Figure skaters that drew you into Figure Skating?

[Areski]

So what was your first ''love'' among Figure Skaters? Who drew you in at first? Or did you follow it without having your darlings? My first faves were Yagudin & (Anissina / Peizerat) around 1998. They really drew me into this sport.

Have you ever had skating ''crush'', as a child I was mesmerized by Maria Butyrskaya beauty

 

[misskarne]

Why of course, it was the King.

 

[gk_891]

Midori Ito and Oksana Grishuk & Evgeni Platov
And to a lesser extent Gordeeva & Grinkov and Mishkutenok & Dmitriev

My love for Klimova & Ponomarenko and Torvill & Dean came a little later

 

[AxelAnnie]

Tara Lipinski.....what could be better than her first win at US nats, and her LP at that first Worlds! Fantastic.
And Dick Button's "Good grief, what have we wrought on the world?"

 

[berthesghost]

Peggy

 

[Debrah]

Toller!!!

 

[barbarafan]

ludmilla and oleg protopopov Janet Lynn Toller Cranston Tracey wilson and Rob McCaul

 

[skatingcheckers]

Gordeeva and Grinkov first drew me in ... I remember so clearly watching them in their first Olympics. I also loved Mishkutenok. and Dmitriev.

 

[giselle23]

Michelle Kwan

 

[Madhatter]

First time: Grishuk/Platov and Yagudin

Second time: Hanyu

 

[DreamSkates]

Hard to pick just one - I could list at least 2 dozen from several countries- but if I had to pick one, I'll go with a US skater, Michelle Kwan.
After her era - Nathan Chen is the most exciting figure skater that has come along in US skating.

 

[Dobre]

Katarina Witt

 

[el henry]

The first time:

Toller. Who else?

Then I drifted away, by 2000, stopped watching.

The second time: In 2014, I saw Jason Brown quite by accident. Riverdance. Gave me hope there still might be Tollers out there. And I came back.

 

[DimaToe]

Johnny Weir and Mao Asada in Vancouver

But then i "discovered" Michelle Kwan on YouTube and here I am today.

 

[Simone411]

Peggy, Dorothy, Jozef (Jumpin' Joe), Bryan Orser, Katarina, Rosalynn and Scott. My mom loved watching the Olympics, and I credit her for me falling in love with Figure Skating. We so looked forward to watching the Olympics. The 1984 Olympics was the last Winter Olympics she got to see since she passed away in 1987. I know that my mom would have loved so many of the skaters now if she was alive to see and watch them.

I truly believe she would have loved Michelle Kwan, Todd Eldredge and probably all of the skaters like I do. <3

 

[petro]

Jeffrey Buttle 2005 Worlds.

I grew up loving Michelle Kwan and Maria Butyrskaya, but only watched because my sister was into it. After seeing Jeffrey (and Stephane Lambiel) in 2005 I have been hooked on the sport for good.

 

[VGThuy]

Michelle Kwan. She's the reason for my skating obsession and why my poor family and now friends and fiancé have to endure it. When I saw her Nagano LP, I was never the same.

Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze and Sale/Pelletier introduced me to the beauty of pair skating and Shen/Zhao brought it to new heights.

Anissina/Peizerat were my introduction to and first love in ice dance and it's now my favorite discipline.

Alexei Yagudin made me realize Mens skating was more exciting to watch than the ladies.

The 1999-2002 were my real formative years in developing me into a well-rounded skating fan. 2002-2006 was my maturation period.

 

[el henry]

Peggy, Dorothy, Jozef (Jumpin' Joe), Bryan Orser, Katarina, Rosalynn and Scott. My mom loved watching the Olympics, and I credit her for me falling in love with Figure Skating. We so looked forward to watching the Olympics. The 1984 Olympics was the last Winter Olympics she got to see since she passed away in 1987. I know that my mom would have loved so many of the skaters now if she was alive to see and watch them.

I truly believe she would have loved Michelle Kwan, Todd Eldredge and probably all of the skaters like I do. <3

Your post about your mother resonates with me, Simone411. My mom is the reason I sat in front of a black and white TV and watched Toller on Wide World of Sports. She was the first FS fan among Henry's!

