sonsofanarchy
Banned Member
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There are different degrees of competitiveness and rivalry. There are periods totally dominated by one or two people. Like the 2011-2014 quad for dance with Virtue & Moir and Davis & White. And the 2015-2018 quad for dance with Papadakis & Cizeron and Virtue & Moir, despite V&M skating only 2 of the seasons. The 85-88 quad for women totally dominated by just Witt and Thomas, apart from Manley surprising at the very end. Then there are ones with more balanced competitiveness that is more on par with the average like the 89-92 quad for women with Ito and Yamaguchi generally the top 2 but Trenary, Harding, Kerrigan, also doing well and contending for gold at some point. The 89-92 quad for men with a similar situation with Browning and Petrenko leading the way, but Fadeev, Bowman, Wylie, Barna, all challenging as well.
Then there are the really unusually wide open quads per discipline though. Some examples of this for me would be:
Ice dance 1999-2002- Looking across the quad 5 different teams- Anissina & Peizerat, Krylova & Ovsiannikov, Fusar Poli & Margalio, Lobacheva & Averbuhk, Bourne & Kraatz won a major title at some point. You also had Drobiazko & Vanagas who were always in contention for a possible bronze medal, and Chait & Shaknovsky as world medalists. I would say for dance standards this was unusually wide open, much more than the average. Probably not as much as the next though.
Ice dance 2003-2006- The 2006 Olympics sums up the whole quad in a way as you had atleast 8 or 9 teams- Navka & Kostomarov the gold medal favorites, Belbin & Agosto, Denkova & Stayviski, Dubreuil & Lauzon, Grushina & Goncharov, Drobiazko & Vanagas who were coming back, Fusar Poli & Margalio who were coming back, Delobel & Schoenfelder, maybe even Chait & Shaknovsky who had a real chance of medaling going in. Pretty much an unheard of situation in dance ever. Belbin & Agosto won the Olympic silver after being only 6th in the compulsory dance where they didn't make an error (although everyone was closely lumped). Grushina & Goncharov who many still believe were a very weak team somehow wound up on the podium at both the 2005 worlds and 2006 Olympics, and nearly the 2004 worlds too. In total 7 different teams were on the podium at worlds this quadrennial.
Ice dance 2007-2010- I think this was also fairly wide open for ice dance standards. 4 different teams won worlds, and 9 different teams were on the podium at worlds. The 2008 World Champions were favored to win the 2009 worlds but did not even compete due to injury, the 2009 World Champions had been favored to win the 2008 Worlds but did not compete due to injury. Davis & White come up at the end of the quad and won the Olympic silver after not making a podium at worlds up until then.
Men 2007-2010- This has to be easily the most chaotic and unpredictable quad for men ever. Going into the 2010 Olympics there were probably 10 men who had a shot of medalling, with atleast 7 of those with a shot at winning the gold, with no real clear favorite, and no a clearly past his prime Plushenko was not the big favorite. Lysacek ending as both 2009 World Champion and 2010 Olympic Champion was a big surprise to a lot of people, and that he did this after dropping to 3rd at his own Nationals in 2009 and not winning his own Nationals in 2010, is just one of many examples of this messy quad.
Men 2003-2006- This quad was nearly as messy and competitive in some ways, but the one huge difference is there was a dominant person on top- Plushenko, unlike 2007-2010.
Pairs 1995-1998- This was definitely the most chaotic and unpredictable quad ever for pairs. You had 8 different teams step to the podium at the 4 worlds. Often you went into events with 5 or 6 gold contenders, and there was not a consistent or dominant top pair this entire quad. Kazahkova & Dmitriev wound up winning the 98 Olympics after winning only 1 bronze in World Championships, and winning the Grand Prix final/ Europeans a combined 1 time only. Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze became the heavy favorites for the 98 Olympics despite only having 1 worlds under their belt, a disaesterous 9th (when they were medal contenders in their world debut and 3rd after the short) in 97, but wound up with silver. Eltsova & Bushkov were 1st and 2nd at the two pre Olympic worlds but only 7th at the Olympics. Kovarkova & Novotny and Shishkova & Naumov started the quad on top, but K&N retired after winning the 95 worlds, and S&N did not even make the 98 Olympic team after dropping to only 4th ranked in Russia by both 97 and 98. Woetzel & Steuer were probably the most consistent, winning each of Europeans, Grand Prix final, Worlds and usually winding up in the medals in each event; but still neither dominant or truly consistent, winning their world title with a splat and other errors, injured at the Olympics were they won bronze, and missing the podium at the 95 worlds after blowing up in the long and dropping from 2nd to 5th. They also lost their lead at many events they were 1st after the short like 96 Europeans, 96 worlds, 98 Grand Prix final after falling in the long, and were often injured, yet by virtual default they were the most consistent of the top pairs this quad.
