and he just could not understand how the guy that skated the best (in his opinion) won the silver and everyone seemed ok with it. Obviously he was brand new to the sport. Anyway Paul's olympic performance is a favorite.

[semogal]

Love this skate from Paul. Even after all these years it still gives me goosebumps. (Scott Hamilton is so annoying though!! That certainly hasn't changed in 20 years!)

[Vash01]

I remember the ESPN weekly show called "The Sports Reporters" which is a panel discussion about sports (usually football, baseball, basketball and hockey.) After Paul won the silver one of the panelists (this big, gruff, old guy from Boston?) returned to talk about what he saw and he just could not understand how the guy that skated the best (in his opinion) won the silver and everyone seemed ok with it. Obviously he was brand new to the sport. Anyway Paul's olympic performance is a favorite.

I loved Paul's skate, but I don't think he should have won the gold. He did make a couple of mistakes, his jumps were small, and he had a 3A-2t, while Viktor had a 3A3t (not as solid as in the SP though), which may have just edged out Paul. He had a history of not delivering in competitions. So the judges were not going to put him ahead of a 2x world silver medallist and the reigning Olympic bronze medallist. That's just the reality of it. Artistically he was superior to everyone.

Paul almost did not make the Olympic team, and his selection to the Olympics generated some controversy. So he was naturally happy about winning an Olympic medal of any color. His reaction when he found out that he won the silver is one of my favorite moments in the Olympics.

I always loved his skating, starting from 1988, and I saw him skate live in Sun Valley. It used to frustrate me to watch him skate beautiful programs, but make mistakes on jumps. As a pro he really came into his own, and delivered many masterpieces over the years. That made me his true admirer.

[Cheylana]

Paul almost did not make the Olympic team, and his selection to the Olympics generated some controversy.

Why is that, anyway? At least Paul showed up at U.S. Nationals. If anyone didn't deserve an Olympic berth, it was Eldredge -- he missed Nationals due to injury, skated poorly in Albertville and then blamed the injury.

[Cachoo]

I loved Paul's skate, but I don't think he should have won the gold. He did make a couple of mistakes, his jumps were small, and he had a 3A-2t, while Viktor had a 3A3t (not as solid as in the SP though), which may have just edged out Paul. He had a history of not delivering in competitions. So the judges were not going to put him ahead of a 2x world silver medallist and the reigning Olympic bronze medallist. That's just the reality of it. Artistically he was superior to everyone.

Paul almost did not make the Olympic team, and his selection to the Olympics generated some controversy. So he was naturally happy about winning an Olympic medal of any color. His reaction when he found out that he won the silver is one of my favorite moments in the Olympics.

I always loved his skating, starting from 1988, and I saw him skate live in Sun Valley. It used to frustrate me to watch him skate beautiful programs, but make mistakes on jumps. As a pro he really came into his own, and delivered many masterpieces over the years. That made me his true admirer.

All good points but to this guy it looked like he skated better than anyone else, captured the audience and therefore finished first. Only he didnt: Paul's silver was golden. I do enjoy it when athletes are overjoyed to win the silver and bronze rather than worry over losing the gold. Everyone on the podium that night was happy.

[Marco]

All good points but to this guy it looked like he skated better than anyone else, captured the audience and therefore finished first. Only he didnt: Paul's silver was golden. I do enjoy it when athletes are overjoyed to win the silver and bronze rather than worry over losing the gold. Everyone on the podium that night was happy.

Well said. I bet Browning wasn't happy but then again he wasn't on the podium so your last statement is probably still true.

Wylie absolutely deserved the silver, but Petrenko and even Barna were such better skaters in comparison, and he barely did a true combination jump, plus Petrenko was really so far ahead after the short program that I wouldn't think twice about giving the gold to Petrenko.

And let's face it - it was a poorly skated event compared to 1990, 1991 and 1992 Worlds anyway. So while Wylie's silver medal and ability to hold it together under pressure was incredible, the performance itself wasn't all that memorable TBH.

