Yes, her mother is Japanese. Here's the link to her Icenetwork bio photo: http://web.icenetwork.com/skaters/detail.jsp?id=100047&mode=I
Hersh wants Cohen back
- Thread starter R.D.
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
Nobody wants Sasha back competing more than me. I have no idea who she woudl do with the edge and underroattion downgrades they are handing out this year. ades. None of her jumps looked downgraded to me, but than again I never looked for that kind of thing.
The main problem Sasha would have is that she would not even try a 3/3. It is clear that at least one is needed to medal, preferably one in each program. Even with 2 clean programs she would not medal at worlds unless everybody else melted down. Sure, she could win a GP event or two...but she would not be assigned an events next year. Nothing would be sadder than if she came back at 2010 nationals and did note even make the team!
The main problem Sasha would have is that she would not even try a 3/3. It is clear that at least one is needed to medal, preferably one in each program. Even with 2 clean programs she would not medal at worlds unless everybody else melted down. Sure, she could win a GP event or two...but she would not be assigned an events next year. Nothing would be sadder than if she came back at 2010 nationals and did note even make the team!
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2008
Yeah really; I remember people calling Kwan old when she was only 22. Funny that Arakawa won at 24 and Slutskaya was bronze medalist when she was what, 27? But Cohen is "only" 24.
I'll echo the sentiments of people who wish Hersh would write about something other than the US women. How about the fact that the US qualified two men and two ice dance teams for the GPF?
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
i'm not moderating anything. I simply tried to answer a question raised about Hersch; Does he write about anything but the ladies? As for Sasha, I could agree with him only if she wants to return.
I believe she can return to the Olys because of her silver medal. Is that correct? Not sure if the USFS would demand her to skate Nats.
That's what sportswriters do especially when an athlete hits a slump. It happens in all sports. And hopefully you are correct about someone listening.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
her Olympic medal just means she gets a bye to Nationals if she wants it... not a bye to the Olympics.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
No.
The criteria that are taken into account in the selection of the for U.S. Olympic teams are the results from (in order of importance)
The by-laws also say that skaters who miss Nationals because of verifiable illness or injury, but are strong in other events, may petition the International Committee for special consideration.USFSA by-laws said:
This is actually kind of strange, because the by-laws do not specifically require a particular placement at Nationals to be considered. That is, they could send a skater who skipped nationals whether that skaeter petitioned or not. I take that to mean that they really, really, really expect anyone who wants to go to the Olympics to skate at nationals and do well.
I can't conceive of the USFSA just saying out of the blue, OK, let's send Sasha Cohen and Dorothy Hamill, even though they haven't skated competitively in years.
what RD didn't mention in the 'old timers' part of his post was RD only likes the ladies
True, but I DID mention it (you missed it).
From Post 31:
Heck, I didn't even know that. But I will still boycott the GPF. I'll follow results though.
You know, I've been called a fan and also a hater of just about every skater that was competing at that time. Some people just couldn't stand that I actually had the gall to stand up to these Kwaniacs and "Cohenheads" and tell them to their face that their skater wasn't the best thing isn't sliced bread
And if you think you've got me nailed down, some people were calling me a Kwan fan because I posted at MKF (and still do occasionally). :chorus: In fact, I was at MKF long before I even knew GS existed. (Bet some old-timers didn't even know THAT
)Now, I can appreciate what both skaters did to the status of US skating. Doesn't make me a fan of either though.
That was on ezboard. And that thread stemmed PRECISELY from the topic I just discussed...predictability and my dislike of it. That was a time when MK was fairly dominant. But, having said that, I'd take that anyway over what we have now.
Nice paragraph. We'll see.
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- Joined
- Nov 8, 2008
Well 6-7 triples programs are still alot better than a skater who had never skated a clean program without, two footing, hands touch down and landing on butt all the time.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
No.The criteria that are taken into account in the selection of the for U.S. Olympic teams are the results from (in order of importance)
The by-laws also say that skaters who miss Nationals because of verifiable illness or injury, but are strong in other events, may petition the International Committee for special consideration.
This is actually kind of strange, because the by-laws do not specifically require a particular placement at Nationals to be considered. That is, they could send a skater who skipped nationals whether that skaeter petitioned or not. I take that to mean that they really, really, really expect anyone who wants to go to the Olympics to skate at nationals and do well.
I can't conceive of the USFSA just saying out of the blue, OK, let's send Sasha Cohen and Dorothy Hamill, even though they haven't skated competitively in years.
But think of the fans pouring into Vancouver if Hamill and Cohen were to skate the 2010 Olympics!So, if I got this right, Cohen must go through the normal procedures to be eligible for the 2010 Olys by the standards of the USFS.
...
If they wanted to renew popular interest in skating, wouldn't they just send Tonya and Nancy?
If the US ladies finish high enough this year to send 3 skaters to the Olympics, I think the US should send Michelle, Sasha and Rachael Flatt. I assume one of those three would be the reigning US champ and be an automatic team member. This would not only energize and electrify the skating world, it would likely guarantee the US a medal.
