What are your favourite lesser-known / obscure skaters?

[bardtoob]

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[cs.berlin]

Mikkeline Kierkgaard made an impression ...

Oh, yes, very much ...

 

[DeathSpiraling]

I love Javier Raya (ES), and air guitarist Tatsuki Machida (JPN), while neither are unknown or obscure Tatsuki's retirement after Sochi caught me by surprise. Ivett Tóth (HUN) my birthday twin sister and her rocking AC/DC program plus seriously edgy costumes is my fav ladies.

I know that they aren't obscure or lesser known but I love and miss pairs Valentina Marchei/Ondřej Hotárek (ITA) esp their Barbie & Ken routine, and very famous Tatiana Totmianina/‎Maxim Marinin (RUS). Also I love these ice dancers Justyna Plutowska/Jérémie Flemin (POL) and Yura Min/ Alexander Gamelin (KOR).

 

[text_skate]

Justyna Plutowska/Jérémie Flemin (POL)

This.

 

[susieB129]

Not exactly a "favorite skater" story, but ... Back in the late '90s/early '00s there was a South African skater named Shirene Human. I was struck by her unusual name and by the fact she was skating for SA, not exactly a hotbed for the sport. For years she competed at Worlds and never made it out of Qualifying. One year she did, barely, and I remember being so thrilled for her.

 

[gk_891]

Another skater I might mention is Mirko Muller although I'm not sure if he counts as obscure or lesser known since he won a world bronze medal at the 1998 pairs event. He had such beautiful extension and posture.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Spins under 6.0, and particularly the men, were perfunctory at best so Neil's stood out.

They still would.

 

[DORISPULASKI]

Rena Inoue, partially for her incredible grit for skating pairs after developing lung cancer, and partially for her amazing Olympic SP with John Baldwin, which has the first throw 3A in the Olympics, and is stil the best throw 3A I have ever seen performed

Rena INOUE & John BALDWIN USA Short Program Torino 2006 Olympic Games

Rena INOUE & John BALDWIN USA Short Program Torino 2006 Olympic Games

youtu.be

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

For me, it's Emily Samuelson. With skating skills that were the equal of Evan Bates (her partner at the time) and her long lithe body with legs for days, she looked like a star in the making.

This FD from the 2010 Nationals was my favorite Samuelson/Bates program:

2010 Nationals FD Samuelson & Bates.avi

www.youtube.com

I loved their 'Let Yourself Go' Short Dance from the 2008/09 season, which I saw twice at the US Championships in Cleveland, and later, at the Four Continents Championships in Vancouver.

 

[briancoogaert]

Another skater I might mention is Mirko Muller although I'm not sure if he counts as obscure or lesser known since he won a world bronze medal at the 1998 pairs event. He had such beautiful extension and posture.

Amazing. The perfect partner !

 

[gk_891]

Amazing. The perfect partner !

He really was. Such a fine skater. It's too bad he didn't find another high caliber partner after Peggy retired (although I thought he was quite a bit better than Peggy).

For whatever reason, I always pictured him skating with Elena Belousovskaya/Olena Bilousivska. Whether that pairing would've actually worked though is something I'm not sure of.

 

[text_skate]

I always like Swiss skater Jamal Othman. He had good spins, looks, obviously, and sometimes jumps, too.

 

[Jot the Dot Dot]

Nicole Watt . Known as the 'Mighty Mite from Melfort' (Saskatchewan), she had a brief career, and was known for competing in spite of dealing with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis since she was 8. Finally had to retire when her condition was too overwhelming, she is currently studying medicine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cBzCeRQir8

Nicole Watt CAN - 2001 Four Continents SP

SP : 17th, LP : 11th, 11th place7th-10th Feb., Salt Lake City, USA

www.youtube.com

 

[coppertop1]

Nicole Watt . Known as the 'Mighty Mite from Melfort' (Saskatchewan), she had a brief career, and was known for competing in spite of dealing with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis since she was 8. Finally had to retire when her condition was too overwhelming, she is currently studying medicine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cBzCeRQir8

Nicole Watt CAN - 2001 Four Continents SP

SP : 17th, LP : 11th, 11th place7th-10th Feb., Salt Lake City, USA

www.youtube.com

I remember her. She had spunk and guts. It was too bad she had to retire young.

For me:
Jeff Langdon. He had a brief stint on the World Team and made the Olympic Team in 1998. He was the first of many to be thought as the Next One. He saved Canada's second berth for the 1999 Worlds. Unfortunately, injuries derailed him. He was always a classy guy.

 

[alj5]

Agree about so many of everyone's choices.

At the moment, the one that keeps in my mind is Yukina Ota of Japan. Another beautiful skater plagued by injuries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUy6MZEMLmA

 

[VenusH.]

Not exactly a "favorite skater" story, but ... Back in the late '90s/early '00s there was a South African skater named Shirene Human. I was struck by her unusual name and by the fact she was skating for SA, not exactly a hotbed for the sport. For years she competed at Worlds and never made it out of Qualifying. One year she did, barely, and I remember being so thrilled for her.

Oh I remember her too.

