Any Sasha updates?

[silverlake22]

Evan didn't get schooled... Evan gave the dang thing away

That's happened before though. Evan is amazing, but without a solid quad, he can't expect to always win. I'm so curious to see what will happen at the Olys...all the men are SO GOOD :agree:

 

[Tonichelle]

he made more mistakes than just the quad... he let little stumbles add up to a silver medal...

 

[Mrs. P]

After finding out how M/B kind of fell apart this weekend and missed the Podium let alone didn't win- and also how world champ Lysacek got schooled by Abbot- I'm not taking anything as a given any more. She will have to come prepared and ready to fight. I initially thought that "She shows up, she's on the team" but no, not any more. If we have the level of competition we did in 2008 (everyone basically came in at full speed there) then I'd say 3 triples from her (in the FS) won't do it. She is a good SP skater- the other ladies must be perfect to keep up with her. Assuming they can do that, it comes down to the freeskate. Especially if she is the last skater... if Flatt et al. really bring the house down with a solid FS she can really put the pressure on Cohen. Coming back from a 4-year layoff, she could crumble.

I think things just got a little bit more interesting. Of course, it all depends on if the judges continue their streak.

The other thing to consider, which our Canadian friends will be happy that I'm pointing out, is that Joanne Rochette had an amazing program. Seven triples. Clean. We know what a clean Rochette can do. I don't agree with the inflated judging, but I do not DEBATE at all that these two slammed down some great skates. In Japan, Mao Asada put a solid program and Akiko Suzuki brought down the house down with hers.

Sasha made a comment in a story (I think it was in an interview with Hirsch) that she felt that she could hold up because of what she saw from these skaters at the GP. And yes, if the Olympics and Nationals were held right after the GPF then yes...maybe Sasha could blow them out of the water.

But it's been a month since the GP, and we've seen a bunch of skaters recharge and bring it. Perhaps we might see some surprises from the other skaters in this competition.

And someone pointed to the magic of Spokane....we've seen AMAZING stuff from the men's and pairs. Perhaps we're in for the same with the ladies!

 

[MK's Winter]

The other thing to consider, which our Canadian friends will be happy that I'm pointing out, is that Joanne Rochette had an amazing program. Seven triples. Clean. We know what a clean Rochette can do. I don't agree with the inflated judging, but I do not DEBATE at all that these two slammed down some great skates. In Japan, Mao Asada put a solid program and Akiko Suzuki brought down the house down with hers.

Sasha made a comment in a story (I think it was in an interview with Hirsch) that she felt that she could hold up because of what she saw from these skaters at the GP. And yes, if the Olympics and Nationals were held right after the GPF then yes...maybe Sasha could blow them out of the water.

But it's been a month since the GP, and we've seen a bunch of skaters recharge and bring it. Perhaps we might see some surprises from the other skaters in this competition.

And someone pointed to the magic of Spokane....we've seen AMAZING stuff from the men's and pairs. Perhaps we're in for the same with the ladies!

I agree with you 100%. With the Men's and Pairs being great competitions and the judging actually "gasp" fair (I don't know about anyone else but I have seen NO INFLATION what so ever...so far) Sasha is going to have to bring her A game, everyone is. It has been great to watch Olympic berths being earned and not handed over on platters.

 

[janetfan]

I agree with you 100%. With the Men's and Pairs being great competitions and the judging actually "gasp" fair (I don't know about anyone else but I have seen NO INFLATION what so ever...so far) Sasha is going to have to bring her A game, everyone is. It has been great to watch Olympic berths being earned and not handed over on platters.

I can't wait for the Ladies and Dance events!
With so much speculation about the Ladies it was nice to see how the judging and selections went down for the Pairs and Men.

Any of the Ladies, Sasha and Rachael included must bring their "A" game if they hope to make the podium.

I wish all of them good luck. And good luck to the Dance teams too!

