I agree with most of what Sasha says.
She wonders about the girls extreme flexibility and how their bodies will cope? She was one of the major influences on ultra flexible movements in recent skating (IMHO).
Yes she's famous for her flexibilty, but unlike these girls, Sasha was "naturally" flexible (ie: her body could handle such flexibilty), whereas a lot of these girls aren't, they just do all that "toe chewing stuff" (as Johnny would put it) because the system makes them. And it is true, that they don't focus as much on artistry. They are young, and we can't espect them to interpret like, say, Michelle Kwan, but the system doesn't encourage skaters to work their artistry so much, so even if these girls make it to 20 years old, how many of them will have evolved into true artists like Sasha, Michelle or Shizuka?
I don't skate, but the way I see it is that if these girls bodies can't handle the difficulties, maybe when they're teenagers, they should focus more on the quality of their jumps rather than the difficulty, and focus more on artistry. Then maybe when they get older, then they can start doing the harder jumps. Maybe a skater in the forum could confirm or not my view?
Another skater who doesn't like COP. We've heard similiar statements from a lot of other skaters (Kwan, Weir, Lambiel, Lysacek, Plush ...)!
No I wonder, if the NJS isn't loved by the majority of skaters, why doesn't Cinquanta consider this. I mean, the skaters should be the first to decide.
I agree. It's the skaters who make the sport and the art. If they don't feel free, how can they skate their best?
Why Cinquanta isn't considering changing the system is a mystery. He should at least call a commitee of differant representants of figure skating (skaters, coaches, choreographers, judges...) to at least think about it. I don't criticise him for bringing the new system, we can't know what it's like till we try, but I do blame him for refusing to consider changing it. I never applaud when he's announced at competitions, it might seem rude, but I think if everyone applauds when he's announced, he'll just go on thinking everything is ok.
And her views on the COP? Without the COP, Sasha would not have her silver Olympic medal
That's true, although I did hear her say that after her performance, she took off her costume because she didn't think she was going to get a medal.
