Surya Bonaly - now THERE was a figure skater

[KitchenWitch]

I loved her, but she never got the credit she deserved.

on edit: I misspelled her last name.

[Lars39]

1. I loved to watch her skate! That flip thing she did was cool.

She was another black skater that was tagged as really "athletic". :eyes:

[KitchenWitch]

2. I know!

She got robbed.

[flamingyouth]

3. Oh yes, I love her too

Great skater. She's also a vegetarian.

[nickinSTL]

4. Always liked Surya

:D

[AirmensMom]

5. Me, too!

:loveya: She was fun to watch ... always got screwed by the judges.

[LynneSin]

6. Why couldn't they allow the flip in routines

she was a powerful skater!

[KitchenWitch]

7. Because it would give the "colored girl" unfair advantage, silly

:sarcasm:

[LynneSin]

9. Can't have that happening

:grr:

Idiots if you ask me - I thought it was a neat jump. I was reading about her on Wikipedia. In the 1998 Olympics when she realizd she wasn't going to win she tossed it into her performance!

The girl was awesome to watch!

[KitchenWitch]

10. I saw that performance

She was amazing.

[LostinVA]

43. Phillipe would do the same thing

He would go out, have fun (loved his Braveheart, loved his D'Artagan), skate okay, and win a Bronze.

[redwitch]

52. I loved to watch him flirt with the judges.

He was so hot. :blush:

[LostinVA]

53. In a skanky way

[redwitch]

54. LOL

I don't recall thinking he was skanky, just naughty.

[LostinVA]

56. He had this greasy hair -- ALWAYS

[Lavender Brown]

11. It isn't supposed to be that difficult a move

I mean, Scott Hamilton was doing that even when he was really sick a few years ago and couldn't do any jumps. :shrug:

[begin_within]

12. They used to allow it, but then banned it in official competitions, but...

it still happens in the so-called "professional" competitions and often in exhibitions after the official competitions are all over (possibly you will see some of the men try it tonight in the "gala" exhibition at the Olympics). I'm not sure what year it was banned from the competitions proper, but I think sometime in the 1980s. Surya Bonaly did it best of anyone, since she landed it on one foot - everyone else was too chicken to do that, they did it but landed it on 2 feet.

[underpants]

8. She was also the first to do the leg behind the head thing wasn't she

I don't mean that in a sexual way either. I was shocked when I first saw it. Now it is almost required.

[SoCalDem]

19. denise Biehlmann was the first , I think..

They call it "a Biehlmann"..

[LostinVA]

30. Yup, she's the first... and probably the best

[begin_within]

20. Technically that's called the Biellmann spin, and is credited to Denise...

...Biellmann of Switzerland, who won the 1981 World Championships. Denise Biellmann did not invent the spin, but she was the first one to perform it and win a World Championship. So it is now named after her. She was also the first female skater to land a triple lutz jump in competition. Now the Bielmann spin seems almost to be required of all female single skaters - it seems like everyone did one in their short and long programs at this Olympics. It does give them some extra points. Very few men ever do the Biellmann spin, in fact Evgeny Plushenko is one of those very few.

[SoCalDem]

35. Men aren't as flexible usually

Mother nature made women a bit more "stretchy" in certain areas :)

[begin_within]

13. She is one of the all-time great jumpers, but was a bit lacking in

artistry and choreography. I loved watching her skate though.

[begin_within]

14. Her mother (adopted) was the RINK MOM FROM HELL - truly frightening

and controlling every aspect of her - even firing her coach in the middle of a compeition and coaching her by herself, and sitting with her in televised interviews and audibly feeding her the answers right on camera.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

55. Oh yes, truly a nasty looking mother

:scared:

[swag]

15. She is my favorite.

I admit that it's because I liked her behind better than I liked the behinds of the other skaters.

I am comfortable with the fact that this, among other things, makes me a bad man.

[KitchenWitch]

25. She did have some junk in her trunk!

:evilgrin:

[Patiod]

16. I used to love the jump thing!

I was just describing her to a woman at my office "you know, the one who did the jump thing - feet over head!"

[begin_within]

17. Bit of trivia - she was a world champion in tumbling, then became a skater

[SoCalDem]

18. The new scoring would have benefitted her

She was always marked DOWN for being daring..The new scoring is pretty rigid and skills have to be rewarded, even a fall gets some credit..

(I do not think that medals should go to fallers though)

[begin_within]

23. Absolutely! She would have thrived under the new scoring system.

[KFC]

21. How many Olympic medals did she win?

Zero.

Sasha Cohen - Silver medalist

[KitchenWitch]

26. The point is, for whatever reason, she should have won many medals

She was a far better technical skater than Sasha Cohen and all of the other current Olympians.

