Sasha

jesslily · Feb 6, 2006

When Sasha just moved to east, articles or her journals talked that her dad flew in once a while from California. And later it seemed her dad worked in New York area.
During 2004 when Sasha talked about purchasing condo in New York, first she said she and her parents buy two condos(one for her, and one for her parents in same building), and later she changed to that she and her mother purchasing one together... When the parents relationship goes to bad, it indeed gives chilren miserable time, no matter you are teens or young adults. But figure skating, especially splitting the home for figure skating can be a major cause to end a marrage.

Mathman · Feb 6, 2006

I am surprised that we are not seeing more artticles on Sasha as the Olympics approach. Ladies figure skating is the marque event of the winter games and U.S. National Champion Sasha is in the hunt for the gold medal.

Understandably a lot of media attention was siphoned off by the drama of Michelle's situation. But that's old news now, and the bottom line is, Michelle could finish anywhere from first to fifteenth, while Kimmie will be lucky to make the top 10. Where's the Sasha hype?

MM

jesslily · Feb 6, 2006

Sasha has a new journal. She said she tries to turn down or postpone all the interviews from media. So she could focus on her training.

soogar · Feb 6, 2006

Please Rgirl,
What difference does it make if Swift got Sasha's BMI? BMI isn't accurate for athletes anyway. There are athletes that are very muscular and have low bodyfat yet have the same BMI as a 200 pound out of shape person. We all know Sasha is very thin. She has to be b/c those jumps are hard on her body. But I don't think she will stay that small weight forever. This is the thinnest she has ever been but that will change after the Olympics and Worlds. Ballet dancers have to have thin bodies. Part of it is aesthetics, and the other part is the impact that these moves have on the body. Sasha has already sustained her share of injuries. Can you give it a rest about the girl's weight?

The SI article was the best article I've ever read about Sasha, and the photo is very beautiful. On an aside, Kimmie was looking like a real babe with her hair down. I think Sasha's family situation really explains a lot of her inconsistency and coach changes. I'm very surprised that the Cohens have been able to keep their marital troubles quiet. Hopefully they can work out their issues. I think it's very hard on Sasha to know that her career drove her parents apart and she probably keeps a lot of her feelings to herself about that issue. I certainly don't blame Sasha for her parent's split b/c obviously the mother made the decision to go to the East coast with Sasha (probably in response to marital trouble, maybe b/c she enjoys living vicariously through Sasha).

flowjo35 · Feb 6, 2006

MM

I am sure there will be more articles on Sasha. There is almost 3 weeks before the ladies competition.

Jimmy Hoffa · Feb 6, 2006

Mathman said:
I am surprised that we are not seeing more artticles on Sasha as the Olympics approach. Ladies figure skating is the marque event of the winter games and U.S. National Champion Sasha is in the hunt for the gold medal.

Understandably a lot of media attention was siphoned off by the drama of Michelle's situation. But that's old news now, and the bottom line is, Michelle could finish anywhere from first to fifteenth, while Kimmie will be lucky to make the top 10. Where's the Sasha hype?

MM

I saw Cohen on the cover of an issue of TV Guide with some other athletes, but no other skaters.

orchid · Feb 6, 2006

millie said:
It's a very good read

QUOTE:
"Cohen started lifting weights. She began running and working on her cardio endurance. Today at 5ft2in's and 95 pounds, she built like a gymnist than a waif and can leg press 400lbs. "I feel now when I land jumps, I'm landing on a column rather than the spaghetti noodles like I skated in 2000" Cohen says.

Well, this explains the change in the landing and follow through: years ago she landed fluidly (when she stayed upright) and stretched with the outflow, now she lands on the front of the skate and then the back and when "it" feels secure a quick stretch. "Column landing" get that foot on the top of the pillar and then step down.

p.s I DO NOT believe she can press 400 lbs. No way, nope. nada, nyet
:laugh:

76olympics · Feb 6, 2006

I thought it was interesting that Sasha is an "avid reader." This makes me like her more. Kindred spirit thing- I liked that about Sergei Grinkov also.

R.D. · Feb 6, 2006

orchid said:
p.s I DO NOT believe she can press 400 lbs. No way, nope. nada, nyet

I bet that number was exaggerated for dramatic purposes. Still, you have to admit that's impressive...especially for someone her size. Also not surprising, because if you look at skating photos of her you can see she's got very muscular legs.

