At the end of the season, I like to take a fun look back at the season and hand out the Loop Axel Awards...this year is no different.The readership of this blog has grown exponentially over the past year; with the Olympics taking place, my blog getting some crazy exposure on behalf of Panasonic, and so many of me e-friends just getting the word out, I've got lots of people stopping by and I wanted to include all of you in this years' award choices.
Thus, the Reader's Choice Award. I want all of you to choose the Reader's Choice Award for Skater of the Year. Between now and next Saturday at 10:00 PM CST, send me your vote for who you think the Skater of the Year is. You can e-mail me, tweet me, post a video on YouTube and send it to me, leave your vote in the comments below this post, tell me on Facebook, tell me via formspring, however you want to do it! I'll keep tabs and the top 5 will go into a poll on my site where you can vote for who you think is most deserving of the Reader's Choice Award.
Who will it be? A man? A woman? A pairs team...a dance team? I'm accepting votes...NOW!
38 comments:
Oooh, this fun.
Well, Johnny would vote for Ksenia Makarova.
And, most everyone else will vote for Kim Yu-Na, Evan, or Johnny.
SO, I'm going to vote for Daisuke Tahahashi. Whether he always delivers or not, he's the greatest male skater alive. Thankfully, he DID deliver at Worlds, and well enough at Olympics to win two historic medals for his Japanese people.
The quality of his skating, like Lambiel, is highly unique, and the VERY definition of "flair" and "pizazz." YES, that's "star quality," people! A friend even called him "The Japanese Elvis" (especially thanks to his SP look). His jumps are dramatic and dangerous! Noone's footwork is more fleet or danceable. And, noone else could execute his footwork but him.
He also has the distinct, and handsome chiselled cheekbones of a samurai.
And, since he'll surely be retiring soon, AND he overcame a near career-ending injury, I give him the vote.
Skater of the Year:
Yuna Kim! The first time I saw her at last year's worlds, she made even strangers to the sport (like me) stop and say, "who is that?!" She didn't win this year's worlds only because she completely flopped on her short program, but even with a fall and a popped axel she still won the free. Drama, grace, presentation, speed, technicality, and the "it" factor on the ice that makes you want to keep watching her - she's got it, and she's great for the sport.
Thanks for the blog!
I vote for Meryl Davis and Charlie White. The fact that I am voting for a dance team when it is usually my least favorite of the four disciplines is amazing enough. Their Indian OD was the most original OD I've seen since Torvill and Dean, and the Indian community loved it as well. Their free dance to Les Mis was not "oh no, not another Les Mis" but "oh wow, what great power, lifts, unison, everything that a great dance team should have!"
sk8mvn... their FD was "phantom of the opera" not les mis. their OD is perfection. cant stop watching them.
Queen Yuna aka Yu-Na Kim has my vote!
She introduced me to the sport of figure skating to the point where I am now fully obsessed with the sport!
Never have I thought, as a guy who was only ever interested in masculine sports such as boxing and wrestling , I'd take an interest in such a graceful yet athletic sport as figure skating.
I definitely vote Yuna as skater, and sports person of the year.
I prefer D&W... but it has to be V&M.
Ryan Bradley, as a thank you for all the years of entertainment on the ice. Man's a fantastic performer and you get teh joy of skating through his programs.
Dice-K of course! Most flair with the most gutsy programs around. He is step above everyone else including the Olympic gold and silver medalist. Evan definitely can't beat him on the flair or the gutsy department. Plushy may match his flair and gutsy, but lacks the gracefulness of Dice-K's footwork.
I'm tempted by V&M, but Tonichelle changed my mind--definitely Ryan Bradley! I don't care what his results were, I had a blast watching him.
I vote for Daisuke Takahashi. His coming back from almost career ending injury deserves it. He wasn't even on the ice on this day last year, but last week he attempted 4F and won World Championship. What a journey. What a chance. His body exudes joy of skating and it reminded me that figure skating is truly wonderful sport.
I choose Daisuke. He just has everything for skating, when he is not popping his jumps. And his program makes a lot of impact on me, as his is the only one that I usually remember a few days after the event.
My vote is for Meryl Davis and Charlie White. They have been absolutely exceptional all season, achieving so much yet always coming up short. As the Eurosport commentators said, they so very much deserve an OGM! They are definitely skaters of the year for me (though I'll probably change my mind in a few mins; nearly put Rochette and Belgosto, there are just so many to choose from!)
Daisuke Takahashi, for fighting through a career threatening injury and a rough first half of the season to come back and win Japan's first ever Olympic medal in men's figure skating, and claiming his first, very well deserved World title. To me, he is the perfect package in figure skating. Charisma, technical proficiency, and true heart.
I would pick Daisuke Takahashi for winning the bronze at the Olympics and the gold at the Worlds, for an incredible comeback from missing one entire season with the horrifying injury and rehab in less than a year. Also, his two programs this year are ones to remember - more so than the Olympics gold/silver medalists'. 5 years from now I don't think I'd remember what musics/programs they skated for but I would remember Daisuke's programs even in 10 years. He has such a presence on the ice who makes you want to move forward and watch over and over. Also for his musicality, no other skaters can match that ability in the Men's field today.
Daisuke Takahashi, no doubt. He has every quality (jumps, spins, footwork, is artistic etc.) and has done well in every competition this year (and does not stop trying). Yu-Na is very good but she is overconfident and highly overrated (e.g. what happened at Worlds). I would mention Mao Asada but I think Takahashi deserves it the most :)
Oh, this is hard! Much as I love Takahashi, I think I'm gonna go with Ryan Bradley. I think he has a fantastic attitude and he hasn't ever given up, and I admire him hugely for even going to Worlds on an injured foot, no matter where he placed. Plus, he manages to combine the big jumps with a great sense of humor, he has one of my favourite free programs this year, he's really fun to watch, and he is really, really charming!
