Sasha. Comeback. Believe it.

[demarinis5]

Having viewed several of Sasha's past performances since she made her announcement, I have to say that the following is my all-time favorite program ~ music, costume, stage, lighting, skaters', expression, et al ~ magical:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbuIW9O3A-I

:agree: Beautiful program one of my favorites too. Thanks for posting the link. Sasha can take your breath away no doubt about it. JMO

 

[Particle Man]

You sound rather self-obsessed as well.

"Know thyself" was one of the axioms of the ancient Greeks. I don't really see the negative aspect of knowing your strengths and talking about them when they are relevant.

Anyway, the new Sasha article seems to indicate that USFSA has made no invitation to Sasha for Skate America, she is just requesting assignment there.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090507&content_id=64564&vkey=ice_news

My powers of estimation would give at least a 75% chance of her being assigned there, but I'd hate to spend the money and then find out she wasn't. It's not that I only care about Sasha, but Lake Placid is so far, and I've already seen all the other US ladies compete at this past nationals. Hmm...

 

[evangeline]

Particle Man didn't say Sasha was dividing the forum.

I think most of us do wish her the best...this is what she wants to do so good for her.

To clarify my point: No, he didn't say that Sasha was dividing the forum. But he did er, accuse other people of blaming Sasha for literally dividing the forum.

ANYWAYS to get back to the topic of Sasha, I hope USFSA will invite Sasha, Alissa and Rachael to Skate America as their three ladies...if that happens, it'll be great as an early indicator of how well Sasha stacks up to the current crop of ladies (and make Skate America very exciting as well).

 

[Mathman]

I don't really see the negative aspect of knowing your strengths and talking about them when they are relevant.

I think it is the "talking about them" part where the negative might start to creep in.

My powers of estimation would give at least a 75% chance of her being assigned [to Skate America]...

I applaud your inestimable powers of estimation! Barring injury, I think the odds just shot up to about 95% with the enthusiatic comments by USFS executive director David Raith.

By the way, here is what the Detroit Free Press (Jo-ann Barnas) had to say yesterday.

After a three-year absense [sic] from competitive skating, reigning Olympic ladies silver medalist Sasha Cohen held court this afternoon on a teleconference call to announce that she’s officially returning to serious training to try to compete at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.

And, boy, does U.S. figure skating need her.

I’ve covered the last 13 national championships – and past three Winter Olympics – and I can’t remember a time when the ladies event in this country has been in such rough shape.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090508/SPORTS17/90508058/1065/Sasha+Cohen+comeback+good+for+skating

 

[Dee4707]

By the way, here is what the Detroit Free Press (Jo-ann Barnas) had to say yesterday.
Quote:
After a three-year absense [sic] from competitive skating, reigning Olympic ladies silver medalist Sasha Cohen held court this afternoon on a teleconference call to announce that she’s officially returning to serious training to try to compete at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.

And, boy, does U.S. figure skating need her.

Can someone explain what happened to our US ladies??? We had Michelle, Sarah Hughes, and Sasha. They were very strong powerful skaters. Coming up in the ranks we had Kimmie, Alissa, and Sarah Hughes? Behind them Caroline Z, Rachel, etc. What happened??

 

[Mathman]

Can someone explain what happened to our US ladies? We had Michelle, Sarah Hughes, and Sasha. They were very strong powerful skaters. Coming up in the ranks we had Kimmie, Alissa, and Sarah Hughes? Behind them Caroline Z, Rachel, etc. What happened?

That's a good question. The U.S. has always had its share of World Junior Champions who, for some reason, leveled out just below the top international senior level. Jenny Kirk and Ann Patrice McDonough were two.

Over the last three years, Caroline Zhang, Mirai Nagasu, Ashley Wagner and Rachael Flatt have won eight of the nine possible medals at World Juniors. Is there something wrong with our training methods that causes so many skaters to hit this plateau but not to climb higher?

 

[Buttercup]

That's a good question. The U.S. has always had its share of World Junior Champions who, for some reason, leveled out just below the top international senior level. Jemmy Kirk and Ann Patrice McDonough were two.

