Will a month of John Nicks be enough for Sasha to win?

[bronxgirl]

Wasn' t sure if this should be here or in the other threads takling about this, but can less than a month of serious training with a coach be enough to allow Sasha to be the US Natl Champ? (Somehow I don't think so, but it is JMHO)
Her pattern of not being able to deliver a consistant clean series of programs seems that it will take longer than the run-up to the Nationals to rectify.

 

[Kuchana]

I'm with you there. I don't think it'll be so easy, especially since Nationals is coming up so soon. But who knows? She may surprise us yet. *knocks on wood* What I'm concerned about is if Nicks is going to be her coach for Worlds and onward.

 

[Tonichelle]

unless Michelle falls on every element it'll be hard for anyone to be national champion. I can't see the USFSA not sending MK as champ... but that's JMHO

I doubt Sasha can rise above what she already has... but at least Mr. Nicks is cool

 

[hockeyfan228]

Cohen was off-ice for several months this fall, in addition to the training time she lost this summer. I can't imagine that she'd be ready to peak at US Nationals, but she may be ready by Worlds.

 

[GlisteningTearDrop]

Mrr.... I highly doubt it. It is possible though. She doesnt NEED Nicks to perform a superb program (or two) but I still highly doubt it'll happen. We'll see though. I'd like to be be proven wrong though

 

[A.H.Black]

To Win? Who knows.

I think what Mr. Nicks will do for her is to give her back a sense of a strong calm presence. I think that has always been what she needs. John Nicks is never too up or too down. He is always on an even keel. I think Sasha can only benefit from that attitude.

 

[RealtorGal]

After her initial euphotia wears off (the initial excitement of being in a new situation and with a new coach), I wonder whether she will experience a "been here, done that" feeling and regret her decision. Hope not.

 

[Piel]

On a bad day Sasha can usually still beat Jenny and Angela. Can Sasha with just one fall and maybe a wonky landing beat Michelle if Michelle has the same kind of skate that she had at Marshall's? Will Kwan still have boot or back problems and what Bolero will we see? I give Kwan a slight edge because she owns U.S. Nationals and is a better competitor. The actual performance of both of them could be very close.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

For the first minute of Sasha's routine even on a bad day, she looks like the greatest skater ever. But after that first minute, imo, it goes downhill by rushing through her program causing many of those errors we talk about. There is a difference between rushing and speed. Ms Slutskaya never never rushes any skating element!! and maintains a moderate speed throughout. Good for her.

If Nicks can get that bit of information to Sasha I think we will have a new World Champ, and Nicks would be the wonderboy.

Joe

 

[Mathman]

I think Sasha is perfectly capable of delivering the goods, independent of whatever help she gets from Mr. Nicks. To me, all the people who are saying that Sasha is going downhill are being too much influenced by a couple of bad performances in the two cheesefests this year. Anyone can have a couple of bad skates, then come back and deliver a masterpiece.

I can hardly wait!

Mathman

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I think Sasha is perfectly capable of delivering the goods, independent of whatever help she gets from Mr. Nicks. To me, all the people who are saying that Sasha is going downhill are being too much influenced by a couple of bad performances in the two cheesefests this year. Anyone can have a couple of bad skates, then come back and deliver a masterpiece.
I can hardly wait!Mathman

Mathman - I'm not talking about a couple of bad performances. I'm talking about her programs. She rushes too much causing problems. Not always, of course (think marvelous SPs over the years), but, from my view, she rushes into her elements which lose their brilliance and in some cases, she loses the element. A quiet but confident Sasha (like Quali Rd Dortmund) is a BIG winner!! This is Nick's main job. JMO.
joe

 

[SkateFan4Life]

Wasn' t sure if this should be here or in the other threads takling about this, but can less than a month of serious training with a coach be enough to allow Sasha to be the US Natl Champ? (Somehow I don't think so, but it is JMHO) Her pattern of not being able to deliver a consistant clean series of programs seems that it will take longer than the run-up to the Nationals to rectify.

Yes, Sasha Cohen has a great amount of talent, and she is an extraordinarily beautiful, graceful figure skater. However, she has the unfortunate habit of making major mistakes in her long program - at least two falls or two-footed landings. Usually, her short programs are excellent, but you have to skate TWO
strong programs to win, all things being equal.

Will she be ready to win with just a few weeks of training under John Nicks? I sure would not count her out of any competition, but I'm not expecting her to win the National title, either. There's just too much inconsistency - a pattern that I do not expect to see broken in such a short period of time under Nicks.

What will happen after Worlds, assuming that Sasha again makes a few errors and doesn't win the title? Will she switch coaches again?

Oh well, not to jump in front of things. I expect Sasha to medal at Nationals, but the color will be silver or bronze, not gold.

IMHO, of course.

 

[R.D.]

IMHO...

NO

Definitely not...she's not going to win...In my opinion, saying that she will is just being WAY too optimistic. She hasn't had a good season, and I don't expect her to be magically recovered, Remember, this is only a period of a month after Marshalls...

 

[Kuchana]

IMHO...

NO

Definitely not...she's not going to win...In my opinion, saying that she will is just being WAY too optimistic. She hasn't had a good season, and I don't expect her to be magically recovered, Remember, this is only a period of a month after Marshalls...

Who knows? You could be wrong. Maybe Sasha will shock us...maybe.....

 

[Peggy]

To Win? Who knows.

