Any Sasha updates?

[nubka]

Rachael's spirals are decent, I don't see what's so funny.

On the whole, I really like Rachael's skating (I'd luuuv to see her on podium in Vancouver,) and her spirals are o.k., but her catch-foot spin is about the ugliest thing I've ever seen. It kinda of looks like a deflated flatt tire... hwell:

I do realize that not everyone has an uber-flexible back, but I'd rather see a skater not do a catch-foot, than to do it like that.

 

[silverlake22]

My oh my, where have all the skaters gone? The old reliable Sasha from the last Olympics had to come back and bring the spark back in figure skating. Remember the last Olympics!!! There was "gimmie Kimmie", There was that Hughes girl and so and so---where are they now and the old reliable Sasha is "still standin" (figurativly speaking). The nay-sayers are going to have to accept the fact that Sasha is your only hope!!!! Oh how I long for the days of yore when Michelle and Sasha were competing on the same ice--That was rivally!!!! Now we are going to have to accept the fact that we have at least one of them skating in this Olympics.

Only hope? Is it my imagination or did a Flatt with her 3-3 MIA and her last spin not counting take 5th at her first worlds last year? I tend to think a clean Rachael, Ashley, Alissa, or Mirai could repeat Kimmie and Emily's 6th and 7th place finishes at the Olympics this year, maybe they could finish even higher. We need to have some faith in our current skaters, not just America's little darling from 5 years ago!

 

[Kwanford Wife]

My oh my, where have all the skaters gone? The old reliable Sasha from the last Olympics had to come back and bring the spark back in figure skating. Remember the last Olympics!!! There was "gimmie Kimmie", There was that Hughes girl and so and so---where are they now and the old reliable Sasha is "still standin" (figurativly speaking). The nay-sayers are going to have to accept the fact that Sasha is your only hope!!!! Oh how I long for the days of yore when Michelle and Sasha were competing on the same ice--That was rivally!!!! Now we are going to have to accept the fact that we have at least one of them skating in this Olympics.

You know it KILLS me to agree with you on this, right? At least Soogar isn't around... sigh... :banging::scowl:

 

[janetfan]

We need to have some faith in our current skaters, not just America's little darling from 5 years ago!

Is it "5 years ago" now

I think you are the one who needs some faith in the younger girls and to quit acting like you are afraid of Sasha.

You already said she is too old - so what's to be afraid of?

It's just a competition. The way I see it - if the younger girls can't beat Sasha then they would have no chance in Vancouver.

I have faith in Mirai and think she will have her best skate of the year at Natls.
If she doesn't I am not going to blame Sasha.

 

[PolymerBob]

The nay-sayers are going to have to accept the fact that Sasha is your only hope!!!! Oh how I long for the days of yore when Michelle and Sasha were competing on the same ice--That was rivally!!!! Now we are going to have to accept the fact that we have at least one of them skating in this Olympics.

Sasha is our only hope? I like Sasha and I hope she does well. I will gladly accept that she is on the Olympic team ............... when she is on the team. Her problem is that she has not participated in the 5 ISU events the USFSA claims they will use, along with Nationals, to pick the team. If she does not come in 1st or 2nd, the USFSA CANNOT name her to the team.

Now if she skates poorly, the judges can jury-rig the results to make her win. But does anyone, even hard-core Sasha fans, want to see that?

 

[millie]

Only hope? Is it my imagination or did a Flatt with her 3-3 MIA and her last spin not counting take 5th at her first worlds last year? I tend to think a clean Rachael, Ashley, Alissa, or Mirai could repeat Kimmie and Emily's 6th and 7th place finishes at the Olympics this year, maybe they could finish even higher. We need to have some faith in our current skaters, not just America's little darling from 5 years ago!

You are missing the point!!!! The point is that the little darlings from 5 years, were Kimmie and Emily. Where are they now???? Sasha is still here!!!!! They were supposed to be the next best thing to sliced bread!!!!! Sasha is still here!!!!! The younger skaters are so fixed on the jumps, that they forget what figure skating is all about. They plod across the ice jumping with nothin in between. Just go back and watch some tapes of Michelle and Sasha, now that is figure skating.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

You are missing the point!!!! The point is that the little darlings from 5 years, were Kimmie and Emily. Where are they now???? Sasha is still here!!!!! They were supposed to be the next best thing to sliced bread!!!!! Sasha is still here!!!!! The younger skaters are so fixed on the jumps, that they forget what figure skating is all about. They plod across the ice jumping with nothin in between. Just go back and watch some tapes of Michelle and Sasha, now that is figure skating.

Except now, they plod across the ice NOT jumping...

 

[Tinymavy15]

You are missing the point!!!! The point is that the little darlings from 5 years, were Kimmie and Emily. Where are they now???? Sasha is still here!!!!! They were supposed to be the next best thing to sliced bread!!!!! Sasha is still here!!!!! The younger skaters are so fixed on the jumps, that they forget what figure skating is all about. They plod across the ice jumping with nothin in between. Just go back and watch some tapes of Michelle and Sasha, now that is figure skating.

Yes! Four years ago Sasha was our best hope, and now, four year later nobody has stepped up to fill her shoes. Her bronze in 2006 was a disater, but what we wouldn't give for an American lady to get bronze now!

