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

[20thcenturyvole.livejournal.com]

OMG! He is the gayest gay that ever gayed, but my God, what a showman!

The very definition of fabulous. *sporfle*

[fleurrochard]

Yay, thanks for the vids!

Also, it wasn't me who gave you that link (I gave you other links, but not such an awesome one), it was sevenall.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Ah, whoops. I shall correct it. I admit, I probably post too much and forget who said what where and when.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

He's so great. I'm still grinning at Bad Boy. Which one(s) did you watch?

He's so serious when it comes to the competition skating, it's like watching an entirely different person skate.

Icarus

[sarka.livejournal.com]

*snerk*

Loved that...

[volefan.livejournal.com]

The first and the third. I winced when he crashed after that jump - it looked like a hell of a thing to try pulling off, and points for trying, I guess, but ow!

And, of course, the first thing that sprung to mind was your AU Rodney, talking about the worst performance of his life. :D Eeep!

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

Understand me: I'm eating this like PUDDING with a GIANT SPOON.

[lillian78.livejournal.com]

Funny, how things have changed in skating. I go all the way back to the Peggy Fleming days when the dance and grace were really where the skating was concerned rather than (as now) there is a requisite number and type of jumps that must be accomplished for a skater to have *any* hope of placing in the finals. I don't know whether that's good or bad but it does bring to mind Rodney's and John's dilemna's (as talented skaters). One can carry off the acrobatic jumps but not the dance and the other just the reverse. I think the pressure on modern skaters must be very high indeed these days.

[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, the pressure was higher before because of the compulsories. You had to sketch out these perfect figure-eights and the judges measured if you were even a millimeter off, or if your blade scraped imperfectly, etc. So it was dry, dry, dry, but also extremely hard.

Now the focus is on the jumps, but it's moved the emphasis from "perfect control" to athleticism and artistry. This means that today's skaters are much more acrobatic, but they're also a lot sloppier in the details.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Mmmm... pudding... I'll share mine. And then we'll start in on the Haagen Dazs -- after we've licked the beaters. :D

Icarus

[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

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Bowman's the best. :D

Icarus

[stellahobbit.livejournal.com]

I'm downloading everything from your journal today. You're a very giving person ;-)

[2naonh3-cl2.livejournal.com]

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

[rike-tikki-tavi.livejournal.com]

These are fun. And Oh. My. God. Have you seen this?!?

http://www.mojoflix.com/Video/Evgeni-Plushenko-Sex-Bomb.html

Again with the shaking of ass.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I have. I admit, it's almost like he's mocking the "sex god" status of Russian skaters. Especially with the fake muscles. Oy.

Icarus

[rike-tikki-tavi.livejournal.com]

I'm just amazed at all the skating videos showing up at the moment. Is that because of the championships or simply fannish hivemind.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, but this was easy. Writing? Now that takes a lot more work than posting links to videos.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's the Olympics-?

Icarus

[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

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

So, um, just to tell you i finally got around to watching these--er, maybe twice, or three times--and OMG, Christopher Bowman is my new favorite fandom. And having him to map onto Rodney in the Skating AU makes my head explode in just the best way. And I'm sitting here, watching this guy skate and feeling all gooey-blessed by fandom--so, um, thank you, You just make me so happy!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I am so hooked on this guy. Christopher Bowman is just the greatest and he's so... Rodney. Agh. The way he moves, the melodrama, the playfulness and enjoyment. *snuggles AU!Rodneyness*

Icarus