Looks like Sasha's taking a year off | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Looks like Sasha's taking a year off

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
I agree, Joe. If Michelle were to come back, what would she have to lose? Her resume/reputation will always back her up. On the other hand, Sasha has built a reputation as choking when it counts, to the point she is parodied on SNL and other athletes are labeled,"The Sasha Cohen of their sport." if they fail or don't play up to expectations. Sasha presents a good attitude about it, but it can't feel good knowing what has been your downfall in your overall goal is being used humourously.

IMO, the one thing about being (and staying) at the top is mental, and it's the hardest thing to learn or develop. Right now, well, following the Olympics, there has been a lot of interest in Sasha, so I think she'd be smarter to pursue new interests now while many know her name, or before she falls off the podium (if that is to happen). She's been on every podium of every competition she's entered since 2003 Worlds. That is really remarkable! She may not have a Worlds or Olympic title, but she has had much more of an impressive career than 90% of the skaters out there.
 

attyfan

Custom Title
Medalist
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Mar 1, 2004
Other than the "returnees from the pro world" from 1994, the only skater I can think of who ever took time completely off from skating was Todd Eldredge, who took two years off between Nagano and SLC; on his return, he won one Nat gold, one Nat silver and one world bronze. MK, on the other hand, went "half time" after SLC; she won four golds (three Nats; one world) as well as a world bronze. IMO, if Sasha wants to return to skating, she should go "half time", rather than taking a whole year off.
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
Actually, taking a season off and consequently NOT having to hear all the comments about what a choker she is and how she always makes a major mistake and can't ever seem to come through when it counts yada yada yada, just might help her confidence quite a bit.
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
Actually, if she chooses to change coaches, of if the decision is made for her by a retirement on the part of Mr. Nicks, why not Priscilla Hill? A laid-back approach might work well for her, and heaven knows if Ms. Hill can deal with Mr. Weir, she's GOT to be pretty laid back. Plus since Sasha and Johnny are like best girlfriends.... :laugh:
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
The big problem with Sasha taking a year off is that she was never a dedicated trainer to begin with. Tarasova, Wagner and now Nicks have all indicated that she tends to slack off her training regimen. I recall that before Worlds, she wasn't spending nearly as much time on the rink as she was on the red carpet, and the results speak for themselves. Sasha has far too many interests other than skating and she just can't focus her whole attention on day-in-day-out hard work in the rink. Even if she did involve herself in a rigorous training program after a year off, she might suffer the same fate as Kwan and incur serious injury.

If she takes the whole year off, my prediction is that she will never be able to get back in competitive shape to take on Asada, Meissner and Kim. She just isn't ready to admit that her skating career is very likely over.
 

kittyjake5

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 7, 2005
chuckm said:
If she takes the whole year off, my prediction is that she will never be able to get back in competitive shape to take on Asada, Meissner and Kim. She just isn't ready to admit that her skating career is very likely over.

Why would she admit that her skating career is over. That would not be a wise business move. Right know Sasha is known for her skating career which includes quite a few endorsements. The acting thing is new and she does not know how that will pan out. IMO she is following the advice of her business manager who I think is doing a pretty good job of marketing Sasha.
 

attyfan

Custom Title
Medalist
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Just out of curiosity, what would Sasha have to gain from saying "my Oly eligible career is over"? It seems to me that there are probably a lot of different groups out there trying to hire her (professional skating; the different movie and flim roles she has been mentioning; etc); the more groups "competing", the more she can make. If she announced that she was retiring, it would be one less "competitor" -- and the bidding war might be reduced accordingly.
 
R

riverflows

Guest
antmanb said:
Robin Wagner has no excuse for being so unprofessional and publicly making nasty statements about Sasha.

Call me uninformed, but what exactly did Robin say about her?
 

brinababy87

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 27, 2003
riverflows said:
Call me uninformed, but what exactly did Robin say about her?
Robin essentially called Sasha lazy, saying she wouldn't follow her training plan, that she wouldn't ever leave her comfort zone... on National television. Not saying that isn't true... but it makes you wonder how many other skaters will want to work with her, since she's so willing to air people's dirty laundry. :rolleye:
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Robin Wagner has no excuse for being so unprofessional and publicly making nasty statements about Sasha.

I didn't think she made nasty statements; she just said what was on her mind and while it may not have been PC of her to do so, I see nothing wrong with the content of her statements. Besides, Cohen had the opportunity to "defend" herself (and she did). However, that being said, I don't think it leaves people who may not know her with a good impression of her (and maybe drive away future students?)