 

[millie]

Yes! Four years ago Sasha was our best hope, and now, four year later nobody has stepped up to fill her shoes. Her bronze in 2006 was a disater, but what we wouldn't give for an American lady to get bronze now!

I thought that she won silver in 2006. I don't think that's too shabby. It's better than nothing.

 

[Tinymavy15]

I thought that she won silver in 2006. I don't think that's too shabby. It's better than nothing.

I meant at worlds

 

[Mathman]

Sasha is still here!!!!!

"Here" meaning in newspaper quotes and TV interviews. She hasn't yet done any actual, you know, skating.

 

[millie]

"Here" meaning in newspaper quotes and TV interviews. She hasn't yet done any actual, you know, skating.

Mathman, you took the wind right out of sails!!!!!! There is no harm in dreaming. As long as she is trying to get there, that's all that matters. Right.

 

[Mathman]

^ Sorry about that. Go Sasha! :yes:

But you are quite right. If she is just able to make it to Spokane and take the ice for the short program, I will be satisfied, even if she doesn't win.

 

[silverlake22]

Yes! Four years ago Sasha was our best hope, and now, four year later nobody has stepped up to fill her shoes. Her bronze in 2006 was a disater, but what we wouldn't give for an American lady to get bronze now!

Well she got silver, but if Mao and Yuna had been there, she probably would have been OTP. Yuna and Mao are here now, so it's unfair to compare. Also, Miki is here now and imploded at the last Olympics, had she done her best, she could have beaten Sasha.

Irina and Shiz are great skaters, but I don't think they are as good as Mao at 15 and Yuna now. That's JMPO, but it just works out that some years the field is weaker than others. Alissa and Mirai were national champions the past two years, but in a deeper field, they probably wouldn't have done enough to gain those titles. It's just the way it works.

 

[miki88]

Well she got silver, but if Mao and Yuna had been there, she probably would have been OTP. Yuna and Mao are here now, so it's unfair to compare. Also, Miki is here now and imploded at the last Olympics, had she done her best, she could have beaten Sasha.

Irina and Shiz are great skaters, but I don't think they are as good as Mao at 15 and Yuna now. That's JMPO, but it just works out that some years the field is weaker than others. Alissa and Mirai were national champions the past two years, but in a deeper field, they probably wouldn't have done enough to gain those titles. It's just the way it works.

Sigh. Too bad Mao was too young to enter the last Olympics. I remember some people in the media was saying how the best skater in the world at the time was too young for the Olympics when she beat Irina at the Grand Prix. I think she could have won the competition When did that age rule start anyways? Wasn't Tara 15 when she won?

 

[silverlake22]

Sigh. Too bad Mao was too young to enter the last Olympics. I remember some people in the media was saying how the best skater in the world at the time was too young for the Olympics when she beat Irina at the Grand Prix. I think she could have won the competition When did that age rule start anyways? Wasn't Tara 15 when she won?

I think Tara was 14 and they changed it after. I know, I feel bad for Mao, judging how Irina, Sasha, and Shiz skated there I think she could have won. She has a good shot of medaling this year, but if she doesn't it will be sad because she definitely could have 4 years ago.

 

[Olympia]

"Here" meaning in newspaper quotes and TV interviews. She hasn't yet done any actual, you know, skating.

You're right in the strict sense, Mathman. But this morning on NBC, when Sasha skated a bit while "teaching" Meredith Vieira her spiral, I felt such a longing to see someone else skate with even half the quality of her precise, extended movements. The way she holds her back and moves her arms, the way she wraps the music around her, makes almost all our other skaters look as if they're counting their steps as they skate. The funny thing is, if you look back at her skating when she was fifteen years old, she had pretty much that same command. She was never primordial. Golly, I hope she's able to produce her jumps. And if anyone else can skate well enough to beat her, tremendous! Either way, we all win.

But maybe I'm not the one to ask. You all know I'm only here for the the music. I love math as much as the next person, but I don't think skating should be a matter of adding and subtracting across a decimal point.

 

[Tinymavy15]

Sigh. Too bad Mao was too young to enter the last Olympics. I remember some people in the media was saying how the best skater in the world at the time was too young for the Olympics when she beat Irina at the Grand Prix. I think she could have won the competition When did that age rule start anyways? Wasn't Tara 15 when she won?

The rule was put into place right after Tara-ISU saw how her career was stunted by too much too soon and figured it would be better that only "mature" ladies to win the olympics / worlds. If Mao had been able to go to Torino I have no doubt in my mind she would have won.

 

[evangeline]

If Mao had been able to go to Torino I have no doubt in my mind she would have won.

Hmm, I don't know about that. If Mao was able to go to Torino, than Yu-Na could've went too. And didn't Yu-Na beat Mao at 2006 Junior Worlds?

But I will concede that Mao would've probably made the podium, given how Sasha and Irina skated their LPs.

 

[miki88]

Hmm, I don't know about that. If Mao was able to go to Torino, than Yu-Na could've went too. And didn't Yu-Na beat Mao at 2006 Junior Worlds?

But I will concede that Mao would've probably made the podium, given how Sasha and Irina skated their LPs.

I think Yuna entered the senior circuit a year later than Mao, so I don't know if she would have gone to the Olympics. Either way, back then I give the edge to Mao. Yuna hasn't yet risen to the form she is now. Mao was just amazing at 15:yes: