# Favorite ice skaters of all time **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 21, 2018, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301 "2018-02-21T23:09:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/21 "2018-02-22T23:09:02Z")
Not really a favorite skater, but I am seriously obsessed with Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot’s free skate program from last week. I cannot stop watching replays of it. I’ve probably seen it 20+ times. The music, the choreography, the nonchalant one-handed lifts, the huge triple twist. I don’t understand how two people who are a foot apart in height can spin in perfect unison like that. It’s mesmerizing. But unfortunately Savchenko is 34 and Massot apparently has serious back problems, so doubtful they’ll be around much longer. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/22 "2018-02-23T05:52:52Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I liked Debi Thomas, the US bronze medalist in 1988. She was also, twice, US champion. Have you read her current story? It is unbelievably tragic. As satisfying as it is to see Brian Orser’s success, it is equally depressing to see Debi’s fall, not just from her skating career, but from her medical career as well. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/23 "2018-02-23T06:28:15Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Have you read her current story? It is unbelievably tragic. As satisfying as it is to see Brian Orser’s success, it is equally depressing to see Debi’s fall, not just from her skating career, but from her medical career as well. ☹ Totally so. Just after the '88 Olympics, she married one of my high school classmates. It was apparently a tempestuous marriage, and didn’t last very long. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/24 "2018-02-23T15:23:37Z")
Two more votes for Scott Hamilton and Katarina Witt. Also a shout out to Denise Biellmann, my favorite until Witt came along. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/25 "2018-02-23T15:30:05Z")
Scott Hamilton Kristi Yamaguchi Both were great, but they also have nice personalities. I liked Paul Wylie as well, very nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/26 "2018-02-23T17:49:32Z")
I’m going with Elvis Stojko. I always loved his footwork and I was always disappointed he never got Olympic gold. …although 2 silvers and 3 world championships isn’t bad. He had all the tools and feel he would’ve done great under the current scoring system. Also Michelle Kwan. From a distance, at least, she always seemed nice. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/27 "2018-02-23T18:06:46Z")
Katarina Witt, the prettiest face of socialism. Still insanely hot! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/28 "2018-02-23T20:16:20Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean. Totally changed the sport of ice dancing, very much for the better. This, absolutely. I remember watching their [Bolero](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcCj0xfO3H8)routine in 1984 and knowing I was seeing something completely different from anything that had come before. Now that style is quite familiar, but on that day, it was brand new. > [@suranyi](#): > > … > The pairs Gordeeva and Grinkov outclassed the competition for years, especially in the Olympics of 1988. I remember that year, no other pair even came close to them. > … I remember them well and liked them. [Klimova & Ponomarenko](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl-niom1jc8) were also of that generation. They were so intense and sexy. [Marina Klimova](https://goo.gl/images/dsKc55) had masses of long, curly auburn hair that flowed out behind her when they skated. Their routines were very edgy. I’ve always been more interested in the artistry and emotion of ice dancing than the athleticism of regular figure skating. I don’t care about multiple rotations and throws and stuff. Although I always enjoyed [Surya Bonaly’s back flip.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCTcLNqkmjo) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/29 "2018-02-23T23:11:07Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Have you read her current story? It is unbelievably tragic. As satisfying as it is to see Brian Orser’s success, it is equally depressing to see Debi’s fall, not just from her skating career, but from her medical career as well. ☹ Oh no, I had not heard about all that.☹ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/30 "2018-02-24T00:01:55Z")
Katarina Witt, of course! My youngest daughter is even named Katarina (although that’s not really for the ice skater, but it was a background association when naming her.) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/31 "2018-02-24T02:02:28Z")
One I don’t see mentioned yet is Oksana Baiul. While I usually favor athleticism on ice, her balletic swan routines were pure grace and beauty. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/32 "2018-02-24T03:48:10Z")
