Flawless Cohen Long Programs

[christinaskater]

I love Sasha so much- It is rare though to find a flawless free from her

I only know the Campbell classic and the qualifying round of the 2003 Worlds

 

[Tinymavy15]

this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhGKyTzcsMQ&feature=player_embedded

also her freeskate at Marshalls 2004 after worlds was clean

 

[silverpond]

Unfortunately, Sasha was one of a number of top skaters who left their best programs on the practice ice. She was and is a gifted, brilliantly artistic skater, and her spins and spirals are among the best ever skated - if not THE best. She frequently won the short program in major competitions, but unfortunately for Sasha, you have to skate well in both short and long to win, and her nerves typically kicked in during the long program. I cannot remember ever seeing Sasha skate a clean long program - there was always at least one fall or one or more two-footed landings.

At Turino, 2006, she was in first place heading into the Olympic long program. I remember watching her take her position for the long program. Commentator Sandra Bezic said, "I see doubt in her eyes." Clearly, she looked as though she wasn't quite there, mentally, and her skate was flawed with several falls and/or missed jumps. Quite frankly, I believe she was fortunate to have won the silver medal with that program. It just wasn't a good performance for her.

I'm not trying to "bash" Sasha. I would have loved to have seen her go out and skate two gorgeous, clean programs at the Worlds and Olympics. Had she done that, I believe she would have won the gold in each one of those events.

 

[feraina]

Sasha was such a special skater. Nobody else skates like her. She has absolutely the best extension and posture and line of any skater, and she was so light on her feet in this performance TinyMavy linked to. Love it! Beautiful skating and perfect for CoP judging. I wish we had more skaters like her.

 

[Olympia]

I agree, Feraina. In fact, I remember that in the first years of CoP, she had some of the highest scores. Her extensions were like those of ballet dancers. They always were like that, even when she was fourteen. My heart shivered for her in the 2006 long program when she fell once and kind of stumbled once, but I was so proud of her when she picked herself up and didn't give up. Yes, she was a bit lucky to get the silver, and I believe she actually said as much at one point, but I think the judges rewarded her for the overall high quality of her skating. I'm so glad she was able to retire with an Olympic medal in her collection. When you look at all the skaters active during her eligible career, there were only a very few who were as memorable and as enjoyable to watch.

 

[Bartek]

I'm a big fan of her and totally love her posture, line, extension, flexibility, point of the toes, perfect positions in spins and spirals. Her spirals and layback are unmatched till this day! She had three clean long programs in her competitive career. All of them were spectacular. There's only Marshall's 2004 on youtube, but she was also clean with seven triples at Worlds 2003 and 2004 QR's.

 

[heyang]

Sasha is a beautiful skater, but she was not the best competitor when she needed to be. Even she has admitted that she got lucky with her Silver medal - so many people made mistakes that allowed her to have the silver. She had changed out of her costume because she thought she had no chance at the podium.
I don't believe she's had the 'skate of her life' in competition where the technique and exuberance in skating has come through.

 

[demarinis5]

I loved Sasha's skating. Even with the mistakes she was a class act. Her SP in Turnio was exquisite. She owned the ice with that performance.
I remember after her SP performance letting myself hope that she could win if she stays on her feet. Alas it was Silver for Sasha, but I was very happy
for her.

eta: Sasha's 2006 Olympic SP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mgTEXcTbis&feature=related

 

[feraina]

Well, this was a clean program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpZE4Hemcrg

But only 5 jumping passes and 4 triples. She just had such phenomenal talent! It's unbelievable that she's not a multiple world gold medalists and olympic champion. She looked so poised at such a young age, and she never went through a terrible growth spurt of the kind that plagues some young ladies. It's just a mystery that she doesn't have more gold medals to her name.

 

[pangtongfan]

What were Sasha's real missed opportunities of a gold medal. 2002 Olympics and 2002 Worlds she wasnt a good enough skater yet even if she had gone clean. 2003 Worlds I dont think she was beating Kwan, 2005 Worlds she definitely wasnt beating Slutskaya, 2004 Worlds it would have been hard to overcome Arakawa's career best skate. So that leaves just the 2006 Olympics and 2006 Worlds, maybe the 2004 Worlds.

Sasha did a clean short and long program also at 2000 Cup of Russia where she finished 4th behind Slutskaya, Sokolova, and Hughes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I94EJZtE_ZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhGKyTzcsMQ

 

[Tinymavy15]

e

What were Sasha's real missed opportunities of a gold medal. 2002 Olympics and 2002 Worlds she wasnt a good enough skater yet even if she had gone clean. 2003 Worlds I dont think she was beating Kwan, 2005 Worlds she definitely wasnt beating Slutskaya, 2004 Worlds it would have been hard to overcome Arakawa's career best skate. So that leaves just the 2006 Olympics and 2006 Worlds, maybe the 2004 Worlds.

Sasha did a clean short and long program also at 2000 Cup of Russia where she finished 4th behind Slutskaya, Sokolova, and Hughes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I94EJZtE_ZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhGKyTzcsMQ

Yes, shw should have won 2006 Worlds easily, the 2006 Olympics, and the 2004 Worlds. I think she also could have won the 2004 Nationals if she had been clean.
I do disagree with your statement that "she was not a good enough skater" in 2002 to win the olympics. She did not have international experience, even newbie Sarah had a world bronze under her belt. Sasha in 2000-02 had speed, huge jumps, more so than she did later in her career. While Carmen was not as artistically mature as I know she was capable of, her SP showed lovely nuanced movement.

 

[kwanatic]

I think she also could have won the 2004 Nationals if she had been clean.

Not a chance. Even if she'd gone clean, she wouldn't have been able to touch Michelle that night...Michelle's Tosca at 2004 nationals was epic.