Joesitz (RIP) · Feb 6, 2006

There are bodybuilders who can not press 400 pounds and weight lifters (there is a difference) do it with a squat stand and lift over head (I forget the term).
Sasha may press 40 pounds which for her would be quite a feat.

Good for her.

Joe

Piel · Feb 6, 2006

After some knee surgeries you have to be able to lift at least 35 pounds with the injured leg to be able to walk without crutches. It is not abnormal to lift 150-175 pounds before being discharged from physical therapy so 400 pounds with both for an elite athlete like Sasha does not seem an exageration. The quadriceps are powerful muscles!

ladysarahchatto · Feb 7, 2006

nymkfan51 said:
I'm sure separation and divorce are hard on all members of a family. But to start speculating in any way about why it happened, I honestly feel is none of our business. I'm sure others may have a different opinion, but I won't comment any more on this particular topic.

I completely agree with you nymkfan51.

My heart goes out to Sasha and her family.

ladysarahchatto · Feb 7, 2006

Rgirl said:
Kyla--thanks for bringing the SI article to our attention. Brava!
NYMKFAN--thanks for providing the link. I would have been very cranky if I'd had to wait another hour for the newstand to open.

As so many other posters have said, best article on Sasha they've read. I think it is so especially in terms of insight, accuracy, and lack of bias. Even though the article is "pro Sasha"--I mean, part of the title is "Her Time Has Come"--it isn't written in a "Cohen can do no wrong" way. Along with positive comments about the changes in her training methods, writer EM Swift is also frank about Sasha's controversial decisions and inability to win a National or World title. Yet Swift also puts this in perspective both in the first two paragraphs of the article and in quotes by Sasha she uses later on--basically that success, assuming it comes, comes in many ways and, as has become almost a mantra for Cohen over the past year or so, "Everybody's different."

I also agree with Red Dog that it's one of the best--well, better --articles on an elite athlete I've read. I do, however, find one fault with Swift's analysis of Sasha's change in height and weight. Swift notes that in 2000, at 15, Sasha was 4'9", 79 lb. and describes her as a "waif." Swift then notes Sasha's off-ice training and how much weight she can lift or press, etc. and says Cohen is now 5'2", 95 lb. Swift compares Sasha's body today to that of a gymnast.

The thing is, what is considered normal weight gain for every inch gained in height is 5 lb. From 2000 until now, Sasha grew five inches (please, someone check me on this!) and gained 16 lb. Considering her growth in height, a normal weight gain for Sasha should have been 25 lb.

Of course athletes are not normal and weight in pounds does not consider percent body fat. Because fat is less dense than lean mass (bone, lean muscle), Sasha probably has a lower percent body fat now than she did at age 15 because she's been doing weight and cardiovascular training, plus, relative to each inch of height, Sasha weighs less at 5'2" than she did at 4'9", if you follow my drift.

My point is, sports science is now such an integral part of every track-and-field, running, gymnast, and so many other athletes' training that I would have liked Swift to include more stats than the changes in Sasha's height and weight and how much she can leg press. My reason is the danger for athletes who need to maintain a low body weight to cross the line from elite levels of fitness to eating disorders.

I want to make it VERY CLEAR that I'm not saying Sasha has an eating disorder. However, IMO, her weight per height is too low by about 5 lb. of lean muscle. People may say, "I'm sure Sasha has a nutritionist on her team" just as much as I'm sure she doesn't. In sports where low body weight is not an issue, such as tennis, yes, it is very common for elite or elite-track female players of all ages to consult with a sports nutritionist. Also, the US gymnastic team bucked the trend in gymnastics starting in the mid-90s by hiring a sports nutritionist so the female gymnasts could be has healthy as possible considering the low-body-weight demands of the sport. The year the US female gymnasts won the team gold medal at the Olympics, the team weighed more, on average, than any of the other teams competing.

Don't worry, I won't get started--or I should say really started. I'm just saying that I wish Swift would have included just a few more basic facts about Sasha's body composition in the article. Even every diet website on the 'Net discusses Body Mass Index (BMI).

So I'll shut up about that and comment on the REALLY egregious error in the article: The first time Swift refers to Robin Wagner it's as "him." Start cracking the whip on your fact checkers SI!

