Pick the Best Ice dance team that won the OGM

[Brenda_Bottems]

I rest my case.

The poll results speak for themselves. Virtue+Moir currently have a 26 point lead over Gritschuk+Platov.

-BB

 

[allezfred]

The poll results speak for themselves. Virtue+Moir currently have a 26 point lead over Gritschuk+Platov.

-BB

As I said, I rest my case.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Navka remained unscathed for whatever reason.

Not to worry—I despise her as well.

-BB

 

[gk_891]

Not to worry—I despise her as well.

-BB

Because of her affair with Zhulin? Or for another reason?

 

[sadya]

I don't understand why in cheating couples, mostly the female is still the most blamed and some females more than others. The male is responsible too. And in this case, there are the strangest rumours about real motives for cheating (trying to beat the other team by sleeping with one of them), true or not, it didn't do the sport of ice dancing any good. I enjoyed programs of both Usova/Zhulin and Gritchuk/Platov. I respect what they achieved on the ice, can't say I respect them all as people. Then again, they were young back then and if they've learnt something from it and became better people, they can earn respect again. It's a pity that we missed out on potentionally great art they could have given us after turning pro.

For the best Ice Dance team, there is no 1 good answer, because there are different ways to look at it. Was the win deserved or only political? For some people, only the difficulty of the dance matters. Others want the emotions and then you also have the different artistic tastes. Is only looking at results the easiest way to find an answer? I don't know. Perhaps the best way to decide this would be by checking which team had the most influence on not only their peers, but also on future generations. Can't help but think of T/D then.

 

[mjb52]

These polls have made me realize how much more I like the silver and bronze medalist teams than the gold medalist ones.

 

[Andora]

I voted for V&M, because obviously. But I feel K&P are very obvious predecessors to V&M. I'm surprised it's never really talked about? Those two teams, in terms of connection, skill, artistry + competitiveness have it over everyone. K&P were simply robbed by their own countrymen in 1988, and should also have two OGMs.

G&P were thrilling with power, but they had, like, 3, maybe 4 great programs? Most of their work was complete shit, and Memorial is enough to cause severe depression to even Rainbow Brite. By 1998, the only thing interesting about them were their ridiculous costumes, error-filled programs throughout the season, and off-ice drama. Tragic for such a brilliant team. Platov was smokin' hot - agreed about him being legend getting through 1998 on his knee.

God bless 0 votes for N&K and B&B. Obviously there were a lot of mis-clicks for D&W to have as many votes as K&P, but I'm sure their fans can talk about what nice, respectable people they are and how hard they worked.

 

[On My Own]

Virtue/Moir!

 

[Japanfan]

I was so close to voting Klimova/Ponomarenko but Virtue/Moir’s second gold medal win put it over the top for me. That was such a win and the cards were stacked against them. To be fair, K/P probably should have been two-time OGM…

The second gold was a fluke IMO - which is not to say that it was undeserved. Dance is just so often pre-judged. But given how the event unfolded, the judges really had to give it to V/M.

I love K/P as well. Their 'Air' is one of my favorite programs of all time.

I think my favorite V/M program is still 'Valse Triste', although they have had many memorable programs over the years. And they certainly killed Carmen.

 

[blue_idealist]

Given how many votes Virtue/Moir have, which shouldn't be surprising for a myriad of reasons, I kind of wished I voted for Klimova/Ponomarenko. I know K/P's early routines weren't emotional like their later ones, but I find their Dubova years of the 1980s-1990s to be incredible when I actually watch the dance and the steps and just the way Marina and Sergei were able to change arm-holds and watching their overall intricacy and ability to know where the other was at all times. Their early, dancier years were just full of difficulty and impressive steps. Their "Air" 1992 FD is actually my third LEAST favorite FD of theirs behind Mack the Knife and their 1983-84 season FD. I know it's a beautiful dance and invoked the emotion people wanted out of ice dance, but I would have appreciated a bit more dancing/steps throughout like their older dances.

Yeah, there was something just magical about the way they moved their feet. I was too young to appreciate it at the time, since I was in kindergarten in '92, but I've watched them a lot on YouTube recently.

 

[Japanfan]

I’m kind of glad I wasn’t into ice dance back in Nagano because I learned a lot about ice dance from Tracy with the 2002 NBC coverage. She must have had a weird bias against G/P that was almost personal.

There has always been a cold war mentality in ice dance.

Remember 2002 pairs? The commentators (I think Sandra and Hamilton?) screaming "It's wrong, it's so wrong" after S/P were initially awarded silver? I actually agreed with them, while Mr. Japanfan preferred B/S. But let's not kick that dead horse again.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Because of her affair with Zhulin? Or for another reason?

She was awarded an Olympic gold medal for excessive posing and makeup application.

-BB

 

[Bigbird]

Because of her affair with Zhulin? Or for another reason?

The list is endless.

