The King of Skating has Ended his Reign

I finally got around to watching the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships, and while it was a spectacular performance, I couldn’t help but miss Evgeni Plushenko. For those who aren’t immersed in the skating world, Plushenko is a Russian skater who holds a slew a records including winning 4 Olympic medals. He was also one of my first figure skating idols.

I started skating seriously when I was 11 years old and while I only scraped the surface of the competitive world of figure skating, I always had a massive admiration and fascination with it. I remember watching the 2006 Torino Olympics, eyes glued to the screen as Plushenko cleared first place by nearly 30 points winning gold.

Here is his short program:

Plushenko officially retired this year and turned to coaching and while I didn’t expect him to continue skating at 34, his absence from recent skating competitions sent me into a nostalgic whirlwind of digging up his old progams and falling in love with his skating all over again.

Listen – all skaters competing on international levels are unbelievably skilled. But Plushenko treats every program like a performance. He is not just skating to rack up points (which he does just as well), but he is looking to entertain the audience, and have fun. You can tell how much he loves being on the ice and putting on a show. This is most apparent from his exhibition skates – he shows that medalists will put on post-performances that are not scored, but are just an exhibition of the skater’s ability away from the constraints of normal programs.

If there are any Plushenko fans reading who have never watched his exhibitions, you cannot appreciate how amazingly weird he is.  Plushenko’s 1998 NHK exhibition (he’s only 16 here) is one of my favorites, partially because the audience loved him so much he ended up giving TWO encores, but mostly because it’s hilarious.

A lot of people were saying that he “could get away” with a performance like that because he was 16, but fast forward to the 2002 GPF and his exhibitions had reached a whole other level. Get rid of all of your stereotypes about stoic Russian skaters and do not drink anything while watching this:

Over the years, my own skating has become just a hobby, but watching videos like these make me remember how much I love the sport. I’ll end off with a video of little Plushenko in 1999 in one of the most beautiful and skilled performances I’ve seen. He’s also a sassy lil showboat.

 

Til next time.

–  Merav