New blog covering forgotten figure skaters from the past

[dee342]

Lenka Kulovana was a lovely skater! She struggled with the harder triples and could only do toe loops and salchows (maybe loop on a good day?) but she had great, strong basic and a classic style. AND she could do a 3toe3toe combo back in the days. The moment ladies was allowed to do 3,3s in the SP, Lenka found herself top six before the FS at Euros (1997?), skating in the final group. I think it was quite a shock to her, she wasn't used to the situation, and she had a bad performance in the FS, dropping like a stone. She disappeared after 1998 I think, not quite sure. IIRC Lenka was also the final skater in the SP at Lillehammer 94 Olympics. She skated a lovely, clean program, but got low marks due to lack of difficulty and the audience was not happy, booing the judges. I agreed she was lowballed, as I was no technique back then. Unfortunately I haven't seen the program since. (I was at the ladies sp live)

Zuzana Szwed I never saw live, but she was great at Euros 95, very powerful, and with a step seq on one foot covering the entire ice. Did she retire after that season?

Poland have had several strong ladies, it's worth looking into. Szwed, Anna Rechnio, Sabina Wojtala...

I remember that program from Zuzana Szwed. I think she skated to the Addams Family. That step sequence was impressive. I think I have that program on tape. Now I'll have to go look it up.

Sorry. My memory is failing me I was thinking of Krisztina Czako from Hungary with her Addams family program. She also had an impressive step sequence.

 

[dee342]

[QUOTE="
Zuzana Szwed (not sure of the spelling of her first or last name), but she skated for Poland in 1992, I think.

Kamilla Gainetdinova - Jr. Russian pairs skater. Is she still skating? I don't remember the name if her partner.[/QUOTE]

Now I'm watching 1996 Worlds thanks to this thread!

Elena Liashenko - Ukraine
Meijia Lu - China
Mojca Kopac - Slovenia
Hanae Yokoya - Japan


I'd forgotten about Dick Button going on about how her back leg in that spin was just awful! LOL. "I think they've let somebody loose in the recording studio listening to this music...some of the repeats were questionable". I miss Dick.

 

[Taso]

I saw Aaron Parchem skate at Skate America in 1993. He had a fantastic free skate, and he got a standing ovation. He had great outside spread eagles. The commentator said he takes his inspiration from Brian Boitano. It was evident from his style. I may have seen him skate later, but I dont remember. I didn't know he had married Zuzana.

The skater you saw at Skate America in 1993 was Aren Nielsen. Aaron Parchem was a US pairs skater in the early to mid-2000s

 

[alchemy void]

The skater you saw at Skate America in 1993 was Aren Nielsen. Aaron Parchem was a US pairs skater in the early to mid-2000s

@Taso Awesome signature, my friend. Happy New Year!

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I always wished I could have seen video of American Jill Sawyer. At the age of 14, she was pulling off 3lutz in the 1970s. She was world junior champion in 1978, but disappeared from the sport after the 1978 Prague Skate. Rumor is that it was a car accident that caused her retirement.

I forget if it was Joan Ryan's book, Little Girls In Pretty Boxes or Christine Brennan's Inside Edge, but yes, I believe, Jill's rise and fall, and her car accident, was briefly detailed in either of those books.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I always wished I could have seen video of American Jill Sawyer. At the age of 14, she was pulling off 3lutz in the 1970s. She was world junior champion in 1978, but disappeared from the sport after the 1978 Prague Skate. Rumor is that it was a car accident that caused her retirement.

To have a triple lutz back then would have been quite something. I would love to see footage of her skating, too. I may have a clip from her in 1981. I'll have to check.

Denise Biellmann landed an early version of her triple lutz at the 1978 European Championships, too.

 

[Vash01]

The skater you saw at Skate America in 1993 was Aren Nielsen. Aaron Parchem was a US pairs skater in the early to mid-2000s

Oops! My bad. Thanks for the correction.

I edited my post.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Oops! My bad. Thanks for the correction.

I edited my post.

I do love Aren Nielsen's skating though. He was amazing to watch in person at the 1992 and 1994 US National Championships. That guy had charisma for days.

 

[Vash01]

I do love Aren Nielsen's skating though. He was amazing to watch in person at the 1992 and 1994 US National Championships. That guy had charisma for days.

Now I can say how much I loved Aren Nielsen's LP at Skate America 1993.

He was perfect in that performance and he had the best outside spread eagles since Brian Boitano's in 1988. He took inspiration from Boitano and it was evident in his skating.

 

[Clay]

Lenka Kulovana was a lovely skater! IIRC Lenka was also the final skater in the SP at Lillehammer 94 Olympics. She skated a lovely, clean program, but got low marks due to lack of difficulty and the audience was not happy, booing the judges. I agreed she was lowballed, as I was no technique back then. Unfortunately I haven't seen the program since. (I was at the ladies sp live)


Zuzana Szwed I never saw live, but she was great at Euros 95, very powerful, and with a step seq on one foot covering the entire ice. Did she retire after that season?


