Could Sasha be the best ever?

Taan · Oct 18, 2003

the spins! the spirals! the spunk! the sparkle!

she commands your respect she is one of a kind i have never seen a skater so talented technically AND artistically. Some skaters are great technicians some great artists but what sets Sahsa apart is she is both! i dont think it is possible to feel neutral about Sasha people either lover her or loathe her but I have a feeling this will be her year to really breakthrough - with MK off the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Final in the USA, I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't lose a single competetion this year!!! No one I repeat NO one (with the exception of MK) is even remotely in her leauge.

registered · Oct 18, 2003

Taan said:
I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't lose a single competetion this year!!!

That would be quite a challenge. She's participating in about 10 competitions this year.

gracefulswan · Oct 18, 2003

hmmm. well, 'best ever' is highly debatible. she has yet to win a world or even national title many times and she is already 19... unless she's a really late peaker. i wouldn't call her technique first rate by any means. her jumps are not secure a lot still even when she lands them... now, kwan's jumps are the most secure and with perfect run-out and edging... the speed and flow is so effortless (at least she makes it appear that it is while sasha does not... she has low, shaky landings many times). i shall let the skater's record and popularity speak for itself. in time all answers of 'best ever' are revealed... whether that applies to kwan or cohen... after they have retired.

now she does have nice spirals and wonderful spinning ability. the extension is unparalleled...yes... but how does that related to the program as a whole? the line and positions are so good that it's breathtaking too. however, her choice of music leaves you cold...no original, stand-out, knock-out programs yet... and no memorable LP either to which kwan has numerous ones... except i did like her exhibition to 'romeo and juliet' and her short program of the season before the last one... but they were not the sort to capture your imagination and steal your heart... IMO.

April · Oct 18, 2003

Her Best

Sasha's great. I love her "snap" or energetic programs. However, I hope for future, "great", skaters.

gracefulswan · Oct 19, 2003

Taan said:
the spins! the spirals! the spunk! the sparkle!

she commands your respect she is one of a kind i have never seen a skater so talented technically AND artistically.

yea, she would be even more talented if she could finally hit a solid routine with not one single glitch. not even her qualifying LP at worlds was 'perfect' even though she landed the jumps without falling. i'm still waiting for that perfect program... and hopefully this season will tell the tale. and i do hope that her ambitions are realized as she is a remarkable athlete.

BronzeisGolden · Oct 19, 2003

The best ever? No, she has yet to prove that. Incredibly talented and gifted? Yes. But, she has yet to put it all together in a complete package at a big event (Thinking Nationals and Worlds). Sasha is wonderful and I see all that makes her special, but Nicole Bobek was also something very special. Had she been able to skate to her potential, she would have been a legend. But she didn't. Sasha is at a critical point in her career. Will she fend off the demons at the top notch competitions like Nationals and Worlds? I'd like to see it but there are no certainties in this sport. You can have all of the talent in the world and still not quite get there. But, having said that, I think Sasha is progressing towards this goal instead of regressing. Campbell's was a big step forward for her (especially beating Michelle for the first time), but I feel that it is way too early to be pronouncing her the best ever. Among the best in the World? Definitely.

Tonichelle · Oct 19, 2003

you're asking a question that really has no real answer

personally her skating does NOTHING for me... so IMHO no I don't think she's the "best ever"

now if we were talking Kurt Browning that'd be a different story

it's all perspective and personal opinion...

shine · Oct 19, 2003

Taan said:
she commands your respect she is one of a kind i have never seen a skater so talented technically AND artistically.

Err....then...maybe you should watch more...

berthes ghost · Oct 19, 2003

"i dont think it is possible to feel neutral about Sasha people either lover her or loathe her..."

Um, well I like to flatter myself that I'm neutral about her. Well, at least I was until I started visiting the boards 2 years ago. Yesh, if I do "loathe" her , I would have to say it's almost entirely because of the second-coming-of-the-lord type posts like this one.

alina · Oct 19, 2003

"to be the best ever" Sasha has to show at worlds that she is (perhaps) the best and not only one time - several times. Until now she was not able to win one(!).
And what is "the best ever"? At their times many skaters were the best, Sonja Henie, Peggy Fleming, Kathi Witt, Michelle Kwan (although she missed olympics) for example. I don´t like the comparison between skaters of different years.
Alina

Sidejehoka · Oct 19, 2003

alina said:
And what is "the best ever"? At their times many skaters were the best, Sonja Henie, Peggy Fleming, Kathi Witt, Michelle Kwan (although she missed olympics) for example. I don´t like the comparison between skaters of different years.
Alina

I agree. That's exactly the reason why the question if Sasha could be the best ever can't be answered. With her gift she could become the best female skater so far - if you define being the best by someone's proven artistry and technical performance and not by collecting titles as Henie, Fleming, Witt & Kwan have more than Sasha will probably ever get. But I can only speak for myself, she's not everybody's cup of tea.

nymkfan51 · Oct 19, 2003

I find this question a bit mind boggling.

