Which beloved or highly regarded skaters do you personally NOT love or highly regard??

Lemonade20 said:
I always thought she was very standoff-ish. I still think Harding was one of the most talented and unfortunately misunderstood skaters of her time. No one was ready for someone like her to reach the podium and land the first triple axel. I feel like we're judging more on personality than skating.
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Judging on personalities and preconceived notions is what I think that drives a lot of Kerrigan hate. Especially when she’s always used to prop Tonya up by fans.
 
DBZ said:
Speaking of disliking a skater's choreography vs their actual skating, I feel like Nancy falls into the former for me. I definitely am not a fan of Mary Scotvold's choreography, and I think that played a huge role in shaping Nancy's skating and why it came off looking so pedestrian.

Placed into different, more artistic hands, I think Nancy could've become a really interesting skater to watch. She had the basics.

But I remember Jenny Kirk said that was the deal when working with the Scotvolds--Evy coached, Mary did the choreography. No seeking outside choreographers, which I think is such a disservice to their skaters if true.

Then again, Nancy always seemed like an extremely insular, controlled person, which probably connected with Mary's structured, paint by numbers choreography.
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There were times when Jenny was with the Scotvolds and it often seemed she was impersonating Nancy! The movements were so similar at times.
 
I admit I’m a fan of men’s skating just for the jumping skills, but I’m surprised to see so many ice dancers being bashed. Is it more the style that bores you? Or just certain couples?
 
Miki89 said:
I like Akiko and respect Carolina but they both medaled in 2012 Worlds without attempting one 3-3. The overall competitiveness of the ladies field just plummeted in the two years after Vancouver. I mean it was so lagging that Alyssa Czisny became a real medal contender. Nothing against her as a skater but she wouldn't have gotten close to the podium during the pre-Vancouver years.
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I agree with you in that regard. That’s how I feel about Kristi Yamaguchi’s win at the 1992 Olympics. She’s not a strong skater, but she got the gold because everyone skated poorly.

Alissa was lucky to get the win at 2011 Skate Canada.
 
Examining this thread, I think there are separate categories -

1. Skaters who become legends and are universally loved or beholden (Kwan, Witt, Hanyu, G&G, etc.)
2. Skaters who are quite successful (some world or olympic medals) and perhaps the best their country has to offer during any given time frame, and propped up or derided by a loud minority of fandom. I think I would stick people like Kerrigan in this category.
3. Maybe there are skaters that are in between; those that burned bright briefly like Yamaguchi or Baiul who have OGMs and big success professionally, but are they household names?
 
olympic said:
Examining this thread, I think there are separate categories -

1. Skaters who become legends and are universally loved or beholden (Kwan, Witt, Hanyu, G&G, etc.)
2. Skaters who are quite successful (some world or olympic medals) and perhaps the best their country has to offer during any given time frame, and propped up or derided by a loud minority of fandom. I think I would stick people like Kerrigan in this category.
3. Maybe there are skaters that are in between; those that burned bright briefly like Yamaguchi or Baiul who have OGMs and big success professionally, but are they household names?
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I see where you are going with the categories....and Yamaguchi and Baiul were, for sure for years, household names at least in the 90s in the USA.
 
I found this thread to be pretty civil, all in all.
I think that because it is easier for fans to learn to judge the various jumps and the techniques used by single skaters, they tend to stay rather objective about it all. Ice Dance is much more confusing because of the complexity of it. So, I think people tend to react with their guts or emotions. I appreciate many ice dancers who have distinctive styles and tend to love the couples whom I perceive as genuine and in tune with their own style. So, I was never a big fan of V/M, although I consider them excellent skaters. They don't do it for me: too performative and aggressively competitive. I know that they have many fans who appreciate them exactly because of that. Not me. I never go back to watch a performance.
 
olympic said:
Examining this thread, I think there are separate categories -

1. Skaters who become legends and are universally loved or beholden (Kwan, Witt, Hanyu, G&G, etc.)
2. Skaters who are quite successful (some world or olympic medals) and perhaps the best their country has to offer during any given time frame, and propped up or derided by a loud minority of fandom. I think I would stick people like Kerrigan in this category.
3. Maybe there are skaters that are in between; those that burned bright briefly like Yamaguchi or Baiul who have OGMs and big success professionally, but are they household names?
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I think overall, every skater mentioned in this thread are those who actually done something and has had success. It's like a who's who list really. If nobody cared about you, they wouldn't bother remember you enough to mention you on this list.
 
