No.1 Elena
Liashenko
The sunny smile, and great artistic
interpretation is a winner every time. No contest
really! More about Elena on my fan page...
Alexei Yagudin
Holds onto the number one spot from last
season. Went through the season undefeated. A
masterly performance to become Olympic Champion,
and was the only Olympic Champion prepared to
show up at Worlds.
No.2
Fumie Siguri
Had had a good couple of seasons, and has and
excellent jump technique, combined with good
artistry. Would have done even better this season
if skaters who finished ahead of her were judged
on their performance, rather than on reputation.
She should really have been on my top 3 list last
season, it was very hard to choose between her
and Tamara Dorofejev.
The performance this season to Moonlight
Sonata was much appreciated. Another piece
of music that's out of the cupboard, and now sits
proudly on my electronic piano.
Timothy Goebel
Continues to improve season by season. The
technical side has been well documented, but the
artistry is improving also.
The Gershwin American In Paris revealed
a style that really suits him, and was much
appreciated by me.
No.3
Viktoria Volchkova
Must admit that I felt a bit sorry for Miss
Volchkova this year. She's such a graceful
skater, and her triple Lutz must be as big as
most of the men. For whatever reason, the
confidence seem to go (perhaps it was the lost
chance to win gold at Europeans when the door was
wide open after sub-par performances from
Slutskaya and Butyrskaya).
My tip for Miss V. is to spend some of the summer
skating around to your favourite music, before
resuming work in readiness for next season.
Alexander Abt
Was unlucky to lose out to Yagudin at
Europeans, and narrowly lost out to Takeshi Honda
at Worlds. Unfortunate that he has been plagued
with injuries throughout his career, else he may
have been a big a rival to Yagudin as Plushenko.
If this was his last season, the best of luck to
him in the future...
What of next season?
For the Ladies, it wasn't an easy decision
(apart from the No.1 spot of course!). The
performances over the last two season had to be
taken into account. Out went Vanessa Gusmeroli
and Tamara Dorofejev, partly because I havent
seen them skate at all.
 Knocking
on the door could be Sasha Cohen who made a big
impact on the world stage. If she can avoid
bumping into her competitors (this is figure
skating Sasha, not Ice Hockey!!), she could be a
future world champion.
In the Men, If Abt retires, the number 3 spot
will be up for grabs. There were some impressive
newcomers last season, amongst them Matthew
Savoie. He has a real artistic flair, and if he
can get a quad under his belt and makes the US
team, he could be a podium contender at Worlds
next season...and also make this list!
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