[KFC]

27. Right. She was so good that she did not even win a bronze.

Sasha fell on her ass twice and still won the silver. That is what you call game.

[flamingyouth]

28. "Game" is falling on your ass twice?

Wow, I should play! :D

[KFC]

32. Nice point.

I just like mentioning Sasha and ass in the same sentence.

[flamingyouth]

34. Hee hee

And I just like pointing out my own clumsiness. :D

[LynneSin]

41. Hell, if falling on your ass was an Olympic sport - I'd be a shoo-in for

the gold medal!

Ok, maybe silver - Sasha would probably beat me for gold in that category

[LostinVA]

49. giggle

[LynneSin]

50. I'll kick your ass in that competition

and sneer when you perform a flawless performance

WEAK!!!

[LostinVA]

51. I am! I am perfect! I admit it!

[KitchenWitch]

31. The bias in judging figure skating is legendary

She could skate circles around Sasha Cohen in her prime.

[LostinVA]

36. No, that's what you call the new scoring system

[KitchenWitch]

37. THANK YOU!

:hi:

[LostinVA]

42. You're welcome -- and it's true!

It's ridiculous! Try a hard jump, fall, and get a BETTER score than someone who skates a clean program, but didn't put in one or two harder jumps. YOu don't win by failing! Hey, Bode Miller had the fastest speed... until he DQed. Stupid. Brian Boitano was going on about this the other day.

[KitchenWitch]

44. I know, it is totally ridiculous

[bullwinkle428]

61. Fumie Suguri got screwed by this - she skated an excellent final

program, and had to sit there and look at the Stumbleflop sisters up on the podium with their silver and bronze medals...

[LostinVA]

63. I know -- sickening

Skaters who fall TWICE shouldn't medal. Even once is iffy. A hand touch? Okay.

[LostinVA]

33. So? Michele Kwan never won a gold

And look at her list of accomplishment. she skated competitively for longer than Cohen will. She was... is.... a real athlete. Surya Bonaly made the competitions fun, and brought something to the sport, which Cohen hasn't done. She was Tonya Harding, without the felonies and with some zing.

[SoCalDem]

38. Sasha-fall-on-her-ass-twice Cohen?

I'm a harsh critic, but when you fall on your ass twice in the olympics, you don't deserve a medal.. any medal..

[LostinVA]

45. Yup -- they need to revamp the new system ASAP

[LynneSin]

40. Sasha Cohen - spoiled sport bush-bot

She has about as much class as Michelle Kwan has in her little pinky finger

[LostinVA]

46. SAnd legendary bad sport

Skating across someone's jump line on purpose in warm-ups? Over and over again? Then smirking?

[LynneSin]

47. Well that's what Bush would do if he was a figure skater

I'm just saying!

[LostinVA]

48. Yup! Have to cheat to try to beat the better opponent

EXcept, she never beat Kwan. Not even for the National title. HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHa

[Lucy - Claire]

62. European Gold Medals Five Years Running......

Three silver medals in the World Championships is a very good medal tally for any figure skater.
Don't for get thought the Americans and Canadians do not commit in the European championship, the other nations that
have strong contenders do and the judges were also still mostly from the former USSR.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

22. She was a wonderfully athletic skater but...

lacked grace on the ice -- that is why she never hit the top. Doing a backflip or triple triples isn't enough to be a first rate skater -- you have to have a fluidity and grace that make you breathhtaking to watch. Kwan excelled at that -- Surya did not.

[underpants]

24. This one time.... at skating camp...

[LostinVA]

29. LOved her, even though she was insane

Her psych-out backflips.,... she and Philippe ROCKED!

And, she and Phillipe were "disciplined" by the French Skating people... you know, the same ones who tried to cover up the SLC Pairs scandal....

[Shell Beau]

39. She was very good athletically, but she always lacked the

grace. But I always loved to watch her. She was exciting.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

57. I was just thinking of her last night!

She skated with so much energy. What a pleasure it as to watch her!
The judges and critics were down on (or were they jealous of?) her gymnastic style of skating, though. What dopes.

I always loved Elvis Stojko too...even before they decided he wasn't controversial anymore.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

58. Hated her skating...it was like gymnastics on ice.

She was a pissy little diva poor-sport too.

Oksana Baiul...now THAT was a skater.:P

[Lucy - Claire]

59. She was my favourite for a long time......until Maria Butyskiya.

She was moody, irreverent but she was so good to watch. I loved her back flip and a beautiful program with Four Seasons.
She dominated the European Championships, I would have love to see her win a World Championship or an Olympic Gold.

[Ellen Forradalom]

60. Bonaly had showtime

A very distinct personality on the ice.