But all in all, especially for figure skating, and especially for ladies figure skating, I think Swift's article is the first I've read in a lay publication that really takes figure skating seriously as a sport, and I loved seeing that. Swift didn't mention Sasha's interest in make-up and fashion at all and only made one reference to high heels, which Sasha wore for Halloween.

Even with my personal pecadillos about wanting more training and/or body composition info, I still give Swift's article an A.

Now, we shall see...

Rgirl

Sasha and Michelle are both listed at 5' 2" yet Michelle is visibly taller-just check them out standing side by side in Podium shots. I think Sasha is closer to 5'0.

From Corbis:
Sasha and Michelle on the podium at the 2000 Nationals:

From Getty:
Sasha and Michelle at their full adult heights at the 2004 Nationals:

R.D. · Feb 7, 2006

in the second picture, they seem to be about the same height. Maybe SC is just a LITTLE bit shorter than MK.

millie · Feb 7, 2006

Piel said:
After some knee surgeries you have to be able to lift at least 35 pounds with the injured leg to be able to walk without crutches. It is not abnormal to lift 150-175 pounds before being discharged from physical therapy so 400 pounds with both for an elite athlete like Sasha does not seem an exageration. The quadriceps are powerful muscles!

Piel, thanks for explaining the 400 lb. controversary. I know what you are saying is correct. It's not that she can lift 400 lbs. over her head, it's that she can do it:with the leg lift.

Joesitz (RIP) · Feb 7, 2006

Piel said:
After some knee surgeries you have to be able to lift at least 35 pounds with the injured leg to be able to walk without crutches. It is not abnormal to lift 150-175 pounds before being discharged from physical therapy so 400 pounds with both for an elite athlete like Sasha does not seem an exageration. The quadriceps are powerful muscles!

Piel. I want you to go to a clinic that specilizes in therapy and ask them about ever using 100 lbs in their work.:scratch:

Joe

Piel · Feb 7, 2006

Joe they start out gradually. First with electrical stimulation the progress to the patient tightening the muscle themselves, to gradually being able to raise the leg, and then beginning with 1/2# increase the weight. This IS NOT used with joint replacment. It is very common with patellar tendon transplants, Goldwaithe procedures, Maquet patellaplasty, tibial tuberosity transplants (to restore function to the patellar tendon), meniscus, ACL.....

Just called Charleston Area Medical Center's Sports Medicine Department to check my facts.

BTW I remember a physical therapist telling me in 1971 that the then communist countries routinely used electrical stimulation on their healthy athletes in order to build stronger muscles quickly.

soogar · Feb 7, 2006

Piel said:
After some knee surgeries you have to be able to lift at least 35 pounds with the injured leg to be able to walk without crutches. It is not abnormal to lift 150-175 pounds before being discharged from physical therapy so 400 pounds with both for an elite athlete like Sasha does not seem an exageration. The quadriceps are powerful muscles!

Not specifically addressing your post but in general, Sasha is said to *leg press* 400 pounds. That's not the same exercise (b'c it seems like others are getting confused) as doing a squat with 400 pounds. A leg press is a machine where the person lays on the back and pushes the weight up with the legs. It's much easier to push a lot of weight up in the air verses doing an actual squat with that weight. Many athletic guys can easily leg press almost 1000 pounds, and couldn't squat a 300 pound weight. Sasha's legs are strong and I would bet that she could probably squat 100 pounds (for reference, there's a weightlifter in the states who is 5,2 105 pounds who can snatch 238 pounds over her head (last time I've heard)) but 400 pound legpress is something than many woman can work up to.

Piel · Feb 7, 2006

You got it Soogar! I called an orthopod friend of mine to recheck just to make sure.

Misplaced Gymnast · Feb 8, 2006

soogar said:
Please Rgirl,
I think it's very hard on Sasha to know that her career drove her parents apart and she probably keeps a lot of her feelings to herself about that issue.

Where does it say that the Cohens separated because of Sasha's career???

Sasha

jesslily

Mathman

jesslily

soogar

flowjo35

Jimmy Hoffa

orchid

76olympics

R.D.

Joesitz (RIP)

Piel

On Edge

ladysarahchatto

ladysarahchatto

R.D.

millie

Joesitz (RIP)

Piel

On Edge

soogar

Piel

On Edge

Misplaced Gymnast

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