No easy road to skating gold for Cohen (negative article)
- Thread starter R.D.
- Start date
Re the author's implication and a poster on page 1 saying (I paraphrase) that if Sasha did one of her elements right, she felt that was good enough.
Those comments are just precursors to comments Sasha made in an interview with Nancy Kerrigan in 2003, IIRC, on the Lifetime cable channel when it was covering figure skating. Because it was on TV, I can't give a reference for it, so I hope others saw it so people don't think I'm making this up.
Nancy noted to Sasha about her consistency problems, specifically that she had not skated a clean short and a clean long in one competition. Nancy went on to say that it wasn't until she started doing double run-throughs of her programs that she developed the endurance to skate a clear short and a clean long, which she essentially did at the '94 Olympics with the exception of doubling an intended triple flip.
Sasha replied that she had done double run-throughs with Mr. Nicks and she still had problems with consistency. I think, not sure, Sasha ended up by saying she and Mr. Nicks were still trying to find a solution to that problem.
I think had Sasha stayed longer with Robin Wagner as her coach, say a year (yes, I'm recommending the most annoying coach in skating--just kidding
) she may have made significant strides towards her problem of "messing up" a jump somewhere around the middle or afterwards in her LPs. I say this because I saw a noticieable improvement in Sasha's jump technique after just a month with RW. Sasha was both taking off and lancing her jumps with a power and a steadiness I'd never seen before in her jumps. And while it's true she fell in her LP at Nationals that year, Wagner had made changes to Tarasova's "Swan Lake" and virtually changed the whole thing by Worlds, which I think were bad decisions on RW's part.
The improvement in Sasha's jump technique was, IMO, just one facet of the problem, but I do think that as time went on and Sasha learned other things about her skating, it would have paid off. Sasha's edging also improved with RW, IMO, which, again, better edging is not the answer to her problem but I think it's a piece of the puzzle. Besides, even if better edging didn't help her consistency, better edging would help a lot of other things, such as edging.
I'm glad Sasha went back to Mr. Nicks. A skater who is unhappy with her coach isn't going to do well over time. But I do wish there had been a way for Sasha to keep RW as her "jump coach"--perhaps swing by New Jersey whenever she has an event on the east coast or her flight takes her through New York or New Jersey on the way home from, for example, TEB. I know, I'm dreaming. I have the feeling RW is an all or nothing coach.
Plus I do think concentration is a very significant issue with Sasha and her jumps, but I don't think it's the only issue.. My point is, I don't think it's any one thing. I think it's a combination of factors, a puzzle if you will, and such problems are always the most difficult ones to deal with in training an athlete. There's identifying the specific problem elements, working on each one individually, and then working on them as a whole. I can see why John Nicks would increase the intensity of Sasha's training. Perhaps he's trying to get to the root of her main problems.
When people get furious with Sasha I always think of Shizuka Arakawa. People know her story so I won't repreat it. Imagine the frustration for athletes such as Shizza and Sasha? I've lost count of how many years it took Shizza to put it all together, ie, winning '04 Worlds, and even then she couldn't hang onto it--at leave not through '05. Some skaters, like Michelle, Tara, Irina, and Witt, come bursting onto the scene at 15 or 16 as if shot out of a cannon. For others, it's a marathon. Skating fans tend to have little or no patience with "marathon" skaters. For all the enjoyment I've gotten out of watching Sasha skate, I do hope she achieves her goals. If not an OGM, then at least putting clean SPs and LPs back-to-back at the big events like Nationals and Worlds. We can only wait and see, but I hope she does it.
And I hope she sticks with David Wilson as her choreographer and goes with bolder music choices!
Rgirl
Those comments are just precursors to comments Sasha made in an interview with Nancy Kerrigan in 2003, IIRC, on the Lifetime cable channel when it was covering figure skating. Because it was on TV, I can't give a reference for it, so I hope others saw it so people don't think I'm making this up.
Nancy noted to Sasha about her consistency problems, specifically that she had not skated a clean short and a clean long in one competition. Nancy went on to say that it wasn't until she started doing double run-throughs of her programs that she developed the endurance to skate a clear short and a clean long, which she essentially did at the '94 Olympics with the exception of doubling an intended triple flip.
Sasha replied that she had done double run-throughs with Mr. Nicks and she still had problems with consistency. I think, not sure, Sasha ended up by saying she and Mr. Nicks were still trying to find a solution to that problem.