Over the last three years, Caroline Zhang, Mirai Nagasu, Ashley Wagner and Rachael Flatt have won eight of the nine possible medals at World Juniors. Is there something wrong with our training methods that causes so many skaters to hit this plateau but not to climb higher?

Didn't Jenny Kirk just sort of lose interest?

Regarding the current US ladies, I think in the US fans have gotten used to the ladies having their breakthroughs as senior skaters very early. Michelle won her first Worlds at the age of 15, didn't she? Sarah won Olys at 16, and Tara Lipinski was even younger. But is that really the normal career trajectory for every skater? I didn't think it is. Looking at some of the ladies from other countries, how old was Slutskaya before she became a consistent contender? Or Arakawa, Joannie and Caro? The three of them were all older than Rachael, Caroline and Mirai are now when they won medals of any color at Worlds. Irina medalled one year after winning junior Worlds, but was all over the place with her results for a while in the late 1990s. Miki Ando won Worlds at age 19, three years after winning junior Worlds. Rachael could win in 2011 for all we know.

People should give the young US ladies time to develop and grow as skaters and performers. Not every skater is an MK/Yu-Na/Mao type phenom, and it shouldn't be expected automatically. Maybe by Sochi Rachael will be more artistic and she'll be the frontrunner. Maybe Caroline will work on her technique and become dominant. Who knows?

 

[feraina]

Over the last three years, Caroline Zhang, Mirai Nagasu, Ashley Wagner and Rachael Flatt have won eight of the nine possible medals at World Juniors. Is there something wrong with our training methods that causes so many skaters to hit this plateau but not to climb higher?

Well, considering that 6 of these 8 were won by juniors too young to compete internationally, and at least one was sent there this year due to dubious National's judging, I don't think that there's anything so extraordinary. Remember that both Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen took 2 or more years of senior-level competition before doing really well internationally. Michelle was 8th & 4th at World's before winning, Sasha was 4th twice before her first silver. In contrast, only Ashly & Rachael have been to World's, and Caroline & Mirai still have not. Our young skaters are still *very* young. What happened is *not* that our young skaters are not skating up to expectation, but rather the older skaters have not stuck around (e.g. Sasha bowed out at 21) or sustained their level (e.g. Kimmie Meissner).

Had Sasha stuck around these last few years, Kimmie not had a rapid downward spiral, and Emily/Alissa lived out their early promise, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

Importantly, both Michelle & Sasha had their international breakthrough season just after an Olympics and the accompanying change of guards. The same can be said of Yu-na and Mao.

By historical standards, if our current crop of young skaters (Caroline, Mirai, Rachael, Ashley) don't shine in the 2010-11 season, then we might have this conversation again. But I'm almost certain that one or more of them *will* be a major international player by then, since Joannie will retire, Miki probably will, and Yu-na probably will, too. The US has a far superior crop of skaters in the 14-17 age-range than any other country right now, including also the junior skaters Maxwell, Bereswill, Gilles, and Musademba.

 

[Tonichelle]

Didn't Jenny Kirk just sort of lose interest?

after her mother died she just had a rough go of it. She had one really great season afterwards (when she moved out west) but, basically, I don't think her heart was in competing... she is still involved with the sport in her own way, but she's moved on (was working on a journalism major, IIRC)

 

[R.D.]

after her mother died she just had a rough go of it. She had one really great season afterwards (when she moved out west) but, basically, I don't think her heart was in competing... she is still involved with the sport in her own way, but she's moved on (was working on a journalism major, IIRC)

Oh yeah, I remember she had that Youtube show. But after that summer the account was deleted and she disappeared. She was nice about responding to fan support, though :yes: now I wish I saved those videos.

But what happened to her, though? If she wanted to go into skating-based journalism, maybe Ice Network could be an option?

 

[Tonichelle]

she seems to be enjoying life... she doesn't need the limelight to be happy. which is refreshing.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

Sasha's not here. She's not dividing the forum. Again you blame Sasha for something which she had no hand in -- in fact it's the haters like you that are dividing the forum. Irony!

