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

[Coco]

Kostner...

I don't hate her. I did enjoy her more when she took out the jumps she was constantly missing. I can appreciate when she does something well.

But the way people fawn over her, she just doesn't do it for me.

 

[olympic]

A lot of the comments make me think of others:

Rosalynn Sumners - Even as a teen, I recognized that Dick and Peggy pushed Roz and her swingy jumps (thanks @floskate) so far down my throat that it practically made me vomit. Then again, I don't know if she fits the criteria because was she even universally loved? I guess by the USFSA and U.S. commentators.

Carolina Kostner - I say before 2010, she was one of those skaters who would show up and collect high marks for mistake-riddled programs. It colored the way I saw her and I think she was overrated, but from 2010 Worlds onward, I don't feel the same way.

 

[Miki89]

I didn't enjoy Kostner's skating at all before 2011. The judges were fawning over her and giving her medals when she barely stayed on her feet through the programs imo. I have to say I was a little surprised that they held back a little in Sochi over her scores on that rare occasion when it could have been justified. I guess Russia was much more powerful than any other European country in skating. They did make up for it a bit by giving her a medal even though she kinda bombed the long at 2014 Worlds.

I recently watched the 1984 Ladies event. I get why Dick and Peggy loved Sumners. Her skating was more refined than Witt, but I think the latter had more star quality. I personally thought Tiffany Chin was the best in both the short and long, and was robbed of a medal.

 

[flyingsit]

Virtue/Moir
Slutskaya
Cohen
Wagner
Plushenko
Weir
Chock
Lipnitskaya

 

[Fiero425]

Michelle Kwan When I first started watching skating she was the all that but she seemed to be skating the same thing over and over with Tosca, Aranjuez, Scheherazade, Bolero, and, well, I never “got” her.

Never cared for her either; even as a kid! The constant fawning; even by so called professionals like Buttons and Bezic nauseated me! They can still go overboard heaping praise on MK, but turn around and be ruthlessly brutal to someone they didn't like Surya Bonaly! MK's programs were as structured as anything; same type of music, same ol' tired jumps, and programs! For someone people try to rival Sonja Henning with, I'd think they'd expect more! She never pushed the envelope! You can count on one hand her actually doing anything differently outside of the errors! IIRC she did a 3 Lutz/2 (3)Lp combo once trying to keep up with Tara L. The judges eventually got tired of her and started awarding wins to Irina S.; even when not deserved like at 2001 GP Final with just 3 triples completed! Michelle (5 Triples) and her camp had that "look" like "we was robbed again!" I'd have more sympathy for her if she hadn't taken an undeserved GOLD or 2 herself!

 

[casken]

A lot of the names mentioned here I was considering mentioning, but left out becuase they weren't universally praised enough. For example, Stojko was only really beloved by Canadians and Scott Hamilton.

I think more of skaters like Hamilton or Browning as example becuase they are framed as skaters "everyone" loves, or is supposed to love. Hamilton was considered a crowd pleaser, but his performances were always my fridge breaks. Browning's Casablanca FS was almost universally cited as some sort of masterpiece at the time, but I actively disliked it, etc.

 

[quartz]

Todd Eldridge
Evan Lysacek
Tim Goebel
Madison Chock
Alissa Czisny
Jenni Meno
Todd Sand
Johnny Weir

 

[heartyxo]

Dance:

-Hubbell/Donohue: even when they had good programs I never really connected with them.
-ShibSibs: while two of the most technically proficient in the business and they deserved all their results, most of their programs were so boring to me (don’t worry, Fix You is an exception)
-Sinitsina/Katsalapov: again, DULL.
-Stepanova/Bukin: I feel like they’re the most popular current team on social media and I frankly have no idea how they ended up in that position.

In other disciplines: Yuzuru Hanyu, Satoko Miyahara, Evgenia Medvedeva, Liza Tuktamysheva, Tarasova/Morozov.

 

[Sarrie]

Virtue/Moir
Hubbell/Donohue
ShibSibs
Yuna Kim
Patrick Chan
Nancy Kerrigan

I can appreciate their skill but none ever hit that chord for me.

 

[Rebecca Moose]

MK's programs were as structured as anything; same type of music, same ol' tired jumps, and programs! For someone people try to rival Sonja Henning with, I'd think they'd expect more! She never pushed the envelope!

bbc!

so you're trying to tell me that

salome
taj mahal
lyra
ariane
song of the black swan
scheherazade

were all the same music and same programs? no way. these are some of the most diverse and complex programs ever. that's undeniable. yet your girl surya skated the same vivaldi program four years.

if you can't see that I don't know what to tell you, babe.