I think had Sasha stayed longer with Robin Wagner as her coach, say a year (yes, I'm recommending the most annoying coach in skating--just kidding
) she may have made significant strides towards her problem of "messing up" a jump somewhere around the middle or afterwards in her LPs. I say this because I saw a noticieable improvement in Sasha's jump technique after just a month with RW. Sasha was both taking off and lancing her jumps with a power and a steadiness I'd never seen before in her jumps. And while it's true she fell in her LP at Nationals that year, Wagner had made changes to Tarasova's "Swan Lake" and virtually changed the whole thing by Worlds, which I think were bad decisions on RW's part.The improvement in Sasha's jump technique was, IMO, just one facet of the problem, but I do think that as time went on and Sasha learned other things about her skating, it would have paid off. Sasha's edging also improved with RW, IMO, which, again, better edging is not the answer to her problem but I think it's a piece of the puzzle. Besides, even if better edging didn't help her consistency, better edging would help a lot of other things, such as edging.
I'm glad Sasha went back to Mr. Nicks. A skater who is unhappy with her coach isn't going to do well over time. But I do wish there had been a way for Sasha to keep RW as her "jump coach"--perhaps swing by New Jersey whenever she has an event on the east coast or her flight takes her through New York or New Jersey on the way home from, for example, TEB. I know, I'm dreaming. I have the feeling RW is an all or nothing coach.
Plus I do think concentration is a very significant issue with Sasha and her jumps, but I don't think it's the only issue.. My point is, I don't think it's any one thing. I think it's a combination of factors, a puzzle if you will, and such problems are always the most difficult ones to deal with in training an athlete. There's identifying the specific problem elements, working on each one individually, and then working on them as a whole. I can see why John Nicks would increase the intensity of Sasha's training. Perhaps he's trying to get to the root of her main problems.
When people get furious with Sasha I always think of Shizuka Arakawa. People know her story so I won't repreat it. Imagine the frustration for athletes such as Shizza and Sasha? I've lost count of how many years it took Shizza to put it all together, ie, winning '04 Worlds, and even then she couldn't hang onto it--at leave not through '05. Some skaters, like Michelle, Tara, Irina, and Witt, come bursting onto the scene at 15 or 16 as if shot out of a cannon. For others, it's a marathon. Skating fans tend to have little or no patience with "marathon" skaters. For all the enjoyment I've gotten out of watching Sasha skate, I do hope she achieves her goals. If not an OGM, then at least putting clean SPs and LPs back-to-back at the big events like Nationals and Worlds. We can only wait and see, but I hope she does it.
And I hope she sticks with David Wilson as her choreographer and goes with bolder music choices!
Rgirl
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Aaagggh! You got me.
But now, can you edit your post to put some of these pictures under each other instead of all on the same line? This thread is now all stretched out in homage to the lovely Tanith. I can hardly get it centered enough to read Rgirl's thoughtful and insightful analysis.
MM
I should post the picture I have with myself and Tanith and Ben, LOL.
But now, can you edit your post to put some of these pictures under each other instead of all on the same line? This thread is now all stretched out in homage to the lovely Tanith. I can hardly get it centered enough to read Rgirl's thoughtful and insightful analysis.
MM
I should post the picture I have with myself and Tanith and Ben, LOL.
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2004
Yukina Ota, now THERE is a beautiful girl!
Well, I'm technically just a name on the internet. How do you know that for sure? Right back at ya
I collect these pictures, that's why I have so many. It's kind of a habit of mine. I have thousands more, actually- of various skaters. What you saw above was just a tease!!
I collect these pictures, that's why I have so many. It's kind of a habit of mine. I have thousands more, actually- of various skaters. What you saw above was just a tease!!
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2003
Millie, thanks for posting this. I got a hoot out of reading it LOL.
What pisses me off are the journalists who "cash in" on figure skating during the Olympics. I understand that we all need a job, but these fairweather experts need to stick to sports they know most about. I can't stand Christine Brennan, but at least she has taken the time to at learn about the sport.
What pisses me off are the journalists who "cash in" on figure skating during the Olympics. I understand that we all need a job, but these fairweather experts need to stick to sports they know most about. I can't stand Christine Brennan, but at least she has taken the time to at learn about the sport.
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
Must be hard work sitting on his butt with a cup of coffee dripping over his computer and a glazed donut dribbling from his lips, trying to come up with something compelling to write, while Sasha is out on the ice for hours every day working towards that OGM with the hopes of a nation on her shoulders. Poor guy!
