30 Days of Figure Skating
Which I am going to do all in one day because I am that bored.
Day 1: How you got into figure skating
I had always known a bit about it through pop culture. I knew the big names like Yamaguchi and Kwan and had seen it every now and then.
As much as it shames me to say this, what really did it was the movie Blades of Glory. I remember looking it up on Wikipedia afterward and reading about the real skaters and eventually about skating itself. I kind of forgot about it though and didn't pay attention to again until I saw 2009 Nationals on TV. I was hooked. Maybe not to the obsessive level I am now, but I followed it. :)
Day 2: Your favourite pairs program
Grinkov/Gordeeva at the 1994 Olympic gala. No kidding, it made me cry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiUuTLHrGFg
Babilonia/Gardner at 1979 Worlds are a close second. That pair ina bauer sequence, oh my goodness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63cmIfO-u6k
Day 3: Favourite figure skating spectatorship moment
Well, I've only been a spectator once, at SOI this year. But I think once I go to Nationals in January, that might take over. ^^
Day 4: Up and coming figure skater you are most excited for
Armin Mahbanoozadeh.
Day 5: Your favourite Dance program
Torvill and Dean's "Bolero" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2zbbN4OL98
Day 6: Predict - gold medalists at 2011 Worlds
Patrick Chan, no idea, Savchenko/Szolkowy, and Davis/White.
Day 7: Your favourite Mens Program
John Curry's Don Quixote and Scheherezade, Jeff Buttle's Naqoyqatsi, Kurt Browning's Singin' in the Rain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtd7xq7URM
Day 8: Your favourite Ladies Program
Janet Lynn's 1972 LP, Michelle Kwan's Rachmaninoff and East of Eden.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW1uV_a3ShI
Day 9: Code of Points - give your opinion
Good system, bad execution. Leads to codewhoring which is not good, but some can make magic out of it.
Day 10: Last competition/show you attended
SOI in April.
Day 11: Your top 5 favourite male figure skaters
Current: Jeremy Abbott, Matt Savoie, Daisuke Takahashi, Patrick Chan, Stephane Lambiel
All time: John Curry, Toller Cranston, Robin Cousins, Kurt Browning, Jeffrey Buttle
Day 12: Top 5 ladies figure skaters
Current: Alissa Czisny, Laura Lepisto, Carolina Kostner, Mirai Nagsu, Yu-Na Kim
All time: Janet Lynn, Michelle Kwan, Tenley Albright, Yuka Sato, Kristi Yamaguchi
Day 13: Top 5 pairs teams
Grinkov/Gordeeva, Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze, Babilonia/Gardner, Shen/Zhao, Savchenko/Szolkowy
Day 14: Top 5 dance teams
Current: Virtue/Moir, Davis/White, Faiella/Scali, Cappellini/LaNotte, the Shibutanis
All time: Torvill/Dean, Anissina/Peizerat, Dubreuil/Lauzon, Belbin/Agosto, Virtue/Moir
Day 15: Predict - gold medalists in 2014
Top Russian man, top Russian lady, top Russian pairs team, top Russian dancers. Kidding, :). I have no idea.
Day 16: Your dream 2014 Olympic medalists
Patrick Chan, Alissa Czisny, Dube/Davison, Cappellini/LaNotte.
Day 17: Least favourite skater
Plushenko, Slutskaya, Lipinski, Domnina/Shabalin, Elvis Stojko
Day 18: Favourite figure skating music
I don't know if this means in general or a specific usage. I like soft, lyrical music, musical soundtracks, and interesting film scores. I guess my favorite pieces of music that are often used would be "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," "The Swan," and West Side Story.
Day 19: If you could marry any figure skater, who would it be?
Haha. Either Luca LaNotte or Meryl Davis. :P
Day 20: Your favourite 2010 Olympic moment
Virtue/Moir's FD, Joannie's courage, and Davis/White's OD.
