Sasha Cohen quote in IFS

**Excidra2001** · 08-23-2003, 10:03 PM

Originally posted by Mathman
I don't know about that, Excidra. A lot can happen in two years in the life of a skater of the age, say, of Beatrisa Liang.

Mathman

Couldn't agree more. But I have' been hearing about Laing for a while now and i'm still waiting to see what she can do. Since last season i've heard Ye bin mok is the one to watch and i've seen pics of her and i'm still waiting to see what she can do next season at NHK.

Kwan and Slutskaya were favorites to win the Olympic title and they've been competing against each other(only god knows how long

). The same thing can be said of Tara and Michelle. Tara made her case(created buzz around her skating) for Olympic gold since 96. Do you see where i'm going with this. I don't think our next female Olympic champion will pop out of no where and take the title.
If Sasha keeps improving she'll be a favorite to win the Olympic gold.

**mzheng** · 08-23-2003, 10:39 PM

Originally posted by Excidra2001
I think your being a little too hard on Sasha, don't you think? So she lost concentration in the SP, is that a crime? People always plan to do something but sometimes fail in the end. I guess we can criticize many of the top elite skaters because they aim to keep full concentration at every competition but some mess up, there is nothing wrong with that, they are human after all.

First I don't mean to be too hard on her. If I sound to. I just repeat what comments my daughter said about her and try to gave the fact.

My point actually same as you and one of poster in this thread mentioned early. It is one thing you want to, it is another thing if you can actually do it. The same with jump, concentration, etc.

The word she mumered before she started the SP was 'keep focus on' as if she kept remind herself.

I do enjoy her skating. She is mine second faverate US lady.

**Joesitz** · 08-23-2003, 10:42 PM

Exidira - As you say about MK and IS being favorites and losing the Olys. I can also see SC, who is aleady a favorite to win the Oly losing to Beatrisa or Yokina. Could be. It's that two year stretch which will take skaters to another level of competing.

Joe

**rtureck** · 08-23-2003, 11:43 PM

It is nice to see Excidra here. Hey look at my avatar.

Irina has nice lovely fingers

AP is getting there but Sasha will skate circles around her if the going gets tough.

Actually at US nationals AP was a double axel away from making the world team, and that would leave Sasha home. Sasha may beat AP, but I won't say she skates circles around AP.

I too hope Sasha will be the favorite to win in 2006.

**shine** · 08-24-2003, 01:13 AM

Excidra- there's a girl in the U.S. by the name of Ye Bin Mok. She's already as good of a skater as Sasha if not a better one. She's a skater with no weaknesses. All she needs is more senior competition experience and consistency. A 3/3 combo wouldn't hurt either. And there's also Angela Nikodinov- if she's ever going to get it together one day, SHE would be skating circles around Cohen.

**RealtorGal** · 08-24-2003, 12:18 PM

Those are pretty big IFS...:sheesh:

**cianni** · 08-24-2003, 01:35 PM

Never know what will happen. Sasha has been the fav to win every comp shes been in since 2000. Hasnt happened yet when the big guns are skating. The hype hurts, lets see what this season brings.

**StillBlueLake** · 08-24-2003, 01:38 PM

Originally posted by shine
Excidra- there's a girl in the U.S. by the name of Ye Bin Mok. She's already as good of a skater as Sasha if not a better one. She's a skater with no weaknesses. All she needs is more senior competition experience and consistency. A 3/3 combo wouldn't hurt either. And there's also Angela Nikodinov- if she's ever going to get it together one day, SHE would be skating circles around Cohen.

She's absolutely boring IMO, I'd call that a weakness of Mok's. Plus, she let her whole LP fall apart towards the end. Nice basics though. I'd still say that Sasha is a better skater than Mok. As for Angela, this is sad but I'm pretty sure she's never going to be able to put it together

**Excidra2001** · 08-24-2003, 01:44 PM

Originally posted by shine
Excidra- there's a girl in the U.S. by the name of Ye Bin Mok. She's already as good of a skater as Sasha if not a better one. She's a skater with no weaknesses. All she needs is more senior competition experience and consistency. A 3/3 combo wouldn't hurt either. And there's also Angela Nikodinov- if she's ever going to get it together one day, SHE would be skating circles around Cohen.