I think anyone would be hard pressed to say that Sasha was not a beautiful and talented skater. And ... there is one quality that she has that is better than any I have seen ... her extension. She has some gorgeous moves as a result of that.
I just can't figure out how anyone at this point could be speaking of her as the best ever. Her jump technique is far from perfect ... and she can't get through one single competition without a mistake or two. And she is not a 14 year old just breaking in to the skating scene. Nineteen is considered middle age for ladies skaters (I know ... this is sad) ... but it is true.
To be the best ever, IMO , would mean you have the record to prove it. Now I totally understand that if you asked 10 different people who the best ever was ... you might get 10 different answers. But in reality ... without the record to back it up ... it would be hard to call someone the "best ever" if they had never won a National or World title. They might be your favorite ... but that's a different thing.

And as far as people not being neutral about Sasha ... that theory doesn't work with me. I like her ... and if I hadn't been a huge Michelle fan for so many years, I would probably have become a Sasha fan ... I like her style of skating.
But ... I don't love her or hate her.

Joesitz (RIP) · Oct 19, 2003

No. I don't believe anyone is the best ever. When she skates her 2nd Olympics, I will be in a much better mindset to judge her 'body of work' which is how one judges artists. (Is Meryl Streep the best ever actress? - Of course not, but her 'body of work' shows she is among the great actors.)

Let's see how Sasha does at the Olys and all those skates up to it. She may well have developed an excellent 'body of work' by then. There are many competitions between now and 2006. Personally, I think she can.

Joe

Mathman · Oct 19, 2003

berthes ghost said:
"i dont think it is possible to feel neutral about Sasha people either lover her or loathe her..."

Um, well I like to flatter myself that I'm neutral about her. Well, at least I was until I started visiting the boards 2 years ago. Yesh, if I do "loathe" her , I would have to say it's almost entirely because of the second-coming-of-the-lord type posts like this one.

I know what you mean, Berthe's Ghost. But then, too, I like to see fans being enthusiastic about their favorites. I hope that everyone gets as big a thrill out of watching their favorite, whoever it may be, as I do. I think all this passion can only be good for the sport.

Sasha is a comer, no doubt about that. No one would be surprised if this is her year to put it all together and get that first world championship.

Mathman

NorthernLite · Oct 19, 2003

Ms. Tarasova,
Welcome to the board. Could you tell us what your screen name, Taan, means? TIA.

fanforlady2001 · Oct 19, 2003

I agree with others, there is really not an answer for that question, she is very gifted skater, but different people like different skaters, what makes someone the best? its who you like, its funny how over the past 2 seasons sasha fans say she is the best and she failed 2 place in the top 3 the last 2 worlds, so this year maybe she will(probably), will that make her the best? for die hard sasha fans you thought she was the best when she was 4th so you like her no matter what, for people who think she is ok she will still just be ok. Who cares who is the best. I just enjoy skating.

Kara Bear · Oct 19, 2003

Taan, I like your thinking...look at all the fun you started.

shine · Oct 19, 2003

Sidejehoka said:
. With her gift she could become the best female skater so far - if you define being the best by someone's proven artistry and technical performance and not by collecting titles as Henie, Fleming, Witt & Kwan have more than Sasha will probably ever get.

What if you don't even think she has the best proven artistry and technical performance?

shdotz · Oct 19, 2003

Sasha

She did today - ABC Sports Competition.

I still don't think she's better than MK; Just my opinion.

Michelle is skating Irina's program of last year. She's doing a good job, of course, but I'm wondering why she picked that program. She had new skates which probably made a difference in her skating, though she didn't flub but once.

Sasha flubbed as well.

Is it possible that Sasha is the favorite, politically?]
Only time will tell.

sh

Rgirl · Oct 19, 2003

Since Campbell's has come up, question for the mods: Should we start threads on the televised version of Campbell's in the Campbell's folder or in The Edge?

As for FanforLady, I think you answered your question in your second post: If you love Sasha, you love her whether she makes the podium or not. Even if you look at titles won I think it's virtually impossible to say if any skater is/was the "best ever" because of changes in the sport. I even think the advent of the Internet has had an effect on how fans feel about their favorite skaters in that I think for most people it's more fun to express their passion for a skater when there are hundreds of other fans you can "talk to" on the 'net.

Ultimately, I think sports historians will do the "official" job of citing which skaters are among the best for a given era, but in the hearts of die-hard fans of any skater, no amount of discussion will change how they feel. You love Sasha's skating and expressed your passion about it, just as others have at various times expressed their passion about their most beloved skater. I agree with Mathman that such positive passion about one's favorite can only be good for the sport. What I personally don't like is when the passion is channeled into intense hatred for a skater. It's just that it can get so ugly and personal between fans of different skaters on some of the forums. I know, it's a sports' tradition to love "your guy" and hate "their guy," but in figure skating, it's not like skaters represent a city or a league. They represent countries, but even then there seems to be no geographic borders when it comes to loving certain skaters.

But this is much-covered territory. Enjoy Sasha's skating and welcome to GS!
Rgirl

Could Sasha be the best ever?

Taan

registered

gracefulswan

April

gracefulswan

BronzeisGolden

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll

shine

berthes ghost

alina

Sidejehoka

nymkfan51

Joesitz (RIP)

Mathman

NorthernLite

fanforlady2001

Kara Bear

shine

shdotz

Rgirl

Similar threads

Connect with us