Day 21: Team Johnny or Team Evan?
Yeah, this question is kind of silly. I don't really care for either one, but if I had to pick I'd go with Johnny.
Day 22: Favourite & least favourite commentator
Favorite: Robin Cousins, Kurt Browning
Least favorite: Scoot Hilalmitons
Day 23: Skater everybody loves but you don’t
In terms of fandom, I guess that'd be Plushenko, Joubert, and while I don't hate her, Mao Asada.
Day 24: Skater you love but nobody else does
I suppose that's obvious- Patrick! I also like Rachael Flatt.
Day 25: The quad. Give your opinion.
My opinion? It's a jump. I don't buy into the whole, "It's the future of skating, you can't have a men's champion without it" nonsense. But it is important and should be rewarded. I hate when people (and skaters) place too much emphasis, and let's just say I would rather see a Level 4 step sequence than a quad.
Day 26: Saddest figure skating moment
That I've witnessed would be Joannie's 2010 Olympic SP. From history, definitely the deaths of John Curry and Sergei Grinkov.
Day 27: Your favourite figure skating moment of all time
John Curry's '76 Olympic LP and win, and any time Sergei and Katia were on the ice. Or Kurt Browning was doing footwork. :)
Day 28: Favourite & least favourite costume
Least favorite costume would be anything by Kohklova/Novitski, DomShabs' brownface "Aboriginal" costumes, and Ilia Kulik's giraffe taxi thing.
Whatever the hell this is: http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/02/13/worst_figure_skating_costumes/fs_08.jpg
Favorite- anything Alissa Czisny has ever worn, Lambiel's magical zebra, and Sasha Cohen's 2006 SP outfit.
Day 29: Your favourite figure skater of all time
John Curry. Quelle surprise. ;)
Day 30: Why you love figure skating
Just.. the beauty of it, mainly. It's performance art and dance and exhilarating sport all in one. It makes me happy when I watch it. The people and the costumes are pretty and let's not forget all the wonderful drama and entertainment off the ice. :)
Day 1: How you got into figure skating
I had always known a bit about it through pop culture. I knew the big names like Yamaguchi and Kwan and had seen it every now and then.
As much as it shames me to say this, what really did it was the movie Blades of Glory. I remember looking it up on Wikipedia afterward and reading about the real skaters and eventually about skating itself. I kind of forgot about it though and didn't pay attention to again until I saw 2009 Nationals on TV. I was hooked. Maybe not to the obsessive level I am now, but I followed it. :)
Day 2: Your favourite pairs program
Grinkov/Gordeeva at the 1994 Olympic gala. No kidding, it made me cry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiUuTLHrGFg
Babilonia/Gardner at 1979 Worlds are a close second. That pair ina bauer sequence, oh my goodness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63cmIfO-u6k
Day 3: Favourite figure skating spectatorship moment
Well, I've only been a spectator once, at SOI this year. But I think once I go to Nationals in January, that might take over. ^^
Day 4: Up and coming figure skater you are most excited for
Armin Mahbanoozadeh.
Day 5: Your favourite Dance program
Torvill and Dean's "Bolero" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2zbbN4OL98
Day 6: Predict - gold medalists at 2011 Worlds
Patrick Chan, no idea, Savchenko/Szolkowy, and Davis/White.
Day 7: Your favourite Mens Program
John Curry's Don Quixote and Scheherezade, Jeff Buttle's Naqoyqatsi, Kurt Browning's Singin' in the Rain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtd7xq7URM
Day 8: Your favourite Ladies Program
Janet Lynn's 1972 LP, Michelle Kwan's Rachmaninoff and East of Eden.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW1uV_a3ShI
Day 9: Code of Points - give your opinion
Good system, bad execution. Leads to codewhoring which is not good, but some can make magic out of it.
Day 10: Last competition/show you attended
SOI in April.
