Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov's 1999 Stars on Ice program

I re-watched a tape from the 1999 Stars on Ice tour this morning. I watched this spellbinding program from Elena and Denis ('92 Olympic silver medalists) and decided that I must post it on my blog ASAP. I unfortunately cannot find the name of this piece of music, but it really doesn't matter: the point here is that Elena and Denis are remarkable skaters in every respect. Now THIS is pairs skating. Absolutely gorgeous.

Robin Cousins' "The Impossible Dream" by Luther Vandross

Just came across this video on You Tube and absolutely love it. 1980 Olympic Gold Medalist, Robin Cousins of Great Britain skates to Luther Vandross' "The Impossible Dream" at a 1994 team competition. First of all, I adore Robin's skating. Deep edges, soft knees, long flowing movements and an exquisite body line...Oh, how I love thee, Robin!!! Robin is a true master of sport, art, and performance. Robin's genius combined with the brilliance of the late Vandross is a must-see combination. Look for the back spiral-backflip-back spiral combination. I applauded by the end of this performance. This is why I love figure skating!

Mark Mitchell's "Soon" by Michael Feinstein

(Mark Mitchell, center)

Mark Mitchell, 2-time U.S. National bronze medalist ('90/'93) and 1993 U.S. silver medalist and 4th place finisher at that year's World Championships is a truly elegant, polished, and pleasant skater. I remember watching this particular program to "Soon" by Michael Feinstein on television in 1994 and thinking about how wonderful a skater Mark Mitchell was. Eighteen years later, I still feel the same way.

A true testament to Mark's solid skating skills and artistic sensibilities is his success as a world-class coach these days. Mark currently coaches 2-time U.S. bronze medalist and reigning 4 Continents Championship bronze medalist, Ross Miner.

Enjoy Mark's performance to "Soon."


Enjoy!

Natalia Annenko & Genrikh Stretenski's "Ave Maria"

Natalia Annenko & Genrikh Stretenski are two beautiful skaters from Russia who won the 1988 European silver medal and finished 4th at the 1988 Winter Olympics. They won the World Pro Championships in 1992 and 1993. I couldn't even find a picture of them online, but luckily I could find several You Tube videos of their divine skating. I remember watching this particular program to Ave Maria on TV back in 1994. What a piece of art!

Ekaterina Gordeeva's "Fragile"

Ekaterina Gordeeva skated this delightful number in the 1998/1999 Stars on Ice tour.
I had the opportunity to see Katia skate this live when I attended S.O.I. in Madison Square Garden, NYC in the spring of 1999.

Enjoy!

Rosalyn Sumners' "After All These Years" by Anne Cochran

This is the program Rosalyn Sumners skated in her final year with the Stars on Ice tour during the 1998/1999 season. Rosalyn, the 1984 Olympic silver medalist is a sophisticated and classy skater that I always enjoyed watching. Such a lovely American champion.

Enjoy!

Yuka Sato's "Hat Full of Stars"

Beautiful! One of my favorite programs. Yuka is a treasure.