Happy Belated 30th Birthday to Me: A Collection of Favorite Performances

On Tuesday, Aug. 6, I turned 30. Though I had dreaded it at first, it ended up being my most amazing birthday yet! A large reason that the birthday was so magical was because my wonderful boyfriend filled the day with so many fantastic surprises that filled me with joy and inspiration! I certainly never expected even half of the things he did for me, and am still in awe and grateful to this day. A new I-phone, that brought me out of the dark ages and has made my life so much more streamlined and efficient was the first surprise. Then a trip to NYC, a visit to the "Top of the Rock" observation deck to see the best views of the city, a mouth-watering meal of authentic French Boeuf Bourguignon and Flambé Cherries, and last but not least, tickets to see the delightful Cinderella on Broadway!! To end a perfect day, we drove through Times Square and soaked in the lights, the energy, and the excitement! Amazing day!

To further celebrate my big day, I'd like to share some of my favorite skating performances. I have posted some of my favorite programs recently in individual posts, so this compilation might skip some of those programs, but considering the large number of favorites that I have, it won't be hard to come up with new material! I have now had the pleasure of enjoying figure skating for nearly 20 years, and am forever grateful for discovering this passion at the tender age of 10! I hope you enjoy my selections as much as I've enjoyed watching them over the years!

Michelle Kwan's "East of Eden" skated at the 1998 World Professional Championships:



Michelle Kwan's "Taj Mahal" skated at the 1997 World Figure Skating Championships:



Paul Wylie's "Schindler's List" skated at the 1994 World Professional Championships:



Brian Boitano's "Music of the Night" from 1996:


Robert Wagenhoffer's "Crying" from the 1994 Champions on Ice:


Robert Wagenhoffer's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" from the 1981 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Exhibition:


Robin Cousins' "Impossible Dream" from the 1994 World Team Figure Skating Challenge:



Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov's "Vocalise" aka "Sculptures" by Rachmaninoff from the 1994 World Professional Championships:



Isabelle and Paul Duchesney's "The Missing" from the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships:



Scott Hamilton's "Hungarian Rhapsody" from 1994: