Sasha Cohen - Premature Crowning?

[gezando]

*Many* skaters? It can be used with ALL skaters, from grassroots on up (the part about the judges anyway)! I'm so glad you see the point. Now run along and tell others so the boring Monday morning quarterbacking by people who have probably never stepped foor on ice can become a thing of the past.

When I see a usable quote, I will apply when I see fit, I don't need to run along when you tell me to. I do things at my own pace. I it still my opinion that the quote can be applied to many skaters and not all skaters, because not all skaters compete.

 

[soogar]

Geez, what does handing her cell phone to the president have to do with advertising? I never even heard of that story before or even really care about it.

Michelle definitely holds her own with the videogame and all, but Sasha has received more visible ads/marketing than Michelle.

 

[mpal2]

Michelle definitely holds her own with the videogame and all, but Sasha has received more visible ads/marketing than Michelle.

So that's why one of my male co-workers tunes in to watch Michelle only then turns the channel. He has the screen within a screen on his tv and tunes into her program only. Once she's done skating, he's done with skating. In fact, he has asked me for the tv schedule and the competitions that only include Michelle. He doesn't like figure skating, just Michelle and he doesn't even know Sasha's name. He's heard me talk about her but so quickly forgets any other name.

Several other co-workers only know about Dorothy Hamill, Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan. Very few remember Sarah and no one knows Sasha.

I would say Michelle has a higher visibility right now than Sasha when you're talking about the general public. Longevity and a high success rate go a long way when it comes to recognition.

 

[Fossi]

I think Michelle is still more visible than Sasha. She is doing that Twice Upon a Christmas thing. Has Sasha ever done that?

 

[soogar]

As someone who gets ALL the major fashion mags, Sasha has more visibility than MK. MK's Yoplait ad ran in one issue of Fitness and MK has received a small byline in this month's glamour (plus a magazine cover this year for a fitness mag). Sasha's ad is everywhere. It runs in all the magazines and it's been in all the mags for a while. Plus Sasha had the big write up in Vogue as well. I think that with MK's credentials, she should get more coverage and higher profile ads. I don't think she gets that b.c she's Asian.

 

[lavender]

OMG Michelle is in a tons of magazines. Michelle always winds up in magazines. She was just mentioned in Glamour, she had a small part in that ice skating movie coming up and she's done voice overs for cartoons. In 2003 Michelle was chosen as one of the top 10 Cosmo girls. She always seem to have a big ad by Chrysler in USAtoday after winning Nationals and Worlds This season Sasha hasn't been hyped at all since she came in 3rd at the 1st cheesefest. I've hardly seen her but in that watch ad every now and then. Now last season was a different story. I heard people say how they see her billboard on different occasions. There's several things I haven't mention but Michelle gets enough exposure.

 

[Vash01]

Weir is very consistent. He's proven himself. The only time he had trouble was in '03 but that was the fluke.

I am not sure he has really proven himself. He is a beautiful skater and I can't get enough of his skating but there is no pressure on him right now.Everyone is chasing Plushenko. It will be interesting to see how he responds to a successful season (I am guessing he will be on the podium at worlds).

Vash

 

[mzheng]

OT. I'm not sure if this 'rumor' is true:

http://forums.isu.org/viewtopic.php?t=813

 

[Fossi]

Is that the same board that was posting all the false things as fact about music for LP's? If so, I think it's a breeding ground for trolls and I don't take anything from it very seriously.
It wouldn't surprise me anyway. It would be very Bobek-like.

 

[R.D.]

OT. I'm not sure if this 'rumor' is true:

http://forums.isu.org/viewtopic.php?t=813

I think that comes from a SC sighting at a California rink recently.

 

[Eeyora]

Whoa it would be very Bobek like. I couldn't picture Sasha moving back to CA after her whole family moved east. However I wouldn't be shocked if it were true.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

That's quite a commute between Sasha's Apartment and Nick's rink. :yes:

Joe

 

[Mathman]

MK has received a small byline in this month's Glamour...

And the worst part was that I was forced to stand in line at the book store trying to hide my copy, with it's banner "Sex Survey: What 2047 women and men did in bed last night!"

MM

 

[lavender]

I am not sure he has really proven himself. He is a beautiful skater and I can't get enough of his skating but there is no pressure on him right now.Everyone is chasing Plushenko. It will be interesting to see how he responds to a successful season (I am guessing he will be on the podium at worlds).

Vash

Yeah I don't know how he would be being the one chased on the big scene but he's been the one being chased during the gp before Plushenko showed up and he did quite well. He also proved that he could win under pressure in the junior ranks so I think there is something there. I am mostly saying that he's proven himself to be consistent unlike Sasha. He may not win but we've seen how consistent he can be.

