The "New" Sasha

[donnamarie]

I think that Sasha looks so beautiful this year. I've seldom seen such a transformation. Her hair, her make-up, her costumes, are all 100% better than last year. And her programs, my gosh, she finally has programs to equal her amazing talents. Not only this, but her demeanor seems different too. She doesn't seem so "ambitious," she seems more gracious, and somehow she seems to have blossomed this year and to feel comfortable about who she is and what she's doing.

Can all this be due to the coach change? I always thought Tarasova was a genius, and now I feel it even more strongly. I am just speculating, but maybe Sasha was feeling frustrated with Nicks, not that he isn't a good coach and a nice man, but she knew what powers surged inside her, and she probably knew that she wasn't getting what she needed to be her best self. Maybe her frustration was even subconscious. But such a talented skater needs someone of the caliber of Tarasova, I believe. Under Tarasova's guidance, Sasha can relax, knowing she is with the best, and knowing that she will be challenged fully.

Sometimes I wish that Tarasova could take every skater I like under her wings, just to see what the results would be. :D Sasha, meanwhile, is a very exciting skater, more so than ever. I can't wait to add Sarah, Michelle, and Irina to the mix, to make the sparks fly. Hopefully they'll all skate together soon, in December.

[duane]

i think her transformation is due to both the coaching change, and that she is freshly back from her first full season as an eligible skater--a season where she received tremendous press (some called it "hype")--both good and bad. i think she grew up a lot, and this year, her intent was not to simply make a good showing, but to place on top of the podiums.

i too cannot wait to see a competition that features sasha, michelle, irina, and sarah! :D .

[AxelAnnie22]

I agree with Duane. I think a lot of what we see is the experience of that first full season.

Also, she has a different group of people around her guiding her through the morass. There are no more comments about the feisty-ness of LA EXQUISITA.

I think Sasha has always been ambitious.....all the skaters are. She has just been more open about it. More honest. I have always found it to be refreshing.

[loveskating]

I think that Sasha is more mature...I've been drawing her since 2000, and I can feel it when I draw her...I also think that she has programs that now both showcase her particular talent and push her...Tarasova is a genius for many reasons, among them her choreographic choices and the fact that she never "cookiecuts" her skaters...rather, she seems inspired by them, Sasha included. I loved Carmen, but I think these programs "knock your socks off"!

I've always loved Sasha...never found anything wrong with what she said or did.

[Mistyeyed]

I do not see her as "the new Sasha" but rather as a skater who is more settled in. She is still ambitious as ever but she appears more to be listening to what her coach says and to be taking that advice more to heart rather than just tossing it all away. I do appreciate her honesty about knowing that she needs to get thru a routine all the way without losing focus. She seems very comfortable in front of the camera's. There are not too many skaters who can match her artistry and her way of presenting a program on the ice. It does appear that she is ruling this season thus far but she is yet to give us a flawless long and short.

[Tapper]

She is a work in progress. I don't think of her as a "new" Sasha, but rather as someone who is in the process of becoming, of fulfilling her potential. It's great to see someone accepting responsibility for one's gifts, and working hard to develop them, and meeting with success, as she so obviously is. She is more polished this year in every respect, and undoubtedly much of this has to do with her new coach and surroundings - but I think it also has to do with maturity, growing up - having another year of life under her belt.
I get tired of people talking about her inconsistency - irritated with Dick Button's shouting about her lack of concentration and blasting her for not being perfect. She's becoming... just be patient! She has a few years ahead of her.

[Giggles]

I am just happy that she is finally doing something different with her hair. I hated the ponytail look where you could see the elastic. Drove me nuts. You put someone who is a beautiful skater wearing a beautiful dress on the ice and they you see an everyday ponytail. Yuck. The hair does contribute to the whole package.

[donnamarie]

The subject title "The New Sasha" was just me trying to have a snappy title. Of course she isn't a new person, she's the same person, another year older and more mature. But I saw a transformation this year from last year, like what happened with Michelle when she changed from a very young girl with no make-up and a ponytail, to a young woman with make-up and a mature program. Sarah also changed from a gawky teenager into - IMO - a beautiful young woman and fantastic skater.

I saw a transformation of Sasha from last season. Last season I kept saying to myself that she needed a better hairstyle - something without rubber bands and bobby pins - and this year her hair is stylishly done. I thought she needed better costumes, her costumes didn't really flatter her last year, and this year, voila, she has much more sophisticated costumes. She also has new programs -- much, much better programs this year. I'm sure this is partly the result of growing up, but also I attribute a lot of this to her new training situation. I think Tarasova encouraged her to improve in every way, in fact, Sasha even said something on tv about how her coach helped her find new costumes, I believe.

I also find that I like her better this year, at least the way she projects herself on camera. Last year I saw her as overly ambitious, and I do believe that it is possible to be too ambitious, as someone who wanted to win at any cost, I almost felt as if she would run you over if you got in her way :) (Please, I'm just being dramatic, don't take offense.) This year she seems more mature, more beautiful, more stylish and sophisticated, with much more exciting programs, and also to me she seems more at ease with herself and who she is, and more gracious when she speaks to the camera.

Just my perceptions, but I hope I clarified myself a bit, and please don't get hung up on the word "new" ... I'm aware that she is not a different person, but I do see a huge transformation, and was curious if anyone else felt that way.

[yogurtslinger]

Just goes to show the "power of media". Sasha isn't that different (I'm not talking about the skating quality here, which of course has improved)... but the media is no longer working from the angle of "Sasha is such a fiesty upstart" which Nicks seemed to encourage. Also, it's interesting what a "makeover" will do for you, isn't it? It's all about the image... no, I don't think she is any less ambitious- she was never the bloodthirsty win at any cost diva some people seemed to think she was. It's all about the angle the media tries to play up- in terms of what questions the reporter will ask her, how she is written about in articles, etc. Is she really "more gracious"? I think she was always open, frank Sasha.

Not having to do with anything.. am I the only one who doesn't like her new costumes? The hair is nice.. but I'm not crazy about the makeup for her long program.. I think dark makeup suits her well.

[freeskate]

Yogurt,

Your not the only one who doesn't like her costumes. I wish her Sp dress had a solid black bodice verus lined illusion. The illusion on the shoulders and arms is okay. I just don't like lined illusion.

I'm not sure on her long program dress yet. It reminds me a lot of something somebody's worn before but I cant place it. I also think my problem with this costume is the makeup, a bit too much.

[Alexeiskate]

Originally posted by yogurtslinger

Not having to do with anything.. am I the only one who doesn't like her new costumes? The hair is nice.. but I'm not crazy about the makeup for her long program.. I think dark makeup suits her well.

The blue dress Sasha wore at Skate Canada was nice. It has an airiness to it that fit the mood of the music. I don't like the blue one she wore at COR and NHK. It looked "heavy" on her and made her look old. Someone mentioned in a previous post that the blue dress at NHK and COR was similar to one that Jenni Menno wore.

[donnamarie]

Hi Yogurt ... It's not because of the media that I see a change in Sasha. It's just what I see. Her hair, costumes, and choreography are quite different this year, IMO. Also I don't think it's about "image", not in a negative sense, anyway. When the skaters are on the ice, they are performers. They are a whole package. The skating is the largest part of it, but their hair, make-up, music and costume all contribute to what they are trying to portray. I love to see someone skate in a plain black unitard, too, if that's what is going to best interpret the music. Whatever it is that a skater does to their hair, etc., it should be well-thought-out in order to portray a character and to express the theme of the music. When you are a performer, you are creating an image, yes, but that's not a bad thing, I don't think. It's all part of being a performer and an artist.