Sasha Not Done Yet: New journal entry | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Sasha Not Done Yet: New journal entry

spun silver - Agreed! but you have to realize that four years ago, many posters wanted Kwan NOT to hang around but now they are all for it for Cohen. It's not a bash of Sasha but questioning some of her fans.

Btw, Sasha is the age Kwan was when many fans wanted Kwan to cease eligible skating. While Kwan is older, Sasha is up there too and both are two Oly veterans.

For me this has become a lame argument since I believe their time has come and gone. Both skaters are still wonderful to watch but not competitively, imo,

We must look to Kimmie and Katy for the new era of Divas.

Joe
 
I'm not nearly as enamored with the Olympics as many others, one reason being that is onlyone race/run/jump/skate, whatever, just like all the others, it just happens to be the most hyped one.

Happens in other sports all the time that a 'nobody' captures Olympic gold because they happen to have the day of a lifetime that one particular day.

Perfect example would be Ingemar Stenmark, possibly the best skier I've ever seen, and definitely the most dominant skier throughout most of the late 70's and early 80's. This Swede won the World Cup (much more impressive than winning Olympics in my book) something like 3 or 4 years in a row despite not even competing in any of the downhills!!!!
That is like saying a driver refuses to race anywhere in the state of Florida but still wins NASCAR several years in a row!
Yet, there was something about Olympics that did not seem to agree with him, if memory serves, he competed in 3 Olympics (in itself a major achievement in most sports), and, if the world was a fair place, should have won 5 or 6 gold medals (in slalom and giant slalom), but only ended up with 1 or 2 gold and a bronze or something like that.
Not sure if it was nerves, or he just always happened to have a bad day those particular days, he was near perfect just about any other time........

Then there was, of course, the whole 'amateur' thing, which made the Olympics in the cold war years kind of a joke......

Too bad skating doesn't have a 'World Cup' or rankings like Tennis, which would be much more indicative of who's how good at any given time than these one-off competitions.
 
:agree: , Wolfgang. Actually, I think the ISU is trying to make the (much ridiculed) ISU ranking system into a kind of World Cup thing, complete with a big cash prize for the winner.

The problem is, you have to convince the top skaters to compete in the full Grand Prix series, as well as Worlds, Europeans and 4C's.

MM
 
Wolfgang said:
I'm not nearly as enamored with the Olympics as many others, one reason being that is onlyone race/run/jump/skate, whatever, just like all the others, it just happens to be the most hyped one.
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That reminds me of Chris Evert when asked why she didn't want to represent the USA in the Olys. Chris said, in tennis we have the Grand Slam, we don't need the Oympics.

But many fans in GS and other Boards, I presume, are adamant that without an Olympic Gold, the skater has failed to be a great skater. You figure.

Joe
 
Joesitz said:
spun silver - Agreed! but you have to realize that four years ago, many posters wanted Kwan NOT to hang around but now they are all for it for Cohen. It's not a bash of Sasha but questioning some of her fans.

Btw, Sasha is the age Kwan was when many fans wanted Kwan to cease eligible skating. While Kwan is older, Sasha is up there too and both are two Oly veterans.
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This is my belief as well. Yes, Michelle is 4 years older than Sasha. Shiz is 3 years older and Irina is 6 years older than Sasha. They can all still compete with each other if they choose to!

Back in 2002, everyone was calling for Michelle to hang up her skates, saying the young ones will push the technical envelope with all their rumored 3/3's, 3axles and quads. and that she'd be left behind. Look at the Ladies OG winning skate-none of those tricks, not even 7 triples. However, I think that so-called "changing of the guard" is right around the corner and those with the technical advantages will be the ones left in 2010.

I think Sasha will be around next season, hoping to win another National Title and a Worlds title. But who knows how long her body will last and if she can hold off the jumping beans that could come storming in next season?

I think if Michelle is healthy, she'll go for her 10th title. I don't know how she could fare at Worlds unless she does the GPS in the fall. I thinkshe'll probably continue to battle with injuries, hopefully she can hold them off and retire on her terms.

Regardless, I expect both Michelle and Sasha to be in the mix for a podium spot everywhere they compete until they retire. JMO!
 
Let the system work.

IMO, the system designed to pick who goes to worlds / Olympics should be allowed to work. If Michelle and Sasha want to continue, they should be allowed. However, they well have to go through the system just like everyone else. I think it will become apparent to Michelle and Sasha (and their fans) over time whether they should retire or not. But the system should be allowed to do what it is designed to do, pick those skaters who have the best chance to bring home a medal.
 
Agreed. I think both of them have been surpassed technically (and probably will be matched/surpassed artistically soon), but if they want to stay in it for the fun, more power to them.
 