I think what Mr. Nicks will do for her is to give her back a sense of a strong calm presence. I think that has always been what she needs. John Nicks is never too up or too down. He is always on an even keel. I think Sasha can only benefit from that attitude.

I agree with you. Another thing that will help is being at home--I almost think that is the most important element of all. Just being with your friends and getting feedback and encouragement from the people you know is so personal and important. I just know this is going to give her the spark that has been missing for awhile.

 

[ChiSk8Fan]

Sasha is a long shot to win

A month under changing conditions just before Nationals is simply not enough time for a world class athlete to pull it together to have consistently clean practices, correct errors, etc. I assume Sasha's goals are to make the World team and be ready for Worlds in three months. This is more realistic.

I would say, "No." I believe Sasha will place 3rd at Nationals and make the team with improved programs over Marshall's, but with a couple of mistakes. She may even win the short program.

Both Jenny Kirk and Amber Corwin are not as beautiful to watch or look at as Sasha. They are not as flexible or as stunning in their movements as Sasha. But they both can do triple-triple combinations, Jenny has learned not to flutz and Amber has improved and is obviously working the CoP in her programs.

Sasha has enough time to be presentable at Nationals, as she has her programs and Nicks allows her to embellish/improv arm movements, etc. in practices (hence she participates in the 'choreography') and I suspect under the 6.0 system, there will be a front-loaded free skate with plenty of stylish crossovers, a couple of flutzes and "room for improvement" to work the CoP for Worlds.

I think the pressure is off Sasha a little bit, actually, as her circumstance leads no one to believe she is likely to skate brilliantly and win. It may be just what she needs to relax and just skate.

 

[Fossi]

Sasha will do fine. She will skate the usual Sasha routine, maybe one or two falls, and maybe not. Either way, the judges will reward her big time. They're waiting to crown her. It's up to her to make it happen. IMO, it doen'st matter the coach. Sasha made it clear just before the split with Robin that her focus is US Nationals. She made it clear with Mr. Nicks that she wants to WIN US Nationals.
Have no fear Sasha fans. If Sasha and Michelle both fall once. Ms. Cohen wins. As I stated above, the judges have been waiting for 5 years to crown her. (Remember last year? A 6.0 with falls??)
They have always favored Sasha. Just look at the results with she was against Sarah and many times Sarah should've been ahead of her (2000)

 

[hockeyfan228]

Both Jenny Kirk and Amber Corwin are not as beautiful to watch or look at as Sasha. They are not as flexible or as stunning in their movements as Sasha. But they both can do triple-triple combinations, Jenny has learned not to flutz and Amber has improved and is obviously working the CoP in her programs.

3/3's at the beginning of the program might make the difference under 6.0, but Corwin and Kirk have had their own melt-downs later in the LP, including underrotated jumps, and Cohen has better and more consistent speed and flow than either of them. Cohen is also a SP skater, and there's no other US lady whose entire set of spins, spirals, and footwork are comparable in difficulty and execution.

I don't think we can assume "good practices = clean competitions" for Cohen, because she's done well and badly when she's had strong practices leading up to events. My question in answer to the title of this thread is whether she'll be undoing any jump technique or approaches into jumps she learned from Wagner and Tarasova, and whether one month under is enough to undo it and put it back together and to have the stamina for the LP.

Another question is whether she has to skate a dominant performance at US Nationals in order to place well at Worlds. I tend to think her Nationals performance will drive her PC scores in Moscow, at least in the quali round. Without the type of PC scores she earned at last year's GP events, I don't see a possibility of a podium finish, if the other competitors are strong.

 

[SkateFan4Life]

Have no fear Sasha fans. If Sasha and Michelle both fall once. Ms. Cohen wins. As I stated above, the judges have been waiting for 5 years to crown her. (Remember last year? A 6.0 with falls??)
They have always favored Sasha. Just look at the results with she was against Sarah and many times Sarah should've been ahead of her (2000)

Please. The US judges may, indeed, be waiting with baited breath to crown Sasha Cohen the next US champion, but Sasha has to earn the title. :sheesh: The judges simply cannot hand the title to her if she skates as poorly as she's skated this season. Can you imagine the uproar if Sasha wins Nationals with the kind of mistake-filled long program she skated at Marshalls - assuming that that Michelle, Jenny, Amber, and Angela skate better programs? Give me a break.

As for the the comparison between Sasha and Sarah Huhges, again, please.
Sarah skated at Worlds in 1999 at the age of 13 and finished a respectable seventh. She had finished fourth at Nationals that year. Naomi Nari Nam was the silver medalist, but Nam, at age 13, wasn't age-qualified to compete at Worlds. Hughes qualifed because she was the reigning World Junior silver medalist.

In 2000, Hughes was the US bronze medalist and fifth at Worlds. Cohen won silver at that year's Nationals, but she had to qualify to skate at Worlds by winning a medal at Junior Worlds - which she failed to do.

In 2001 Hughes was the US silver medalist and World bronze medalist.

In 2002 Hughes was the US bronze medalist, and she won the gold medal at the Olympics.

Hughes was a model of consistency, and she made a steady, quiet progression up the ranks. Her programs were usually clean and error-free.

IMHO, the judges are going to have to wait another year to crown Cohen US champion - if, indeed, that ever happens.

 

[Tedebear]

After a month of Sasha, John Nicks might be ready to run off screaming