Sasha Cohen Moves Back to California, Will Train with Former Coach John Nicks

Excidra2001 · Dec 22, 2004

lavender said:
If I had a chance I would go to TT even if it was for a short time so I don't blame Sasha for making that choice. I would go to TT for the programs and Frank/ RA for consistency/jumps/skating skills. Those are the 3 best single coaches in skating imo.

So you are telling RA is better then the following coachs

Mishin
Zhanna Gromova
Richard Calighan(sp)
and the list could go on. All those 3 coachs which I listed coached skaters to world titles and Olympic medals. RA has not done anything close to what those coachs have done.
Who knew about RA before Michelle took him on, suddently he becomes one of the best skating caochs in skating :laugh:

I will give him credit when Michelle starts landing 3/3s and technically more difficult jump combos. Michelle has always been consistent so RA did nothing for her in that department.

As far Sasha. I'm beginning to think changing coachs is something she'll be doing for many years to come. I think when Sasha signs up with a coach, she expects instant results, world titles, national titles. Ask all world champions and they will tell you all the crying,self-destruction in practice and dis-agreement with coach is the process one has to endure to achieve the results.

dorispulaski · Dec 22, 2004

For us old timers, this begins to sound like the remake of the Nicole Bobek story.

Talented, beautiful and very flexible but inconsistent skater endlessly seeks the coach that will lead her to the gold medal, finally returning to one of her original coaches. Nicks is now cast in the Carlo Fassi role. I hope he doesn't have a heart attack during worlds to complete the parallel.

And the inference is that Sasha should really try Callaghan.

STL_Blues_fan · Dec 22, 2004

Excidra2001 said:
So you are telling RA is better then the following coachs

Who knew about RA before Michelle took him on, suddently he becomes one of the best skating caochs in skating .

Sorry, I think it was RA who took Michelle on, she was the one coach hopping for the past couple of seasons - lets' see who is left for me in CA?

I certainly knew of him and it's not fair to say that he did nothing for Abt. Sasha Abt was plauged by injuries throughout his carrer but when he was healthy he was brilliant. He always gave credit to RA.

Yana

R.D. · Dec 22, 2004

here's another article, this one from Yahoo

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041222/ap_on_sp_ot/fig_cohen_coach_1

Ptichka · Dec 22, 2004

ITA with Jana about RA. I'd only add that Abt was unlucky to have always been in the shadow of the two greats - Plushenko and Yagudin.

Skate Sandee · Dec 22, 2004

Someone on another board suggested that maybe Sasha is more comfortable with a male coach than a female coach. There may be a germ of truth in that. Remember, Nicks was her first coach I believe. So she may not have realized that the dynamic can be very different when you go with a female coach. I know people that prefer male bosses to female bosses (and vice versa) and say it impacts their effectivness at work. So this could be a great thing for her. I don't think we can reasonably attribute any performance she gives at Nationals (good or bad) to the success or failure of Nicks. But if she gives it time, it could reap long term rewards for her. The question is: Will she give it time?

katherine2001 · Dec 22, 2004

DORISPULASKI said:
For us old timers, this begins to sound like the remake of the Nicole Bobek story.

Talented, beautiful and very flexible but inconsistent skater endlessly seeks the coach that will lead her to the gold medal, finally returning to one of her original coaches. Nicks is now cast in the Carlo Fassi role. I hope he doesn't have a heart attack during worlds to complete the parallel.

And the inference is that Sasha should really try Callaghan.

Only, if she tried Callaghan, I think she'd leave him very quickly, as he is quite strong willed and wouldn't let her run the show. I think Callaghan's skaters are expected to do what he says and if they don't, they are welcome to hit the road. I hope she learns to listen to her coaches and do what they tell her instead of wanting to do it her own way. Her own way is not working.

Joesitz (RIP) · Dec 22, 2004

Did I read the USFSA article wrongly? I thought it said that she wanted to be with her family in California. Were they there? I thought they were on the East Coast all this time and in the Manhattan condo. Oh well, not so important but it does sort of think that everything is done for the sake of Sasha. Hopes she appreciates them and does not take it for granted.

I don't have a problem with skater's changing coaches because if they were to stay with their present coach they would be worse off. If it's a bad move then that's the skater's problem for not picking a better coach. Hopefully, Nicks is that better coach and if he is, then we can understand why skater's don't want to blame themselves for not winning the Big One. Bobek, Kwan and now Cohen all were/are looking for the magic bullet to put them atop the podium. That's ok, but only one can get that spot.

RA has indeed improved MK's jumping technique. She jumps higher and travels more over the ice. He's also got her spinning again. Hopefully Dean can get that program in shape for Worlds. RA's work with Abt was crucial to his becoming the best male lyrical skater in that era. Abt's Rach is arguably one of the best Rachs ever.

Sasha may be knocking on RA's door for consistency. If not RA can Nicks give her that consistency? Bait your breath!!

Joe

R.D. · Dec 22, 2004

Alright. Here's the deal: if she does things her own way, then why bother to have a coach? Isn't the whole purpose of having a coach to guide and assist you along the way, which usually means listening to their advice and heeding to it? Maybe what didn't work for MK during the olympics would work for SC. :biggrin:

Interesting comment about male and female coaches. I never thought of that.

gezando · Dec 22, 2004

Red Dog said:
Alright. Here's the deal: if she does things her own way, then why bother to have a coach? Isn't the whole purpose of having a coach to guide and assist you along the way, which usually means listening to their advice and heeding to it? Maybe what didn't work for MK during the olympics would work for SC.

