Rgirl said:I forget who said it sounded like Sasha was working on a 3lp/3lp, but in her online diary, she didn't say. Anyway, I can't imagine why she'd go to the 3lp/3lp--killer of hip sockets--when she has always worked on the 3Lutz/3t? To go to a whole new 3/3 two months before Worlds just doesn't make sense to me, especially to the 3lp/3lp.
ME: aha, I recall this article! It came out some time around the GPF........meant to comment upon it but never found the time.........must find it b/c it was in this section of Golden Skate (great article btw). Anyhow, Sasha specifically said that she would be working on the 3R/3R combo. in preparation, I think, for Worlds. At the time I, too, initially thought that was rather odd b/c of the 3Z/3T that she landed @ 2003 Worlds, and which I thought was the only triple-triple that she was interested in due to it being the most difficult triple-triple, other than the 3Z/3R (which Miki Ando does). However, after thinking about it for a while, I can see why she would want to do the 3R/3R rather than the 3Z/3T ~ her 3R jump is one that she excels at, same goes for the 3S ~ she's an innate "edge" jumper, same thing goes for Sarah Hughes, whom also wanted to do the 3R/3R but couldn't b/c in order to do TWO triple-triples she needed to break it up & do 3S/3R & 3T/3R. But, that's NOT the case for Sasha......she only needs ONE triple-triple (not two)......and thus why not pick the triple-triple that will incorporate the most difficult "edge" jump, and which she excels in ~ thee 3R/3R! Heck of a lot better choice than any triple-triple that includes the 3T (her most inconsistent jump) & also one that doesn't include the 3Z (which shows off her flutz). JMHO. ***Note: though I do think Sasha has to eventually make up her mind on which ONE she is going to work on & stick with it in order to gain consistency - too much switching around is no good IMHO.***
but for the women--all of them--anything less than a 1/2 turn prerotation, plus no two-foot landings and a clean run-out would get full credit from me--not that there's a snowflake's chance in my microwave of me ever judging Ladie's doing quads with that extra hip width and lower center of mass--that's an amazing feat! Even Tim Goebel has said that the only reason he can do quads relatively easily is because of the way he's built, which is extremely narrow hips and waist and relatively wide shoulders.
ME: ITA! GOOOOOOO LADIES ~ heck, as it stands now, there are only a handful of men who can do this jump. And only ONE consistently (ala Evgeny Plushenko). And now we have Miki Ando for the ladies (& possibly Sasha Cohen in the future). ^)
As I said before though, I don't think Sasha needs a 3/3 for this Worlds nor a quad for the Olympics.
ME: ITA........stick to one difficult triple-triple (ala 3R/3R) & 5 other triples for the Olympics; basically same thing she did at 2002 Olympics & Worlds, but this time skated cleanly (crossing fingers)........and only 6 or 7 triples for this upcoming Worlds, perhaps a couple of them combined w/a few double jumps (like at US Nationals). JMHO of course.
I'd rather see Sasha work on adding depth to her presentation, becoming a truly deep edge skater with Oksana Baiul-like speed and flow (talking Oksana at her peak), and really cleaning up her jump technique.
ME: ah, Rgirl, I cannot pass up the chance to talk about an all-time favorite of mine (ala Oksana Baiul).........and I agree w/what you stated up above.........Oksana was & is fast (similar to Carolina Kostner in this aspect IMHO) & her flow across the ice was also exceptional, but especially the seamlessness in the way she flowed from one move to the other (ah, memories). But more than that, she had soul like I've never seen before or since (no lie), but then again I AM a very biased Oksana Fan. Now enough about her (lol), I too would like to see Sasha work on, as you say, the "depth of her presenatation".....the possibilites are limitless.....though I've always always always maintained (will not budge) that a skater's skating is an extension of his/her personality ~ i.e., if one is reserved, one's skating will be as such, no matter how much s/he tries to smile & act extroverted & take acting classes even; nothing wrong w/that but it doesn't match the skater's off-ice personality IMHO &, for me, comes across as fake (btw same thing applies to actors/actresses, singers, etc.). Just a pet peeve of mine. Anyhow, sorry for going off-topic a bit, back to Sasha. IMHO the reason why Sasha excels in such programs as Malaguena, Carmen et al.......and actually becomes the character (at least for me).........is b/c this is the way she really is in real life ~ i.e. passionate, strong, gutsy, determined, beautiful! However, there is that tender side of her that genuinely shows through in such programs as Romeo & Juliet (if only she would allow us more than a mere glimpse into that vulnerable side of her soul, JMHO).
True, 3/3s were done back in the '80s, but back than skaters didn't have a season made up of 12 major events. In the '80s and early '90s, the skaters were pretty much only trying 3/3s at Nats and Worlds, plus the Olympics.
ME: no, I have to disagree w/you here, Rgirl.........back in the 80's skaters were doing GP events (some called by different names but nevertheless GP events)........for instance, NHK Trophy has been around forever, likewise Trophee Lalique. Not to mention local championships.