Yes, her mother is Japanese. Here's the link to her Icenetwork bio photo: http://web.icenetwork.com/skaters/detail.jsp?id=100047&mode=IAngela Maxwell is half asian?!?!?!?!?
Yes, her mother is Japanese. Here's the link to her Icenetwork bio photo: http://web.icenetwork.com/skaters/detail.jsp?id=100047&mode=IAngela Maxwell is half asian?!?!?!?!?
ETA: Funny how Cohen is "only" 24, when so many other skaters, including Kwan and even Meissner, were declared over the hill at younger ages. Desperate much? :think:
i'm not moderating anything. I simply tried to answer a question raised about Hersch; Does he write about anything but the ladies? As for Sasha, I could agree with him only if she wants to return.Joesitz, are you now a moderator for this forum? Because actually, that's NOT all there is to this topic. Reference the OP -- it's about a call for Cohen to return, and brings up her competitive record, and basically opens up several possible discussion points, all of which may be considered relevant.
That's what sportswriters do especially when an athlete hits a slump. It happens in all sports. And hopefully you are correct about someone listening.There seems to be more than generic negative reporting with Hersh and figure skating, esp. with regard to the U.S. ladies. But if he can keep pounding the same drum, apparently there are those who will (or are forced to, LOL) listen.
No.I believe she can return to the Olys because of her silver medal. Is that correct?
The criteria that are taken into account in the selection of the for U.S. Olympic teams are the results from (in order of importance)Not sure if the USFS would demand her to skate Nats.
The by-laws also say that skaters who miss Nationals because of verifiable illness or injury, but are strong in other events, may petition the International Committee for special consideration.USFSA by-laws said:]2010 U.S. Nationals
2009 Grand Prix Finals
2009 Worlds
2009 Four Continents
2009 Junior Worlds
2009 Junior Grnd Prix Finals
what RD didn't mention in the 'old timers' part of his post was RD only likes the ladies
But personally, if there are no American ladies in contention, any reason that remained for me to watch FS has just dissipated. And I don't care for the other disciplines (sorry). I know the multinationals will not like this comment, but the long-timers know how upfront I am. To the newer posters, I tend to say what's on my mind. If there's no one to cheer for at the Olys, why bother?
How about the fact that the US qualified two men and two ice dance teams for the GPF?
Aw come on Red Dog. You know you were a Sasha fan and not that into Kwan....
I'm an older timer here and even hung out around Paula's skating board (I think it was on About.Com) and remember nyah nyahing you when Kwan won World's after your "Anyone but Kwan" thread.
Anyway, I get where you are coming from. My emotions were mostly tied up to the US ladies (Michelle, Sasha, Angela, Jenny, Ann Patrice, etc). for a long time and I was also a fan of the US men: Todd, Tim etc. Now I'm into all the disciplines. And yes I still do feel an inclination to root for the USAers just as I do with tennis. Nothing wrong with that. Hell in Europe they kill each other over the outcome of a football (soccer) match. But I've also been a fan of Fumie and more recently Joannie and also Jeff and Lambiel and more. Don't despair. The US ladies will be back and better than ever. In the meantime, just enjoy the skating. It's a great sport and its fans are as special as the skaters. And you are one.
Libby said "Even the Cohen of 2006 would not beat the Mao or Yu-Na of today. Not a chance - she didn't have anywhere near their technical content or consistency".
Consistency? Yu Na and Mao rarely skate perfect programs. There are practically always visible flaws. Mao's first GP event of the season was one of the biggest disasters I've ever witnessed among top-ranked skaters. Yu Na rarely completes a competition without popping or doubling a jump--or worse yet, falling. And yet, both are phenomenal skaters. Such talent is a rarity. The tendency to pack the points in CoP appears to me to be the culprit!
But think of the fans pouring into Vancouver if Hamill and Cohen were to skate the 2010 Olympics!No.The criteria that are taken into account in the selection of the for U.S. Olympic teams are the results from (in order of importance)
The by-laws also say that skaters who miss Nationals because of verifiable illness or injury, but are strong in other events, may petition the International Committee for special consideration.
This is actually kind of strange, because the by-laws do not specifically require a particular placement at Nationals to be considered. That is, they could send a skater who skipped nationals whether that skaeter petitioned or not. I take that to mean that they really, really, really expect anyone who wants to go to the Olympics to skate at nationals and do well.
I can't conceive of the USFSA just saying out of the blue, OK, let's send Sasha Cohen and Dorothy Hamill, even though they haven't skated competitively in years.
But think of the fans pouring into Vancouver if Hamill and Cohen were to skate the 2010 Olympics!
...
If the US ladies finish high enough this year to send 3 skaters to the Olympics, I think the US should send Michelle, Sasha and Rachael Flatt. I assume one of those three would be the reigning US champ and be an automatic team member. This would not only energize and electrify the skating world, it would likely guarantee the US a medal.
I almost find the reference to her age to be insulting... sure Sasha is still young as far as a comparison to your average person walking down the street; but in the world of skating, skating competitively for 10 years takes a SERIOUS toll on your body (Hersh completely disregards that fact). There are skaters that have been competitive a much shorter time and are significantly younger than Sasha that are already suffering from injuries related to their training.
This might sound random, but I think the best thing Sasha could do for US Ladies skating right now would be to teach some of the up and comers artistry and maturity on the ice as a coach.
I agree this would be a difficult comeback if Sasha Cohen decides to go for it. I don't think it would be unprecedented, even if you consider her "advanced" age. When the ISU allowed professional skaters to become eligible again for Lillehammer in 1994, there were those who took advantage after some time away from competitive skating, and managed just fine, including Gordeeva/Grinkov who won the pairs (and she'd had a baby in between!). Under CoP, you had Fusar-Poli & Margaglio in Torino - and yes, ice dance is not as hard on the body as singles, but they were still coming back after a long hiatus and into a new system, and while it wasn't a great competition for them, it wasn't awful (and may have been better had they trained more seriously for it). Sasha at least has skated under CoP, and skated well at times.I almost find the reference to her age to be insulting... sure Sasha is still young as far as a comparison to your average person walking down the street; but in the world of skating, skating competitively for 10 years takes a SERIOUS toll on your body (Hersh completely disregards that fact). There are skaters that have been competitive a much shorter time and are significantly younger than Sasha that are already suffering from injuries related to their training.
I think there's a bit of a problem in comparing scores from 2005 and 2006 with current scoring. Skaters and coaches have had a rapid learning curve in regard to constructing programs to fit the new system and maximize points, and we're now seeing the results of this. I think that GOEs as a rule have also gone up a bit over time.Not to mention on a purely technical level, Sasha's best Free Program score in her final competitive season (2005-2006) in ISU competitions was 116.63. Six ladies have already passed this score so far in the GP series (Kim, Rochette, Asada, Ando, Lepisto, Wagner).