Who is Sasha Kohen?

[Scarlett21]

What do you think of Sasha Kohen? Is she a real star in skating? Is she worth beeing the first? As for me she is a bad copy of Michelle Kwan. I think that she is not able to add smth new to skating that's why she will never be a champion. What is your opinion?

[VegasGirl]

I have no idea who Sasha Kohen is... ;) but if you're talking about Sasha Cohen, she's a very talented young lady figure skater. :D

[Mel On Ice]

I'm stumbling over what smth is.

[icedancer2]

I'm stumbling over what smth is.

I think it is "something".

Wow -- the text-ing world has gotten really brief!

[loveskating]

Bait? Provocation?

I hope I can avoid being hooked and contributing to the endless drama by just saying that no skater is like another -- they are all unique.

[sk8er6]

Sasha is NOTHING like Michelle Kwan. She is much more exciting, and keeps spectators on the edge of their seats. She truly is a star, and Olympic Champion or not she certainly will be remembered. :)

[KiZa_32]

Sasha Cohen would have to be the person who got me into figure skating...she is one of my idols and a extremly talented figure skater

KiZa

[Scarlett21]

Sasha Cohen would have to be the person who got me into figure skating...she is one of my idols and a extremly talented figure skater

KiZa
I absolutely disagree with you. Sasha is talanted but her skating isn't developing.All the specialists do not see any progress.She skates as she did it 4 years ago. That's why she will never become a champion!:frus:

[AmandaS88]

I absolutely disagree with you. Sasha is talanted but her skating isn't developing.All the specialists do not see any progress.She skates as she did it 4 years ago. That's why she will never become a champion!:frus:

Um, actually you can't disagree with Kiza, as her statement simply said that sasha cohen was the one who got HER into figure skating. And there is no denying that she is a talented skater, whether you like her or not. And I myself disagree that she could never become an olympic champion. Had she not fallen these past games, she would have been. She's capable of landing those jumps, therfore she is capable of being an olympic champion. Hopefully this is the end of your hate rant.

[flippet]

Please don't feed the trolls. Thank you. :)

~flippet

[littleiceskater]

Sasha Cohen would have to be the person who got me into figure skating...she is one of my idols and a extremly talented figure skater

KiZa

She is one of my idols as well...and is also the person who got me into figure skating...she is so elegant and graceful (her spirals)...perfection...shes so pretty and artistic....

[Scarlett21]

I can't undersstand how she can be smbs idol! She is so primitive usually, her programmes are so dull. She simply repeates what she did a year ago:frus:

[Madame Saccoche]

I can't undersstand how she can be smbs idol! She is so primitive usually, her programmes are so dull. She simply repeates what she did a year ago:frus:


So watch someone else then:roll:

[Phuket]

Please don't feed the trolls. Thank you. :)

~flippet


:roll: Please explain to me who was a troll and why.

[montanarose]

Phuket: "Please explain to me who was a troll and why."

Umm, let's see . . . the deliberate misspelling of Cohen's name in the initial post? The faux "teen speak"? The dissonance in some of his/her/its previous posts where relatively mature syntax and vocabulary (e.g., "symbolic") were coupled with attempts to sound like a twelve-year-old ditz? If it sounds like a duck, walks like a duck, etc. . . . :roll:

[loveskating]

:roll: Please explain to me who was a troll and why.

A troll is someone who is not intrerested in honest debate, in learning or teaching, but rather is pushing an agenda all the time, and who is dishonest.

Sometimes, they hate skaters, more often they hate some hapless poster.

I dislike the accusation and the term -- just deal witih the issue on its own terms.

[fmh]

What do you think of Sasha Kohen? Is she a real star in skating? Is she worth beeing the first? As for me she is a bad copy of Michelle Kwan. I think that she is not able to add smth new to skating that's why she will never be a champion. What is your opinion?
i'm sure she's a hell of af lot better than you. and she isn't a copy of michelle kwan...they're both verry different

[Caitlin]

dear scarlett21

Sasha Cohen is not at all like michelle kwan. As someone or should i say "smb" said earlier, skating is one of a kind. You also said that she will never be a champion? I personally don't like Sasha Cohen beacuse she's a bit of a drama queen (but aren't we all??) haha, but that doesn't mean that she will never be a champion. It all depends on who goes out on that day and does the best job. If one day,maybe even at Olympics, everyone bombs, but Sasha skates half decent, she's the champion. I do not see your point. Your arguments are totally irrelevant..... You cannot hate someone simply because they will never be a champion, or because they are a "copy". Sasha is a very talented skater, she just has some speed bumps like everybody else. You say her skating hasn't changed in 4 years/? well-- when has evgeny's skating changed? he's done the same jumps since last olympics. Oh look at that! That's 4 years! I suppose you hate him too? When a skater is at their peak and the point of physical exertion, we can't go any furthur. If we could, girls would have done quintuples a LONG LONG time ago....

