There was some great skating at Skate Canada over the weekend—and some fabulous hair. I tend to notice hairstyles no matter which sport I am watching. I’m not the only one who loved the braids and ponytails that the soccer players rocked at the women’s world cup last summer. And every time I see another football player with flowing locks like this:
Image Source: nflrush.com
I can’t help but think how uncomfortable and sweaty it must be under that helmet. In figure skating, hairstyles are more important than most sports, since it can be part of the “look” of a costume or character. But at the same time, it needs to be practical and keep the hair out of the way during a performance. (Yes, I’m looking at you, female ice dancers who don’t pull your hair back. It’s distracting. And gives fuel to people who think skating is less of a sport.) My hair all-stars of Skate Canada are:
Most Improved: Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Russia
Last year, Elizaveta was always sporting a messy ponytail with lots of visible clips. It was a look that was more “Sunday afternoon at the gym” than “World Figure Skating Champion.” This picture doesn’t even really capture how bad it was:
Image Source: olympics.nbcsports.com
This year, she has come out much more polished, with a braided look. Unfortunately, there aren’t many good pictures of it, but you can get the gist here:
Image Source: icenetwork.com
MVP: Ashley Wagner, USA
Ashley has been a pretty consistent bun-wearer for the past few years, except for the polished ponytail in her Pink Floyd short program. I loved seeing her switch it up here, with the side part and twists into the bun. The red color also suits her much more than the really light blonde she had going on last year, in terms of both appearance and her sassy personality. Here’s a side view of the ‘do:
Image Source: wtop.com
Best Short Hairstyle: Meagan Duhamel, Canada
It is pretty rare to see a female figure skater with short hair. Short hair is difficult to pull back and limits your style options if you are going for a specific character. Canadian pairs skater Meagan Duhamel probably has the most well-known short hair in skating these days, and sometimes even she has bad hair days (like this overly curly situation at the Sochi Olympics). But I loved her look at Skate Canada; enough volume that it didn’t look flat or boring, but not so much that her hair overshadowed the rest of her.
Image Source: icenetwork.com
Most Eye-Catching: Adam Rippon, USA
I can’t do a post about figure skating hairstyles this season without mentioning Adam Rippon’s gray locks:
Image Source: thefinersports.sportsblog.com
There was lots of chatter over the summer about this look; whether he’d dye it back before the competition season started, and whether it would be off-putting to the (sometimes old-fashioned) judges. While I’m not the biggest fan of the look of the gray, I will give him props for staying true to his own style. I just don’t love hair colors that were clearly created in a bottle and not in nature.
Who sported your favorite looks at Skate Canada? Am I wrong about ladies who leave their hair down? (It would take a lot to convince me of that…) Share your favorites in the comments!
Twizzle Talk 
November 3, 2015 at 12:25 am
Funny how most female skaters (and some male skaters) wear their hair long now. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, most of the ladies had short hairdos, from Dorothy Hamill’s wedge to the poofy, curly hairstyles sported by Roz Sumners, Elaine Zayak, and Liz Manley. Then came the ponytail-with-poofy bangs era of the early 1990s (Kristi Yamaguchi, Oksana Baiul, Midori Ito, and– yes– Tonya Harding.)
Is Adam Rippon’s hair gray or lavender? It looked lavender in some pics and on TV, but it looks gray in other pics, including the one you posted. Quite an unusual look.
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November 3, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Good points! The hair usually reflects what is popular at the time. Adam’s surely fits that mold, since lots of celebrities have funky hair colors these days. I’ve read interviews where he calls the hair color gray but can definitely see the purple tint; maybe it depends on the lighting? Your post got me thinking and Sarah Hughes’ short haircut in the early 2000s was pretty different from her peers at the time. She definitely made it work. Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Jens!
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November 3, 2015 at 12:47 pm
Katarina Witt’s hair was also different from what the other skaters were doing at the time. It was long and straight with no 1980s poofyness. She usually wore it in a bun or with French braids.
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November 3, 2015 at 1:04 pm
She brought the ’80s in with the sequins and feathers on her dresses! Hah
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November 3, 2015 at 1:28 pm
She sure did!
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