I think part of the focus on Sasha has to do with the way she looks, that is, she never really had either a "little girl" phase like Michelle and Tara or an "awkward" phase like Sarah. She was the "China Doll" (her nickname in '99/00) with the ballerina legs and pointed feet at her first senior Nats at 15. In many ways, I think she looked like a better skater than she actually was because especially for the casual fan, figure skating IS pretty positions and most of them would be hard-pressed to know the difference between a triple and a double, much less a Lutz and a flutz. Naomi Nari Nam got just as much hype when she won the silver at Nats in '01 (Sasha was injured), but Naomi did not make the podium in '02 (I think she was either 5th or 6th--I can't navigate the new USFSA website either, lol) and sadly, as we know, after that she seriously injured her hip. I do recall though that when Sasha missed '01 Nats, even though she had done two GP assignments, she was out of sight, out of mind for the entire season as far as press coverage, print, net, or otherwise. The '00/01 season was also when Irina came back with 3/3s and a sleek new bod, so she was the renewed "it" girl as far as someone who might challenge Michelle.
I think the other part of the attention Sasha has received has to do with the Internet. Internet use didn't really start to increase at a rapid rate until about 2000, so Sarah and Sasha were the first NEW US ladies to "debut," or almost debut in Sarah's case, at Sr. Nats with a full Internet audience including big FS forums and the USFSA website. So Sasha came out "camera ready" and even though it's not fair, "lookism" affects every facet of society.
Anyway, whether hype hurts a skater or not, some are going to get more than others. But along with the hype, skaters since the start of the Internet Age also get more scrutiny. I was a casual skater as a kid and up into my mid-20s and of course have watched it as long--Peggy Fleming was the my first US ladies champion; I was 12. Of course I've always known the correct take-off edges and all the major "rights and wrongs" of the sport, but I've NEVER focused so much on so many little things on so many different skaters until I got on the Internet forums. I remember skating at rinks and hearing the serious skaters talk about so-and-so's bad this or that, but at least back in the '70s, it was more general, things like, "great jumper, but no style." Maybe those of you who were serious skaters in the '70s and '80s remember differently. I know in dance dancers were picked apart mainly for having "lousy turnout" or "no extension" or (my personal favorite) "her center is all iin her crotch!" so I'm sure there was more specific analysis of other skaters among serious skaters. But as a fan, I just don't ever remember feeling like I had to watch so carefully. I'm not saying one way is good and the other not; I'm just saying I think the Internet has changed things, both for those of us who frequent the forums and for the press. I mean 10 years ago, who talked about flutzing in the press? Nobody I know of.
So that's it. More hype for some skaters but also more scrutiny, at least IMO.
Rgirl
PS: Question for Youarewhipped (besides dying to know what your name refers to
) and to anyone who wants to answer the question: What do you mean by hype? To me it means full-court media press for the next Queen, King, or Royal Couple of Figure Skating. I just never would have thought of say Lisa Ervin or Vanessa Gusmeroli, even in their best years, as being hyped. I remember Gusmeroli being "the surprise World bronze medalist." BTW, just when I really started enjoying her skating and choreography, she quit. Anyway, what do people mean by hype?
I remember I was watching skating one day and Sarah Hughes was in her spiral. Dick commented that "an edge is a lean of the body," and praised her deep edge. He and Peggy did not mention her bent free leg and poor posture.