I've never seen Ye Bin Mok skate(i've heard she's good) but I really can't say she's better then Sasha since I have not seen her. But if she's that good, where is she? How come she can't make it to the US world team? Something Sasha has been doing for a few years now. So inconsistency is leaving her(mok) in the back burner, couldn't she just put it together one time?Please correct me if i'm wrong, Mok has been competing in the senior ranks since last season or the season before that, right? Sasha has been on roll at senior Nationals since her debut(excluding the year she took off)
As for Nikodinov, I shall not say anything.

We criticize Sasha for her inconsistency but the skaters you mentioned above are worser then Sasha in consistency department(specially Nikodinov). Let's just say both skaters you mentioned had their chance to take on Sasha at nationals but couldn't, but hey there is always next season.

**Fossi** · 08-24-2003, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by Excidra2001
How come she can't make it to the US world team? Something Sasha has been doing for a few years now. So inconsistency is leaving her(mok) in the back burner, couldn't she just put it together one time?Please correct me if i'm wrong, Mok has been competing in the senior ranks since last season or the season before that, right? Sasha has been on roll at senior Nationals since her debut(excluding the year she took off)

Many who watched US Nationals felt that Sasha should've been left off the US Worlds team. Sasha is a beautiful skater, but did not skate well at Nationals. Many felt AP should've gone in her place. Both Sasha and my favorite Sarah were held up in the SP, and even a die hard fan can admit that.

**shine** · 08-24-2003, 03:39 PM

Originally posted by Excidra2001

We cricitize Sasha for her inconsistency but the skaters you mentioned above are worser then Sasha in consistency department(specially Nikodinov). Let's just say both skaters you mentioned had their chance to take on Sasha at nationals but couldn't, but hey there is always next season.

Not me. I have never been one to criticize Sasha for her inconsistency, nor any skater for that matter. In fact, most of my favorite skaters are just as inconsistent as Sasha or even more so. Consistency is only important to me when I want to see my favs win medals. So yes, I'd agree with you that Sasha is U.S's best hope for an Olympic medal in 2006, BECAUSE of her better consistency than both Nikodinov and Mok. But in terms of pure skating quality, then the other two are just as worthy if not more. Consistency has more to do with how a skater handles their nerves rather than being a skating quality. And Ye Bin Mok in my book is a better skater than Sasha. Boring or not is in the eye of the beholder.

**swannanoa54** · 08-24-2003, 05:09 PM

Originally posted by Excidra2001
I some what agree with your post, But I don't agree with you here.

I don't want to sound rude but that's ridiculous. Other then Kwan, who else in the states(currently competing) can actually beat a clean Sasha? AP is getting there but Sasha will skate circles around her if the going gets tough.Turin is soon coming up(two more seasons excluding the upcoming season) and as of right now Kwan and Cohen are USA's best hope for a world title this coming season and it will probably remain the same the season after next.

I don't think you sound rude, excidra. Half the time we've never agreed; the other half we have. So it's par for the course.

My statement about not thinking Sasha is our BEST hope for a gold in 2006 is based on the fact that there's a long way to go before 2006 gets here. By then, (and this is just projection here) people could be saying the very same thing they said about Kwan in 2002. Sasha will be in her 20s, probably 21, right? And so, there will be the younger set who may very well surprise us. I think Kwan and Cohen TOGETHER would be our best hopes for medals (no matter the color because I believe all medal winners ARE winners) at the 2006. But we don't have a clue what the future holds for either of these skaters.

And until I see Sasha pull it together, I'll hedge my bets. As a Kwan fan, I don't even see her as a gold medalist in 2006. Frankly I see some of the Japanese skaters rising to the top in the next two years, but they have a long way to go in the presentation department to hold a candle to my two fav skaters, Kwan and Cohen.

I just want Sasha to put into action the words she has so eloquently spoken in this article. I guess it's one thing to say you are going to do it. It's another to actually do it. But how would I know? I've only competed in tennis, volleyball and basketball, and there you ALWAYS have to worry about what others are doing. LOL!!!!

