Get with it, already!!

[JonnyCoop]

Was I the only one who thought that Sasha took a REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY long time talking to Robin W and circling and circling the ice AFTER they announced her name? How long can you do that before you get disqualified? I mean, really, if you KNOW you're going to be the first one after the warmup to skate, then get your meditation thang, breathing exercises, pep talks, WHATEVER, out of the way BEFORE they call your name. Then she circled around so much out there before striking her opening pose that I thought for sure she was going to end up taking so long she was going to entirely nullify any relaxing she may have done and totally end up being a disaster.

And what was with Dick Button saying "When she falls down like that, you really don't know what to say?" What does he mean, we don't know what to say? We pretty much expect it by now, don't we?? At least she's gotten to the point now where she only falls on JUMPS, which is excusable. The falling on your face during a camel or doing crossovers routine of a couple of years ago has mercifully passed, which is certainly a step in the right direction.

 

[Bynx]

ITA!

She might have been trying to calm herself and what not but IMO is was way too long! It seemed to work at the beginning but she lost it near the end.

 

[Rachael]

I think the skaters get two minutes after their name is announced. Oksana Bauil use to take her sweet ol' time, too.

 

[Spark]

Personally, I'd rather see a skater take her time at the beginning and skate well than rush herself and skate poorly. People have different ways of preparing mentally for competition, so a skater should do whatever works for her. I remember Baiul saying she listens to her feet to tell her when to skate. If something helps, do it.

 

[CB1AB2]

What confused me and also Dick B. from listening to his coment was how could Sasha have recieved a 6.0=and the other high marks too. 6.0 is perfect and that she wasn't. Can someone explain ? Is it a judge preference ?

cb

 

[Pati]

I think the skaters get two minutes after their name is announced. Oksana Bauil use to take her sweet ol' time, too.

2 minutes? Really?? Thats a long time, IMO.

 

[Doggygirl]

I don't know...

...if two minutes is the official time allowed or not. However I always assume that it is the competitor's responsibility to know the rules. And I assume no rules were broken since Sasha proceeded with her skate and was not disqualified.

These athletes work SO hard and they / their families sacrifice a LOT to get to nationals. So if two minutes is the rule (or 1 or 3 or 10) then they deserve to use that time if they want to no matter what we might think about it as fans, or what ABC might think about it when airing live competitions.

I give Sasha a ton of credit. I said it on another thread, but I'll say it again. Her "negative X-factor" was being born in a year where she has to follow Michelle and live in her shadow for the forseeable future. (I don't feel sorry for her - just pointing this out as a chronological fact) If she had been born in a different year - who knows what would be different. She has the talent to steal every show, even with mistakes. But...she wasn't "lucky" in terms of coming up in the sport when there was a *void* going on in ladies like there seems to be in pairs right now, as an example. Don't get me wrong - Sasha and all the rest of us have to deal as best we can with the hand we get. No sympathy votes here.

So...I say let the skaters take maximum advantage of everything the rules allow. That's what the rules are there for anyway, right?

DG

 

[JonnyCoop]

I should think that once you get to the point in your career where you've been on the elite level for 2 or 3 or more years, you should be at the point where it shouldn't take that long to compose yourself once your name is called. My original post was intended more as an observation than a criticism anyway (OK, at least the first paragraph of it was); I just had never seen anyone take that much time between the name announcement and the striking of the starting position.

 

[Antilles]

I've heard it mentioned by Candian announcers anytime someone takes a while to get to the ice, that two minutes is the limit.

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Sasha was well within the rules before her LP skate since competitors get 2 minutes to get ready before they hit their opening pose. IMO, it was probably wise of her to take her time rather than rush it because I thought her performance was very good and I never saw her jumps look better before her fall on the triple toe.

 

[Mathman]

Maybe she felt she needed longer to get ready because she was the first to skate. Some people say that's a disadvantage because you have to hold back in the warm-up so as not to tire yourself out.

Mathman

 

[Piel]

Hey if it's legal I say do what you need to do. I remember one year Michelle took a long time (it seemed) to get to her starting position even the commentators mentioned it.

 

[SuchaMc]

JonnyCoop et al.,

IMO, Sasha took a really long time before starting because she was first to skate after warm-ups and she seemed to be aware she needed as much “rest” time as possible before starting the 4 minute program. She seems to have an endurance problem, and first in the skating order may have hurt her (more than it might hurt any of the other skaters) in this competition. When you are tired, it is hard to have the same constant focus or to skate with the same speed and authority.

At least that’s what I got out of the last few paragraphs of this article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7122-2004Jan10.html). Overall, many have observed the difference between her performances in short and long programs, and attribute it to lack of continued focus. That may be part of it, but I think inadequate endurance is a factor. She just gets tired. Some have said (paraphrasing) she’s fragile but she’s tough. I don’t think so. She’s very well conditioned, but she’s built like a hummingbird. She just doesn’t have enough muscle and mass to provide needed energy reserves in a long program.