 

[Angela-Fan]

Danielle and Steve Hartsell
Jonathan Cassar

 

[Jot the Dot Dot]

Not sure if these are obscure enough, but here it goes:

Elene Gedevanishvili : From the Republic of Georgia, she was known for, among other things, being rather zaftig for a female figure skater:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nlfrWyo_fI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrGeoOclvwk

Tugba Karademir : From Turkey, nicknamed Tuggy by North American fans, even though her name is pronounced Tooba as the 'g' is silent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrxxDdR2fwQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsfcawwz2Kk

Rory Flack : American, known for her backflips and Russian-splits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqMDli9fah0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uclL44PYRU

 

[kwanfan1818]

Othman was a beautiful, full-body mover.

I also loved Silvio Smalun:

Silvio Smalun - Europeans 2006 LP

His best technical performance to this amazing piece of choreography. Silvio is God.

www.youtube.com

 

[Finnice]

Othman was a beautiful, full-body mover.

I also loved Silvio Smalun:

Silvio Smalun - Europeans 2006 LP

His best technical performance to this amazing piece of choreography. Silvio is God.

www.youtube.com

Loved both of these two. Both were unconsistent, but when at heir best, so voidy to watch. Oh the German men with Smalun, Lindemann and one of my all-time-favourites, Andrejs Vlascenko!

 

[kwanfan1818]

I was so happy to see Lindemann skate that well in 2004, and I also loved Vlascenko. Bobrin did such wonderful programs for him.

I can't find one of my very favorites on YouTube, his 2003-4 Circus Princess FS, but here is his "Blues for the Clock"

Andrejs Vlascenko (GER) - 1999 World Figure Skating Championships, Men's Short Program (US, ESPN)

Helsinki, FINLAND - 1999 World Figure Skating Championships, Men's Short Program - Andrejs Vlascenko of Germany placed 7th in the Short Program. With his 4t...

www.youtube.com

 

[kwanfan1818]

Grunberg/Rand are only lesser-known because Grunberg had to retire due to injury. I can't find my favorite program of theirs online, but this program was the FD that helped them win silver at 2007 Jr. Worlds:

Grethe Grünberg and Kristian Rand 2007 Junior Worlds FD

The free dance that secured them the second place at the 2007 Junior Worlds in Obersdorf

www.youtube.com

 

[Bellanca]

Lesser-known/obscure: prior to TSL, Jennifer Kirk. Jenny may not technically fit the category, but certainly tops the list for best dressed, best coiffed. Girl knew how to present herself on the ice.

And, Sean Rabbit because well ... he’s Sean Rabbitt! There is only one ! Need I say more.

 

[blue_idealist]

I forgot about them until now, but I've been re-watching old videos since COVID started, and I realized how lovely Katerina Berankova/Otta Dlabola were. I didn't appreciate them enough at the time. They remind me of Ruest/Wolfe a bit because they had such an elegant quality about them but were prone to technical errors.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Berankova/Dlabola were one of my favorite Pairs when they were skating. She had exquisite back position and toe point in the lifts.

 

[Areski]

Loved both of these two. Both were unconsistent, but when at heir best, so voidy to watch. Oh the German men with Smalun, Lindemann and one of my all-time-favourites, Andrejs Vlascenko!

How come I've completely forgotten about Smalun. I need to refresh my memory with this clip.

 

[Jot the Dot Dot]

Anna Semenovich . Russian ice-dancer. If the name doesn't ring a bell, in 1995, she teamed up with Vladimir Fedorov, who had just broken up with Angelika Krylova. S & F lasted 4 years and yielded 7 medals. They would break up, and she would have 2 more partnerships before retiring in 2001 due to injury. Here are two of S & F's performances:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvFVoCEEc0k&t=120s

Anna Semenovich & Vladimir Fedorov - 1997 Russian Test Skate FD part 1

www.youtube.com

She would soon begin modelling, acting and singing careers, before briefly returning to the ice in 2010 for a Russian reality show where one is paired up, in her case, with actor Alexei Makarov. And, a simple observation is that she, uh, sprouted ? Dwarfs even ElGed and The Kween!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX0bUp3PuFA

 

[layman]

Some that have fascinated me over the years:

Anna Rechnio, Stannick Jeannette, Kristine Musademba, Yebin Mok, Armin Mahbanoozedeh, Ilia Klimkin, Ludmilla Nelidina, Tiffany and Johnny Steigler, Steigler/Marjorov, Matthews/Zavosin, Ann Patrice McDonough, Rohene Ward, Agnes Zawadski, Christine Zukowski, Emanuel Savary, Andrea Gardiner, Ryan Jahnke, Parker Pennington, Yasmin Siraj....

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I do love me some Kaliani Craine... dont know if she counts but she only made GP this year because of withdrawals.

Isadora Williams is a cutey-petutie

And lets not forget the multifaceted, multitalented Lynn Holly Johnson of Ice Castles fame, who was indeed a competitor.

Margot Robbie is a lesser known skater (tee-hee)

 

[skateycat]

I have had a soft spot in my heart for Vakhtang Murvanidze (GEO) ever since I saw him at 2002 Skate America.