She passed in October 2013, and it sounds silly, but one of the things I think about is how much she would have *looooved* Jason. More than me, (yes that's possible) But somehow, I do think she's watching

 

[Simone411]

Your post about your mother resonates with me, Simone411. My mom is the reason I sat in front of a black and white TV and watched Toller on Wide World of Sports. She was the first FS fan among Henry's!

She passed in October 2013, and it sounds silly, but one of the things I think about is how much she would have *looooved* Jason. More than me, (yes that's possible) But somehow, I do think she's watching

You are so right! I had to make me a seat belt for my wheelchair for whenever I watch Jason skate! I forgot and jumped up one time with glee when I saw his River Dance program. I nearly fell, and that's when I realized I better be secure from then on!

I think my mom would have loved Jason, too, because of how much I love him. ITA about your mom watching. I think my mom's watching too! <3

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Katarina Witt, Jill Trenary

Mishutenok & Dmitriev, Brasseur & Eisler

 

[sap5]

Sergei Grinkov, 94 Oly LP. I thought he looked like a movie star and skated like a dream. It's funny because I barely noticed Katia.

 

[Vagabond]

John Misha Petkevich, Janet Lynn, and the Protopopovs.

I will never ever get over my first loves!

 

[Lanie]

Gordeeva/Grinkov. One of my earliest memories, period, is watching them skate!

I also remember watching Torvill and Dean in 1994 (I was 8); my dad talked about them like they were Jesus walking on water. He was roiling in jealousy that I met Christopher Dean at Worlds in Boston. Heh.

 

[chapis]

I liked figure skating in general superficially, but when I watched to Mao GPF LP 2007 I became so obsessed with her that I started to follow figure skating more seriously, learning rules, types of jumps, scoring, competitions, forums,etc.

 

[Lys]

 

[gkelly]

As a fan . . . Tonya Harding and Isabelle Duchesnay. I like macho women.

 

[bardtoob]

Boitano, Witt, Thomas, Ito, Harding, and Yamaguchi got my attention . . . but I became a fan when I saw this 13 year old Michelle Kwan, who was both competing against Harding and was still recorded at the side of the rink saying, "Wow!!!" when Harding did her 3Lz, then she delivered at Worlds in 1994, then she out jumped everybody at 1995 Worlds, then she won Worlds in 1996 . . . I just liked her.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

Gordeeva and Grinkov 1988. I wanted to be Katia. I also loved watching Witt and Boitano.

 

[Shyjosie]

When watching FS as a child, it was the era of soviet skaters, and I admired pairs skater Irina Rodnina: for her persistance, her athleticism and her dominance. I couldn't express it like this back then but I think that either Ulanov and Zaitsev were just there for the ride. All attention was on her.
When I came back to FS in the early 90s after a long break, it were Klimova/Ponomarenko who caught my attention. ....but my heart went out to the Duchesnays, and stayed with them. I like their athletic, strong skating, and also their personalities. They made me get back to figure skating myself after a 10-year break.

 

[paskatefan]

Brian Orser - 1984, and the "Battle of the Brians" in 1988
Midori Ito - 1988
Katia & Sergei - 1988

Since then - Kurt Browning, Paul Wylie, Todd Eldredge, Michelle Kwan, Yuka Sato, Sasha Cohen, Satoko Miahara, Fumie Suguri, Mao Asada, Shizuka Arakawa, Miki Ando, Mirai Nagasu, Allissa Czisny, Elvis Stojko, Jeff Buttle, Matt Savoie, Max Aaron, Adam Rippon, Jason Brown, Sean Rabbitt, Javi Fernandez, Michal Brezina, Ross Miner, Ilia Kulik, Taka Kozuka, Nathan Chen, Tanith & Ben, the Shibs, Meryl & Charlie, B&K, K&O, Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig, Maddie Aaron & Max Settledge, Shen & Zhao, Sui & Han, Aliona & Robin (& now with Bruno), Lyubov I. & Dylan Moskovitch, ...