MAYBE at the end of her career all of michelle's programs looked the same and were getting boring and empty. but still better than most of her competitors.

and what does a nazi relic like sonia henie have to do with anything?

 

[Ananas Astra]

Michelle Kwan
Evan Lysacek
Virtue/Moir
Carolina Kostner
Shibutanis
Patrick Chan

 

[VGThuy]

I find this question to be strange for me because I do personally hold most of the skaters in my list in "high-regard" because I can recognize things that they do well. Some times am even amazed with. I guess this is a mix of skaters I personally do not "feel" and/or feel the fans overrate to the point of annoyance (to me).

Ladies

Tonya Harding - outside of that Triple Lutz circa 1994 and that triple axel. I mean "Wild Thing" provides the LOLs but that's it.

Surya Bonaly - outside of 1995 Worlds and 1998 Olympics SP. That Four Seasons LP she did forever was snooze-worthy.

Sasha Cohen - I think skaters should skate with edges. She did improve by 2006. I never bought her musical expression or connection with the music, if there was any.

Irina Slutskaya - I hold her skating to even less esteem now than I did at the time.

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".

Yuna Kim/Mao Asada - They come in a pair for me. I think Kim had some A-level performances but I never really felt anything from her. Mao is simply exquisite in her gala performances nowadays, but her competitive routines were just blah to me.

Oksana Baiul - Never got her outside her Swan Lake SP.

Ashley Wagner - I don't think she was ever underscored or received a placement lower than she should have received - ever!

Men

Evgeny Plushenko - after 2004.

Brian Joubert - I fell asleep during one of his Matrix LP performances from 2004 much less all the other times after.

Patrick Chan pre-2015.

Yuzuru Hanyu

Adam Rippon


Ice Dance

Navka/Kostomorov - I didn't even think the headband was interesting.

Davis/White - I really wished I liked them, but they're just so rushy rushy and had like no dance abilities.

Ilinykh/Katsalapov - Their choreography was super empty.

Papadakis/Cizeron - only some times. Other times I totally get why they are the shizz-nit. I think their flaws get overlooked A LOT.

Hubbell/Donohue - outside of their Tron FD and their romantic 2016-17 FD. Their power and deep edges make up for a lot of deficiencies in people's eyes, IMO.

Duchesnays - They really were punching above their weight and it was their passion and anti-K/P-Soviet sentiment that got them those medals because their technique and content were not close to being on the same level as the three Soviet teams.

Grishuk/Platov post-1993. I respect a lot of what they did afterwards and the choreography she had to do is mind-blowing in terms of athleticism, but I just don't feel anything with these two.

Bestemianova/Bukin - post 1985 - kinda pushing it with this choice but I choose beloved/highly regarded by the judges at the time here if not by the fans.

Pairs

The list of Pairs I love will be a lot shorter.

 

[VGThuy]

bbc!

so you're trying to tell me that

salome
taj mahal
lyra
ariane
song of the black swan
scheherazade

were all the same music and same programs? no way. these are some of the most diverse and complex programs ever. that's undeniable. yet your girl surya skated the same vivaldi program four years.

if you can't see that I don't know what to tell you, babe.

MAYBE at the end of her career all of michelle's programs looked the same and were getting boring and empty. but still better than most of her competitors.

and what does a nazi relic like sonia henie have to do with anything?

It warms my heart that a poster with a huge Tara Lipinski avatar is defending Kwan. Maybe peace on Earth is possible!

 

[overedge]

A lot of the names mentioned here I was considering mentioning, but left out because they weren't universally praised enough. For example, Stojko was only really beloved by Canadians and Scott Hamilton.

Not all Canadians.

 

[Fiero425]

I find this question to be strange for me because I do personally hold most of the skaters in my list in "high-regard" because I can recognize things that they do well. Some times am even amazed with. I guess this is a mix of skaters I personally do not "feel" and/or feel the fans overrate to the point of annoyance (to me).

Ladies

Tonya Harding - outside of that Triple Lutz circa 1994 and that triple axel. I mean "Wild Thing" provides the LOLs but that's it.

Surya Bonaly - outside of 1995 Worlds and 1998 Olympics SP. That Four Seasons LP she did forever was snooze-worthy.

Sasha Cohen - I think skaters should skate with edges. She did improve by 2006. I never bought her musical expression or connection with the music, if there was any.

Irina Slutskaya - I hold her skating to even less esteem now than I did at the time.

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".

Yuna Kim/Mao Asada - They come in a pair for me. I think Kim had some A-level performances but I never really felt anything from her. Mao is simply exquisite in her gala performances nowadays, but her competitive routines were just blah to me.

Oksana Baiul - Never got her outside her Swan Lake SP.

