Ecellent post Doggygirl and right on the money for my money.:agree:
Just want to comment on what John Nicks said to Sasha in the K&C at Campbell's, about the effects of his "when you skate like that nobody can beat you." As Dick Button often says about Nicks, "He is a fox." I'm not with Nicks and Cohen in practice or other private times, obviously, but I'd like to just throw out that Nicks may be saying things like this as part of his and Cohen's overall strategy to psych out other competitors.
My point is, Nicks may say, "You're the best" to Sasha on camera, but who knows what he says to her in practice. In the
Vogue article from 2002, the author emphasized how when Nicks and Sasha were facing the media Nicks seemed to like to "play" with them by saying, "No matter what I say Sasha just does what she wants" one day and the next saying "She's the most cooperative and hard-working skater I've ever coached" and vice versa. So who knows what Nicks is saying for the media and, as I said, for competitors. It might backfire in that certain competitiors might be inspired rather than intimidated by Nicks saying, "When you skate like that nobody can beat you."
IMO, I think what Nicks says to Sasha AFTER she skates relatively well really isn't meant for Sasha's ears but for the media and other skaters. However, prior to the performance, I think what Nicks says to Cohen is very much meant for Sasha and Sasha only; meant to inspire her, reinforce her confidence, and especially reinforce the attitude that she can push through even the toughest parts of her skate, hold onto poorly landed jumps, and not let falls or mistakes negatively impact the rest of her performances, all of which have been her classic problems. At Campbell's, right before Sasha skated, Nicks said to her something like (I may not have this exactly right), "I won't say go out and try your hardest because I know you always try your hardest." And then the slapped hands.
I think what Nicks said to Cohen BEFORE she skated is far more indicative of what he says to support and try to get a good performance out of her than anything Nicks says after she skated that performance. I also look at body language. Prior to her skate, Nicks looked Sasha directly in the eyes as he spoke and Sasha looked directly right back at him, both seeming very concentrated. However, in the K&C, when Nicks made the "nobody can beat you" remark, he didn't look at Sasha at all. He kept his gaze forward, though not directly at the camera. Sasha was doing some things with her costume, seeming to me as if she wasn't even paying attention to Nicks.
Obviously, this is all JMO, but I think a lot of people are readubg far too much into only one of Nicks's K&C comments, the "When you skate like that nobody can beat you" one. To me it's like a Rorsach test. However you feel about Sasha will determine what you read into that comment. Also, in the interview with Peter Carruthers, Sasha was asked how she felt about her skate. Despite making two substantial mistakes--the step-out/incompletion of the third jump in her opening 3-jump combo and, at the end, her inability to achieve neither the full Beillman position nor the spin apparently because she was behind the music--Sasha answered (paraphrase), "Things went great, exactly like they did in practice." Great? Exactly like they did in practice? You mean you practiced missing the third jump on your 3/2/3 and getting so behind the music that you couldn't complete the Beillman?
Again, I think it's part of Nicks and Cohen's strategy: Say it was great whether it was or not. If things go very and obviously badly for Sasha in a future competition who knows what they'll say, but I just got the impression that they are taking a page out of Frank Carroll's book. Especially with Michelle, every time, at least that I saw, Carroll said something about her skating in the K&C or to the media it was super-positive, things about how Michelle was the greatest artist ever to grace the ice, that Michelle, too, was "unbeatable." Also, even though Cohen hasn't won Nationals or Worlds, since 2003 she has dominated the GP series with gold medals against tough competition in almost every event except when she lost the GPF gold to Fumie Suguri. Sasha has also beaten Michelle at Worlds twice.
I know a lot of people discount the GP series and it is true that Cohen never faced Irina or Michelle during the GP series. But she's skated against every other top woman and with the exception of losing the gold to Volchkova at Cup of Russia in, IIRC (which I probably don't, lol) 2003.
I'm not trying to usurp your Devil's Advocate position, Red Dog
but that's really the point of this post, to look at the Nicks comments, interview situations, and Sasha's competitive record from a different angle.
Rgirl
And also for adding that other quote, ""If you keep training like this and skate like this you're going to have a wonderful year." I couldn't check my tape because I was taping the dance OD and men's LP. Since I remembered what Nicks said in the K&C as "If you skate like that nobody can beat you," either it's just my crummy memory or Nicks really is a fox. ITA that Nicks was fully aware that he was miked and that EVERYBODY was listening.
