Cohen's success tinged with uncertainty (article re.Nicks & Cohen)

According to a skater from Sasha's rink that posts on Sashafans, the rink Sasha trains on is not the usual "olympic" size of competitions. So technically, it's not only a "too many people" issue it's also just that the rink itself is quite small.

Many factors affect a skater's training result and mind set, highly responsible and motivating coach, your own talent and drive, your sopporting system, and sure the rink size is very important too. But between an Olympic size rink with a coach you don't want to see every day and a NHL rink with a coach who can make you feel very confident about yourself, you'll choose the small rink with great coach.

Lake Arrowhead's rink is also very small a rink. I'd expect Lake Arrowhead less crowded this summer. The problem is can Nick and Sasha drive up there every day, it is a very long drive.

I still think Nick is good to Sasha (I said this when she first switched back to Nick and I say it again now). Considering the injury that Sasha has had this season, she did pretty good at the worlds.

Here's just a little something I noticed:

One of Robin Wagner's instructions to her skaters is to take a deep breath and let it out right before the music starts. I noticed Sasha doing this recently, even after leaving Robin, so she's picked things up from her other coaches.

I find it interesting that besides Nicks, Sasha's other coaches were were the coach of the men's Olympic champion and the coach of the lady's Olympic champion. It's hard to do better.

single surface rinks

Aliso Viejo is a single surface rink. In the summer, it is so crowded that training is restricted. This is one reason some of the pairs left. The size is not a problem...however, Arrowhead size IS a problem. I suppose they could go up there again, but what for? Their summer sessions are crowded, too, and it's too small. Sasha used to skate there on weekends, when it was not so crowded in the "old days", but now, it even has public skating sessions since the old outdoor rink collapsed a few years ago.

Many skaters go to the old Paramount Iceland. It is HUGE, and there usually are sessions during the day where there are few people on the ice...also, it is right up the street from the new Kwan rink location. Perhaps either of these will "do". Paramount has a nice "visiting coach" proviso. But, can you imagine the Kwan rink welcoming the "rival" and her coach onto THEIR ice in order to train optimally for a contest between the two in Turin? I don't think so.

I have no answer for this puzzle. Is Nicks still the skating director at Aliso? Perhaps then, he can arrange a private or limited access session or two for Sasha as a part of the coaching deal?