It was more than clean. One of the best skates of all time by any lady.
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Flawless Cohen Long Programs
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It was more than clean. One of the best skates of all time by any lady.
OMG. So breathtakingly beautiful. She was in such obviously good shape, too. It's so sad that she could never put everything together when it counted the most.
I mean, I guess the same can be said about Michelle, to a lesser extent. But perhaps like Michelle, Sasha stayed in the sport longer, and gave more wonderful programs to us fans, because she didn't reap early success like Oksana Baiul, Tara Lipinski, and Sarah Hughes, all of whom I think could have gone on to develop even more as skaters, especially in artistry, had they stayed longer in the sport.
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- Jun 16, 2010
Sasha's skate at the 2004 Marshalls would have won the 2004 Worlds, 2004 Nationals, 2005 Nationals, 2006 Olympics, and 2006 Worlds IMO. Whether or not it was actually better than Michelle's skate at the 2004 Nationals or Shizuka's at the 2004 Worlds is perhaps debateable, I am pretty sure the judges wanted her to win both events so with that performance they would have given her the benefit both times. The only major event from 2004-2006 she wouldnt have won with it is the 2005 Worlds, since Irina was on home ice, and what I said applies in reverse here, whether Sasha's performance at 2004 Marshalls was actually better than Irina at the 2005 Worlds or not the judges in this case definitely wanted Irina to win with her comeback story, undefeated season, skating at home, etc...
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Sasha Cohen would have won 2005 Worlds if she skated perfectly, as a result of Slutskaya doing 3 Triple Loops and one of them being worth 0 points.
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I don't know about that. Based on the way the judges generously marked Irina's SP (which, IIRC, wasn't that great at all but she still placed first) I think it's pretty clear that Irina would win if she skated fairly decently. And with Irina skating last and the home crowd roaring and the judges giving out those PCS to Irina like candy....I would say that 2005 was Irina's even if Sasha skated cleanly.
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- Jun 21, 2003
Michelle had the 6.0 formula down pat.
1. Plan the most technically ambitious program (jumps-wise) that you can feel confident of delivering.
2. Don't fall down.
3. Sell it, sell it, sell it!
CoP is trickier, trying to balance all the available plus points against the potential minuses.
for me a Flawless program means--1) doing what they stated on paper, 2) not turning triples into doubles, no ur, no falls, no singles instead of doubles.
it is a clean program with no noticeable mistakes which includes triples into doubles, doubles into singles and mixing up program --but not flawless.
it isn't doing what they put down and told judges what they was going to do and where and when, it is a clean but not flawless.
for me sasha's only flawless program was the 2005 marshalls event where people voted.
sasha has come close regarding the above mentioned one , usually she turned triples into doubles-but all the skaters did that so no big deal, it was a clean program.
flawless was hard to get because under the 6.0 they did count off a bit regarding turning doubles into singles, triples into doubles, but not much. it wasn't counted flawless.
alot of programs under 6.0 i don't count flawless , because the majority of the time most skaters don't do what they stated on paper or turn triples into doubles, doubles into singles etc.
sasha had a lot of good skates but for me personally only 1 flawless routine.
it is a clean program with no noticeable mistakes which includes triples into doubles, doubles into singles and mixing up program --but not flawless.
it isn't doing what they put down and told judges what they was going to do and where and when, it is a clean but not flawless.
for me sasha's only flawless program was the 2005 marshalls event where people voted.
sasha has come close regarding the above mentioned one , usually she turned triples into doubles-but all the skaters did that so no big deal, it was a clean program.
flawless was hard to get because under the 6.0 they did count off a bit regarding turning doubles into singles, triples into doubles, but not much. it wasn't counted flawless.
alot of programs under 6.0 i don't count flawless , because the majority of the time most skaters don't do what they stated on paper or turn triples into doubles, doubles into singles etc.
sasha had a lot of good skates but for me personally only 1 flawless routine.