I think it is not a good sign that Sasha is not jumping much, if at all, in her performances so far in COI. I can understand that skaters need to take time off to gather their strength after an arduous season, and to let their bodies heal before plunging in again.

Still, to a world class competitive skater a couple of triple jumps here and there should be as routine as a spin or a spiral. You don't want to encourage the mind set of, oh no, now I have to jump, I wonder if I can do it?

MM :)
 
Mathman said:
I think it is not a good sign that Sasha is not jumping much, if at all, in her performances so far in COI. I can understand that skaters need to take time off to gather their strength after an arduous season, and to let their bodies heal before plunging in again.

Still, to a world class competitive skater a couple of triple jumps here and there should be as routine as a spin or a spiral. You don't want to encourage the mind set of, oh no, now I have to jump, I wonder if I can do it?

MM :)
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I'm not sure if competitive skaters are as willing to throw in triple jumps as they used to be. After all, if I were Sasha, I would look at what happened to Michelle this season and think about the 10 plus years of doing triples in shows and exhibitions that she put in -- and save my body the extra stress. I think Sasha will be particularly susceptible to this kind of thinking for two reasons: (a) her own history of injury, especially to her back; and (b) at 21, she probably doesn't have the "it won't happen to me" mentality that the teenagers have.
 
#1Kerryfan said:
I'm glad she's not done.
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I think she is. JMO, of course. If not with competition, with having interest in it. Of course, this is only my conjecture and I have no way to prove or disprove this.
 
Red Dog said:
I think she is. JMO, of course. If not with competition, with having interest in it. Of course, this is only my conjecture and I have no way to prove or disprove this.
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Michelle went to the Oly.s on the same conjecture, so you are just as valid in your belief as the OC was in sending MK.

I however am fearful that the "no jumping" is not a good sign either. 22 is not a time I wish to see SC go into acting and fall out. Michelle on the other hand could give a good shot at acting.

I hope Sasha is just "taking it easy," but those of you wiser in the "rink" are probably more aware if "taking it easy" is not something you do if you wish to continue or not.????
 
If the reports that she's not doing jumps are true, that could be looked at as both a good and bad thing. Good that she's "saving herself" but bad that she doesn't even have the confidence to jump in an exhibition where it DOESN'T MATTER

Someone else said (I don't know if here on another thread or on another forum) that he/she went to a show and said she looked scared to jump (?). That could be true but looks can be deceiving, too.

So I say she's finished. Or she should be. Because I think she's just barely hanging on now just like MK. Better to just do something else that works. If she doesn't leave on her own she'll be forced out by injury anyway it seems. That's the way I see it, and I apologize to any fans if this seems grim.

I have a feeling the TV network might have thought about this as well and decided not to televise her "announcement" which is just words, really.
 
Maybe she was inspired by the "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again." Dan Jansen commercial ...or maybe she wants to stay in for the cool olympic gear.
 
Well, she's gonna have to dust herself off a LOT here :laugh: but I don't know if she could handle picking up herself...ok, just kidding...
 
Joesitz said:
IMHO, Sasha tries to emulate Michelle.

Joe
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:rofl: just one roll

I wonder what changes to the rulebook await the skaters for the 2006 season.

Hmmmm, maybe less emphasis on the artisitc and more to the athletic? Maybe no more points to the flexibility... and won't that punish Sahsa? As it was her ability which introduced those moves.

What if nothing will be awarded to the flexing, what will Sasha do then? She can't do or seems to be so inconsitent with the jumps, how will she compete with other skaters who are jump-steady?

Trying to emulate Michelle is such a laugh, no one, especially Sahsa is capable of changing herself with such success as Michelle.

Frankly, I give Sasha one more year in amateur competitive skating and then a retirement with some obilatory drama.

Honestly, I hoped she would stop after the 2006 Worlds. The gift of Olympic Silver is fantastic. There may never be another "opportunity" as that again.
 
reminder: an opportunity (in this case) is never just "there". You must create it. Then you have to take advantage of it. Lots of skaters can do the following but few can do the latter. That's why there are so few champions, IMO
 
I for one will be glad if Sasha decides to stay eligible. I know that she has
problems with her jumps but say what you will she is a very talented and beautiful skater. She has consistently been on the podium and is capable of so much more .As for the young skaters coming up in the sport it has always been that way. I think that Sasha can compete with the best of them.
 
I think she's doing what she can to the best of her ability, and winning many medals doing so. I would be surprised if she could do any better next year or in the future, assuming she will continue on. I don't think she's capable of more. Like I said before, you either have it or you don't.
 
Phil Mickelson didn't have it until he got it. Personally, I don't really care if she ever gets "it", I just find her highly entertaining. Maybe she should just go jump off a bridge...she'll suck at acting and has no future in skating.
 
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