Sasha Cohen - here we go, AGAIN!!!! | Golden Skate

Sasha Cohen - here we go, AGAIN!!!!

shdotz

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Can Sasha ever just skate and not try to run down MK?

See, from ESPN2, part of an article on same:


"Warmups are a little like the public session at the neighborhood rink, with near-misses all the time. But any time Kwan has one, Cohen seems to be nearby. At the 2002 nationals, she brushed Kwan in warmups before the free skate, unnerving Kwan and forcing her to take some extra time before she started her program.


The next month, at the Salt Lake City Olympics, the two ended up in the same corner within inches of each other at a practice.


This time, Kwan was in midair, about to land a double axel. Courtesy would give Kwan the right of way -- you can't change course when you're in the air -- but Cohen began a jump and the two nearly collided. The crowd gasped and Cohen darted out of the way, avoiding disaster."


It seems MK is SC's intended victim (in truth, MK isn't anyone's victim); it seems that Sasha Cohen is out to get a victory for herself by intimidating MK - or, as men playing hockey and football do, knock her out of the competition. How crude and rude.

That's the wrong way to win, Sasha; try winning on your own without the "nasty stuff" against your competitors. That's not winning; it's called intimidation. Intimidation should be illegal in warm ups on the ice or off; it is illegal in the work place; one could get fired and lose their reputation for intimidation.

Perhaps it would be wise for the figure skating associations to deduct points from scores when skaters engage in this type of effort. Don't just speculate about what's going on - tape all warm ups and show the intimidation; show it for all the world to see. That would shut down any skater.

sh
 
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JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
This sort of "aggressive warmup" thing has been going on for decades; it's rude and obnoxious, but, well, what really can be done about it? I will say, though, that if I were a coach, and my skater was out there trying this kind of thing, he/she would be told to either knock it off or I'd pull them from the competition. And the referees should be paying more attention as well, as with Bonaly in Albertville.

By the sounds of this particular incident, however, this IMO doesn't sound intentional on Sasha's part, despite her penchant in the past for being "difficult in a warmup", as Brian Orser once said about a competitor of his.

Besides -- if she WERE trying to intimidate Kwan, she should certainly know by now, having competing against her for as long as she has, that THIS type of thing is JUST not going to work. I am not actually sure what one would actually have to do to truly INTIMIDATE Michelle, but so far no-one's stumbled, so to speak, on to anything yet. I think if the roof caved halfway in, especially at Nationals, Michelle would pretty much just skate around the rubble and go about her business.

Besides -- with all the "intimidation" going on out there, actual bad collisions have come in cases that were truly accidental. Bayul & Swesczenko at Lillehammer, Sale & Sikharulidze in SLC, Ito & Hubert in Munich.... Tho as far as the latter case is concerned -- I have actually seen Laetitia Hubert in a warmup group in person and she admittedly WAS a little -- er -- pushy -- out there. However, it's kind of silly to try something like this intentionally because you really could run the risk of injuring YOURSELF as opposed to the person you're trying to intimidate.
 

Sk8n Mama

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
I think, where there's smoke, there's fire. There are just too many "Sasha" reports about behaviour problems. There's the she just has to be the first one on the ice thing (who was it jumped over the boards just to usurp her?), then there's all these practice reports, factor in that the girl can't seem to keep a decent coach and it all adds up to there is something going on. I could be way off base but if it waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck and has feathers like a duck....it's a duck.
 

Flora MacDonald

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
Sounds like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) to me.
We don't know if Sasha has it but some of her public behaviors seem consistent with the symptoms.
In her journal entry of the near miss incindent she says something to the effect that she thought Michelle came out of nowhere and that 's a real flag for ADD.
It would would explain so much.
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Excellent point Johnnycoop...

About these "incidents" presenting risk of injury to both parties. That's the main reason I question how many of these "close calls" are intentional. I of course don't know what's in anybody's head, but the fact that an "intentional" close call presents such a risk tends to make me think the majority of these situations are accidental. Either that, or we've got some stupidly aggressive skaters out there.

DG
 

Courtneysk8s

Match Penalty
Joined
Oct 29, 2004
Flora MacDonald said:
Sounds like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) to me.
We don't know if Sasha has it but some of her public behaviors seem consistent with the symptoms.
In her journal entry of the near miss incindent she says something to the effect that she thought Michelle came out of nowhere and that 's a real flag for ADD.
It would would explain so much.