Day 11: Your top 5 favourite male figure skaters
Current: Jeremy Abbott, Matt Savoie, Daisuke Takahashi, Patrick Chan, Stephane Lambiel
All time: John Curry, Toller Cranston, Robin Cousins, Kurt Browning, Jeffrey Buttle
Day 12: Top 5 ladies figure skaters
Current: Alissa Czisny, Laura Lepisto, Carolina Kostner, Mirai Nagsu, Yu-Na Kim
All time: Janet Lynn, Michelle Kwan, Tenley Albright, Yuka Sato, Kristi Yamaguchi
Day 13: Top 5 pairs teams
Grinkov/Gordeeva, Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze, Babilonia/Gardner, Shen/Zhao, Savchenko/Szolkowy
Day 14: Top 5 dance teams
Current: Virtue/Moir, Davis/White, Faiella/Scali, Cappellini/LaNotte, the Shibutanis
All time: Torvill/Dean, Anissina/Peizerat, Dubreuil/Lauzon, Belbin/Agosto, Virtue/Moir
Day 15: Predict - gold medalists in 2014
Top Russian man, top Russian lady, top Russian pairs team, top Russian dancers. Kidding, :). I have no idea.
Day 16: Your dream 2014 Olympic medalists
Patrick Chan, Alissa Czisny, Dube/Davison, Cappellini/LaNotte.
Day 17: Least favourite skater
Plushenko, Slutskaya, Lipinski, Domnina/Shabalin, Elvis Stojko
Day 18: Favourite figure skating music
I don't know if this means in general or a specific usage. I like soft, lyrical music, musical soundtracks, and interesting film scores. I guess my favorite pieces of music that are often used would be "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," "The Swan," and West Side Story.
Day 19: If you could marry any figure skater, who would it be?
Haha. Either Luca LaNotte or Meryl Davis. :P
Day 20: Your favourite 2010 Olympic moment
Virtue/Moir's FD, Joannie's courage, and Davis/White's OD.
Day 21: Team Johnny or Team Evan?
Yeah, this question is kind of silly. I don't really care for either one, but if I had to pick I'd go with Johnny.
Day 22: Favourite & least favourite commentator
Favorite: Robin Cousins, Kurt Browning
Least favorite: Scoot Hilalmitons
Day 23: Skater everybody loves but you don’t
In terms of fandom, I guess that'd be Plushenko, Joubert, and while I don't hate her, Mao Asada.
Day 24: Skater you love but nobody else does
I suppose that's obvious- Patrick! I also like Rachael Flatt.
Day 25: The quad. Give your opinion.
My opinion? It's a jump. I don't buy into the whole, "It's the future of skating, you can't have a men's champion without it" nonsense. But it is important and should be rewarded. I hate when people (and skaters) place too much emphasis, and let's just say I would rather see a Level 4 step sequence than a quad.
Day 26: Saddest figure skating moment
That I've witnessed would be Joannie's 2010 Olympic SP. From history, definitely the deaths of John Curry and Sergei Grinkov.
Day 27: Your favourite figure skating moment of all time
John Curry's '76 Olympic LP and win, and any time Sergei and Katia were on the ice. Or Kurt Browning was doing footwork. :)
Day 28: Favourite & least favourite costume
Least favorite costume would be anything by Kohklova/Novitski, DomShabs' brownface "Aboriginal" costumes, and Ilia Kulik's giraffe taxi thing.
Whatever the hell this is: http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/02/13/worst_figure_skating_costumes/fs_08.jpg
Favorite- anything Alissa Czisny has ever worn, Lambiel's magical zebra, and Sasha Cohen's 2006 SP outfit.
Day 29: Your favourite figure skater of all time
John Curry. Quelle surprise. ;)
Day 30: Why you love figure skating
Just.. the beauty of it, mainly. It's performance art and dance and exhilarating sport all in one. It makes me happy when I watch it. The people and the costumes are pretty and let's not forget all the wonderful drama and entertainment off the ice. :)