I vote for Daisuke Takahashi. He brought excitement to the Worlds with both his programs. Very artistic and just a joy to watch. Such charisma!!!!
Yay^_^ I am glad to see Takahashi having so many votes. I also vote for Dai. He's just amazing and the most exciting male skater now! Also a special mention for Mao, who fought so hard throughout this season. I am glad that she was rewarded for her hard work in the end.
It's gotta be Yuna Kim. She made significant contributions to the skating world this season. She reeled out one record breaking performance after another despite immense pressure she was constantly under being the only one from her country. She broke the previous world records (SP, FS, combined total) she set up six times this season over the first four competitions, and in Vancouver she gave two of the best Olympic performances of all time, again despite the mind-buggling pressure, and gave Korea its first ever Olympic figure skating medal. Thanks to her winning of the medal in Vancouver, more rinks are being built and more Korean kids are turning into figure skaters. We will see the effect in the next 5-10 years at the international competitions.
Throughout this season, she again and again showed that ladies' performances designed under the current scoring system can be both technical and artistic. She is the living proof that the system is heading into the right direction.
I don't know if she doesn't get the award after all this accomplishment, who could.
I hope this poll doesn't become one of the contest in which a skater with more contingent wins or one cannot win because the skater won it last year. (She won this award last year, right?) Recognition should be given based on the skater's contribution and accomplishment, not statistical bias or some strange rule.
The Reader's Choice Award is open to all skaters as it is a new award.
I will still be awarding a Skater of the Year Award separate from Reader's Choice.
Yuna Kim. This lady needs no introduction. She is the face of figure skating, and it'll be a sad day when she leaves.
Daisuke Takahashi, for all the reasons stated above. His comeback was simply incredible.
Daisuke Takahashi. His SP at the Olys and LP at the Worlds blew me away.
Special mentions to Yuna & Joannie, for their courage and beautiful performance.
A vote for the future: Adam Rippon and Michael Brezina! (no not as a pairs team, very funny)
Davis and White: strong and consistent the whole year. They came out with season-ready programs at Nebelhorn and stayed strong. Their OD has done more for interest in ice dancing than any other program this year, even that of the OGM's.
Queen Yuna.=) Beyond the scores she broke, her wonderful performances with all the quality&difficulty were enough to get the skating world excitedly back. I think she deserves not only Olympic champion but this award! (Hope this award has also silver&bronze for Daisuke & Joannie.lol)
How can anyone vote for anyone BUT Yuna Kim? Her performance at the Olympics was my favorite of all time.
I vote for Evgeni Plushenko. I know he has a lot of haters, but I like his unique style and charisma, and his jumps are pretty good too :)
I vote Virtue/Moir, simply because they won Worlds and Olympics. If Yu-Na had won Worlds, she'd have my vote.
i know is't rather controversial choice but i vote for Plushenko. you can say what you want about his cockiness but coming back and winning his 6th european championship and silver medal in vancouver after 3.5 years away from competative skating is pretty AMAZING:)
"If Yu-Na had won Worlds, she'd have my vote." Just how much Yuna has to do for this person? :)
Definitely Yuna gets my vote. She has done so much for the skating fans this season; so many record breaking performances, two perfect and historic Olympic showings that are so rare to see. She deserves to be recognized with every award imaginable for her contributions for the sport.
I hope she stays competitive and contributes even more in the future.
I can't think of anyone who is more deserving the award than Yu-Na and she gets my vote. I would vote for her for the skater of the decade for her two perfect Olympic performances.
I admire Takahashi's comeback and success at the worlds but the fact that the four out of the top six at the Olympics, headed by Plushenko and Lysacek, were missing at the worlds dims his accomplishment significantly.
Definitely "the Queen". What a season Kim had, and what a truly astounding performance at the Olys under the tremandous pressure. The one who rises to the occation and delivers her top game when it matters the most deserves this award.
Ya, I want to give her much credit for keeping her promise with her fans and Korean Skating Federation by showing up at worlds despite the risk of glitching her accomplishment from the Olympics. She fought to the end through the post OGM fatigue and won two spots for Korea's younglings.
Shen/Zhao were the most inspirational skaters for me. They have persevered through injuries and their passion has motivated them through their 18 year skating career.
When Shen injured her right ankle during 2003 Worlds, many expected them to withdraw from the long program. However, she did more than just bear through the competition, it was more than just a clean performance, but they touched everyone that watched their program to Turandot.
Another nightmare occured only months before the 2006 Olympics. Zhao tore his achilles tendon, which for most would be a career ending injury. Shen/Zhao did not lose sight of the chance at another Olympics. Even if Zhao only started jumping just a couple weeks before the Olympics, their courage earned them the bronze medal.
Shen/Zhao retired for a year before returning to competition in 2009 for one reason only - an Olympic gold medal. The 2010 Olympic gold was 18 years in the making where they literally put forth sweat and blood for the most prestigious title.
Yu-na Kim for all the reasons above.
I think Yuna Kim
She has technical ability and artistic voice.
It's amazing. I wanna vote for Yuna
Of course Yu-Na Kim! The Dominating Queen(thats y she's called as Yuna Queen or QueenYuna), reignning Olympic Champion with two amazing performnances(and both set new World Records).
OMG, she's just a gift to all the skating fans. I really thank God i'm living the same age with her. Her skating just always touches my mind.
And love her because of her personality. Strong, warm-hearted(well recognized by her plenty of donnations), also got patience and courage... i've been an old fan of Michelle Kwan, A.Yagudin, and now i think Yuna herself is brilliant enough to be another legend. i love u Yuna!
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