Who would have thought that after a somewhat lackluster fall with the Grand Prix Series that December would bring such a flurry of exciting news, with Plushenko's first loss of the season to Sandhu, Fumie Suguri once again placing higher than Sasha Cohen, and both Michelle Kwan and Cohen, arguably the US's two top female skaters, announcing coaching changes?
Before I discuss Cohen's stunning announcement, here is a link I saw at MFK to a
Yahoo AP article on Cohen-Wagner paring written by Barry Wilner that tells how Sasha contacted Wagner during her vacation in Florida and finalized everything just this past week.
I have only watched skating in earnest since the Grand Prix Final of 2002 (the one where Michelle debuted her
Miraculous Mandarin program), so I appreciated the contrasting longitudinal views that Rgirl and AdultSkater provided. I agree with their premises that a) Sasha is extremely talented, enough to be a national and world champion, and b) Sasha has nice shown improvement under the tutelage of Tatiana Tarasova. Both
Malagueña and
Swan Lake are excellent vehicles to highlight Sasha's flexibility, great spins, and dramatic flair. So given that things had appeared to be going well, why the split and what happens now?
One wonders whether different opinions regarding training or the programs, control and interaction issues, money, panic, other psychological concerns, the two recent losses, or some combination of the above sparked the coaching change. The USFSA and the above article bring the additional possibility of Tarasova's possibly deteriorating health. The Russian press appears to be able to get more frank answers out, so maybe we'll find out more about what sparked this change, but cynical as I am, I somewhat doubt that Tarasova's health has declined so precipitously as to warrant this situation weeks before Nationals. I think more likely that health concerns made good press but was probably not the primarily reason for the split; more likely was some of the issues mentioned above have been festering for a while, and the recent losses were the straw that broke the camel's proverbial back. Also whether Cohen or Tarasova was the force driving the split or whether it is truly mutual remains to be seen.
The sudden timing of the announcement only two weeks before Nationals conjures up memories of Michelle's announcement that she was dropping Frank Carroll as her coach months before the Olympics at Salt Lake. The results of Michelle's coaching changes over the years also highlights some possible short- and long-term outcomes. Will Cohen's decision seem as a maladjustive continuation of a vicious cycle, as AdultSkater implies and as Michelle's somewhat subpar Olympic season going coachless suggests, or will Wagner help Sasha with her technical (flutz and edges) and mental (focus and pacing) issues, as Michelle's renewed skating vigor at the 2003 Nationals and Worlds? In other words, a few steps back this year for a long term gain? Or will Sasha remain a skater with high potential but without the international results we expect from her talent and that she herself craves.
Only time will tell, and I hope for the former, but I am concerned that she will end up like a Nicole Bobek or Victoria Volchkova, never quite or consistently enough living to their potential. Like Rgirl, I think that a coach does have a vital role to play in developing mental toughness, but like berthes_ghost, I also think that there is some intangible, unteachable factor that converts talent and pre-performance jitters into a sparkling routine on ice. Unlike others, I like the choreography that Wagner made for Sarah Hughes'
La Bayadere (except too many stops), may help Sasha mentally, and, as Hughes' Olympic performance showed, is a competent enough technical coach. Whether this is a match made in heaven or not is hard to gauge; after all, we thought that the Tarasova-Cohen teaming was ideal. I suspect Cohen's jump problems will lead her to win the silver or (if a meltdown) bronze at Nationals. After that, who knows?
Insecureedge (whose few posts have assumed Rgirl length)
Can't believe this! Robin seems like a coach that is more of a closer relationship type and Sasha wants total control. I would think that someone like Angela Nikidinov would do really well working with Robin. I would love to have someone like Robin as a coach, but I'm not so sure it's best for Sasha (or Robin!). 
Actually, I was really just wondering aloud what part Sasha's family played in this decision, if at all. I mean, I thought that Galina, being from the Ukraine and speaking the same language as TT, was close to her. The thought plickens! 