 

[MK's Winter]

I can't wait for the Ladies and Dance events!
With so much speculation about the Ladies it was nice to see how the judging and selections went down for the Pairs and Men.

Any of the Ladies, Sasha and Rachael included must bring their "A" game if they hope to make the podium.

I wish all of them good luck. And good luck to the Dance teams too!

I think Dance is going to be one hell of an event this year:agree:

 

[NYscorp6]

I agree with you 100%. With the Men's and Pairs being great competitions and the judging actually "gasp" fair (I don't know about anyone else but I have seen NO INFLATION what so ever...so far) Sasha is going to have to bring her A game, everyone is. It has been great to watch Olympic berths being earned and not handed over on platters.

Hello all.
I agree, I've been impressed so far with the judging.
I am glad Sasha has returned to Mr. Nicks, it seems to me a huge sign of respect and admiration by Sasha. Rightly so, very deserved and appropriate.

I'm not sure if this article has been posted yet:
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=9590635

Have a great day!

 

[Nadine]

Thanks for the latest news on Sasha! :thumbsup:

I've been wondering has there ever been another female skater in history that has debuted her program at Nationals right before the Olympics (i.e. not shown up for any competitions beforehand)!?! Seriously, I'm not talking about cheesefests, et al, I'm talking about actual competitive competitions such as the GP, GPF, 4CC, Euros. Right now I cannot think of another except Sasha.

Such suspence, intrigue, anticipation -- it all reminds me of that book by Maynard Thomson entitled "Dreams of Gold" wherein the gold medal favorite actually didn't debut her Olympic Program until the very Olympics itself! And when she did, everybody's mouths' dropped in awe...

 

[janetfan]

Hello all.
I agree, I've been impressed so far with the judging.
I am glad Sasha has returned to Mr. Nicks, it seems to me a huge sign of respect and admiration by Sasha. Rightly so, very deserved and appropriate.

I'm not sure if this article has been posted yet:
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=9590635

Have a great day!

Thanks for posting the link to the article.
So here is what needs to happen:

1. Mr Nicks has to put Sasha on the plane and bring her to Spokane :agree:
2. Sasha has to show up for her highly anticipated practice session Wednesday :agree:
3. She has to show up and skate her SP on Thursday :agree: :agree:

If these three things happen we will have a much better idea about how the Ladies event may turn out.

I think the Ladies SP's will be big - but that the competition will be decided in the LP's. I have no idea who will rise to the occassion and think any of the top 6 Ladies have a chance at grabbing one of the top two spots and a place on the Olympic team.

However if turns out I see no need for the "committee" to intercede as the top two will have earned the right to represent their country in Vancouver.

 

[Mrs. P]

Thanks for posting the link to the article.
So here is what needs to happen:

1. Mr Nicks has to put Sasha on the plane and bring her to Spokane :agree:
2. Sasha has to show up for her highly anticipated practice session Wednesday :agree:
3. She has to show up and skate her SP on Thursday :agree: :agree:

If these three things happen we will have a much better idea about how the Ladies event may turn out.

I think the Ladies SP's will be big - but that the competition will be decided in the LP's. I have no idea who will rise to the occassion and think any of the top 6 Ladies have a chance at grabbing one of the top two spots and a place on the Olympic team.

However if turns out I see no need for the "committee" to intercede as the top two will have earned the right to represent their country in Vancouver.

I think it just needs to happen already. I think Thursday just has to come. Even practice reports won't be sufficient. We've already learned with Pairs that good practices doesn't always mean good competitive results.

I think we're all tired of speculation!

That said, I wonder if the lack of media attention on the other ladies might be a good thing? We've seen Yuna crumble slightly with all the media attention. We know it happened with Miki in 2006. I mean the person that's gotten the most media attention aside from Sasha is Rachel Flatt and that's mostly because she's a genius.

 

[Dee4707]

aside from Sasha is Rachel Flatt and that's mostly because she's a genius.

