New Sasha Journal

She sounds quite confident about her programs.

www.sashacohen.com

No matter how confident she is, anything produced now is still a work in progress. I don't expect much from anyone. With Kwan out of Campbell's now, this should be a cake-walk for her to win (but at the same time, she'll miss out on that feedback of how she compares to Kwan in the process).

Red Dog said:

No matter how confident she is, anything produced now is still a work in progress. I don't expect much from anyone. With Kwan out of Campbell's now, this should be a cake-walk for her to win (but at the same time, she'll miss out on that feedback of how she compares to Kwan in the process).

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She's already had enough feedback to know that the judges like her better than Kwan. Twice she's finished over Kwan at Worlds and under COP she can do no wrong (except fall). She's in the driver's seat.

soogar said:

She's already had enough feedback to know that the judges like her better than Kwan. Twice she's finished over Kwan at Worlds and under COP she can do no wrong (except fall). She's in the driver's seat.

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- Maybe here in the U.S. she might be. But not until she manages to beat Kwan at the national competition will I REALLY perceive her to be in the "driver's seat".

- Internationally, there is Slutskaya and Arakawa to be contended with before she can be seen as a real contender for Oly/World gold. Actually, Kwan should be the least of her worries now. She's already beaten her twice at the Worlds.

Kwan's injury really does put [Kwan] at a disadvantage though. She'll get a late start to things. (And this is factoring in that she won't be able to practice much in that time period.) She'll miss out on Campbell's AND SA to really know how her program stacks up against the competition.

Let's hope Cohen doesn't wind up injuring herself either. She seems to be pretty vulnerable to these things.

BTW- Has Irina fully recovered from her illness? Or is that something that could creep up again? This season isn't quite starting out with a bang.

soogar said:

She's already had enough feedback to know that the judges like her better than Kwan. Twice she's finished over Kwan at Worlds and under COP she can do no wrong (except fall). She's in the driver's seat.

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I respectfully disagree with this assessment... At both Worlds Kwan had awful qualifying rounds... that's more reflective of her placement than any threat, real or perceived, by Cohen... Further, Cohen's biggest issue isn't her competition but her head.

Under CoP Cohen can do wrong... flutz, flat edges, positions over transitions, lack of 3 x3... it goes on & on... CoP is not the savior for some and the downfall for others... it just provides another way of looking at the sport. I wouldn't hand a medal or count ANYONE out this year...

Further, Cohen's biggest issue isn't her competition but her head.

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I'm not sure I agree. Sure, she could lay off the mistakes but a mistake-free routine by her does not guarantee her a win! There was no way she was going to beat Irina in 2005 or Shizuka in 2004 even if she didn't make any mistakes. Cohen just does not have that extra "oompf" in her routine to give her that edge over that inspired performance. Sorry.

Red Dog said:

I'm not sure I agree. Sure, she could lay off the mistakes but a mistake-free routine by her does not guarantee her a win! There was no way she was going to beat Irina in 2005 or Shizuka in 2004 even if she didn't make any mistakes. Cohen just does not have that extra "oompf" in her routine to give her that edge over that inspired performance. Sorry.

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ITA... however, one has to wonder if she ever really committed to a program & kept her head together, would that provide her with the "oompf" factor? Or is she just a modern day example of a skater that was the best silver medalist ever?

Kwanford Wife said:

...if she ever really committed to a program & kept her head together, would that provide her with the "oompf" factor?

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That might be our $250,000 question. However, I have reason to not think so. I have two performances to back up my thought: The 2004 Worlds SP, and the 2004 Marshall's FS Challenge LP. She didn't make any real mistakes in those programs, but once again, where's the "oompf"? She didn't exactly blow the roof off with those performances, although they were good. I'm becoming more and more convinced that she just does not have what it takes to really pull out all the stops, which is necessary nowadays to win ANY major competition. HOWEVER- this is not to take away from her accomplishments. Not everyone can win two silver medals, and have consistent results (as much as everyone LOVES to say she is inconsistent) across the board like Cohen has.

But, I have been wrong before. Maybe she'll surprise all of us...then again, maybe not.

Basically I agree with soogar... Hope Michelle's injury is not too serious...Jenny might announce retirement too early. If she still stays in, she could be Michelle's placement for this cheesefest event. For next few months, anything could happen.