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- Joined
- Aug 15, 2003
but Michelle can't even do a triple jump anymore... We should send Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas for pairs instead! and Yuka Sato for ladies, I am not sure if Yuka has a US citizenship but she can probably land 5 triples(2 loops, 2salcows and a toe loop) still.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
whenever Yuka skated with Jason in the pro competitions they skated for Japan, I have a feeling she'd compete for her home country before she'd skate for the US
Personally, I don't want Sasha back, but she can do what she wants. As far as Hersh is concerned, iprobably because it is a little harder to push figure skating in Los Angeles this year. I mean because it worlds is in LA , a lot of people might not pay attention because the women are having a bit harder time. Mainly in the past the big names were from the west coast.
But to each his own.
US likes the women better than the other disciplines. It goes way back .
I think he also thinks score wise since her score is the highest (not realizing that it was before they deducted any points off) once they did her scores dropped.
Like i said I don't want her but to each their own.
But to each his own.
US likes the women better than the other disciplines. It goes way back .
I think he also thinks score wise since her score is the highest (not realizing that it was before they deducted any points off) once they did her scores dropped.
Like i said I don't want her but to each their own.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2005
I almost find the reference to her age to be insulting... sure Sasha is still young as far as a comparison to your average person walking down the street; but in the world of skating, skating competitively for 10 years takes a SERIOUS toll on your body (Hersh completely disregards that fact). There are skaters that have been competitive a much shorter time and are significantly younger than Sasha that are already suffering from injuries related to their training.
Not to mention on a purely technical level, Sasha's best Free Program score in her final competitive season (2005-2006) in ISU competitions was 116.63. Six ladies have already passed this score so far in the GP series (Kim, Rochette, Asada, Ando, Lepisto, Wagner).
This might sound random, but I think the best thing Sasha could do for US Ladies skating right now would be to teach some of the up and comers artistry and maturity on the ice as a coach.
But as far as skating goes for US Ladies in general, I don't see why people can't have patience. There are plenty of promising young skaters that we have the honor to see develop. So what if we don't take home any medals in Vancouver? It's not like it's the last Olympics. People should easily be able to enjoy the performances of the skaters from other countries... it doesn't seem so long ago everyone was complaining about Mao not being able to go to the Olympics despite being ready. People just need to wait until the US Ladies field is strong enough to send in medal contenders and stop picking at straws for 2010.
I would rather see an Olympics with great skating, regardless of what country the skater represents, than see a repeat of Torino and have a US lady medal because the rest of the field spent more time on flailing across the ice than skating on it.
Not to mention on a purely technical level, Sasha's best Free Program score in her final competitive season (2005-2006) in ISU competitions was 116.63. Six ladies have already passed this score so far in the GP series (Kim, Rochette, Asada, Ando, Lepisto, Wagner).
This might sound random, but I think the best thing Sasha could do for US Ladies skating right now would be to teach some of the up and comers artistry and maturity on the ice as a coach.
But as far as skating goes for US Ladies in general, I don't see why people can't have patience. There are plenty of promising young skaters that we have the honor to see develop. So what if we don't take home any medals in Vancouver? It's not like it's the last Olympics. People should easily be able to enjoy the performances of the skaters from other countries... it doesn't seem so long ago everyone was complaining about Mao not being able to go to the Olympics despite being ready. People just need to wait until the US Ladies field is strong enough to send in medal contenders and stop picking at straws for 2010.
I would rather see an Olympics with great skating, regardless of what country the skater represents, than see a repeat of Torino and have a US lady medal because the rest of the field spent more time on flailing across the ice than skating on it.
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Very true, and I may be wrong but wasn't he also one of the folks calling Kwan old? Something's a little amiss here :think:
Those two things cannot be taught, but must come naturally to the skater. JMO
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
I agree this would be a difficult comeback if Sasha Cohen decides to go for it. I don't think it would be unprecedented, even if you consider her "advanced" age. When the ISU allowed professional skaters to become eligible again for Lillehammer in 1994, there were those who took advantage after some time away from competitive skating, and managed just fine, including Gordeeva/Grinkov who won the pairs (and she'd had a baby in between!). Under CoP, you had Fusar-Poli & Margaglio in Torino - and yes, ice dance is not as hard on the body as singles, but they were still coming back after a long hiatus and into a new system, and while it wasn't a great competition for them, it wasn't awful (and may have been better had they trained more seriously for it). Sasha at least has skated under CoP, and skated well at times.
Skaters have also come back successfully after losing significant time to injury and illness, including Irina Slutskaya at the age of 25. So I do think it can be done. That doesn't mean it will be done in Sasha's case, but I wouldn't write her off, yet. A few days ago I saw her on TV at some show, and while I doubt she's ready for competition, she looked in good shape, and has certainly not lost her flexibility - which should serve her well for spins and spirals.
I think there's a bit of a problem in comparing scores from 2005 and 2006 with current scoring. Skaters and coaches have had a rapid learning curve in regard to constructing programs to fit the new system and maximize points, and we're now seeing the results of this. I think that GOEs as a rule have also gone up a bit over time.
Cohen, if she's on form, is superior to several of the skaters you listed and should she come back, I'm sure her programs will be structured to get high scores. She is graceful on the ice, she's mature, and she's never bland or boring. USFSA could do a lot worse.
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