**Mathman** · 08-24-2003, 05:30 PM

I've only competed in tennis, volleyball and basketball, and there you ALWAYS have to worry about what others are doing. -- Realistic

RTureck, yes I do like your avatar, and also our signature picture.

It will be interesting to see whether you get your wish about Sasha being the favorite in 2006. Conceivably she could be the two-time World Champion going in!

About the difference between words and deeds, about telling yourself to focus and actually focusing, I have two questions, a silly one and a serious one, that perhaps you guys who are actually skaters can answer for me.

The (perhaps) silly question. In a ladies' long program, you're out there for only 4 minutes, doing a program that you have trained and rehearsed until it is coming out of your ears. How is it possible for you not to concentrate on what you are doing? What daydreams are going though a skater's head, that she drifts off mentally and makes mistakes that the commentators refer to as "lack of concentration."

Second question. I think it was Registered who pointed out that Sasha's problems on jump landings were caused by frequent overrotation. If you do a jump perfectly in practice, but overrotate in the actual competition, to me this says that you are not handling that extra little spurt of adrenelin that comes with the real performance. Some athletes, in contrast, are able to take that extra oomph and make it work for them instead of against them.

Other than "complete runthroughs," are there any training techniques that have been proven successful in addressing this problem?

Mathman

**Joesitz** · 08-24-2003, 05:48 PM

This thread is beginning to read like a Tara/Michelle thread.

If I'm correct in reading between the lines, Sasha Cohen will more than likely be the USA favorite in the 2006 Olys. No problem, some skater has to be the USA favorite. But as past Olys have shown there will likely be more than one USA skater in the mix.

Past Olys have also shown that a surprise shows up at the Olys. Think Oksana, Tara and Sarah. The favorite USA skater to win the Olys is not written in stone.

If we are discussing Sasha's presumed shortcomings that is one thing but to predict a gold medal in 2006 is another matter. Too much can happen in the next two years. And its taken awhile for many posters to understand that winning the Olys does not mean one is the best!

There is, imo, at this time several top contenders: Sasha, Yokina, Carolina, Elena. But, in two years, if there are no injuries, I do see Beatrisa as among the contenders. (my personal humble opinion.) The winner, of course, will be the one who skates the best that night and only that night.

Then, there are the SEASONED VETERINS: Irina and Michelle!! Will a mature gal run off with the gold?

Joe

**rtureck** · 08-24-2003, 05:56 PM

Conceivably she could be the two-time World Champion going in

We shall see if Sasha will be a 2X world champ by then, lets see what my avatar and sig images have to say about that.

How is it possible for you not to concentrate on what you are doing? What daydreams are going though a skater's head, that she drifts off mentally and makes mistakes that the commentators refer to as "lack of concentration."

In another words you are asking about mental toughess? I am throwing the question right back to you. How come some people can stare down math and physics problems even in time of pressure e.g. exam , and some dissovle like cool aid in rain at the sight of the calculus integral sign? So my recommendation, ask the skaters to take more math courses, preferably from you right?

Seriously, for examples for mental toughness take a look a Kirk at nationals and Bebe at jr worlds.

Kirk had technique problem all week and her hip was hurting, she was falling all over the place with all her jumps, loop, lutz, flip etc in practice. She also had to skate behind someone who just put down a winning performance, with fans screaming all over the place. "This will put so much pressure on Jenny" Peggy. "Hope she will rise to the occasion" Button. And she rose to the occasion, she fell on the first lutz combo, but refused to give up, landed her loop, and 3t/3t, she fell again in the second lutz, but got back up again. She finished the program with 5 triples including the 3t/3t. She did not make any excuses of having the pressure to skate behind the national champ with all the screaming fans.

I just watched Bebe's junior world competition. Same gutsy, all heart competitor.

BTW, I picked Kirk and BeBe, because they both rose to the occasion. They did not have the technique to win yet, but they have the heart and mental toughess a champion. Some champions like Irina, and Yuka are able to put mental toughness and technique together into a winning forumula.

OTOH some skaters leave it all on practice ice.

About 0ver rotation, it is a flaw technique. just like under rotation. I don't know why some skating fans think that is any better than under rotation. If that is the case, then Miki Ando should win junior worlds, becuase her QUAD SAL was over rotated.