Michelle Kwan is the first skater at the tender age of 21 who coached an Olympic bronze medalist, and beat many skaters in the process. I disagree with you, it worked for Michelle. Coaching oneself takes a lot of maturity and mental toughess. Michelle did it, I don't see Sasha Cohen having the desire, ability or motivation of coaching herself at all. I have no idea whether Sasha listens to her coaches or not. OTOH, all the coaches who have worked with Michelle praise her for her work ethics and dedication.

kyla2 · Dec 22, 2004

John Nicks brought Sasha from a novice skater to a world class competitor who set skating on its ear with her combination of skill, exquisite positions and balletic quality. You can't compare what he did for her, to TT or Robin. He had far more invested in Sasha then any of the other coaches did. Even if she had stayed with one of the subsequent coaches, they still wouldn't have had the impact on Sasha that John Nicks originally did. A similar comparison is Michelle Kwan and Frank Carroll. He will always be the most important coach in her career, whether she ultimately wins the OGM or not.

R.D. · Dec 22, 2004

gezando said:
Michelle Kwan is the first skater at the tender age of 21 who coached an Olympic bronze medalist, and beat many skaters in the process. I disagree with you, it worked for Michelle. Coaching oneself takes a lot of maturity and mental toughess. Michelle did it, I don't see Sasha Cohen having the desire, ability or motivation of coaching herself at all. I have no idea whether Sasha listens to her coaches or not. OTOH, all the coaches who have worked with Michelle praise her for her work ethics and dedication.

Well, it may have worked for MK to the point that she didn't fall apart, but at the same time that strategy didn't get her that OGM she always wanted. So that's why I said it didn't work for her.

The comment about SC coaching herself was a tongue-in-cheek comment- I just said that if she doesn't listen to any of her coaches, it would almost be the equivalent of coaching herself. :biggrin:

gezando · Dec 22, 2004

Red Dog said:
Well, it may have worked for MK to the point that she didn't fall apart, but at the same time that strategy didn't get her that OGM she always wanted. So that's why I said it didn't work for her.

I don't see your point of draggin Michelle into this thread to start with. Even if Michelle had a coach going into SLC, she might not have won the OGM, ice is slippery. She is still probably the youngest skater who coached an olympic bronze medalist, and managed to beat many skaters in the process.

Joesitz (RIP) · Dec 22, 2004

Red Dog said:
Well, it may have worked for MK to the point that she didn't fall apart, but at the same time that strategy didn't get her that OGM she always wanted. So that's why I said it didn't work for her.

Yeah, MK has nothing to do with Sasha's decisions anymore than Sasha should worry about MK. There is only one place where a skater gets an OGM and that is first place. A fifth place skater has earned that 'top five' spot over at least 32 other skaters. Nothing to sneer at, imo. Sarah Hughes was the best that night in 2002, and she got that OGM spot. Sasha who was to be the spoiler at that Oly didn't get on the illustrious podium. The thread is begging the question was it Nick's fault or Sasha's?

Joe

attyfan · Dec 22, 2004

IMHO, if Sasha tried coaching herself, she'd be reamed alive by the press. It is much easier to change from coach to coach.

jesslily · Dec 22, 2004

I feel Sasha is not that naive, switching back to John Nicks just because she counted how many times she fell in a competition program.

She has been knowing clearly that her basic jumping technique is getting worse and worse since she left Nicks. She has seeked help other than her major coaches. It seems that without a technique expert watching her practice every day, she can not get jumps right with TT or Robin W.

She has lived at Robin house shortly. That's only temperary while she was looking for an apartment in NYC. She and Robin have not been close since 2004 worlds.

Sasha is mainly a product of John Nicks and his wife. She should go back there. It sounds both the coach and the student are very happy to work together again.

StillBlueLake · Dec 22, 2004

Sasha's technique needs work, but it did under Nicks, it did under TT and it did under Robin. Her technique wasn't any better under Nicks and I do think Sasha is a better skater now than in 02.

SkateFan4Life · Dec 22, 2004

IMHO, Sasha Cohen takes the convenient route of blaming her coach when she skates poorly and loses competitions. She left John Nicks because she was disappointed at not winning medals at the 2002 Olympics and Worlds. She left TT because she wasn't winning the big competitions, and she's leaving Robin Wagner for the same reason. Doesn't this girl realize that perhaps, just perhaps, SHE is the problem? Duh.

Her family has uprooted itself, moved from California to New York City, all in order to accommodate her training. She acts as if she's entitled to this type of catering. UGH.

Frankly, if I was Robin Wager, I'd be jumping up and down, throwing cartwheels, and yelling, "Good rithens!" Sorry, but Wagner wasted her talent on this girl, IMHO. For any who might think that Wagner was somehow not worthy of Sasha, may I respectfully remind you that Robin Wagner coached Sarah Hughes to the Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City.

Linny · Dec 22, 2004

Who left who?

Did Sasha "leave" TT?
Linny

lavender · Dec 22, 2004

STL_Blues_fan said:
Sorry, I think it was RA who took Michelle on, she was the one coach hopping for the past couple of seasons - lets' see who is left for me in CA?

I certainly knew of him and it's not fair to say that he did nothing for Abt. Sasha Abt was plauged by injuries throughout his carrer but when he was healthy he was brilliant. He always gave credit to RA.

Yana

I thought Michelle asked Scott to help her and then after 03 she ask RA after he fixed her boot and he said yes.

Sasha Cohen Moves Back to California, Will Train with Former Coach John Nicks

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