Sasha hardly ever popped a jump into a double or single. She always tried to do all revolutions, she never gave up even after many mistakes and always tried to deliver those jumps what sometimes caused falls or many of her "creative" double-footed landings. But popping? No, that was not Sasha...
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- Dec 28, 2006
Indeed. The emotion she puts into this performance, and the way she brings the performance up another notch from her usual strength in this area is spectacular. You would think she was skating for an olympic gold.
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- Jun 16, 2010
Sasha lost by over 8 points and she definitely didnt have 8 points worth of mistakes. In fact that is the closet to a clean competition she has done since her junior days.
Hmmm Really? I think it's interesting to compare those skaters' spins because they are all so good at them. Personally, I don't think any of them come close to Sasha in terms of flexibility and position on spins. None of them have as gorgeous a layback position as Sasha did. Mirai can contort her back farther but it was the way Sasha perfectly positioned her back and her free leg that made her layback so special. I used to love the way Sasha moved so crisply between poses during her layback. No one does that like her these days.Nobody on the planet can do an i spin like Sasha. In fact, I think it looks ugly on everyone else, including Mirai. Also, there is the camel. Sasha had such a gorgeous, perfect camel position. Neither Alissa or Mirai achieve that. Their backs are not as straight and Mirai doesn't pay enough attention to her arms.
However, Alissa beats everyone in the world in terms of centering on her spins and her consistency on them. Sasha messed up her spins sometimes and Mirai bizarrely has too over the past year. I have never seen Alissa mess up a spin. They just roll off her as if she was a child twirling in her yard.
Mirai definitely beats Sasha in terms of speed on her spins. But last year they didn't seem as dizzyingly fast as they did in 2010. I hope she gets her consistency back on her spins this year. They are certainly a trump card for her.
Caroline, Alissa and Mirai have better spins than Sasha? Sorry I don't agree. Sasha's classic layback position will probably never be matched. It's not only about her back but her turned out free leg so close to her back. Just exquisite. I agree with Layfan on everything. Sasha had also the best camel with her leg (more than 90 degrees), straight back and use of arms. And I spin? Sorry but when I compare Sasha's with Mirai's, the letter one is just ugly. Of course, Alissa and Mirai have better speed but wen comes to positions and flexibility Sasha's the best. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNQCFfITCYQ Look how she emphasises the music even during the camel at 1:06 with her arms, and then 1:26 the layback, WOW. At the end her signature I spin, so better posistion than Mirai's and speed is great too. It's the only Sasha's spin with speed comparable to Mirai and Alissa. And of course the whole program, Malaguena is one of the best shorts in history, even without a triple-triple because spins and spirals make up for it. 9's in PCS deserved I would say. Alissa wins only Biellman which is out of this world.
Yeah i don't know what's up with Mirai's spins now. She lost at TEB because of a botched spin then she did it again at Nationals. She seems to have slowed down for some reason. It used to be a strength of her skating now it's not so much now.
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- Mar 27, 2010
Mirai's spins aren't as fast as they used to be, yes, but they're still very fast. In fact, compared to the rest of the world her speed, centering, and positioning is one of the best. It's definitely still the biggest strength of her skating.
I found Sasha's skate from Worlds 2003 QR. Seven triples, three combinations, two lutzes, fantastic spiral, camel, layback, footwork and combination spin. The whole package with beautful artistry. The quality is terrible though which might take a bit away from that wonderful performance. Although the jumps and everything was clean she a had shaky moment during crossovers so I don't know if we can consider it as a "Cohen's flawless long program".
http://www.videosurf.com/video/sasha...off-1208925994
And again I would to like point out that Sasha is unmatched when it comes to flexibility and perfect positions even these days with Caroline, Alissa and Mirai on the scene. She usually has worse speed in her spins but her I-spin is really fast, comparable to Alissa's, Mira's and Caroline's.
http://www.videosurf.com/video/sasha...off-1208925994
And again I would to like point out that Sasha is unmatched when it comes to flexibility and perfect positions even these days with Caroline, Alissa and Mirai on the scene. She usually has worse speed in her spins but her I-spin is really fast, comparable to Alissa's, Mira's and Caroline's.