Ashley Wagner - I don't think she was ever underscored or received a placement lower than she should have received - ever!

Men

Evgeny Plushenko - after 2004.

Brian Joubert - I fell asleep during one of his Matrix LP performances from 2004 much less all the other times after.

Patrick Chan pre-2015.

Yuzuru Hanyu

Adam Rippon


Ice Dance

Navka/Kostomorov - I didn't even think the headband was interesting.

Davis/White - I really wished I liked them, but they're just so rushy rushy and had like no dance abilities.

Ilinykh/Katsalapov - Their choreography was super empty.

Papadakis/Cizeron - only some times. Other times I totally get why they are the shizz-nit. I think their flaws get overlooked A LOT.

Hubbell/Donohue - outside of their Tron FD and their romantic 2016-17 FD. Their power and deep edges make up for a lot of deficiencies in people's eyes, IMO.

Duchesnays - They really were punching above their weight and it was their passion and anti-K/P-Soviet sentiment that got them those medals because their technique and content were not close to being on the same level as the three Soviet teams.

Grishuk/Platov post-1993. I respect a lot of what they did afterwards and the choreography she had to do is mind-blowing in terms of athleticism, but I just don't feel anything with these two.

Bestemianova/Bukin - post 1985 - kinda pushing it with this choice but I choose beloved/highly regarded by the judges at the time here if not by the fans.

Pairs

The list of Pairs I love will be a lot shorter.

I can't imagine arguing with anything mentioned; in the singles anyway! Never been big into Pairs and Dance even though I had a few faves like Anissina & Peizerat! Loved her lifts of him instead of the other way around! Most skaters have brief success; taking truly special individuals who can stay at a high level over 3-4 years! Who was more prodigious than Tara L., coming out of nowhere to steal MK's OG in Nagano at 16? I can still remember going to bed around 5 AM or so in California and the radio announcing the result! I couldn't have been more thrilled aside from Kulik taking the men's event over Elvis! Stojko had the same problem as Surya, but was able to overcome it somehow by just out-jumping the other men in '97; most of the time coming up short artistically to Alexei Urmanov!

I was initially resentful of Irina taking away from Surya in Europe, but after a while she also overtook Kwan to upset her at the GP Final & Worlds! Oksana without a doubt, the biggest/ultimate bust as a one-hit wonder! I was a fan of Yagudin before jumping ship to Tarasova! She brought out more in him artistically, but Plushenko's jumping ability cut Yag's Am. career short pushing him to do more than needed against other skaters! To this day, Alexei Y. might have been the best of all time if not for Plushenko! It wasn't that Evgeny was a better skater; Alexei couldn't phone it in at the big events! He needed 2 Quads to win and '01-02 pushed him so much, the damage was permanent and he had to leave th Am. ranks! Plushenko probably wouldn't have had all his successes if Alexei had been able to hang in there a couple more years! I can relate and have something to add about all the skaters mentioned, but need to go! BBL! Thx!

 

[canbelto]

About to get killed for this but ... I think G&G were the greatest pair of all time but I got tired of their programs. I got tired of the fluff pieces that portrayed their fairy-tale life, and how they often won even with mistakes.

It wasn't until years later that I realized that I was actually tired of Marina Zoueva's choreography and how once she found a formula for a pair she'd repeat that formula ad nauseum.

Now I can enjoy videos of their programs and marvel at their skating skills and just realize that I just find Zoueva to be a boring choreographer.

 

[Miki89]

About to get killed for this but ... I think G&G were the greatest pair of all time but I got tired of their programs. I got tired of the fluff pieces that portrayed their fairy-tale life, and how they often won even with mistakes.

It wasn't until years later that I realized that I was actually tired of Marina Zoueva's choreography and how once she found a formula for a pair she'd repeat that formula ad nauseum.

Now I can enjoy videos of their programs and marvel at their skating skills and just realize that I just find Zoueva to be a boring choreographer.

Blasphemy!

I think her choreography for singles skaters is pretty boring. But G &G and Zoueva were magic together.

 

[Lemonade20]

That got me thinking, are we judging skaters based on programs alone or their overall skating career? It’s easy to blame the choreography and outfits for ruining a program. I personally am surprised to see V&M make the list several times but I also get that people are tired of them. Some skaters aren’t strong technically but they do put on a memorable show everytime.

 

[Miki89]

That got me thinking, are we judging skaters based on programs alone or their overall skating career? It’s easy to blame the choreography and outfits for ruining a program. I personally am surprised to see V&M make the list several times but I also get that people are tired of them. Some skaters aren’t strong technically but they do put on a memorable show everytime.