Sasha was a great skater, but she wasn't so great as a competitor. She always let her nerves get the better of her and it resulted in quite a few missed opportunities in her career. Still, you can credit Sasha with raising the standard for extension and flexibility. She definitely laid the foundation for that in terms of the Americans, who always seem to have the best spins and spirals in the world. Her spins were the best by a mile for a number of years, but she's been surpassed at this point by Caroline Zhang, Alissa Czisny and Mirai Nagasu; all three have better speed, positions and flexibility. In terms of extension, I still think Sasha is the gatekeeper of that. She was rather tiny but often looked a lot longer and taller than she actually was. A lot of skaters do I-spins but no one does it as good as Sasha even to this day. Sasha had really great posture as well; she was able to skate with a completely straight back 90% of the time...Miki Ando and Kanako Murakami should take lessons. However she suffered from faulty technique; she was a habitual flutzer and her technique on her toe loop was awful.

I found Sasha exasperating as a competitor but she was always entertaining to watch. Still, even with her frequent mistakes in competitions, she rarely missed the podium...it'd be nice for us to get another American who could achieve that.

 

[christinaskater]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouNL5ux17c4

One of the greatest skates ever: 2004 Marshall's World Skating Challenge LP

 

[pangtongfan]

It is impossible to know how the judges would score a clean Sasha vs a clean Michelle under 6.0 since we never saw it (pretty much everyone agrees Sasha would win under COP in that scenario). I think after SLC the USFSA was ready to annoint Sasha as their new skating queen though, even over the much beloved Michelle Kwan. So with that said I do think if Sasha had delivered at Nationals any year from 2003 onwards she probably would have won Nationals is political anyway, particularly when the skaters are close. It is purely a guess though. Winning Nationals would have also greatly improved her chances at Worlds, the earlier the better.

 

[Tinymavy15]

It is impossible to know how the judges would score a clean Sasha vs a clean Michelle under 6.0 since we never saw it (pretty much everyone agrees Sasha would win under COP in that scenario). I think after SLC the USFSA was ready to annoint Sasha as their new skating queen though, even over the much beloved Michelle Kwan. So with that said I do think if Sasha had delivered at Nationals any year from 2003 onwards she probably would have won Nationals is political anyway, particularly when the skaters are close. It is purely a guess though. Winning Nationals would have also greatly improved her chances at Worlds, the earlier the better.

indeed. Sasha never could beat Michelle when it counted, at Nationals, as so always was the up-and-comer in the judges minds. I think she should have won over Michelle in 2000, at her first nationals and I probably also would have given her the title over Michelle in 2002.

 

[pangtongfan]

It is hard to say about 2002 since Sasha still wouldnt have nearly the international record Michelle did even if she won in 2000. She didnt medal in any of her grand prixs in fall of 2000 and 2001, and missed Nationals and Worlds 2001 with an injury. Winning the 2000 National title would have definitely helped her against Michelle in future years though, especialy if she could stand up her programs.

 

[dlgpffps]

This isn't flawless, but it's close enough in Sasha's book (no falls, but a singled loop). This also happens to be one of my favorite Sasha LPs after Marshall's 2004. This is also the last time an American lady won the GPF until Alyssa came along

Sasha's 2003 GPF Rach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg3gq2NUtHA

 

[lotte86]

Not perfect but still stunning!

2003 Skate America LP Swan Lake
1 minor mistake, too-footed a triple flip. Other then that, stunning program!


2002 Cup of Russia LP
a step out of a jump (kind of) and 1 shaky landing


2003 Campbells Classic LP Swan Lake
1 triple flip 2 footed

I'll tell ya, im a huge Sasha fan. I think she is very special, she is the reason i watch figure skating. I'll take her programs with mistakes over any other programs any day. Like the 2006 olympic LP, first 2 jumps is so sad to see but from that point on, she is on fire. She really skated her heart out after that and really tells the story. Because of that it is one of my favorites.
And you can say what you want about sasha, but she never gave up. She always fought for every jump and for a clean program time after time. That is what many current ladies can learn from her!

 

[Olympia]

I completely agree, lotte86. Sasha skated with both style and heart. I used to say that I'd watch her "skate the telephone book," meaning that I'd rather watch her skate a training routine or a program where she fell than watch another skater execute a perfect program. (Except for Michelle, of course.) For a supposed head case, she sure had tenacity. And her posture was (and is) to die for. I'd also have been equally a fan even if she'd skated for Denmark or Russia or some other lucky country rather than my home team.

 

[MKFSfan]

indeed. Sasha never could beat Michelle when it counted, at Nationals, as so always was the up-and-comer in the judges minds. I think she should have won over Michelle in 2000, at her first nationals and I probably also would have given her the title over Michelle in 2002.

I disagree. People were very caught up in the excitement of a young, up coming star in Sasha. Rightfully so. She had a lot of spark, personality, IT factor and amazing flexibility/spins. But she was severely lacking in the basic skills and finesse that Michelle had. Maybe if Sasha stayed on her feet and Michelle fell one more time, I'll give you that. But Sasha had a couple wonky landings to go with her fall, her fast/innovative spins also traveled and were rough in and out of, she was slower than Michelle and her ice coverage was lacking. 2000 was not one of Michelle's best competitions, but she still was a much more solid skater at that point than Sasha.

The competition really was between Sarah/Sasha for Silver. Gold was Michelle's. Personally, I was surprised Sasha beat Sarah.

The one competition I felt was Sasha's for the taking was 2006 Worlds. IMO, I thought Fumie COULD challenge if Sasha was off and Fumie had the skate she had at Nationals. But I never expected Kimmie to do what she did, and Sasha to be so flat like she was.