My responses:
Peggy -- ITA, which is funny b/c at first I didn't like
Sasha when she entered the scene, mainly b/c I was a huge
Sarah Hughes Fan (still am btw; she is one of my all-time favorites). Also, didn't like the fact that she was being compared to another one of my all-time favorites,
Oksana Baiul. Lastly, I thought she was stuck-up, pretentious, and mean, and was being overly catered to by the commentators while ignoring others (so I thought at the time). Now, in retrospect, I see how silly all that was (lol). However, I have to admit that my feelings never blinded me to the fact that she was an exceptional skater. And gradually I came to like her little by little, until one day (after
Sarah Hughes left the eligible word) I just became a Fan. Thus, I was truly heartbroken when she didn't skate up to her potential @ Nationals last year (though I was happy for
Michelle Kwan, whom I also admire). But, I was ecstatic for her when she finally lived up to her potential & captured a medal @ Worlds last year (her first)!
The reason I am not pleased with COP is b/c I feel it won't 'push'
Sasha to live up to her
athletic potential when it comes to the jumps (which I am a big fan of btw). We all know that she has set a new standard when it comes to the Presentation/TCS mark, that's a given (at least for me; have
never seen someone w/her impeccable toepoint, carriage, bravura attitude; and I've been a Fan since the 70's, no lie). But what amazes me is that she is also
gifted athletically as well! Her 4S that she did in practice @ 2001 SkateAmerica was the BEST I have ever seen from a lady (bar none; and that includes another all-time favorite of mine,
Miki Ando's;
Miki's has always been underrotated, not
Sasha's). And I think why
Sasha is so good w/the jumps when it comes to rotation is b/c of her "quick twitch reflex muscles" that allow her to rotate so fast, as well as in the spins.
Not only is she capable of a perfectly executed 4S, but she has also proven that she is capable of 3/3s (& 3/3 sequences) as well ~ as proven the year before & after the Olympics. True, she is nowhere near consistent with them, as is true with a great many other ladies as well, but she still has done them both in practice & in competition (even if only once). Now, however, there is no more 'incentive' to do them (since 3/3s under the COP are double-whammied if 1/4 underrotated or more; also no extra pts. for doing them in combination, not to mention 3/3 sequences get less pts. than when done alone/solo), which I feel is a great loss to the skating community, especially when it comes to
Sasha Cohen b/c I personally would love to see her live up to/fulfill not only her potential
artistically (which she has proven over & over again), but also
athletically (which she has not YET). JMHO.
***Note: My gosh, the skating world should be overjoyed to have someone of
Sasha Cohen's caliber on the scene, whom is
gifted not only artistically but athletically as well. Thus, my admiration & respect, and also my fandom.***
euterpe -- thanks for the added info......knew I was missing something.......which you so graciously provided. That said, I still feel that falls (which now actually receive pts.; before they never did) won't make a huge difference if one has a HUGE pt. lead after the short ~ s/he just has to only 'play it safe' in the FS in order to secure a medal, if not gold ~ JMHO. As
Sasha proved last year when she dominated the Grand Prix w/less than perfect skates, and also at the GPF, where she had her worst skate (only landed a couple of 3 jumps), but still managed to secure the silver medal! :agree: All due to her phenomenal TCS mark, also TES mark, which took into account her extraordinary spins, carriage, spirals, presence, style, innovativeness, entrances into jumps, position, et al.
BravesSkateFan -- true, true, thanks for the extra clarification. You stated perfectly what I meant to say ~ jumps are not the be all & end all, never have been, even in the old system. That said, let's be honest,
Yoshie (whom I am a big Fan of btw) will never garner the TCS scores that someone like
Sasha Cohen will nor even
Cynthia Phaneuf I'm afraid. It's just not her strength (never has been). And she's been competing for a loooooooooong time now. And the first mark, as you said, not only takes into account 3jumps, but other things as well, which
Yoshie is not good at, no matter how pleasing & charming her personality is out on the ice. That's life. If everybody skated clean, including
Yoshie, she will not win. Period. Btw, despite
Yoshie's athletic prowess, she has yet to land a 3/3 in competition, likewise a 3A. Still, that will never prevent me from enjoying her skating nor her charm. I am a Fan, and always will be.
Joesitz, ITA about
Sasha being "a top tier skater" ~ no ifs/whats/buts about it.
shine -- we must agree to disagree, b/c IMHO
Sasha is
not mediocre when it comes to footwork, jumps, transition, choreography, and skating skills. No way. It's b/c she is so good in so many areas that
she can miss jumps and still stand on the podium. And as far as the COP being written for her, to me it is quite obvious. Falls don't mean as much in this new system, despite what others say, especially if one has a HUGE pt. lead after the SP, which works in
Sasha's favor. Additionally, 3/3s (which is not
Sasha's strength) are less important in this new COP system ~ no extra pts. for doing them in combo., each triple is counted only as a solo & then added together, and now most importantly if underrotated by 1/4 or more, they are downgraded & double-whammied ~ which again works in
Sasha's favor. In fact, I feel with this new revised COP system,
Sasha would have captured her first World Title last year, as
Shizuka Arakawa's 3/3s were underrotated by more than a 1/4, which is now being taken into account this season. All this factored in works to
Sasha's favor, especially as she is the Queen when it comes to the second TCS mark (& is great as well on the TES mark as well). JMHO, of course.
Peace & Love, Nadine
