Maybe you're correct. I was just getting into figure skating then, but wasn't there a lot of controversy on the boards around Michelle's getting a bye to the Olympics? I thought the USFSA took a lot of heat for that since it didn't work out. At least enough to keep them from wanting to repeat the same story in 2010.Originally Posted by Tinymavy15
Sasha-bashing has never stopped. Not for an instant. It permeates this thread.
Jennifer's analysis on difficulty skating with tendinitis in the right calf.
http://trueslant.com/jenniferkirk/
Very fast response from Jenny. Although I am big fan of Sasha, I can't help agree with her writing.
I like the way Jenny gives the reader experiential information about how the specific injury that Sasha suffers from may affect her skating.
I agree that Sasha's attendance at Nationals has become extremely unrealistic even though it might take another two months for her to announce it. I think that SA was the very last chance for her to come back.
I wonder what she has gained and lost by this comeback quest. I hope that she would be satisfied with the fact that she has at least tried despite the injury.Along with this, even if Cohen is fully recovered by Nationals and her injury isn’t as debilitating as it appears........I were to say that there’s a new skater whose been away from competitive skating for almost four years, has missed her fall competitions because of an injury and is coming to Nationals with two new programs and a history of inconsistency,.....
ETA: Actually, she may want to make an announce soon and move onto something else instead of spending two more months. The more seriously one thinks about making the Olympic team, the less reasonable this quest would look like at this point of time. I think that Sasha herself would be more aware of all the issues Jenny pointed out than anyone else.
Last edited by Bennett; 11-10-2009 at 07:57 AM.
She ends with a conclusion I came up with months ago, but it's nice to get the inside perspective. This only confirms that she is all but finished.
Well, as they say, better to fail then to not try at all. At least now she knows that she couldn't have done it, instead of not doing it and wondering what if for years to come. I think she will come to the Kwan realization that the Olympics really aren't everything, then hang up her skates and pursue different avenues. She seems to have a lot of outside interests anyway. I do think she will continue to skate professionally in the near future, perhaps to make some sort of living. I expect such an announcement in December, probably around Christmas time, rather than on Jan 21st for example. I don't think she can afford to pull another last-minute stunt, certainly not before an event like Nationals.I wonder what she has gained and lost by this comeback quest. I hope that she would be satisfied with the fact that she has at least tried despite the injury.
Last edited by R.D.; 11-10-2009 at 12:02 PM.
Would you think that another last-minute WD hurts her reputation in the skating world to the extent that it may affect her pro skater career?
In any case, the sooner she makes an announcement, the easier it becomes for her to go back to professional skating or to do whatever she wants. The longer she stays there, the more inquiry from the media and fans she has to deal with.
Last edited by Bennett; 11-10-2009 at 12:48 PM.
Since she has done lots of shows before without flaking out at the last minute, no, at least from a business perspective. What it might do, though, is turn many fans against her. I've also been reading Sashafans and it's really struck me how many of even her most loyal, patient fans seem almost fed up with her from the way she's handled these two WDs, and I think a third one might be that last pushing point for them to turn on her. I guess it'll be like she used poor judgement on the comeback to get their hopes up, and just as they are gearing up for the comeback high, bam comes the WD announcement.
Agreed. The last minute WDs for chronic pain were not very considerate to other skaters.
Jennifer Kirk writes a good blog and she makes some very sound points about this. But I'm not sure I would look for the final word on Sasha's chances from a skater who spent her whole career competing against Sasha. That doesn't exactly answer my understanding of journalistic objectivity.
That said, this is a very tough time for Sasha. She can't control her body's healing and she's getting a lot of heat on the boards. It must be lonely.
If I were in her position, this is not the time I would give up. She has put too much into this comeback. I don't see any reason at all not to keep hope alive as long as possible. She can withdraw the week before Nationals if she has to. THEN she'll know she gave it her best shot - not before.
I always remember Hongbo Zhao skating at the last Olympics - 2006 -after tearing his Achilles tendon. According to Wikipedia, it was injured at Worlds (spring 2005) then ruptured weeks later; they missed a whole season and didn't start to train until a few weeks before the Olympics. We know what happened there, and since then.
Sasha and Hongbo are two different athletes - but at this level, top athletes are trying to remake the laws of the body. Some of them manage to do it. Things are not looking good for Sasha, but there's still hope.
Last edited by Spun Silver; 11-10-2009 at 01:32 PM. Reason: DATE MISTAKE!!
Zhao is now returning to competition after allowing his injury to completely heal and THEN starting to work on a comeback a couple of years ago. Shen/Zhao had no serious injuries when they decided to compete, and they had been practicing and preparing for years, not seven months before the Olympics.
Sasha hasn't shown much common sense or even self-knowledge through this entire contretemps. I do not expect to see her at Nationals because it's only two months from now, and the only way to heal tendonitis is to stay away from the ice. Sasha is 25, not 18, and injuries are naturally slower to heal now. She won't be able to practice 3Z and 3F or do sufficient complete runthroughs of her FS. Without the big jumps and muscle memory, she has no chance of finishing top two at Nationals, so there's no point in going to Spokane to risk embarrassment and possibly damage her pro skating career. I think the coaching change to Nicks will help to convince her that it's time to face up to the fact that her competitive skating days are over.
Again with the divine judgment. Now she is foolish and immature.Somehow, somewhere, Sasha must have stepped on your toe, and you will never, ever forgive her for it. Be careful, your bias is showing.
BTW, my allusion to Zhao was not clear. I fixed the dates. The reference was to skating at the 2006 Olympics with only a few weeks of preparation, due to injury.
while I like the comparison with Hongbo, I think these two have different mindsets. No one can deny the effort Hongbo did in 2006 with just a few weeks of real training, and then a few years back, Xue blasting her knee and ankle, and deciding to skate with anesthetics to a world title. While the logical thought is to nurse your injuries (like Sasha is doing), Hongbo and Xue did the opposite: skating through pain and risking a worse injury, but they did it because they wanted to fight til the end, they wanted thos etitles that much. I imagine Sasha's injury must be really painful, and I cannot say anything against her for wanting to keep herself healthy. She and Hongbo decided to comfront their competitions in different ways. I imagine it's also hard on her, not only her fans, she probably is thinking "and all of them will think I'm making excuses!".
again with the divine judgment. Now she is foolish and immature.
Doesn't look biased to me.. may seem little harsh to big Sasha fans like yourself, but I pretty much agree with most of the bottom lines above. and by that I mean logically. Not everything against Sasha should be categorized as bashing or biased opinions. And *HOW* she handled this whole WD situations are the reason why she's getting all these criticisms.. no more or less.
I know you pretty much follow every Sasha threads trying to shield her from all these heats.. but why do I have a feeling that it's backfiring.. Maybe you're trying too much.
Just to be clear, I have nothing against Sasha.
Tango DR - maybe. But there's a history here. I wasn't responding to one or two critical comments. Critical comments are fine. A pattern of character attacks is different. But you're free to disagree.
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