Very well put. It is very easy to assign blame to the the person people argue over-and she is not even here. Rather sad really.

 

[Dee4707]

she seems to be enjoying life... she doesn't need the limelight to be happy. which is refreshing.

The last I knew about her in the last few years after her mom died was her sister moved in with her. Jenny talked about how they got to know each other and how happy she was about that. Also didn't she try pair skating with Fedor??? She coached someone but I can't remember who.

 

[Particle Man]

I to your inestimable powers of estimation!

Sarcasm doesn't become you. Nor does it diminish anything I said.

 

[antmanb]

I'm a Sasha realist. That is why I knew she was coming back in the first place. It wasn't pie-eyed fanboyism, it was just a basic understanding of Sasha, and I was proven right. Read my posts about Sasha and you will see all kinds of concerns just like what you mention, injury and everything else. But being a realist doesn't mean you have to also be a pessimist. I see no objectivity in Red Dog's comments at all, it's just constant nonstop negativity and pessimism.

I'm sorry but this whole paragraph sounds completely fan-boy you "knew she was coming back" and have a "basic understanding of Sasha"?? Do you know Sasha? If not then i'm not sure how can make such assertions.

Sasha has been doing yoga. I haven't even seen that mentioned here. It is safe to say that her time doing yoga should definitely improve her overall physical condition and lessen the chance of injury. Can injury still happen? Of course. So therefore we should just assume it's GOING to happen, and bash people who try to be optimistic? Spare me.

Sasha's yoga has been mentioned in loads of previous threads. I think the only real relevance to her comeback would be that she will have retained her flexibility, but Yoga is not not high impact. Training triple jumps is extremely high impact and i'm not sure that yoga is particularly helpful as a cross training aid to jumping. It's certainly good for other aspects of skating but not the one that is likely to injure a returning skater after 3.5 years. I think you are mis-interpreting people's lack of optimism as a bash.

Red Dog and the others care only about one thing -- raining on people's parade. I say again: he was wrong about her coming back, so I don't know why anyone should listen to his predictions about said comeback.

Everyone has a right to express their opinion just as much as you have a right to ignore it. There are many real issues about a skater taking a quadrennial off and coming back a few months before the Olympics. People are asking the same questions about a Pluschenko comeback. Fans will take the comments however they want to.

Ant

 

[seniorita]

Imagine if he had read here comments like the ones in plushy thread
i think for evgeni comments were not so encouraging for his comeback but at least 99% of them were productive for a nice debate
Sasha should be happy people want her back, questions like that for someone competing again after 3 years are natural consequence..
did this board exist in the Olympics that all previous champions came back?that would be fun

 

[Mathman]

Sarcasm doesn't become you. Nor does it diminish anything I said.

The guilty flee when no one pursueth.

I was trying to say that it looks like you were right all the time, given the enthusiastic response of Mr. Raith to Sasha's announcement.

 

[R.D.]

Imagine if he had read here comments like the ones in plushy thread
i think for evgeni comments were not so encouraging for his comeback but at least 99% of them were productive for a nice debate

Yes, the point is once again missed (or ignored). Saying that injury might be an issue for her is different than say, wishing injury on her- the latter I would never do even to skaters I dislike. The former is a valid point. The latter is definitely a hate comment. No one did the latter- hence I don't see what the uproar is about.

 

[Dee4707]

Everyone has a right to express their opinion just as much as you have a right to ignore it. There are many real issues about a skater taking a quadrennial off and coming back a few months before the Olympics. People are asking the same questions about a Pluschenko comeback. Fans will take the comments however they want to.
Ant

You are so right Ant, it just seems like some never understand the difference.

 

[seniorita]

i didnt miss th point, neither thought it was a hate comment, and it is natural people to have misbelief or worry about a skater coming back after three seasons, announcements have been made, now i wait october to see what happens, fingers crossed.
or you are not referring to me?