[Ceres]

Well I don't really like Sasha Cohen. One, I don't see any talent and passion. When she skates, her facial expression is all stiff and serious and she takes it extremely close to heart. Plus she cries if not satisfied. Yes, she is quite technical, but her performane is never exciting and original...=') Sorry,Sasha lovers!

:roll:

[loveskating]

Well I don't really like Sasha Cohen. One, I don't see any talent and passion. When she skates, her facial expression is all stiff and serious and she takes it extremely close to heart. Plus she cries if not satisfied. Yes, she is quite technical, but her performane is never exciting and original...=') Sorry,Sasha lovers!

:roll:

Your opinion and I totally disagree -- but factually, you are quite mistaken when you say Sasha cries if not satisfied. In fact she does not cry in public.

[doubletoe]

Well I don't really like Sasha Cohen. One, I don't see any talent and passion. When she skates, her facial expression is all stiff and serious and she takes it extremely close to heart. Plus she cries if not satisfied. Yes, she is quite technical, but her performane is never exciting and original...=') Sorry,Sasha lovers!

:roll:

Perhaps you are mistaking Sasha Cohen for someone else. . .

[doubletoe]

I absolutely disagree with you. Sasha is talanted but her skating isn't developing.All the specialists do not see any progress.She skates as she did it 4 years ago. That's why she will never become a champion!:frus:

She already IS a champion. Or did you forget to watch the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, in which she skated a clean short and long program and won the title, even though she was sick with the flu. Perhaps you should go share your impressive mastery of ignorance on another board. Now where's that troll spray . . .

[WorldChamp]

But don't forget that talent alone can't win titles.

[Evelina]

I have to say I much prefer watching Sasha Cohen to Michelle Kwan. Sasha Cohen's positions are amazing and her flexibility means they are also perfect. And for those who think her skating is not developing, have you seen her land a quad salchow? She's been landing it in practice for some time and I know she's aiming to land it in competiton. Watch this space!

[Tennisany1]

I have to say I much prefer watching Sasha Cohen to Michelle Kwan. Sasha Cohen's positions are amazing and her flexibility means they are also perfect. And for those who think her skating is not developing, have you seen her land a quad salchow? She's been landing it in practice for some time and I know she's aiming to land it in competiton. Watch this space!

The only video I could find of a quad attempt by SC was from a 2001 Skate America practice (you can see it on YouTube.) When I compare it to the salchows she has done in recent competitions it doesn't look to me like she could still be landing a quad. Just MHO of course, and perhaps someone with more technical knowledge could review the 2001 video and a more recent triple salchow and give us an opinion. There also is a fairly well know rumor that she has been nursing a injury for some time so I doubt she would risk working on a quad. Again, JMHO :)

[Schmeck]

I have to say I much prefer watching Sasha Cohen to Michelle Kwan. Sasha Cohen's positions are amazing and her flexibility means they are also perfect. And for those who think her skating is not developing, have you seen her land a quad salchow? She's been landing it in practice for some time and I know she's aiming to land it in competiton. Watch this space!

First of all, let me state that yes, Sasha Cohen is a talented, elite skater. But... her postions are not perfect due to her flexibility at all. Actually, she tends to land jumps on the wrong edge or on a flat, her change edge spiral wobbles during the switch, and her spins travel during those 'amazing' positions. Also, she has landed only one 3/3 combination (2003) during her entire senior level skating career (SashaFans has a great website for stats) and has never landed a quad in competition. She actually appears to me to be on the start of the decline, a year or two and she'll be in the place Kwan is now.

[loveskating]

First of all, let me state that yes, Sasha Cohen is a talented, elite skater. But... her postions are not perfect due to her flexibility at all. Actually, she tends to land jumps on the wrong edge or on a flat, her change edge spiral wobbles during the switch, and her spins travel during those 'amazing' positions. Also, she has landed only one 3/3 combination (2003) during her entire senior level skating career (SashaFans has a great website for stats) and has never landed a quad in competition. She actually appears to me to be on the start of the decline, a year or two and she'll be in the place Kwan is now.

