The Magic of Figure Skating - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

Ever since I can remember, my family and I have been avid watchers on TV of our favourite figure skaters in the world.  We would watch them compete for top honours.  I always liked the singles skaters the best when I was young.  To me, they had the most courage of all the figure skaters.  They’d go out onto the ice surface and perform all alone, capturing the imagination of the world with their power and elegance and consummate skill.  The top male skaters, like Elvis Stojko of Canada, caught my attention right away.  Elvis stood out in the competitive field.  He could do all of the triple jumps, such as the triple axel and triple lutz, like he was born to do figure skating.  

Kurt Browning was also a Canadian figure skater whom I’d actually met while living in Calgary, Alberta.  It was during the pre-1988-Olympics that I met Kurt at the Calgary Olympic Centre.  Little did I know that he would later compete in the 1988 Olympic men's singles event and make figure skating history!  However, he wasn’t well known when I met him; in my mind, he was an up-and-comer, just arriving on the international stage of male figure skating.  When he introduced himself to me, I had actually asked him (in my naivete!) if he was a junior (by which I really meant – was he competing as a national figure skater?).  To which Kurt replied (without taking offence), “No, I’m a senior skater.”  I felt really silly for asking him such a question at such a time.  Somehow, it had never occurred to me that a senior skater who was about to compete in this Olympic Games (of 1988) would be introducing himself to “Jane Q. Public” (namely, me)! 

        I have to say though, that I was truly thrilled to see Kurt later competing on TV at the Calgary Saddledome and taking the world by storm.  He interpreted his chosen music so well and moved so elegantly to it that the rest of the male skaters were left sadly wanting in their performances.  That might have been the time when male figure skating took a seriously different direction.  After the conclusion of the 1988 Olympic Games, it had become more than obvious that the best male figure skaters were going to have to show more than just their jumping ability.  For example, they had to be able to move their arms in different and unique ways, change levels with their bodies, and do their spins in various positions.  Kurt did all that and more.  His stellar performances included all of the triple jumps (all well-executed!) as well as the first quadruple jump ever landed in competition! 

       The quadruple jump would only count for points for the particular skater if all four revolutions were completed and the skater managed to land it on one foot (two-foot landings were never allowed).  The men were just beginning to do these exceedingly difficult jumps in international competition at the time.  In just a fraction of a second, the skater had to be able to take off in the correct position and revolve in the air four times on a very tight axis and then land one-footed without falling and still continue on into the next move.  Not many men would even try it then, let alone be able to execute it flawlessly.

        The American Paul Wylie was also an awesome figure skater.  One year, on A&E TV’s “Holiday Ice Dreams” (2003), he did a very moving and emotional interpretation of the Christmas hymn “Come All Ye Faithful”.  I still watch his performance to this day, done to this beautiful musical rendition (on video tape, of course) during the Christmas season each year.

       The female figure skaters were known to be much more graceful and elegant and yet still powerful, though not as powerful as the men.  They didn’t always do triple jumps, such as the triple axel.  If they did triples, they would more likely do the easier triple toe loop or triple flip.  This trend continued until two Japanese female skaters, Yuka Sato and Midori Ito, appeared on the international scene.  These two powerful female skaters were both able to execute all of the triple jumps with ease and yet, also show elegance and grace in their performances. 

        But still, I think that one of my favourite female single skaters remains the German, Katarina Witt, who seemed to be able to combine power and elegance so well and so consistently.  Another one of my favourites was the Ukrainian, Oksana Baiul, when she was very young.  As a young skater, Oksana was like a tiny ballerina on skates.  Another one of my favourites was the American, Michelle Kwan, who was, far and away, one of the best female skaters ever.  Her gift, like Kurt Browning’s, was carefully choosing her music and then interpreting it in her own personal and unique way.  In the “Special Performances” after the 1999 World Championships (in which she was a silver medallist), she did a wonderful interpretation to a very emotional musical piece called “The Red Violin” (by John Coriano), which I had never heard before seeing Michelle’s performance to it.

        Now, I watch all of the figure skating events:  singles, pairs, and ice dancing.  Of these three, I appreciate the skills that the pairs skaters need to have, in particular.  My favourite pairs skating movies are “The Cutting Edge” (starring Moira Kelly and D.B. Sweeney) and the 2nd sequel called “The Cutting Edge:  Chasing the Dream” (starring Francia Raisa and Matt Lanter).  These two movies have made me appreciate the dedicated work ethic involved in becoming a world or Olympic champion in figure skating, as well as the skills that pairs need to have to compete effectively. One of my favourite pairs skaters is Isobelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler of Canada.  They have done some very daring things on ice (overhead lifts and other lifts of all different kinds), yet their movements are always fluid and “in sync” with each other.  Not only that, they can combine lifts and other moves very effectively and make it all look easy and smooth.

        When it comes to ice dancing in figure skating, I immediately think of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean of Great Britain.  They revolutionized the event of ice dancing.  They pushed the limits and did things on ice that no other ice pair had ever done.  The routine that they did that stands out for me was done to an abbreviated classical musical version of  “Bolero” (by Ravel) in the 1984 Olympic Games, which won them the gold medal.  This performance is truly a masterpiece in creativity.  Their young protégés, the French Canadian pairs skaters, Isobelle and Paul Duchesnay (sister and brother), were later coached by Christopher Dean.  This young pair (of protégés) was also well known for their revolutionary approach to ice dancing.  Personally, I found Isabelle and Paul Duchenay both riveting and totally fascinating to watch during their performances, such as their “Jungle” routine.  In fact, there were few, if any, other ice dancers that I would consider so unusual and unique in their styles.

During the “Special Performances”, following the 1999 World Championships, one ice dancing routine that caught my attention was performed by Marina Annisina and Glendal Peizarat.  Their routine was done to a beautiful musical piece called “Time to Say Good-bye” (by A. Bocelli and S. Brightman).  This was one performance that was truly outstanding because the French man (Peizarat) and his Russian woman partner (Annisina) were so much in tune with each other in terms of their fluidity, elegance and passion.  In fact, their passion was expressed so well through their movements that you really felt it during their performance.  I’ll never forget their performance and I still watch it (on video tape, of course) from time to time. 

       My own personal exposure to figure skating for entertainment happened when my baby sister, “Saz” (a.k.a. Sandy) used to participate annually in a popular ice show staged in Unionville, Ontario called “Ice Fantasia”.  She participated in this show for several years until she was in her early teens; I believe that she quit skating when she was 14 or 15 years old.  I was in my mid-to-late twenties at the time, I believe, in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

In the winter, my whole family and I used to go outside skating together when I was young, especially on Christmas Day.  It was like an annual tradition in my family.  We were truly a family then, doing family things together.  That’s when we would go skating on a big frozen pond that was located in the field behind my parents’ house.  Skating was always a lot of fun, whether we, ourselves, were skating together, or we were watching Saz perform in the annual “Ice Fantasia” show, or we were watching the top figure skaters in the world on TV in competition or an ice show.  There’s something very special about the sport of figure skating.  It combines the best of athleticism and artistry all in one sport.  I definitely appreciated the magic of figure skating in the past and I will continue to appreciate its magic in the future, as well.

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.