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.
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.
Two more votes for Scott Hamilton and Katarina Witt.
Also a shout out to Denise Biellmann, my favorite until Witt came along.
Scott Hamilton
Kristi Yamaguchi
Both were great, but they also have nice personalities. I liked Paul Wylie as well, very nice guy.
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.
Katarina Witt, the prettiest face of socialism. Still insanely hot!
This, absolutely. I remember watching their Boleroroutine 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.
I remember them well and liked them.
Klimova & Ponomarenko were also of that generation. They were so intense and sexy. Marina Klimova 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.
Oh no, I had not heard about all that.
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.)
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.
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.
Sonja Henie. Now you’ll excuse me while I go tie an onion on my belt.
Then there’s the Interpretive Masters and their stirring rendition of Fire and Ice.
So Tonya’s rep eclipsed whatever she accomplished? (curious, not too well-informed on this)
Sid gets, like, really really pissed 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.
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.
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).
Surya Bonaly, and not just for the back flip.
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.
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.
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).
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.