Sorry, but no way. I am sooooooo sick of people trying to blame all of Sasha's problems, inconsistencies, and attempts at intimidation on ADD. Is she deliberately trying to run down MK? I don't know, probably not. BUt she's not being careful enough to try to avoid her competitors, either.
 

shdotz

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Flora MacDonald - ADD? Not a chance!!

Try, try, again.

ADD - Not a chance.

Perhaps we should start calling her Tonya Harding. That's probably closer to the truth; no one decent will skate with her anymore - that's history.

Maybe, if Sasha reads these replys she'll be really smart and back off.

That would be the best effort she can every give to figure skating. Just be the best and go out there and skate; forget about intimidation.

sh
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
IMO if Sasha has any type of problem at all, it's that she's got more than a bit of a Diva complex. This is the main reason why it's been so difficult for me to really warm up to her as a competitor; I think she is tremendously talented and she's done some wonderful stuff, but I've always kind of gotten a Spoiled Little Snotty Rich Girl vibe off of her so it makes it difficult for me to be that big of a fan. This, however, is just MY personal perception. She is certainly enough of a talent to warrant all the fan support she does get from other quarters.
 

kyla2

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 24, 2004
Get A Grip

Oh please people, get a grip on yourselves. Sasha isn't trying to mow Michelle down, because if she does, she risks getting hurt herself. It's simply that she didn't see her or isn't paying attention. Neither of these are cause for paranoia.
 

shdotz

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Diva Complex - Sasha Cohen

I'm sure she does have a diva complex - or something near that.

In that vein, diva's do not want any talented competition around them. Usually they have someone disuade the "competition threat"; in Sasha's case, she's doing the dirty work herself.

I wonder if she has a sane mind - in that respect.

kyla2: I wonder how many other news items we have on others who have tried intimidation the way Sasha has. Do you know? If so, please let us know so that we can try to understand her unsuccessful efforts. Please include history back to the beginning of figure skating. I've not read any other history save for Tonya Harding. I buy and read hard-bound books on figure skating. Some are real "tell-alls"; to date, only Tonya shows up except for that dancing team wherein the husband was having an affair with another "dancing" skater.

I believe this is real - really real. I feel that the skating association should post a watch at rehearsals and eliminate this type of thing; you know, three strikes and you're out - or maybe two strikes and you're out.

If Sasha put her beauty and talent ahead of her efforts to intimidate she might even win a gold medal.

sh
 
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millie

Medalist
Joined
Nov 1, 2004
Why don't you guys shut the hell up about Sasha---get a grip. All you are trying to do is start controversy comparing it to Tonya and Nancy. Do you think that she would bump into Michelle on purpose--- to ruin her own career and possibly hurt herself in the process. What would something like that prove? It seems as if the media and whoever are blowing things out of proportion, let sleeping dogs lie. get over it and see who will win at worlds, not Nationals. OVER AND OUT!!!!!
 

kyla2

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 24, 2004
Shdotz

O.K. for starters, remember Katarina Witt? She was notorious for REALLY trying to intimidate her fellow competitors. She even admitted that she engaged in that kind of behavior. Sasha isn't even remotely in the same league. That's all the history I care to give you. I cannot for the life of me, understand why some of you insist on villifying Sasha.
 

thisthingcalledlove

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 24, 2003
millie said:
Why don't you guys shut the hell up about Sasha---get a grip. All you are trying to do is start controversy comparing it to Tonya and Nancy. Do you think that she would bump into Michelle on purpose--- to ruin her own career and possibly hurt herself in the process. What would something like that prove? It seems as if the media and whoever are blowing things out of proportion, let sleeping dogs lie. get over it and see who will win at worlds, not Nationals. OVER AND OUT!!!!!

As a former skater, it's almost unavoidable. Everyone's there doing their own thing, concentrating. It happens.

I remember once, Pasha and Yevgeny nearly collided with Anzhelika and Oleg at the Europeans. Pasha said that she thought that people wanted to bump her off because she'd been winning so much. That may be true, but everyone is out there doing their own thing.
 

Piel

On Edge
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
It seems MK is SC's intended victim (in truth, MK isn't anyone's victim); it seems that Sasha Cohen is out to get a victory for herself by intimidating MK - or, as men playing hockey and football do, knock her out of the competition. How crude and rude.