Probably both. But I don't think most people are judging based on technical ability because many of the skaters listed were champions and among the best of all time. I usually find a skater boring if I don't like their programs, skating style, or if I find few or none of their performances emotionally compelling.

 

[canbelto]

Eh I got tired of alot of the moves she'd put in every program for G&G. Like them "kissing" in programs reminded me of the choreographed kisses I saw later in V&M programs.

 

[Lemonade20]

Probably both. But I don't think most people are judging based on technical ability because many of the skaters listed were champions and among the best of all time. I usually find a skater boring if I don't like their programs, skating style, or if I find few or none of their performances emotionally compelling.

Good point! It’s not how many medals you have in your pocket, but how you make someone feel when they see you perform on ice. I admit I’m not a fan of certain skaters because their social media personalities turn me off so much.

 

[screech]

Hubbell/Donohue - He fades into the background. And this is not an insult on her physically, since her body is banging, but I find she skates 'heavy'. And as a whole, they just don't do it for me.

Nathan Chen - I appreciate his technical ability, but absolutely nothing else about his skating stands out or is memorable to me. At all. Other than his horrible costumes.

Jason Brown - he's grown on me a bit, but I still can't really get behind him. In a lot of ways, I look at him as someone who burst onto the scene with a memorable program (Riverdance) and his follow up programs not holding up to that, but people holding him up to that (if I'm making sense). Also, I kind of see him as a reboot of Shawn Sawyer.

Mao Asada - While I 100% think she should have won the FP in Sochi, her skating just did nothing for me.

 

[Firedancer]

Hanyu
Plushenko
Kolyada
Miyahara
Trusova
Zagitova
Tarasova/Morozov
Kostner
Gillis/Poirier

I’m sure I will think of more as soon as I post this.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Papadakis+Cizeron.

Reductive, boring, pretentious.

-BB

 

[Aerobicidal]

Hanyu: When he tried to be sexy in his Prince program, it made me consider becoming a nun.
Fernandez: His non-POTO free programs were all irritatingly whimsical. I saw him live and was the only person who didn't give him a standing ovation.
Yuna Kim: Her shady tweet to Orser is the only interesting thing she ever did, IMO.
Davis and White and Virtue and Moir: I think Charlie White is a great person (and maybe Meryl and Tessa are, too), but I never enjoyed any of either team's programs except for the Bollywood OD.
Shibutanis: I liked them about three percent of the time but they usually made me angry.
Pre-Gadbois Chock and Bates: And this isn't an endorsement of Gadbois.
Hubbell and Donohue: There are times when I've rooted for them, but Zach seems like a raging douche and the fact that he tweeted an All Lives Matter hashtag didn't surprise me at all. (He did apologize, but seriously?!?)
Valentina Marchei: Disliked her as a singles skater, disliked her as a pairs skaters, and disliked her as an interview subject.
Volosozhar and Trankov: I disliked almost all of their programs, although I wouldn't dispute any of their placements.
Lipnitskaia: I don't know if she's beloved or highly regarded, but her Schindler's List program certainly is, and I didn't like that one bit.

Now, to compensate for the negativity, here are some non-beloved skating personalities I do love:
Galustyan
Loupolover
Brenda Bottems

I also liked a lot of Rika Hongo's programs as well as Coomes and Buckland's ultra-trashy Cirque du Elvis FD. I haven't seen the latter in years and might hate it if I watched it now, but I'm sticking with my opinion!

 

[Lemonade20]

Yuna Kim: Her shady tweet to Orser is the only interesting thing she ever did, IMO.

I don’t remember that one?

 

[VGThuy]

Hubbell and Donohue: There are times when I've rooted for them, but Zach seems like a raging douche and the fact that he tweeted an All Lives Matter hashtag didn't surprise me at all. (He did apologize, but seriously?!?)

. I had no idea.

 

[Lemonade20]

. I had no idea.

Unfortunately a lot of people say that. People don’t realize it has a negative undertone.

 

[Willin]

Any of the Eteri skaters... Not bad people, I just - their skating is very much not my aesthetic.

Virtue / Moir: I don't 'get' them, meaning I never felt emotion watching them skate or paused what I was doing to take them in visually. It does not mean I don't respect their accomplishments, understand their technical wizardry, and I don't disagree with 2010 as an example (I have my doubts about 2018).

You?

ITA about their skating.

I also found them having a vanity reality show really tacky - and from what I heard the content was just as tacky as the idea. The gossip from Michigan skaters and V/M's reaction to winning the silver in Sochi didn't help that image of them being vane and tacky, which made their skating seem even less interesting to me.

 

[MacMadame]

Any of the Eteri skaters... Not bad people, I just - their skating is very much not my aesthetic.

But their skating is all very different from each other.