There are a few sports that I actively watch, and figure skating is the one I love to watch the most, even though I am so bad at skating. With the four different disciplines there is a wide range of performances to devour. Figure skating is not only a sport but also an art form, it can make people laugh, cry, be excited or exhilarated and everything in between. Watching performances is such an experience. Wanting every skater to do their best but also having favorites to root for makes it all the more interesting. Sometimes when I’m feeling down, I’ll rewatch some of my favorite performances and they always make me feel better. As most of this year’s international season was cancelled due to the pandemic, I’ve been rewatching a lot of my favorite performances, which I’ve listed below. To be fair I’ve only chosen one performance per person/pair, and haven’t chosen any of their exhibition skates (non-competitive routines).
Ladies
This is probably the most well known discipline, as it always gets the most attention during the Olympics. Known for elegant moves and amazing jumps and spins, it’s hard to take your eyes off of these skaters.
Kim Yuna Free Skate at the Sochi 2014 Olympics
Many consider her to be one of the greatest female figure skaters of all time, always delicate and elegant. Her skating is on another level. This performance was her official last performance of her career. You can tell she puts everything into this last routine as a thank you and as a goodbye to the sport. This performance is beautifully breathtaking, and so ethereal.
Evgenia Medvedeva Free Skate at the 2017 World Team Trophy
During her second season in the Senior division, Evgenia Medvedeva dominated ladies figure skating, winning every competition she was a part of that year. This particular performance broke her own previously-held world record as well as solidifying a silver medal for Russia at the World Team Trophy.
Mens
Known for bringing quad jumps into popular fashion, mens skating is gravity defying as well as artistic.
Yuzuru Hanyu Free Skate at 2019 Worlds
I can’t talk about mens skating and not mention Yuzuru Hanyu. The two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the holder of 19 world records, he’s already considered one of the greats and he hasn’t even retired yet! There are so many great performances to choose from, but I’ve chosen his most recent world record skate at the 2019 World Championships where he won silver. Another great performance to watch is his short dance in the 2018 Olympics (where he won gold), delivering an amazing performance all while recovering from an injury.
Shoma Uno Free Skate at Skate Canada 2017
As one of the most artistic of the male skaters, it’s hard to ignore Shoma Uno when he portrays so much emotion during every skate. Here, he solidifies his gold medal at the Skate Canada competition. Although making a few mistakes, he doesn’t let it affect him and looks very princely throughout the performance.
Pairs
Recognizable by the high tosses and throws of the female partner, this discipline is a joy to watch as it ups the ante of singles skating by adding in another skater.
Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot Free Skate at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics
Now I don’t usually watch pairs as much as the other disciplines, but this performance is one I go back to all the time. The emotion is so raw, and everything is executed so beautifully that it is literally breathtaking to watch. This performance was at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics where they won gold.
Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao Free Skate at the 2003 Grand Prix Final
I know the video quality isn’t the best, but the beautiful skating more than makes up for it. It is my favorite pairs skating routine ever! The way that they connect to the music and portray the story of “The Nutcracker” all in about four minutes is mind boggling to me. This skate is from the 2003 Grand Prix Final where they won gold, and skated (in many people’s mind) one of the best performances in pairs.
Ice Dance
I love watching ice dance, it’s my favorite of all skating disciplines. Without any jumps, tosses, or over-the-head lifts (as seen in pairs), ice dance has to rely more on artistry and is often described as ballroom dancing on ice.
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir Free Skate at 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics
This pair is probably one of the most popular within the skating world, as they are the most decorated figure skaters in the history of the sport. With a huge fan base that supports them no matter what and with great skating like in this video, it’s easy to understand why. This performance was their last competitive one, and you can see the dedication, love, and just plain fun they have while performing this routine.
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani Free Skate at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics
This duo are my personal favorite skaters out of every discipline. This brother and sister pair break the traditional mold of ice dance where the partners perform more romantic routines. Being more creative with their performances allows them to fully showcase their creativity and wow the audience with their amazing skills. This performance was when they won the bronze medal at the 2018 Olympics, which was their last performance to date, but it’s unsure if they’ll return to competitive skating in the future. I remember watching this live on TV around 2am (on a school night) and crying from their near perfect performance.
As this duo is my favorite, I thought I’d add in a few extra videos to check out: their short dance at the 2017 US Nationals, where they won gold and gained internet fame for skating to Jay Z and Frank Sinatra; their short dance at the 2016 World Championships and their free skate at the same competition, where they got a silver medal and made a major comeback from previous seasons with two beautiful performances; and finally a fan favorite short dance from the 2018 Olympics, not only do the Shibutani fans love this but others as well saying it was the best short dance of the season.
I love watching figure skating, and sharing my love of the sport even though I can only skate in a straight line. Hopefully you check some of these videos out, happy watching!
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