Pairs 1981-1984/Ladies 1981-1984- These would have to qualify. A slew of different people entering in and out of contention, many of the contenders in 81 and 82 not even making it to Sarajevo, and some of the major events in this cycle were like a lotto board, especialy the ladies worlds in 81 and 82. The Soviet pairs were in an unusual amount of disarray this period, although they find their consistent leaders in Valova & Vasiliev by the end.
Do you enjoy these unusually competitive and unpredictable quads in a discipline or not so much?
Then there are the really unusually wide open quads per discipline though. Some examples of this for me would be:
Ice dance 1999-2002- Looking across the quad 5 different teams- Anissina & Peizerat, Krylova & Ovsiannikov, Fusar Poli & Margalio, Lobacheva & Averbuhk, Bourne & Kraatz won a major title at some point. You also had Drobiazko & Vanagas who were always in contention for a possible bronze medal, and Chait & Shaknovsky as world medalists. I would say for dance standards this was unusually wide open, much more than the average. Probably not as much as the next though.
Ice dance 2003-2006- The 2006 Olympics sums up the whole quad in a way as you had atleast 8 or 9 teams- Navka & Kostomarov the gold medal favorites, Belbin & Agosto, Denkova & Stayviski, Dubreuil & Lauzon, Grushina & Goncharov, Drobiazko & Vanagas who were coming back, Fusar Poli & Margalio who were coming back, Delobel & Schoenfelder, maybe even Chait & Shaknovsky who had a real chance of medaling going in. Pretty much an unheard of situation in dance ever. Belbin & Agosto won the Olympic silver after being only 6th in the compulsory dance where they didn't make an error (although everyone was closely lumped). Grushina & Goncharov who many still believe were a very weak team somehow wound up on the podium at both the 2005 worlds and 2006 Olympics, and nearly the 2004 worlds too. In total 7 different teams were on the podium at worlds this quadrennial.
Ice dance 2007-2010- I think this was also fairly wide open for ice dance standards. 4 different teams won worlds, and 9 different teams were on the podium at worlds. The 2008 World Champions were favored to win the 2009 worlds but did not even compete due to injury, the 2009 World Champions had been favored to win the 2008 Worlds but did not compete due to injury. Davis & White come up at the end of the quad and won the Olympic silver after not making a podium at worlds up until then.
Men 2007-2010- This has to be easily the most chaotic and unpredictable quad for men ever. Going into the 2010 Olympics there were probably 10 men who had a shot of medalling, with atleast 7 of those with a shot at winning the gold, with no real clear favorite, and no a clearly past his prime Plushenko was not the big favorite. Lysacek ending as both 2009 World Champion and 2010 Olympic Champion was a big surprise to a lot of people, and that he did this after dropping to 3rd at his own Nationals in 2009 and not winning his own Nationals in 2010, is just one of many examples of this messy quad.
Men 2003-2006- This quad was nearly as messy and competitive in some ways, but the one huge difference is there was a dominant person on top- Plushenko, unlike 2007-2010.
Pairs 1995-1998- This was definitely the most chaotic and unpredictable quad ever for pairs. You had 8 different teams step to the podium at the 4 worlds. Often you went into events with 5 or 6 gold contenders, and there was not a consistent or dominant top pair this entire quad. Kazahkova & Dmitriev wound up winning the 98 Olympics after winning only 1 bronze in World Championships, and winning the Grand Prix final/ Europeans a combined 1 time only. Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze became the heavy favorites for the 98 Olympics despite only having 1 worlds under their belt, a disaesterous 9th (when they were medal contenders in their world debut and 3rd after the short) in 97, but wound up with silver. Eltsova & Bushkov were 1st and 2nd at the two pre Olympic worlds but only 7th at the Olympics. Kovarkova & Novotny and Shishkova & Naumov started the quad on top, but K&N retired after winning the 95 worlds, and S&N did not even make the 98 Olympic team after dropping to only 4th ranked in Russia by both 97 and 98. Woetzel & Steuer were probably the most consistent, winning each of Europeans, Grand Prix final, Worlds and usually winding up in the medals in each event; but still neither dominant or truly consistent, winning their world title with a splat and other errors, injured at the Olympics were they won bronze, and missing the podium at the 95 worlds after blowing up in the long and dropping from 2nd to 5th. They also lost their lead at many events they were 1st after the short like 96 Europeans, 96 worlds, 98 Grand Prix final after falling in the long, and were often injured, yet by virtual default they were the most consistent of the top pairs this quad.
Pairs 1981-1984/Ladies 1981-1984- These would have to qualify. A slew of different people entering in and out of contention, many of the contenders in 81 and 82 not even making it to Sarajevo, and some of the major events in this cycle were like a lotto board, especialy the ladies worlds in 81 and 82. The Soviet pairs were in an unusual amount of disarray this period, although they find their consistent leaders in Valova & Vasiliev by the end.
Do you enjoy these unusually competitive and unpredictable quads in a discipline or not so much?