RealtorGal said:Must be hard work sitting on his butt with a cup of coffee dripping over his computer and a glazed donut dribbling from his lips, trying to come up with something compelling to write, while Sasha is out on the ice for hours every day working towards that OGM with the hopes of a nation on her shoulders. Poor guy!
"OGM with the hopes of a nation on her shoulders."
Everyone, get real, it's figure skating, a sport, the winner reaps the rewards not the Nation.
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
Yeah, but everyone gets off on saying that "their" competitor won!orchid said:
awful
Just awful. Since when did MSNBC start printing sydicated "Enquirer" articles? This is trash, gossip, insulting hooey. I wonder how many mornings this writer (I use the term loosely) has gotten up to follow Sasha...or any other skater in training...around on the ice? Has he ever even gotten up before 5 AM before for anything? Whoever said on this thread that this was an article assembling bits and pieces of old gossip was dead-on. I suppose he assembled it sitting at a desk 3,000 miles away from the practice rink.....the least damning thing we can say of him is that HE is lazy.
I sigh and wail....why do we do this to our athletes? Can't we sell as many papers with glowing ,fawning half-truths and fabrications as easily as with damining, evil lies? The Russians seem to work it that way. And, too, how come I've never seen gumpy articles about lazy, pierced, tatooed, devious basketball players living in their own little world? Geez. Give it a break.
I hope these athletes don't read the trash written about them. It's beneath them and should be ignored right along with the two-headed calves and alien abductions touted in the grocery store check-out lines.
Just awful. Since when did MSNBC start printing sydicated "Enquirer" articles? This is trash, gossip, insulting hooey. I wonder how many mornings this writer (I use the term loosely) has gotten up to follow Sasha...or any other skater in training...around on the ice? Has he ever even gotten up before 5 AM before for anything? Whoever said on this thread that this was an article assembling bits and pieces of old gossip was dead-on. I suppose he assembled it sitting at a desk 3,000 miles away from the practice rink.....the least damning thing we can say of him is that HE is lazy.
I sigh and wail....why do we do this to our athletes? Can't we sell as many papers with glowing ,fawning half-truths and fabrications as easily as with damining, evil lies? The Russians seem to work it that way. And, too, how come I've never seen gumpy articles about lazy, pierced, tatooed, devious basketball players living in their own little world? Geez. Give it a break.
I hope these athletes don't read the trash written about them. It's beneath them and should be ignored right along with the two-headed calves and alien abductions touted in the grocery store check-out lines.
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2005
pipsqueak said:
Enquirer headline for February 22, 2006:
"SASHA COHEN FLEES IN A SPACESHIP AFTER LETTING DOWN ENTIRE COUNTRY WITH SECOND-PLACE FINISH.":disapp:
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2003
Interesting Perspective
When I was at US Nats, there was a small NBC crew that sat close to me during practice sessions. They obviously had a list of skaters (Oly Hopefuls) that they were getting practice footage of, I assume for possible use during Oly coverage. The guy in charge of the crew had to ask who the various people were on his list. I thought that was pretty funny - why would a reporter not even know who he was looking for?
A journalist put that in perspective for me. Especially for sports that are not always regularly covered (i.e. Figure Skating gets WAY more coverage in Oly years than non-Oly years) there aren't enough expert journalists to go around. So people get these "assignments" and have to figure out what to write / produce. (made logical sense to me)
For whatever it's worth....but that's why we probably get some less than stellar stories in this time frame.
When I was at US Nats, there was a small NBC crew that sat close to me during practice sessions. They obviously had a list of skaters (Oly Hopefuls) that they were getting practice footage of, I assume for possible use during Oly coverage. The guy in charge of the crew had to ask who the various people were on his list. I thought that was pretty funny - why would a reporter not even know who he was looking for?
A journalist put that in perspective for me. Especially for sports that are not always regularly covered (i.e. Figure Skating gets WAY more coverage in Oly years than non-Oly years) there aren't enough expert journalists to go around. So people get these "assignments" and have to figure out what to write / produce. (made logical sense to me)
For whatever it's worth....but that's why we probably get some less than stellar stories in this time frame.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2003
Have to defend the euopeans here MM
http://www.skatetoday.com/articles0405/photos/KORPI.jpg
ain't she just the cutest
http://www.skatetoday.com/articles0405/photos/KORPI.jpg
ain't she just the cutest
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2003
diver chick said:Have to defend the euopeans here MM
http://www.skatetoday.com/articles0405/photos/KORPI.jpg
ain't she just the cutest
She is very cute. :chorus: :chorus:
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