Every skater lands jumps on the flat, wobbles on the edge on landings and lands jumps on the wrong edge -- its called making a mistake -- and anyone who is honest will see that all the skaters do that, even very often when they win gold.

I have very much appreciated Sasha's efforts to do the more difficult jumps --she has tried for the 3 ltuz/3 toe loop a lot, she was never conservatve.

Sasha also forced everyone to do the 3 flip/2 toe loop.

Sasha does not wobble at the COE any more than anyone else.

[Schmeck]

Beg to differ, Kwan's COE spiral does not wobble, not the ones I've seen in person, anyways.

Cohen also lands most of her jumps on the flat/inside edge, has for years, and probably will continue to do so. It's a bad technique/habit that she did try to get rid of, but fell back on again. It's not a huge deal, she still gets credit for landing the jumps, but it's not the "perfect technique" mentioned before.

I'd love to see Cohen land a clean entry, clean landing 3flip/2toe, especially since her 3lutz can get rather sloppy. The only reason the ladies are doing the 3flip/2toe is that not many of them can do two 3/3 combinations in their FP.

[loveskating]

Beg to differ, Kwan's COE spiral does not wobble, not the ones I've seen in person, anyways. ...

Cohen also lands most of her jumps on the flat/inside edge, has for years, and probably will continue to do so.

You are going to have to prove that -- it being such a strange malady, I suspect no other skater on planet earth has ever been so bad as you suppose and claim that Sasha Cohen is?

I guess I will have to look at all my videos and just count, eh?

Don't think I won't!

By the way, please define wobble? EVERY skater wobbles on their spiral from time to time, especially at a change of edge...its preposterous on the face of it to claim otherwise.

[Schmeck]

wobble - to change from edge to edge to edge to edge before getting to the edge that continues the spiral... No, Cohen is not the only skater that does it, but not all skaters do - my daughter doesn't wobble, and she just started practicing the change edge for her synchro team.

I'm not claiming Cohen to be sooooo bad - gee, I think I said she was a talented, elite skater, didn't I? :roll: Feel free to watch your tapes, check out her landings from the past few years - compare them from when she was with all her different coaches. Her technique in jumps changed with Tarasova (for the better, I think) and then went back to the odd edges with Wagner.

[Casey]

So they're both fine skaters. Both have their strengths. Both have their weaknesses. Both have gotten farther than anybody on this board probably ever will. So why all the angst towards each other over which one you happen to enjoy watching more?

I'm personally more of a Kwan fan than a Cohen fan, but BOTH are wonderful to watch, and I particularly enjoyed Cohen's exhibition performance at the last Olympics. At the end of the day, people just like the overall style of one more than the other, and then due to that see the faults in the others more. I like Lysacek more than Plushenko based on style, though Plushenko is undeniably "better" in several ways. Whatever, like whomever you want.

I personally feel very strongly that if you need other people to agree with your opinion to make you feel justified, then it's not really yours anyways, and you're weak-willed. Everyone should really just like whomever they like, regardless of what other people think about it, and let everybody else have their own opinions too, no matter whether contradictory or not.

Certainly liking one person more than another who is themselves very high-level is no excuse to put the other one down as though they should have never set foot on the ice. http://www.gcb-clan.de/design/smiley/negative.gif

[loveskating]

So they're both fine skaters. Both have their strengths. Both have their weaknesses. Both have gotten farther than anybody on this board probably ever will. So why all the angst towards each other over which one you happen to enjoy watching more?

I'm personally more of a Kwan fan than a Cohen fan, but BOTH are wonderful to watch, and I particularly enjoyed Cohen's exhibition performance at the last Olympics. At the end of the day, people just like the overall style of one more than the other, and then due to that see the faults in the others more. I like Lysacek more than Plushenko based on style, though Plushenko is undeniably "better" in several ways. Whatever, like whomever you want.

I personally feel very strongly that if you need other people to agree with your opinion to make you feel justified, then it's not really yours anyways, and you're weak-willed. Everyone should really just like whomever they like, regardless of what other people think about it, and let everybody else have their own opinions too, no matter whether contradictory or not.