I have heard of some skaters cutting the warm-up short if they are first to skate. I don't know if Sasha did. In her case, the warm-up, while needed, also cost her energy. From the endurance point of view, the warm up counted almost as another section of her long program.

So, Sasha took the extra time because she needed it, to catch her breath, to rest. Sadly, for her, it seems that the two minutes wasn’t enough time.

I don’t want to make too much of the endurance factor, but it may also help explain her season in retrospect. It seems that she was very well rested at the beginning of the season and did well. She did poorly towards the end of the year—one of the splatfests was when she skated while sick, which must have affected her energy. So, while endurance is not the only reason for her inconsistency, it seems to me that she would do well to get physical training advice to improve in that area.

 

[Skate Sandee]

Hey if it's legal I say do what you need to do. I remember one year Michelle took a long time (it seemed) to get to her starting position even the commentators mentioned it.

That was 2001 Worlds qualifying when her boot blade popped off. When it was her turn, she took the whole 2 minutes to try out the skate - which her father had quickly tried to fix with some screws. It caused her heel to be a 1/2 inch higher, so she was trying to take the time to feel it out. That was an unusual circumstance.

I have noticed that on occasions when Michelle is the first in the group to skate (like the past 2 Nationals), she always takes a little extra time to do a lap around the rink and compose herself. So I saw nothing wrong with Sasha doing the same thing.

 

[brenlynn]

yeah, it reminded me sooo much of what oksana used to do before she would skate. it used to annoy me because i just wanted her to hurry up so i could watch her lol. if it works, hey... why not do it?

 

[BronzeisGolden]

Although I was a bit surprised by it because I'm not accustomed to Sasha taking extra time, I didn't feel it was a bad thing at all. It is important to remember that it is Sasha that has to handle all of the pressures that come along with being touted as one of the best ever. However she chooses to handle those pressures are entirely her business. I agree with Vietgirl: as long as she was well within the rules, it really is a non-issue. Maybe it didn't work this time, but it is a different approach and perhaps giving herself some extra time before she skates along with some other tweaks will help her to skate her best at the big events. I was in Atlanta and while I thought it was strange at first, I respected her for not rushing things. She is gaining confidence...confidence enough to make us wait until she is ready. And, even with the mistakes, her program was worth the small wait. She is beautiful to watch and I can now say I am a bonified Sasha fan after seeing her skate live.

 

[choreo123]

2 minute rule.

The 2 minute rule exists so that the athlete who is first to skate after the warm up can compose themselves(hopefully lowering their heart rate). If this was not the case, that skater would be at a BIG disadvantage in the long program.

6 Minutes is not a lot of time to prepare for a performance of this level.
As a coach, I feel this rule is underutilized, especially at lower levels.

I too did not understand how a judge with a championship appointment could award a 6.0 pres mark to a skater who had two jump errors.

The 6.0 should be awarded to flawless excecusion.

Won't matter after USFSA catches up with code of points.

Wonderful event. As usual. These girls are truly remarkable athletes.

 

[Rgirl]

ITA with Doggygirl (well said) and others who pointed out that Sasha broke no rules. I'll point out one thing I mentioned on another thread: Atlanta is the second highest major city--meaning elevation--in the US at 1,010 feet. After a six-minute warm-up, at that altitude, a skater needs to replenish his/her system with oxygen. Could have been purely a mental thing, but I suspect Sasha may have felt the altitude in practice and may have known she needed all her energy for the LP. Michelle, either by design or chance, had been training in Lake Arrowhead, which is almost 5,200 feet about seas level, which would have been GREAT for her endurance, which has always been good even when she trains in LA. Bottomline, the 2-min rule is there for a reason and if Sasha felt she needed the time she took, she had every right to use it. As someone said, up to the fall on the 3t, her jumps looked excellent--the best I've ever seen them too, except for the SP, where they were also terrific, IMO.
Rgirl

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

We talked about that from the arena. We came to the decision, that Sasha had to wait until the LIVE commerical finished before taking the ice. We really believe it was an ABC thing. Not Sasha.

Joe

 

[guinevere]

She still took a considerable amount of time after ABC went live again, so I don't know if that's it, Joe (but I wouldn't be surprised, since TV seems to dictate everything about these competitions!).

I agree that the rule allows for time, and she can do whatever she wants with the 2 minutes.

IIRC, Irina usually takes some time, not the full 2 minutes, but she tends to stay by the boards talking with her coach and marking some jump landing positions (upper body) before skating out to her position. Sasha did one of those arm preparation movements too. Does anyine else recall seeing Irina do this in competition?

guinevere