Cohen Readying for Olympics?

[mskater93]

Chuck also forgot Wagner who appears to be on the hunt and hungry as one Sasha has to beat.

[bethissoawesome]

Wasn't that what was being said for turino? Look at what happened. The champion had a FIVE triple program, not seven.

That's right. You never know what will happen at the Olympics usually all
predictions and suppositions on the part of us fans and the media goes out the window.

But injuries can happen in practice. Yes, Shizuka won with a 5 triple program at Torin, but if you watched her practice sessions, she was practicing a 3-3-3. A skater shouldn't base whether or not they want to compete at the Olympics on the idea that "ice is slippery, and if everyone falls, I could slide in to take a medal." That kind of thinking is ridiculous. And think of the two gold medalists before Torin (Tara and Sarah), they both brought their A games and won, but is Sasha's A game even good enough to beat a faulty Mao or Yu-na right now? I don't think so.

[Joesitz]

^^^

Although many posters do not believe the skating order plays a role in strategy, I do! When Shizuka skated, I'm sure her coach told her, to skate clean and do not do anything unless you ae absolutely sure of yourself.
(Just an opinion,but it does have rationale.)

[chuckm]

Chuck also forgot Wagner who appears to be on the hunt and hungry as one Sasha has to beat.

I didn't forget her----I said Sasha had to beat 3 of the current top 4 US ladies plus Kimmie Meissner. The current top 4 US ladies are Nagasu, Flatt, Wagner and Zhang.

[chuckm]

Maybe a 5-triple program was good enough at Torino, but not against the current bunch of top ladies. At Worlds, Mao and Joannie landed 6 and Kostner landed 7. At JW, Flatt landed 7 and Nagasu landed 6.

[Dee4707]

And let's not forget Kimmie, who possibly could make a major comeback.

Well hopefully Kimmie will do a heck of lot better than she did last season.

Dee

[demarinis5]

But injuries can happen in practice. Yes, Shizuka won with a 5 triple program at Torin, but if you watched her practice sessions, she was practicing a 3-3-3. A skater shouldn't base whether or not they want to compete at the Olympics on the idea that "ice is slippery, and if everyone falls, I could slide in to take a medal." That kind of thinking is ridiculous. And think of the two gold medalists before Torin (Tara and Sarah), they both brought their A games and won, but is Sasha's A game even good enough to beat a faulty Mao or Yu-na right now? I don't think so.

I did not say anything to the contrary. I am aware of what Shiz was capable of technically, but the fact is she won with a five triple program. Being capable and executing that capability when it counts is what competition is all about not specualtion. It is my opinion that Sasha will not compete in 2010 so it does not matter to me whether her A game is good enough.

[Eddie Lee]

Maybe a 5-triple program was good enough at Torino, but not against the current bunch of top ladies.  At Worlds, Mao and Joannie landed 6 and Kostner landed 7.  At JW, Flatt landed 7 and Nagasu landed 6.

Torino was really a low mark for recent ladies' Olympic jump content.  1998 witnessed a 7-jump LP by both Michelle and Tara.  Same with Sarah at 2002 O's with Sarah breaking further technical ground with two 3/3 combos in her 7-jump performance!  Seven-triple Olympic programs may become a thing of the past considering  all of the busy-ness filling other non-jump technical requirements.   Milking all those points under CoP makes it extremely difficult to accomplish seven triples, succsessfully.

P.S. Kostner may have been credited with 7 triples at 2008 World's FP, but her execution and landings were so wonky that many purists would argue that it's a stretch to refer to it as a successful, 7-triple program.