Poland have had several strong ladies, it's worth looking into. Szwed, Anna Rechnio, Sabina Wojtala...

Kulovana 1994:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ_9hu5hhZQ

I think that was Szwed 1996's program here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmvz78SV8zE

Shame that even when the jumps failed, she didn't get enough credit for that 1 foot step sequence, IMO.

 

[Finnice]

Kulovana was one of my biggest faves in her time. She lacked big jumps, but was so expressive in a sublime way.

 

[floskate]

To have a triple lutz back then would have been quite something. I would love to see footage of her skating, too. I may have a clip from her in 1981. I'll have to check.

Denise Biellmann landed an early version of her triple lutz at the 1978 European Championships, too.

I've never seen Jill Sawyer skate sadly. I wish some footage could be found. Rumour has it that Denise Biellmann actually did a triple lutz at the 1976 Worlds in Gothenburg when she was only 13 but again, I have no proof. The 1978 one is generally regarded as the first by a lady despite the flawed landing.

I loved the Ovchinnikov blog. Many thanks!

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I've never seen Jill Sawyer skate sadly. I wish some footage could be found. Rumour has it that Denise Biellmann actually did a triple lutz at the 1976 Worlds in Gothenburg when she was only 13 but again, I have no proof. The 1978 one is generally regarded as the first by a lady despite the flawed landing.!

From memory, I think Dorothy Hamill may have stated in her autobiography or an interview at the time, that a thirteen year old Swiss girl did a triple lutz at Hamill's last competition in Sweden, and it concerned her with direction the sport was taking. She didn't mention Denise by name. But then, who else could it be?

The athlete I was thinking of who skated at the 1981 US Championships wasn't Sawyer, but another lady who attempted a triple lutz in her free skate. I'll need to check my DVD again to see who it was.

 

[gkelly]

The athlete I was thinking of who skated at the 1981 US Championships wasn't Sawyer, but another lady who attempted a triple lutz in her free skate. I'll need to check my DVD again to see who it was.

Was it Lynn Smith?
I have notes, from watching a videotape, in a form that are not very reliable, but that's the best guess I can make based on what I did note.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Was it Lynn Smith?
I have notes, from watching a videotape, in a form that are not very reliable, but that's the best guess I can make based on what I did note.

Smith was certainly a competitor at 81 Nationals. I'll need to dig up my disk again.

 

[briancoogaert]

Now I can say how much I loved Aren Nielsen's LP at Skate America 1993.

He was perfect in that performance and he had the best outside spread eagles since Brian Boitano's in 1988. He took inspiration from Boitano and it was evident in his skating.

I had never watched it ! Thank you ! It is, indeed, a great program and a great performance !

 

[cmk]

I would love to see some posts/articles on:
Alissa Czisny - She was a joy to watch. How is she doing now?
Matt Savoie - Good Olympic performance, How is she doing now?
Tania Kwiatkowski - I remember watching her when I was little and thought she could have been great. How is she doing now?
Holly Cook - Saw a video of her skating, and I was intrigued. How is she doing now? Is she still obsessed with bananas?
Rudy Galindo - I was little when I saw him win the US Championship and want to know more. How is she doing now?
Kira Ivanova - I am curious about her life after skating and wondered why she got murdered. Was she involved with the Russian mob?
Dagmar Lurz - I liked her skating from watching her YouTube videos. She kinda didn't have any personality on the ice and I wonder if she can explain why she didn't emote on the ice a lot. How is she doing now?
Debi Thomas - is she okay? She became a doctor, but is now not working and livin in a trailer in the middle of nowhere. Is there an update? Can USFSA help her rebuild her life? Maybe she can get a job as a USFSA doctor, but I hope she doesn't turn into someone like Larry Nassar. Figure skating has enough drama as it is.
Mark Mitchell - Wondered why he never moved up higher, I learned about him from his YouTube videos. He is so cute. Does he coach his students with advice that he learned from his mistakes when he was an amateur?

Tonia K and Rudy are coaching skating. Debi Thomas lost her medical license and is now trying to sell something called karat bars (looks like a pyramid scheme to me). Mark Mitchell was the coach of the skater that got bumped off the Olympic team so they could send Rippon.

 

[cmk]

Jill Sawyer is one of the figure skating coaches at Mountain View Ice Arena (the rink you saw Tonya H skating at on the abc 20/20 special).