Why is Rachel a genius???

 

[Mathman]

^ I think Mrs. P is referring to all the articles about Rachael getting straight A's in advanced placement courses, applying to the hardest and most prestigious universities, etc. -- with very little mention of her skating.

 

[Mrs. P]

^ I think Mrs. P is referring to all the articles about Rachael getting straight A's in advanced placement courses, applying to the hardest and most prestigious universities, etc. -- with very little mention of her skating.

Exactly. The vibe I get from those articles is that Rachel is a good manager of her time, not so much a contender for the national title or internationally.

The funny thing, now that I've thought about it, is that Ashley Wagner as of late has gotten more attention because of the media's previous lack of attention despite making the GPF. Yes, try to wrap your head around that one!

 

[R.D.]

Yeah, there were quite a few articles lamenting Wagner's lack of media attention despite getting to the GPF...they helped to turn that around

 

[Mrs. P]

Yeah, there were quite a few articles lamenting Wagner's lack of media attention despite getting to the GPF...they helped to turn that around

And weren't the same people that were ignoring her in the first place? I talked a little about it in another thread, but I think it's crappy that most skating reporters do not go beyond the top 5 or 6 in the senior level. Local papers and television stations may cover other skaters if they're from the area, but otherwise not much out there.

I mean football and basketball reporters track players from when they're in HIGH SCHOOL, even middle school in some extreme cases. I think it would benefit these reporters greatly if they were more comprehensive. Instead we're seeing pretty dumb mistakes from the media reports.

 

[Dark-Eyes]

Can't wait to see a first glimpse of Sasha at practice on Wednesday. They ARE showing that on Icenetwork, right?

I agree with those who said that Sasha needs to nail her SP to have a chance at a medal. Thursday's performance will likely seal her fate, for better or for worse.

 

[janetfan]

And weren't the same people that were ignoring her in the first place? I talked a little about it in another thread, but I think it's crappy that most skating reporters do not go beyond the top 5 or 6 in the senior level. Local papers and television stations may cover other skaters if they're from the area, but otherwise not much out there.

I mean football and basketball reporters track players from when they're in HIGH SCHOOL, even middle school in some extreme cases. I think it would benefit these reporters greatly if they were more comprehensive. Instead we're seeing pretty dumb mistakes from the media reports.

Haven't people in skating been following Ashley for quite a while now? Maybe since she was 15 or so. The problem is that Ashley hasn't won as much as a few of the other USA girls so it is natural that she might not get as much press.

I have seen more articles about Ashley this season than Caroline or Mirai and Mirai is a former Natl champion.

If Ashley wins Natls or finishes second - being this is an Olympic year she will get plenty of attention.

 

[Tonichelle]

I think it's good for her to fly under the media radar... especially when they are so hungry for the next "ice princess"

 

[Tinymavy15]

Can't wait to see a first glimpse of Sasha at practice on Wednesday. They ARE showing that on Icenetwork, right?

I agree with those who said that Sasha needs to nail her SP to have a chance at a medal. Thursday's performance will likely seal her fate, for better or for worse.

Maybe they will broadcast the practices live on that Washington channel over the internet. I HOPE so!

 

[silverlake22]

Haven't people in skating been following Ashley for quite a while now? Maybe since she was 15 or so. The problem is that Ashley hasn't won as much as a few of the other USA girls so it is natural that she might not get as much press.

I have seen more articles about Ashley this season than Caroline or Mirai and Mirai is a former Natl champion.

If Ashley wins Natls or finishes second - being this is an Olympic year she will get plenty of attention.

Ashley's LP at nationals last year was absolutely beautiful, but technically, I think her skating was better in 2008 when she won bronze. Her jumps were huge and beautiful and she rattled off 3lz-3lo like they were doubles. Artistically she has improved she just needs to make sure not to rush. I find her and Alena Leonova's skating very similar.