Who are your skating inspirations?

[axelwylie]

I am curious... Who are your skating inspirations? Both "celebrity" (professional, elite athletes) and non-celebrity?

I have always been inspired by Paul Wylie (hence my username). His artistry is second to none.

In real life, the skaters at US Adult Nationals were inspiring. Especially those competing in the championship rounds. One lady in my level always makes me go "wow," and I would love to skate like her one day.

[Bill_S]

I have a hard time narrowing it down to just one skater. I wish that I could take skills from various skaters and put them all together into one.

I could probably generalize and say that I'd like to take inspiration from the Canadian men skaters. They all move so well between elements, and to me that's much more interesting than just a jumping bean. Patrick Chan and Jeffrey Buttle both exemplify this nicely.

[lutefisk]

I'm not picky--Usually anyone better than me!  Every time I go to the rink I see skaters displaying skills that I'd like to have.  And as Yogi Berra was fond of saying "you can observe a lot just by watching".

[WaltzJump413]

Ekaterina Gordeeva...both her incredible technique and her character as a person. And I agree, Paul Wylie's artistry is breathtaking. I love watching his programs.

Any skater who overcomes the odds to skate (like an illness or disability). And athletes from other sports who work hard, never give up and have great character on and off the field or ice. (Okay, this is weird but I'm a hockey fan too--and a lot of the players' character and work ethic inspire me. Though I'm not planning on joining a hockey team anytime soon. )

[AgnesNitt]

Dan Hollander.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zigvqLhejo


And his comments from Young Artists Showcase. Listen to the first few minutes where he's talking about connecting to the audience.
http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2013/08/surgical-intervention-on-figure-skating.html

[ChristyRN]

I don't know her name, but the only year I competed, there was a woman in her late 60s skating pre-bronze/no test with us (I was 40 and the others were in their late 20s. She got the most applause, rightfully so. I want to be skating when I'm her age. When we had Tuesday LTS, we had a 68 year old learning with us. She used a cane off ice and fell a lot on ice, but she was out there every week with us.

[Rachelsk8s]

Dan Hollander.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zigvqLhejo


And his comments from Young Artists Showcase. Listen to the first few minutes where he's talking about connecting to the audience.
http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2013/08/surgical-intervention-on-figure-skating.html

Thank you for sharing this!! He's wonderful and quite the performer!! 

[rd350]

I'll age myself and say Dorothy Hamill....

But then also Kristi Yamaguchi, Midori Ito.

Pairs:  Underwood + Martini

Men singles: Boitano, Wylie