 

[snoopysnake]

I'd like to hear more about:

Nathalie Krieg
Bobby Beauchamp
Norbert Schramm
Ryan Jahnke
Brandon Forsythe

 

[Jot the Dot Dot]

Well, there's always Liz Manley, she's now making a try at Equestrian sports! (Oh, I'd walk a mile for an equestrian!). http://oi66.tinypic.com/fc1ar.jpg

 

[puglover]

https://youtu.be/ib3KVbvSvr4

Cynthia Phaneuf was a great young skater. She won the Canadian national championship at 16 in 2004 and placed second at Four Continents. She could have been great competition for Joannie but injuries and growth got in her way. She did have a bit of a comeback and won the national competition again in 2011 - I think. I believe she is married to Maxine Talbot, a hockey player, and has several children now.

 

[LarrySK8]

Forgotten skater: Robert Wagenhoffer.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

https://youtu.be/ib3KVbvSvr4

Cynthia Phaneuf was a great young skater. She won the Canadian national championship at 16 in 2004 and placed second at Four Continents. She could have been great competition for Joannie but injuries and growth got in her way. She did have a bit of a comeback and won the national competition again in 2011 - I think. I believe she is married to Maxine Talbot, a hockey player, and has several children now.

The 2004 Canadian Championships were quite something. Phaneuf, Rochette, and even JRo brought their A Games. Another stand-out was Annie Bellemare, who skated an excellent free program. Her triple jumps were quite something, when she was on.

 

[puglover]

I remember Annie Bellemare. Wonderful jumps - as you say.

 

[Ananas Astra]

Since she popped up in another thread recently: Kristina Oblasova.
And while we're at it: Tatiana Basova, Ludmila Nelidina, Alsu "Lil Wayne" Kayumova, Rosa Scheveleva...

 

[Canadask8er]

The 2004 Canadian Championships were quite something. Phaneuf, Rochette, and even JRo brought their A Games. Another stand-out was Annie Bellemare, who skated an excellent free program. Her triple jumps were quite something, when she was on.

Agreed! I think if Annie had skated that way in previous years she would have won Canadians! There was a lot of hype for Joannie that year, but she had a bad SP IIRC. It was great to see the top 4 skate so well and really put the pressure on each other! Changing of the guard!

 

[ldec]

My apologies for the huge delay. Here is a short article I wrote about the great Jamie Silverstein that can hopefully make up for it (to some extent):

http://frozenintime.tk/gone-from-the-sport-too-soon-jamie-silverstein/

Jamie was a 1999 Junior World Champion in ice dance together with Justin Pekarek. The two of them were poised to break through and seemed destined for greatness. Sadly a complex mixture of personal struggles and eating disorders cut Jamie's career too short. She managed to recover along the way and return for a short time in 2006; it was a remarkable comeback as she managed to qualify for the Olympics with her new partner Ryan O'Meara.

Maybe the more experienced fans and skating experts here can share some memories about Jamie, would be super happy to hear your thoughts (unfortunately, I was really young at the time she debuted and only recently became aware of her career).

 

[ldec]

Wrong thread, wrong timing.

 

[ldec]

Forgotten skater: Robert Wagenhoffer.

This very nice article (shoutout to @N_Halifax) might interest you:

http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2014/11/robert-wagenhoffer-remembering-great.html

Also, reposting here since off-season has officially started now:

As promised, here is the first part of the article about Ilia Klimkin:
http://frozenintime.tk/the-greatest-russian-figure-skater-that-never-was-part-i/

I put a lot of time researching and putting together this article so I hope you find this story as fascinating as I do. Will try to finish part II soon. Feedback is always welcome.

 

[ldec]

Another skater from that era I liked watching was David Liu. I thought he was very artistic. If only he was a better jumper!

I loved his step sequence in his 1992 SP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c3ceRk1P0Y

I loved David Liu! His one foot step sequence in 1998 is very memorable, people tend to remember Irina Slutskaya's but I will always remember David's. He had wonderful presentation skills and was also quite musical.

I never heard of David Liu, his step sequences were brilliant, the audiences enjoyed his performances.

I had the honour to interview David Liu recently. A little background information on him: he was a three-time Olympian, the first male skater to represent Taiwan internationally. Later, he had a prolific career as a show skater and choreographer, working on multiple projects and collaborating with famous skaters like Midori Ito, Lu Chen, Brian Boitano, etc. He has also been noted as being one of the first persons to bring the spotlight on Nathan Chen when he invited him to perform in a series of ice spectacles in China back in 2010 when Nathan was 10.

Below is the first part of a very long interview in which he talks about how he fell in love with dance and figure skating as a child, how he decided to represent Taiwan, some challenges he experienced during his skating career, his Olympic experiences, his most memorable events, as well as short snippets on training with John Curry and Toller Cranston, and some views on present day skating, among others:
http://frozenintime.tk/david-liu-one-of-the-last-true-artists-an-interview-part-i/

Lovers of ballet may also find this an interesting read since David attended ballet school full-time as a teenager (he only came back to skating at the age of 17!), and he talks about how he transferred skills from ballet into figure skating.