How will history view Sasha?

[antmanb]

The commentators in the US tend to talk about all KINDS of irrelevant things - especially DURING the performances!!

Ok fair enough, i think we're pretty spoiled in the UK since Chris and Simon actually are very good and keeping quiet through the routines only identifying elements or what went from with them and even the crap they spout during the marks and warm ups is either informative or quite funny since they rib each other a lot.

Ant

 

[Dee4707]

I hope Sasha's eligible career is not over yet. But if it is, I believe she will be remembered favorably (at least by me!) for the special qualities she has brought to the ice. I will never forget her spins with the many wonderful positions. (low to the ice on the sits, good layback positions, flexible I and Y type positions and those EVER so pointed toes). I will never forget her spiral positions. (many, flexible, gorgeous line and back, extension, and ever so pointed toes). I will never forget her Dark Eyes and Maleguena SP's, in particular. Especially the versions of those where she was the most "on" and just had that fire.DG

DG, great post. I think one of the things I miss about her now is the FIRE!! As she matured it seems like she lost a lot of it. :yes: :yes:

I can't see COI or SOI offering her a job unless she's willing to do more than just skate around and do spirals - she's gonna have to jump at some point in the program,

It seems like you're responding to everyone with some considerable knowledge about everything. My question to you is why does she have to jump?? Do you know something about whatever tour she's on criteria for being in the show? What is your basis of information??

Dee

 

[skatergirlaj]

. Sasha, otoh, has no joy - to her it's about getting the titles, probably to secure her future and her money making capabilities. I don't think Janet Lynn had any of those expectations - she just loved skating and it certainly showed.

I don't see how you can say that about Sasha,anyone who has seen her skate when she is really on...like her performance of Dark Eyes at the Olys and several other performances...can see she really loved what she was doing! You can't expect people to look over joyed when they don't do well.

As far as skating around just doing spirals etc...if it's an exhibition..isn't it HER decision what elements she does??If it were me and I didn't HAVE to jump and i just wanted to have fun,i wouldn't add jumps either.

 

[Doggygirl]

Ok fair enough, i think we're pretty spoiled in the UK since Chris and Simon actually are very good and keeping quiet through the routines only identifying elements or what went from with them and even the crap they spout during the marks and warm ups is either informative or quite funny since they rib each other a lot.

Ant

I LOVE listening to Chris and Simon on Eurosport Audio. (which didn't work for World's - a Vast ESPN Conspiracy??) They are very funny, and they do know how to keep quiet, except for identifying elements and a few other highly relevant things during performances. I'm packing up my bags and moving to the UK before next season starts!!

 

[Linny]

Nothing new, just reiterating

A bit of reiteration on what other have so sagely pointed out:

For every-four-years watchers, Sasha won't be remembered at all. For twice-a-year watchers, she'll be remembered as having freakish flexibility.

As far as spirals - Nichole took them to a place they had not heretofore been. Michelle went a step further with a change of edge spiral. Sasha added uncommon flexibility. It is pretty much universally agreed that Nichole and Michelle created a thing of beauty. It isn't necessarily agreed that Sasha did the same. I've always found it to be more contortionist that pretty, but that's just me.

As far as skating with joy - Janet Lynn did that. Sasha did not. She will not be remembered for skating with joy.

All this hinges on whether or not she retires now from eligible competition. Then there is her post-eligible career.

There are no pro championships anymore. Perhaps, with a recent influx of recently retired from eligible skaters, these could be revived. If not, Sasha will certainly not have the opportunity to make her mark as a pro champion (like, for example, Elena Leonova and Andre Khvalko did as pro pairs - they had no eligible record).

As far as show skating, as time goes by, the skaters with the best basics are the ones who can do this, night after night, year after year. The jumps eventually fail them all, but the edging, the stroking and the connection with the audience last long. Sasha has thus far demonstrated none of these, at least not on the level with Yuka or Kurt or Kristi. So, I'm not a fortune teller, but I doubt she'll make her mark this way, either.

So much for that! Sorry Sasha, have a good life. Perhaps she will have another career that doesn't involve cameras or performance, out of the lime light, quietly working and finding her own personal success like the rest of us.