VGThuy said:
I think overall, every skater mentioned in this thread are those who actually done something and has had success. It's like a who's who list really. If nobody cared about you, they wouldn't bother remember you enough to mention you on this list.
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Exactly. Some skaters had huge success at an event then dropped off into obscurity
 
It also tends to be skaters who are/have been lionized on this board, so that's why it's more the North American chestnuts, b/c Russian skaters generally don't get that type of worshipful adoration here other than G & G. I mean they do from me, but not for the board in the sort of sacred cow for most people way that a Browning or whomever does or did at one time. I think things have splintered a lot now though. Maybe Hanyu is the only person I can think of who is still skating who is regarded that way now and he still gets criticized for his repetition of programs.
 
mjb52 said:
It also tends to be skaters who are lionized on this board, so that's why it's more the North American chestnuts, b/c Russian skaters generally don't get that type of worshipful adoration here other than G & G. I mean they do from me, but not in the sort of sacred cow for most people way that a Browning or whomever does or did at one time.
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There’s a lot of skaters mentioned who don’t live in North America, like Yuna Kim and Carolyn Kosta. There are so many fantastic skaters out there, but this thread isn’t about nationality. It’s about who you think is just meh despite having achieved this and that. It’s how they make you feel when you watch them skate.
 
Ladies

Katarina Witt

Oksana Baiul, although I understand why fans and judges perceived her as charismatic and praised her so much.

Sasha Cohen - I do not feel meh about her, in fact, I think her skating is gorgeous to watch and I appreciate her musical interpretation. However, I do feel that she may have been overhyped and I personally found her style a bit too conventional and accessible (the warhorse music, the choreography). I also feel like everyone (judges, media, fans) were so captivated by it that they were willing to overlook technical flaws in her skating (for example, questionable edges and obvious flutz).

Irina Slutskaya

Miki Ando - great athletic skater and wonderful person but somehow I find it difficult to enjoy her skating beyond the jumps.

Men

Evgeni Plushenko - never liked either his skating nor his arrogant attitude.

Brian Joubert - never understood what the hype was all about.

Stephane Lambiel - I appreciate everything about him as a skater but the majority of fans seem to worship him and I just don't have the same intense admiration for some reason.

I would also add Tara Lipinski, Timothy Goebel and Sarah Hughes to that list but YMMV on how beloved they are within the skating community.

There aren't any pairs or ice dance teams that I feel particularly meh about.
 
Joannie Rochette
Yu Na Kim - zzzzzzzz
Michelle Kwan, though I liked Spartacus
Mao Asada
Kostner for sure! I don't get the fawning but I do like her short from 2018 a lot
Yuzuru though I love Chopin
 
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VGThuy said:
Shizuka Arakawa - love her edges, but she's a true one-hit-wonder with only ONE program of hers that I can say I truly like - "Turandot".
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I want to add that I think she was an amazing skater in every sense, and I loved everything about her but I have to admit that hardly any of her other competitive programs come even remotely close to 'Turandot' in terms of execution or being memorable - great skater, just too many generic programs.
 
It's actually interesting to think about the skaters not yet listed in this thread.

I haven't seen anyone list Daisuke Takahashi ( I guess everyone likes him. :))

I haven't seen anyone list Shoma Uno (interesting since I recall seeing a lot of debates about his jumps on other threads.)


ldec said:
I want to add that I think she was an amazing skater in every sense, and I loved everything about her but I have to admit that hardly any of her other competitive programs come even remotely close to 'Turandot' in terms of execution or being memorable - great skater, just too many generic programs.
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Shizuka was just too regal, like there is something very distant in her presentation. She is someone who really got lucky in timing. To me, she just lacks charisma. This probably explains why despite getting that historic OGM for Japan, she never achieved the popularity of Midori or Mao in the country.
 
Orm Irian said:
I listed Uno a few pages back. He's the dictionary definition of tedious.
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That’s a great word for it just because of the repeat programs, recycled elements (another cantilever?) and intense drama face he puts on. I mean I love him but even I acknowledge the formula.
 
UGG said:
only one is the Olympic Gold Medalist though 😛
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Evan had the advantage of going up against a broken down Plushenko in his 3rd Olympics and well "past it!" Love Evgeni, but it's still hard to watch that horrible performance! He was more into an exhibition than that Olympic charade! It was lackluster with squeaky landings! Even after all that, Evan still barely won by 1.5 pt.; less than a double axil if Plushenko had decided to add it! His arrogance was a hindrance on this occasion thinking just because he completed his quad, he deserved the OG! I'm a fan with a blog (below) devoted to him, but even I couldn't excuse that performance! :rolleyes:
 
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canbelto said:
Also Jason Brown. I like his skating but his jumping weaknesses again make me nervous. And I don't find his artistry that overwhelming that I can just forget about his wonky landings.
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I have to agree, but admit I was afraid to say it!
Also on my list would be Chock and Bates, very entertaining and fantastic lifts but, for me, the weaker skating skills/weaker technical elements (RD pattern, step sequences etc.) don't justify some of the GOE and skating skills marks they get.
 
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