Torville and Dean was my vote. Their Bolero leaves me speechless always as well as their Oscar tango. But there was something in the way Dean presented Torville like a pocket book, the choreography and music just worked. In those days it was like the girl was a prop. One of the reasons I liked specific pieces then hate others like their 1994 FD their style just seemed dated. It's one of the reasons why I appreciate V/M and P/C now as that they skate as one and their skills compliment each other.

 

[caseyedwards]

I saw all the winning ice dance performances 1980-2006 very close together. Extremely close together. And for me grishuk and platov memorial always stood out for me most. Even with T&D and K&P. The way they moved in the beginning of the program , her twizzles , other lifts and moves definitely them in 1998!!!

 

[Bigbird]

She was awarded an Olympic gold medal for excessive posing and makeup application.

-BB

Pity that can't work now. But all that posing and miming hasn't seemed to hurt Stepanova and Bukin, if they continue after 2022 they may luck into a world medal correct?

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Pity that can't work now. But all that posing and miming hasn't seemed to hurt Stepanova and Bukin, if they continue after 2022 they may luck into a world medal correct?

Doubtful. I highly anticipate the world domination of Jean-Luc Baker to commence following the 2022 Olympic Games.

-BB

 

[timwarpingout]

I am surprised Anissina & Peizerat even have 7 votes. They were great and I loved them, but technically they are well below the level of the 5 teams who have more votes than them. Their twizzles were very raggedly done for a top tier championship team.

Still glad they got votes and neither B&B or N&K got any though.

 

[VGThuy]

I like them better than Davis/White. By the time D/W dominated, ice dance changed so much and A/P’s strengths as an ice dance team aren’t things that were explicitly itemized in the IJS. It took like an Olympic cycle and a half and with new teams growing up with IJS to have the twizzles by both partners that we’ve grown accustomed, so I don’t fault them for not having 2010-2014 level twizzles. Look at 2007 Worlds. After 2018, it seems every team has twizzles down pat with some rising above others. At the time, A/P were at least doing the more difficult twizzles of the competition.

 

[mjb52]

Most of my personal favorites came in 2nd or 3rd, so they were out. Bolero is incredible but there are a lot of things about T & D that have aged poorly for me, especially the pouty behavior about the '94 results. I went with "best team" rather than focusing on the Olympic performance, so A & P have left the most lasting positive impression, even though their actual winning performance may not have been their best.

Also they had the best hair.

 

[timwarpingout]

Maybe it is not fair to judge them too much for it, since politics were probably in play, but my opinion of A&P is also affected in that they couldn't even dominate and regularly stay on top post K&O's injury. They were challenged by each of Fusar Poli & Margalio, Lobacheva & Averbuhk, and Bourne & Kraatz at various points, and even had that losing streak to F/P & M at one point. Nearly every other team on the list dominated at some point, and in stronger fields than the one A&P as the general top team of the era couldn't dominate from fall 99-2002. Heck even B&B and N&K dominated their era, although I still consider those two atleast clearly behind A&P.

 

[VGThuy]

A/P were forced to WORK for their achievements which probably why one of them allegedly got desperate enough toeven when she shouldn't have had to do that. I remember almost twenty years ago when the whole SLC pairs/ice dance conspiracies were happening and someone on MKF was like "[Marina] shouldn't have felt the need to do that! She should have just worked hard and skated better than the competition, then she would have won without cheating!" and so many comments in response were some variation of "Um...did you see 2001 Worlds?"

 

[jenny12]

I am surprised Anissina & Peizerat even have 7 votes. They were great and I loved them, but technically they are well below the level of the 5 teams who have more votes than them. Their twizzles were very raggedly done for a top tier championship team.

Still glad they got votes and neither B&B or N&K got any though.

Agreed. I really enjoyed them, especially their Flamenco dance, but they were comparatively lacking in basics to some of the other top teams. Also, I think their winning free dance from 2002 was the worst gold medal free dance I’ve ever seen.

 

[canbelto]

I picked V/M mostly because of their ability to turn trash into treasure. I think Zoueva is a boring, trite choreographer but V/M really sold most every one of those programs so well. I also love their smooth edges and how it was an equal partnership between them -- it wasn't a case of one skater being much stronger than the other.

 

[On My Own]

I have a very low opinion of V/M's dance quality. I think they were amazing skaters and ice dancers, did a lot of difficult moves, had some good choreography (although not always...), and I agree that they were very much equal partners, which is why I voted for them (and also because I thought they should have won Sochi, making them 3x OGM). But I wouldn't really say they ever turned "trash to treasure". Something was always lacking in the way their bodies moved to the music, for me.

 

[nuge]

I. Something was always lacking in the way their bodies moved to the music, for me.

V/M were the greatest team to use their bodies to the music

 

[On My Own]

V/M were the greatest team to use their bodies to the music

I would say it was Torville/Dean. They had much more musical sensitivity, to me anyway. (Currently find P/C better on that regard too)