Linny

 

[Vash01]

IMO Sasha will be remembered as one of the most beautiful skaters to ever take the ice. Her short comings (not winning major titles except 1 USN and 1 GPF) will be forgotten. Janet Lynn did not win many titles but she is still remembered for her beautiful skating.

Sasha's career is not over yet, so it may be premature to predict her place in history. She may have championships in her future. Even if she does win some, I think she will be remembered for her beautiful lines and positions, just like John Curry is the gold standard when it comes to elegance in mens skating.

Vash

 

[Ogre Mage]

Sasha vs. Nicole

Nicole was much better than Sasha in terms of having strong stroking and big jumps, though she was not as good of a spinner. Overall, I think she had slightly more potential than Sasha (though both have loads of talent). However, as a competitive skater Nicole is nowhere close to Sasha and her consistency was, if anything, much worse. Consider their major amateur career highlights:

Nicole: 1 U.S. Nats title, 1 World Bronze.
Sasha: 1 U.S. Nats title, 1 Olympic Silver, 2 World Silver, 1 World Bronze, 1 GPF Gold.

 

[Lonewolf]

People make it sound like Sasha is dead and this is her obituary. You don't know till 20 yrs. from now how somebody will be remembered. How somebody is thought of today can be different in the future. She hasn't hung up her skates yet. I think she could become a much better skater as a pro than she ever was as an elgible. A skaters exhibtion can be more remembered than any competition program they ever did. 22 yrs. later I don't remember any of Scott Hamilton's elgible skates including the olympics. I remember the costume but I don't remember what music he skated to or what he did. I remember a lot of the programs he did as a pro though. His pro career was longer than his elgible one. Visability has a lot with being remembered as well. Dick Button being a commentator has made him a memory for several generations who never saw him skate.

We have no idea what Sasha will do in the future. She's only 21 and her competitive skating career will be a very small part of her entire life. She will be a National Champion forever. Her name will be on that trophy. She can show the grandkids that olympic silver medal and they will be in awe. I myself got to see an olympic silver medal from an older gentleman who was a friend of my mothers. I forget the year somewhere in the 20's I think as he was in his 80's and this was 20 yrs. ago. He was a soccer player from Denmark. He had pictures of him and his team and the medal in a case. I was in awe. Hard to imagine this old man being a great athlete in his youth. An olympian wow.
Sasha may not be remembered as one of the great ones but to friends and family in the future she was the olympian who won a medal and they will be proud.

LBC, I totally agree with you she has a long future ahead of her whether she remains in skating competitively or professionally, or moves on to other carriers. she will be remembered. However, I have a feeling we have not seen the last of Sasha.

 

[Doggygirl]

However, I have a feeling we have not seen the last of Sasha.

And I SO hope you are right in terms of her competitive career!

 

[tarotx]

I can't see COI or SOI offering her a job unless she's willing to do more than just skate around and do spirals - she's gonna have to jump at some point in the program, unlike her so-called exhibition at Worlds - I don't need to see a ton of jumps but one or two would be nice.

Sasha's already on COI. And it's not like she hasn't jumped this year. Plus until US nationals her "Don't rain on my parade" exhibition had jumps in it.

http://www.sashafans.com/forum/showpost.php?p=210302&postcount=897

I think every 4 year US fans will probably remember Sasha's 2006 Olympics before they remember any of the other ladies. She had such a fabulous short and had her come back in the long. Plus Sasha competed in two Olympics and had two good finishes.

I don't know what her legacy will be but I will remember her for how exquisite she looked on the ice, how her skating touched my heart and how others found her cold. The contrast and inconsistent nature of her inconsistency. Nearly all of her long programs have high highs and low lows. I feel like I should be taking bi-polar medicine when I watch her skate them. One minute my heart's soaring for Sasha but the next it's breaking for her or vice verse as it was during the 2006 Olympics long. I go through a wide range of emotions when I watch her skate. Plus I will remember her great short programs. Her 2006 Olympics short and 2004 worlds short are probably two of the greatest ladies shorts ever. All of Sasha's best longs have been in the grand prix series or cheesefest but the best of them were fab fab so I will remember them and rewatch and rewatch them as I do all the great performance of the past.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

I think for skating fans, she'll be remembered as the best short program skater ever...