Certainly liking one person more than another who is themselves very high-level is no excuse to put the other one down as though they should have never set foot on the ice. http://www.gcb-clan.de/design/smiley/negative.gif

I quite agree -- for instance, I prefer Alexander Abt over Yagudin whether Abt won the medals or not -- however, specific claims wered made about SKATING that were wrong.

Having made that clear, I leave it up to those who are honest to judge.

[figur8asandwich]

Sasha cohen... hmmm. she is extremely well marketed, which explains her mass appeal,

she fits the 'miss america' cookie-cutter image

she is expressive but not artistically original, she sticks to the same boring musical selections (malaguena, romeo and juliet, etc)

she is very flexible, to the point where it is almost disturbing (over-splitz)

as a "figure skater fan", I would take shizuka arakawa over sasha , also enjoy irina slutskaya as a performer, or even fumie suguri, would love to watch 'the baby hughes' develop as well.

as a tv personality, sasha has mastered "good media", but other people seem more genuine to me.

[loveskating]

Sasha Cohen is one of the all time great skaters, a skater who transcends medals, like John Curry or Janet Lynn.

Most of her skating elements are either the best ever or among the very best ever -- like her Russian Split, Ina Bauer, side catch spin, OE spiral, fan spiral, layback, front catch spin. Her air position on her jumps is equal to the very best, like Evgeny Plushenko or Irina Slutskaya, and her salchow is among the best ever.

Sasha's body line and fully amplified and extended positions, with lovely posture, are truly amazing. Her natural flexiblity allows her to hit and hold exquisite positions...without strain.

Oddly, she has never been embraced by the US skating establishment, never annointed by them, for some reason, and ABC commentators have given her extremely negative press, by putting a microscope to her every minor mistake when they never do this with other US skaters. Additionally, ABC owned USA Today's Christine Brennan (also an ABC skating commentator) wrote a vicious and wholly false article accusing Sasha of intentionally bumping Kwan in a warm up at US Nationals in 2002.

Nevertheless, Sasha captured the attention and hearts of many Americans at the 2006 Olymics when she skated her heart out for the public in the Long Program after she knew her own personal dream was gone and consequently, she won a silver medal.

Sasha Cohen does things the old fashioned way -- she EARNS what she has.

[Schmeck]

All the skaters 'earn' what they have achieved - no one steps onto the ice able to be an elite skater the first time they put on skates :roll: .

Cohen does have a nice triple sal, and her posture and body line have great extension. She would have been a beautiful ice dancer, imo.

[Nicki]

Oddly, she has never been embraced by the US skating establishment, never annointed by them, for some reason, and ABC commentators have given her extremely negative press, by putting a microscope to her every minor mistake when they never do this with other US skaters. Additionally, ABC owned USA Today's Christine Brennan (also an ABC skating commentator) wrote a vicious and wholly false article accusing Sasha of intentionally bumping Kwan in a warm up at US Nationals in 2002



I disagree with this statement. The USFSA judges had her in first place after the short program at her very first senior nationals. How many other skaters have had that happen to them? The judges were all set to give her a gold medal, but then she made mistakes in her long program and ended up getting a silver medal. Again, how many skaters get a silver their first time out? Seems to me like she was embraced pretty quickly by the US skating establishment.

In 2002 she was named to the US Olympic team, with very little international experience. The judges have always been chomping at the bit to give her gold medals, but unfortunately she has had trouble delivering two clean programs back to back.

As for the commentators, I have heard many positive comments from them over the years, Especially from Peggy Flemming. Sure Sasha has received her share of negative press, but that is often what happens when you are at or near the top of your sport. People expect you to be perfect all of the time, and if you aren't they look for ways to tear you down. This is not unique to Sasha. Almost all elite athletes have experienced this at one time or another.

[FSWer]

In my opinion as a fan of Sasha myself. I respect everyone's opinion as far as if Sasha's a fav. skater. But I kindly please ask that we all stop bashing her. Thanks.

[KiZa_32]

Well I don't really like Sasha Cohen. One, I don't see any talent and passion. When she skates, her facial expression is all stiff and serious and she takes it extremely close to heart. Plus she cries if not satisfied. Yes, she is quite technical, but her performane is never exciting and original...=') Sorry,Sasha lovers!

:roll:

if you have a look at her romeo and juliet program she shows emotion thoughout the whole thing and as for her crying, well wouldn't you if you if you didn't get the rsults you wanted for somthing really bad

[flippet]

Note the date of the original post.....well over a year ago!


Why bother responding to such a trollish post, especially one so old?