Skating AU: Christopher Bowman vids

[icarus]

Christopher Bowman, the Showman

Here are a few routines by Christopher Bowman, a skater who reminds me of Rodney's (waaaay AU) style of skating in Out Of Bounds… his solid, energetic body language, sense of drama, flirting with the camera (okay, maybe Chris is a little more silly than Rodney but not by much). Scott Hamilton's remark really sums him up: "Chris Bowman doesn't compete for medals. He competes so he can perform in the Gala of Champions."

I like that he all but wears a banner that says "I am the gayest skater you have ever seen, bar none. Watch me!"

Christopher Bowman the Showman – 1991 Skate America Gala 'California Dreamin'
This is hot. Very hot.

Christopher Bowman the Showman – 1991 Skate America Gala 'Bad Boy'
The starting pose alone will crack you up, especially considering the last part of Out Of Bounds.

Christopher Bowman the Showman – 1992 Olympics Gala version of 'Bad Boy'
I couldn't decide which version to give you, so I'm offering both. This one has more energy and fire.

To explain the 'Bad Boy' theme, Chris Bowman has the rep of being skating's bad boy.

Why?

Welllll... you could credit things like the time he got beat up during a drug deal gone bad in Toronto. Or you might note his shaking his ass at the judges as part of his skating routines. Or, in terms of competition, you might notice his last-minute tendency to throw in big jumps he couldn't even land in practice – to disastrous effect. So maybe the skating federation is red-faced over Bowman, but he's a lot of fun to watch.


ETA: If you'd like more skating videos, check out the greatest skating resource ever: http://fsvids.9.forumer.com/

You need to join the group to download videos but they have everything, and it's beautifully organized. Thank you, sevenall for letting us know, and fleurrochard for many helpful skating links. (Yeah, I got everyone's names mixed up at first. I do that in person, too.)

Comments

[2naonh3-cl2.livejournal.com]

hee! i've spent the last fifteen minutes rewatching the three vids. hah. i love that you chose to style Rodney after him, there's such joy in his skating. it fits what we've seen of Rodney, from the last chapter and the chapter where he was skating by himself. i think that i can love your Rodney better, seeing him like Bowman. thanks for sharing!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Actually, I've been correcting myself on this: I've said that I'm basing Rodney's style on Bowman, but really I had a style in mind already when I wrote Rodney's Firebird Suite, and then someone mentioned it reminded them of Bowman. I couldn't remember Bowman, though I recognized the name, so I looked him up a few weeks later.

That commenter, whose name escapes me, was dead on.

Now Rodney takes himself far more seriously than
Bowman, and there isn't the drastic difference between his exhibition and competition skating that you find with Bowman. Additionally, I think Rodney likes classical music, he's not the "rock 'n roll man" that Bowman is. But they have the same joy and power to their skating.

Now Timothy Goebels I did have in mind when I was writing John's style.

Icarus

[2naonh3-cl2.livejournal.com]

damn, now i have to go look for some vids of timothy goebels.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'll see if I can find one for you. I'm trying to find his pre-2002 performances, before he started developing an actual "style."

Icarus