Linda Fratianne (USA) - 1980 Lake Placid, Ladies' Long Program

[hersi29]

Probably my all time favorite skater. Doesn't hurt that she was also a babe!

[oofahman]

If it weren;t for those damned figures, she would have won..just like Janet lynn would have won many times as well....thank God the figures are gone now :)

[grafgirl27]

@oofahman Biellmann would have won without figures.

[gwyneth00]

I remember watching Linda Fratianne skate that night almost 31 years ago. I was so sure that she had won the gold medal. I wanted it for her so badly. She skated so well and she was just so beautiful and vivacious--much like Dorothy Hamill four years earlier. It was stunning to see her get the silver. I feel for her still, all these years later.

[victoriaindigo]

For some reason I remember Linda being famous for her hairstyle

[grafgirl27]

In 1988 I agree with Manley, then Ito, then Witt without figures.

In 1984 I would have Chin, then Zayak, then witt without figures.

[twilliger123]

I agree, but we're looking overall for all three elements of those days Linda still should have won, IMO. Denise was a great free skater jumping-wise no doubt but there was way too much eastern bloc countries doing back-room deals back then. In this case what Frank Carroll has always said I think is true.

[TheCopper05]

I could never understand on the old 5.9 scoring, why they would have to leave

room for the remaining skaters. Especially, when a skater of Fratianne's caliber.

She gave it her all, and I think she still should have won the Gold Medal.

[grafgirl27]

@TheCopper05 LOL you act as if this was unbeatable skating. As it was Biellmann was way better than this so thank goodness they did leave room for possible better skating. Biellmann's marks actually should have beaten Fratianne by more than they did. I really didnt even see much or any difference between Fratianne and Poetzsch, so with Poetzsch way better in figures it made sense she won overall, and with no figures Biellmann would have won easily.

[TheCopper05]

@grafgirl27 Oh I agree. I think Biellmann was twice the skater of Poetzsch. WIthout the figures, Biellman

would have beaten both Poetzsch. Here is how I would have ranked all three skaters without figures.

1. Biellmann 2. Poetzsch 3. Fratianne. Now, the 1984 without figures, I am not for sure about that. What is

your opinion. Let me know. 1988: I think without figures .1. Liz Mannely 2. Ito 3. Witt. What do you

think about results from 1988/

[ISaidNoTongue]

Look at Frank at 4:27! I've never seen him so animated! Jumping up and down like a giddy school girl! Love it! XD Anett did her 3S deeper into the program and 3 2A's. I'm not sure Linda was robbed.

[beckerbombs]

If the gold should go to the best free skater they should just give Biellmann the gold. I dont think Fratianne was robbed since she was neither the best free skater nor the best at figures.

[safehaven11]

A beautiful program.

[twilliger123]

Much better than Potzsch regardless, her overall style and technique were better and this program was better...I still believe Carlo Fossi rigged it, it's just too obvious.

[beckerbombs]

@twilliger123 they both bore me to tears to be honest. I would take Biellmann, Watanabe, or Lisa Marie Allen over both. Either Poetzsch or Fratianne being crowned an Olympic winner was going to be sad whichever it was. Anyway Fratianne beat Poetzsch in free skating but Poetzsch's lead in figures gave her the win.

[grafgirl27]

@twilliger123 Poetzsch was beaten handily as far as the judges marks in the free skating. Poetzsch won due to her big lead in figures which was justified as Linda always had much weaker figures than Annett. And if the gold should have gone to the best free skater than Biellmann would have won, not Linda.

[twilliger123]

@grafgirl27 and I see you're not using your pseud accounts now that you've been found out...LMAO

[natalie1622]

i love that family((:

[metsdudenj]

I like how the US crowd applauds when she goes into the cannonball position in the sit spin, what an amazing crowd! I dont think wearing the same dress was a good idea, kinda made her look boring and not looking up to the audience didnt help, very little emotion out of Linda, she seems East German in her stoic style

[mlc2005]

Beillmann's superior free skate, that blew the house down (she won the free skate) is what caused Linda to not win the gold! She has a beautiful camel spin, doesn't she?

[MTVMANN]

So if she would have won the LP she would have won?

[ants2876]

@MTVMANN yes probably since atleast 3 of the judges she only needed .1 more in the LP to pass Poetzsch overall. She certainly did not deserve to win the LP though. Biellmann was far better. If I were a judge I would give Biellmann all 6.0s and the next best all 5.2s, she was that much better than all the other women here, she probably would have come up to win even after being 12th in figures then.

[Chutson353]

@MTVMANN Not necessarily - at that time it was scoring was just adding the numbers so they could have just marked everyone low so that she got top LP marks but still came out second overall.

[quirotmutolafan]

Just wondering was she undermarked in figures? Her coach Frank Carroll said she was at the time but I never saw the figures.

[bardtoob]

I heard Anett Potzsch was overmarked, not that Linda was undermarked. I heard that the judges ignored that Anett's outside rocker was misaligned. A deduction for that alone would have probably put Linda over the top, since she lost by such a small margin, and given Dagmar Lurz the win in figures.

Also, if Linda deserved the Gold then Dagmar deserved the Silver. Dagmar had a harder jump combination (2A-2Lp) than Annett (2Lp-2T) and her solo 2A was better than Annett's 2A, which was leaning.

[quirotmutolafan]

Well I have read Frank Caroll say that Lurz was overmarked in figures and that Fratianne should have not only been closer to Poetzsch but over Lurz. So it intersting to hear you say Lurz should have won figures.

Lurz was also destroyed by both Fratianne and Poetzsch in the long program and was 6th in that phase only, so I doubt there is any scenario she gets the silver overall. That is unless you think she was undermarked in the LP.

[bardtoob]

I have never heard anybody say that Lurz did not deserve her marks in figures. Lurz is always used as an example of a skater that was a great compulsory figure skater but a poor freeskater.

A higher placement in the figures and SP while Poetzsch got lower placement in those phases could have been enough considering the scoring system at that time.

Keep in mind, I am not talking about what "always" happened, but what happened at this particular competition. Annett was off in Lake Placid.

[quirotmutolafan]

I am not saying you are wrong on the figures. I did not even see them. All I am saying is I am completely sure Carroll and Fratianne both said they should have been over Lurz in figures, and that Lurz was overmarked in figures in Lake Placid especialy since her loop was bad they said. I have read multiple articles were both are quoted as saying so. Again not saying they are right, just that I know for a fact they did. I tried to post a link to one here but it didnt let me. I can pm you one.

[clarriona]

agreed, Lurz was slow but technically she was better in this competition than Poetzsch.