Gold medalist Tara Lipinski, right and silver medalist Michelle Kwan display their medals after the victory ceremony at the World Figure Skating Championships in Lausanne on Saturday, March 22, 1997. The 14-year-old Lipinski is the youngest world champion ever. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Between the artistry, the thrill of watching fearsome athletes hurl themselves into epic jumps, and the costumes (oh, the costumes!) it's no wonder figure skating has made many a fangirl.

On the eve of a new Olympic Games, one that's already seen its share of skating-related drama here in the U.S., we're taking a moment to reflect on the beloved champs of our youth. These are the ladies who made it all look so easy that we developed a twisted sense of our own skills and ate it, many a time, at the local rink trying moves we had no business trying. (Unfortunately, as we soon learned, most of us cannot execute a perfect double axel and triple toe loop.)