That's the wrong way to win, Sasha; try winning on your own without the "nasty stuff" against your competitors. That's not winning; it's called intimidation. Intimidation should be illegal in warm ups on the ice or off; it is illegal in the work place; one could get fired and lose their reputation for intimidation

I think, where there's smoke, there's fire. There are just too many "Sasha" reports about behaviour problems. There's the she just has to be the first one on the ice thing (who was it jumped over the boards just to usurp her?), then there's all these practice reports, factor in that the girl can't seem to keep a decent coach and it all adds up to there is something going on. I could be way off base but if it waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck and has feathers like a duck....it's a duck

Sounds like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) to me.
We don't know if Sasha has it but some of her public behaviors seem consistent with the symptoms.
In her journal entry of the near miss incindent she says something to the effect that she thought Michelle came out of nowhere and that 's a real flag for ADD.
It would would explain so much

Perhaps we should start calling her Tonya Harding. That's probably closer to the truth; no one decent will skate with her anymore - that's history.

Maybe, if Sasha reads these replys she'll be really smart and back off.


I'm sure she does have a diva complex - or something near that.

In that vein, diva's do not want any talented competition around them. Usually they have someone disuade the "competition threat"; in Sasha's case, she's doing the dirty work herself.

I wonder if she has a sane mind - in that respect


People who were actually there and Michelle have said that it was an accident actually a non event. Isn't there enough drama going on at Nationals to satisfy you guys? Unless you have M.D. or PhD. after your names I would suggest that you lay off accusing her of one disorder or another. I hope that none of you are Kwan fans. Michelle makes her statments on the ice and doesn't need this kind of "help". This is the kind of thing that gives fans a bad name.
 

Kuchana

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 25, 2004
All I gotta say that it seems rather strange that these so called "accidents" seem to involve Sasha and Michelle so much. If anything, Sasha should be more careful or else she's gonna hurt herself and/or other skaters in the process. And I don't think Sasha would intentionally go out of her way to hurt another skater, Michelle for one, because she'd only wound up hurting herself as well. However, I would not be surprised if she was trying to play mind games, something that doesn't seem to faze Michelle thank goodness.
 
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Kuchana

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 25, 2004
millie said:
Why don't you guys shut the hell up about Sasha---get a grip. All you are trying to do is start controversy comparing it to Tonya and Nancy. Do you think that she would bump into Michelle on purpose--- to ruin her own career and possibly hurt herself in the process. What would something like that prove? It seems as if the media and whoever are blowing things out of proportion, let sleeping dogs lie. get over it and see who will win at worlds, not Nationals. OVER AND OUT!!!!!

Chill millie and don't tell ANYONE to shut up ok? That is so rude. You get a grip please.
 

Flora MacDonald

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
Piel said:

People who were actually there and Michelle have said that it was an accident actually a non event. Isn't there enough drama going on at Nationals to satisfy you guys? Unless you have M.D. or PhD. after your names I would suggest that you lay off accusing her of one disorder or another. I hope that none of you are Kwan fans. Michelle makes her statments on the ice and doesn't need this kind of "help". This is the kind of thing that gives fans a bad name.

I wasn't accusing--I was identifying with her.
I have ADD and was empathizing.
I deliberately avoided anything resembling a diagnosis.
I actually like Sasha.
I tend to like all skaters and don't see it as a one or the other thing.
 

Perry

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 27, 2004
Anyone who has seriously competed (or even practiced) knows that those types of things are completely unavoidable.

I was on a session once with about 25 girls working on a triples, and a friend of mine came right behind me when I was in the middle of a jump. I couldn't move, and she didn't realize I was there, and my blade sliced her leg and she had to get stitches. Did that mean that I had it out for her, or vise-versa? No, I felt terrible, as did she.

Warmups are even worse, since you have to completely prepare in 6 minutes. When people are skating with any kind of speed or resolve, those things happen. It doesn't mean that skaters are resorting to intimidation tactics or that they have ADD. It's simply part of the sport.
 

Kuchana

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 25, 2004
Perry said:
Warmups are even worse, since you have to completely prepare in 6 minutes. When people are skating with any kind of speed or resolve, those things happen. It doesn't mean that skaters are resorting to intimidation tactics or that they have ADD. It's simply part of the sport.

Just to clarify, you don't have to be a participant in ice skating only but any sport to know that intimidation tactics do exist.
 
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