BECAUSE, she sounds like she wants to go off and do other things. At least I get that impression. She really seems like she is worn out and needs a break. I take her "coming back" comments as seriously as I took Sarah Hughes' when she said she wanted to make a "comeback" for 2006 (or 2010 - and look what happened). I think she's done, period. The only reason she's not retiring outright is because I bet she wants to keep her options open (like Kwan/Slutskaya). She'll get sucked into the fame and stardom of acting, and she can be in as much spotlight as she wants without having to skate anymore.
 
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attyfan

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Mar 1, 2004
Red Dog said:
I didn't think she made nasty statements; she just said what was on her mind and while it may not have been PC of her to do so, I see nothing wrong with the content of her statements. Besides, Cohen had the opportunity to "defend" herself (and she did). However, that being said, I don't think it leaves people who may not know her with a good impression of her (and maybe drive away future students?)
....

Even though there may be "nothing wrong with the content of her statements", it was (IMO) extremely unprofessional to make the statements to the press. I think, though, it may have driven away future students. After all, since Sasha left, the closest thing to a "big name" seeking Robin's services was Sylvia Fontana. OTOH, take a coach that doesn't crticise his former pupils to the press -- Frank Carroll -- and he keeps getting promising students.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
What a variety of comments and questions here!

I think Sasha said somewhere that acting doesn't get her worked up as much as competition. This leads me to believe that she will get back to figure skating after her 'break' if nothing she does gets her worked up. (Maybe a serious boyfirend? why not?) She's not Victoria Page who 'skates to live'.

I don't think she will leave the west coast for either Robin or Pricilla.

If Kimmie does not do well in the GPs, I think Sasha will show up. Just a feeling.

Joe
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
Am I the only one here who gets way too many 'WEIRD WOMAN! WEIRD WOMAN!' vibes off Robin Wagner? No wonder Sasha wanted to stay in her "comfort zone". That Staring Into Each Other's Eyes Vulcan Mind Meld thing right before her Nats long program a couple of years ago STILL creeps me out....:eek:
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
From what I saw, Robin tweaked the Swan Lake in order to ensure Sasha would not get carried away and flub some elements. Other than that it was essentially the TT routine. It worked beautifully in the Dortmund QR.

Like TT, Robin and Sasha were not personally compatible, imo..
 

dancindiva03

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
JonnyCoop said:
Am I the only one here who gets way too many 'WEIRD WOMAN! WEIRD WOMAN!' vibes off Robin Wagner? No wonder Sasha wanted to stay in her "comfort zone". That Staring Into Each Other's Eyes Vulcan Mind Meld thing right before her Nats long program a couple of years ago STILL creeps me out....:eek:

I think Wagner is very weird. However, I don't see anything wrong with her statements about Sasha. I don't think she spoke any untruths.
 

76olympics

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 4, 2004
I don't think Boitano, Witt and Sasha belong in the same category at all. I always felt that Brian and Kat were in skating as a primary endeavor provided their bodies held up. They were devoted to it and developed shows , etc. They were extremely focused during their amateur careers to the point that I think it did help their competitive drive. Sasha always seemed like she would be very happy to win, but had a wider variety of interests that pulled her away from skating. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It's apples and oranges.

I have experienced success in certain avenues that I did not pursue to the fullest. Sometimes, you choose to go just that far and it is good enough. I do think if she takes a lengthy break that it will become "the" break with amateur competition. If so, lots of silver medals and a national championship are nothing to sneeze at.
 
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SeaniBu

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
I would have to think that a "break" would mean "Done.":scratch:
 
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JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
76olympics said:
I don't think Boitano, Witt and Sasha belong in the same catagory at all. I always felt that Brian and Kat were in skating as a primary endeavor provided their bodies held up. They were devoted to it and developed shows , etc. They were extremely focused during their amateur careers to the point that I think it did help their competitive drive. Sasha always seemed like she would be very happy to win, but had a wider variety of interests that pulled her away from skating. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It's apples and oranges.

Interesting point. Also, Boitano and Witt are from an entirely different generation, (And Witt of course came out of an entirely different system and social climate) and I think one could argue that that particular generation is much more focused, or is more capable of being focused on one thing, than the current crop of "young 'uns" from the last decade or so. I think the younger skaters now, for the most part, look at their skating careers as either a stepping stone to something else, or merely a phase of their life before going on to the next one, which I think is pretty much of a trend of the current generation, skaters or not, anyway. Note how Tara is now into her acting career (IMHO, she just loves the spotlight, and since injuries have kept her from being in it that way, she's got to find another way to be in it) and I would be very surprised if Sarah is involved in skating at all 5 years down the road. I just think the current generation believes that they have more options and are aware of the concept of "reinvention", much more than previous generations.
 
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