For casual fans, she'll be remembered as the girl who never could win a major competition.

For Olympics fans, I doubt she'll be remembered... not because she deserves to be forgotten, but she'll be overshadowed by Michelle & Irina ~ the greatest skaters in the modern era never to win an olympic gold.

But to be honest, I don't think it matters how history / fans view Sasha in the future. It will only matter how Sasha views herself. I hope she's truly enjoyed skating and has a love for the sport that will stay with her. I'd hate for Sasha to end up one of those skaters who talk about how 20 years later, they are still bitter about this competiton or that competition... Now, that's just a sad future to envision...

 

[attyfan]

...
But to be honest, I don't think it matters how history / fans view Sasha in the future. It will only matter how Sasha views herself. ...

I think that you are right! I hope that she can see her skating career in terms of what she has done well, not what she hasn't done -- it will help her in whatever career (more competive skating, pro skating, acting or maybe even something else) she decides to pursue.

 

[Mathman]

Does "history" remember figure skaters? Gillis Grafstrom won three Olympic gold medals. I don't remember reading about him in my history books.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

Does "history" remember figure skaters? Gillis Grafstrom won three Olympic gold medals. I don't remember reading about him in my history books.

No, but you know us skating fans live in a parallel universe where skaters' placements are important...

 

[Doggygirl]

Does "history" remember figure skaters? Gillis Grafstrom won three Olympic gold medals. I don't remember reading about him in my history books.

You need to go back to whatever school that was, and DEMAND some new history books.

 

[antmanb]

I LOVE listening to Chris and Simon on Eurosport Audio. (which didn't work for World's - a Vast ESPN Conspiracy??) They are very funny, and they do know how to keep quiet, except for identifying elements and a few other highly relevant things during performances. I'm packing up my bags and moving to the UK before next season starts!!

Well you'd have to put up with only getting Europeans, Worlds and Olympics...no GPs, no cheesefests or US nationals....no pro shows or SOI either. Its a fine line!!!

Ant

 

[rob43]

I think Sasha will be remebered in a similar vein to Jill Trenary. Very stylish and pretty with a great presense on the ice. Some exceptional strengths and frustrating flaws. They are not the 'all time greats' but have fans who have them as their favorite and love what they did.

Sasha is very different from most other skaters to me because she really is that first group to come along completely post figures and she made much better use of her ability to hit positions than edging. I almost want to compare her to Kadavy but that isn't apt either.

 

[Doggygirl]

Well you'd have to put up with only getting Europeans, Worlds and Olympics...no GPs, no cheesefests or US nationals....no pro shows or SOI either. Its a fine line!!!

Ant

LOL - anyone with a fast internet connection can get WAY more than is televised in the US anyway (and lots of that being LIVE!) I'm packing....

 

[soogar]

IFor casual fans, she'll be remembered as the girl who never could win a major competition.

.

I just want to say that I meet lots of casual fans at the rink who only skate around in a circle and the only thing they say about Sasha is that she is beautiful and rave about her spirals. I see hockey dads on the ice with their daughters who are taking figure skating lessons and when the girl did a spiral, dad told her to get her leg higher like that girl on TV. I see a lot of little girls who have been skating for a few years emulating Sasha's legless spin (ie the one where she lifted her leg), the I spin and Sasha's spiral (in addition to the horrible Butt spin).

In the end, Sasha will be remembered for her stretch and elegance. There are girls (and adults like myself) who are striving to achieve that look on the ice. There are skaters like Nancy Kerrigan who had that one good LP in the Olympics in 1994 and in spite of that, other than her costumes, no one was striving to skate like Nancy. In fact, the only thing that Nancy is remembered for is the whack, and not for anything that she has done on the ice.

While having a title is a memorable thing, I think a skater is even more memorable if they can influence the next generation.

 

[Lonewolf]

While having a title is a memorable thing, I think a skater is even more memorable if they can influence the next generation.

Yes, and surely this is something Sasha has accomplished.