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- Jul 31, 2003
I clicked on 'reply' instead of 'reply with a quote'- I am responding to a comment by Tinymavy on the 1st page.
I disagree about the 2000 result (I assume you mean the nationals). Sasha had weak basic skating skills then. They did not improve until 2002 when she went to Tarasova. All she had in 2000 was flexibility, beauty, and the freshness of youth. Those are not enough to beat a skater like Michelle, particularly after making mistakes on jumps. She was young back then, but she never really developed the mental toughness to win at the highest level. Every time someone else rose to the occasion (always Michelle, Shizuka in 2004 & 2006 Oly, Kimmie in 2006 worlds; Irina in 2005 worlds was unbeatable after her LP, IMO).
I disagree about the 2000 result (I assume you mean the nationals). Sasha had weak basic skating skills then. They did not improve until 2002 when she went to Tarasova. All she had in 2000 was flexibility, beauty, and the freshness of youth. Those are not enough to beat a skater like Michelle, particularly after making mistakes on jumps. She was young back then, but she never really developed the mental toughness to win at the highest level. Every time someone else rose to the occasion (always Michelle, Shizuka in 2004 & 2006 Oly, Kimmie in 2006 worlds; Irina in 2005 worlds was unbeatable after her LP, IMO).
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I love the description of Sasha's spins, layfan, and that you mention the way she moved between poses. Like you, I'd put her just about at the top for positions and posture and Alissa also at the peak of things for her effortless speed and centering. It's not coincidence that except for Michelle, you've just named my two favorite American skaters of the past ten years or so. When they skate, I feel they show me something new and beautiful about skating itself every time.
Sidenote: Interestingly, two ladies' skaters stay in my mind for the way camera operators often use a particular angle to show them to us. One is Alissa: more than a few times she's been given an aerial shot that shows how she spins around a single point like a top. The other is Yuka Sato. In the days before every lady felt duty-bound to put footwork in (sometimes to the detriment of musical interpretation), Yuka had the best footwork of any lady, largely because of her blade command, and frequently the camera concentrated on her from the ankles down.
Back to Sasha: in addition to her flexibility, the carriage of her upper body always looks superb, like a dancer's. There was always a completeness about her moves, even when she showed up in seniors at fifteen. Even before that, in the few videos we have of her at fourteen and younger, she had that. It's uncommon in skaters but to my mind especially rare in American skaters, who tend to have less ballet than, say, the Russians. Caroline Zhang has that carriage, too, though her basic skating technique has so many flaws. It's why I haven't given up on Caroline yet. (And why I still at the back of my mind hope Sasha will come back, though I know it's unlikely. We were lucky to get her back briefly in 2010.)
Sidenote: Interestingly, two ladies' skaters stay in my mind for the way camera operators often use a particular angle to show them to us. One is Alissa: more than a few times she's been given an aerial shot that shows how she spins around a single point like a top. The other is Yuka Sato. In the days before every lady felt duty-bound to put footwork in (sometimes to the detriment of musical interpretation), Yuka had the best footwork of any lady, largely because of her blade command, and frequently the camera concentrated on her from the ankles down.
Back to Sasha: in addition to her flexibility, the carriage of her upper body always looks superb, like a dancer's. There was always a completeness about her moves, even when she showed up in seniors at fifteen. Even before that, in the few videos we have of her at fourteen and younger, she had that. It's uncommon in skaters but to my mind especially rare in American skaters, who tend to have less ballet than, say, the Russians. Caroline Zhang has that carriage, too, though her basic skating technique has so many flaws. It's why I haven't given up on Caroline yet. (And why I still at the back of my mind hope Sasha will come back, though I know it's unlikely. We were lucky to get her back briefly in 2010.)