I’ll throw in a vote for Kurt Browning. Loved his Casablanca and Singing in the Rain performances. And, he was the first skater to land a quad in competition. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/33 "2018-02-24T04:14:26Z")
Sonja Henie. Now you’ll excuse me while I go tie an onion on my belt. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/34 "2018-02-24T17:09:59Z")
Then there’s the Interpretive Masters and their stirring rendition of [Fire and Ice.](https://youtu.be/sPFRZP4qY7I?t=36) So Tonya’s rep eclipsed whatever she accomplished? (curious, not too well-informed on this) Sid gets, like, [really really pissed](https://youtu.be/h4tBZKONiVg?t=6) with the ice skating judges (IRT the Finn Step) from the 2014 Sochi Olympics. \*Very thoughtful, poignant song at the end of this link - please listen. Thank-you. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/35 "2018-02-25T05:20:37Z")
> [@drm](#): > > I’m going with Elvis Stojko. I always loved his footwork and I was always disappointed he never got Olympic gold. > > …although 2 silvers and 3 world championships isn’t bad. He had all the tools and feel he would’ve done great under the current scoring system. He was a physical specimen who was literally doing things in competition never done before. He’d definitely have excelled today where skaters are given more points for taking such risks. ---
**Author:** ![chaika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chaika/32/405_2.png) [@chaika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaika)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/36 "2018-02-25T13:54:47Z")
Gordeeva and Grinkov. They were stunning. One commentator said it seemed as though they even breathed together. It was tragic when he died. I love the Russian style of figure skating. It’s so beautiful to watch, so artistic, with the jumps as seamless elements within the program (unlike the style that seems built around impressive jumps, with the rest of the program almost an afterthought). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/37 "2018-02-25T15:47:47Z")
Surya Bonaly, and not just for the back flip. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/38 "2018-02-25T17:33:36Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > In all seriousness I was always a fan of Elvis Stojko. > > Not only a world-class skater but an accomplished martial artist. I always thought that was so cool. Yep, he was always one of my favorites. I thought he was pretty hot too, which didn’t hurt. 🙂 I was also a big fan of Kurt Browning and Scott Hamilton. I had forgotten about Paul Wylie until I saw him on one of the Olympic talk shows last week; I enjoyed watching him as well. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/39 "2018-02-25T19:42:38Z")
> [@chaika](#): > > Gordeeva and Grinkov. They were stunning. One commentator said it seemed as though they even breathed together. It was tragic when he died. > > I love the Russian style of figure skating. It’s so beautiful to watch, so artistic, with the jumps as seamless elements within the program (unlike the style that seems built around impressive jumps, with the rest of the program almost an afterthought). She remarried a few years later to ANOTHER Russian skating champion. Had the plane not crashed en route to the 1961 world championships, the Vinson-Owen legacy could well be in its fourth or even fifth generation. > **[Maribel Vinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maribel_Vinson)** > > Maribel Yerxa Vinson-Owen (née Vinson; October 12, 1911 – February 15, 1961) was an American figure skater and coach. She competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles and pair skating. As a single skater, she was the 1932 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time World medalist (1928 silver, 1930 bronze), the 1937 North American champion, and a nine-time U.S. national champion. As a pair skater, she was the 1935 North American champion and four-time national champion with George Hill. She also won tw... I watched this movie on Netflix Instant Watch last night, and did not previously know that he was a nationally ranked figure skater at one point (and was, at the time, the boyfriend of a world champion). [http://tabhunterconfidential.com/](http://tabhunterconfidential.com/) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301/40 "2018-03-04T01:07:54Z")
> [@ioioio](#): > > . Brian Boitano. There was a choreographed movement in his Olympic routine where he flicked a piece of ice from his skate. Thirty years later, I remember it clearly. I wonder what Brian Boitano would do, if he were here today? I bet he’d kick an ass or two. That’s what Brian Boitano would do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-ice-skaters-of-all-time/809301.md?page=1)