[paskatefan]

Paul's silver was golden. I do enjoy it when athletes are overjoyed to win the silver and bronze rather than worry over losing the gold. Everyone on the podium that night was happy.

Paul was thrilled to win the silver, for that matter a medal of any color. It was a golden moment for me (and I do like Viktor & Petr), just as Shen & Zhao's bronze medal in Torino was a golden moment for me (their gold medal in Vancouver was the icing on the cake). Anyway, back to Paul - his pro career was "golden" for a lot of us admirers.

Aftershocks, Paul's "shark" program in the Family Skating Tribute was beyond cute!

[Cachoo]

Well said. I bet Browning wasn't happy but then again he wasn't on the podium so your last statement is probably still true.

Wylie absolutely deserved the silver, but Petrenko and even Barna were such better skaters in comparison, and he barely did a true combination jump, plus Petrenko was really so far ahead after the short program that I wouldn't think twice about giving the gold to Petrenko.

And let's face it - it was a poorly skated event compared to 1990, 1991 and 1992 Worlds anyway. So while Wylie's silver medal and ability to hold it together under pressure was incredible, the performance itself wasn't all that memorable TBH.

Well Kurt taught me something too: You don't have to have an Olympic medal to be a great, great skater. If I was making my skating dream team he would be right at the top.

[Susan M]

I loved Paul's skate, but I don't think he should have won the gold. He did make a couple of mistakes, his jumps were small, and he had a 3A-2t,

Wylie didn't actually have any true combination in his Albertville free program. He had planned two combinations (3Lutz-2T and 3Axel-2T) but had bad landings on both first jumps such that he needed steps and turns before the Toeloops.

He was always a stylist, but as others have mentioned, he did not have the spring or speed of Petrenko. After Viktor's commanding short program, I think once he landed the 3A-3T and 3 Lutz in the free, he had the gold medal won. (Still, he did manage to make enough mistakes that he nearly threw it away). As it was, Petrenko won 7 judges to 2 for Wylie.

One of the things that strikes me seeing Wylie's program again is how empty the choreo looks compared to today's programs - yet we seem to find it compelling. (Love the Ina Bauer.) As I was watching him doing a half a lap of crossovers stalking the 3 axel, I realized that with every stroke, the tension was building (along with the music) until the climactic moment of the the jump. I never get that feeling today.

[Cachoo]

I do think Wylie (coaches?) was a master at picking music that fit his style. The "Henry V" soundtrack was so dramatic.

[DarrellH]

I just remember jumping up and down all around the living room, screaming for joy.

[museksk8r]

I do think Wylie (coaches?) was a master at picking music that fit his style. The "Henry V" soundtrack was so dramatic.

Too bad that talent didn't translate over to choosing Kerrigan's music. Her music choices always seemed more fitting for a girl half her age to skate to.

Back to Wylie though . . . I have always loved his skating. He was a brilliant interpreter of music and a true artist on the ice. His JFK program is an iconic skating masterpiece.

[Cachoo]

Too bad that talent didn't translate over to choosing Kerrigan's music. Her music choices always seemed more fitting for a girl half her age to skate to.

Back to Wylie though . . . I have always loved his skating. He was a brilliant interpreter of music and a true artist on the ice. His JFK program is an iconic skating masterpiece.

Ita about Kerrigan's music. And then you see Baiul in the short with "Swan Lake." I always wonder how much that affects the artistic mark.

[paskatefan]

Well Kurt taught me something too: You don't have to have an Olympic medal to be a great, great skater. If I was making my skating dream team he would be right at the top.

I just remember jumping up and down all around the living room, screaming for joy.

Yes, and his pro programs like JFK, Schindler's List, Apollo 13, and Carmina Burana are masterpieces, IMHO.

[TheIronLady]

And let's face it - it was a poorly skated event compared to 1990, 1991 and 1992 Worlds anyway. So while Wylie's silver medal and ability to hold it together under pressure was incredible, the performance itself wasn't all that memorable TBH.

Surprisingly, it really was though. Anyone who is old enough to remember it will tell you Paul seemed like he was pulling off a miracle.