 

[SkateFan4Life]

IMHO, the media has gone over the top (and frankly has jumped the gun) in publicizing Sasha as the "next American Olympic champion". Such high expectations are made of her, and then she skates sloppy long programs. Perhaps the press should focus on Michelle or the other US women and leave Sasha alone for a while. Maybe if she wasn't the center of media attention she could concentrate better on attacking her programs and landing her jumps cleanly.

On the other hand, she seems to welcome all the media attention. She simply has to find a way to be the "media ice princess" and get her head together when she competes.

 

[Fossi]

It's just a matter of time before the media starts to focus on the next best skater. IMO, Sasha has had 5 years to win, and she hasn't. She has won some GP events, but the top guns (Hughes, Irina and Michelle) were missing. There were several competitions that many felt Shizuka should've won over Sasha, but she was undermarked. Some even thought Jenny Kirk should've won Skate America last year. I think people/judges/the media are going to get tired of hyping Sasha when she continuously gets outskated. At this rate, a win at Nationals or Worlds will be nothing more than a fluke win for her. I doubt she'd ever repeat the title.

 

[mzheng]

In any case Sasha is doing well for herself. She got the endorsments. If she wants to turn pro tommorow, I bet there are shows can't wait for signning on her. She would be a wonderful show skater.

 

[Mathman]

As someone who gets ALL the major fashion mags, Sasha has more visibility than MK. MK's Yoplait ad ran in one issue of Fitness and MK has received a small byline in this month's glamour (plus a magazine cover this year for a fitness mag). Sasha's ad is everywhere. It runs in all the magazines and it's been in all the mags for a while. Plus Sasha had the big write up in Vogue as well. I think that with MK's credentials, she should get more coverage and higher profile ads. I don't think she gets that b.c she's Asian.

I think the original intent of this thread was to raise the question of whether Sasha deserves the hype as a skater. But since a number of people have commented also on her commercial appeal, I'll throw in my two sense worth.

I think that Michelle both benefits and suffers from the Asian stereotype. Asians -- especially girls -- are nice and polite, they respect their parents, they don't get in trouble, etc. Like all stereotypes, this one has its representatives as well as its exceptions. Whatever role race plays in garnering endorsement opportunities, Michelle has certainly been marketed as the wholesome girl next door -- an image that she wears comfortably, IMO. She also has been portrayed -- notably in her million dollar Chevrolet gig -- as the determined and successful athlete.

Sasha (I'll take Soogar's word for this, since I don't see many fashion magazines) is evidently being pushed as a Teen Princess. Well, good for her.

The relation between success on the playing field and winning the big buck contracts is a tricky one. Muhammad Ali was the most popular American athlete of all time, among both black fans and white. Yet the only ad he ever got was an endorsement for d-con roach killer. Jack Nicklas remains the most successful golfer ever, but he had a squeeky little voice and was never able to cash in on his success on the links.

Tiger Woods, on the other hand, is the richest shoe salesman in history, over $100,000,000 worth.

Mathman

 

[SkateFan4Life]

I just posted this in the Events Folder (with comments on Kwan, Slutskaya, Kirk, and Nikodinov).

Sasha Cohen - Here we go again! Skating to selections from "Nutracker", Sasha began well and showed lovely extensions and reasonably solid jumps for the first half of her program. Then, disaster struck. A fall on the triple flip, a splattering fall on a triple lutz, another fall, and one more stumble. During the second half of her program, Cohen did not land a single jump. She completed exactly two triple jumps in this program. How she received marks of 5.3 for technical merit and marks of 5.6 thru 5.8 for presentation is beyond me. IMHO, she was marked on her "potential", not on the actual performance. In my view. she was given a gift by finishing third. Granted, she's coming off another back injury, and the fact that her luggage - with her figure skates - were lost in transit and that she only was able top practice the morning of the competition - she wasn't competing under the best of circumstances. On the other hand, it's just another splatfest for Cohen. She and her coach looked a bit stunned as they saw the marks. Perhaps they were wondering, "What do we have to do to pull this off?" Good question

IMHO, this doesn't bode well for Sasha's chances at Nationals.
A performance of this low caliber might leave her off the World Team, assuming that the rest of the women turn in decent performances.

 

[Kuchana]

IMHO, this doesn't bode well for Sasha's chances at Nationals.
A performance of this low caliber might leave her off the World Team, assuming that the rest of the women turn in decent performances.

I posted a similar response on another thread but I'm thinking that Sasha will still be on the podum at Nationals even with mistakes and come what may Worlds although I'm not so sure about her chances at a shot for her first National title. Given her inconsistency, I'm going to say most likely not.

And as Marshalls was judged on a 6.0 judging scale, Nationals will be as well. With that, I believe that even if Sasha messes up (although I don't think she's going to have 3 falls at Nationals), I still think the judges will put her on the podium simply because of the fact they love her. I mean goodness, take for example one of the U.S. judges that gave her a 6.0 even with a mistake last year! Given that was one judge of course but it seems the U.S. judges and Worlds are reluctant to mark her lower.