Sasha gets skewered by the LA Times

[SoCalDem]

Bill Plaschke:

Cohen Didn't Act the Part, so of Course She Didn't Get the Part
February 24 2006


TURIN, Italy — She didn't want to be there.

The dramatic thing about Sasha Cohen on Thursday night wasn't the way she skated her spins and spirals, it was her shudder. Difficult to believe, devastating to watch, but as true as that wet patch on her leggings and those ice chips under her fingernails. She didn't want to be there.

Cohen was the leader before the long program at the Olympic women's figure skating championships, yet she treated her potential triumph as if it were prolonged torture.She was distracted and eccentric during group warmups. She was reluctant and reticent before her skate. She took to the ice as uncomfortably as if it were melting. She bounced off her rear on her first jump, fell to her hands on her second jump, and that was that.

Four years, gone in 45 seconds, with an explanation as simple as six words:

She didn't want to be there.

And she basically admitted it. "I think I was not nervous, but apprehensive, knowing that I missed a lutz and flip in the warmup," she said. "You know, when you go out there and have all the people watching … and you know that your practice hasn't gone completely right, it's hard to feel like you're getting churros at Disneyland." Hard for silver medalists, perhaps, but easy for champions. When their team is trailing by a basket in the final seconds, champions want the ball. Just ask Michael Jordan. When their team trails by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, champions want the bat. Just ask Derek Jeter. When the going gets tough, for champions, that is Disneyland.

The legacy of Sasha Cohen is that she sees it differently, and thus America will see her differently. Once thought to be Tim Duncan, she is instead Chris Webber. Once destined to be Joe Montana, she is instead Peyton Manning.

Looks great in everything but sweat.



http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-olyplaschke24feb24,1,2936837.column?coll=la-olympics-center

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Sounds right on the mark to me.

[imperialismispasse]

2. I thought she looked relieved after she fell

Like at least that was over with and now she could go on with everything.

[nini]

3. I feel so vindicated.. I've never like this girl or her attitude

she's spoiled with a sense of entitlement. Her performances always show that more than a deep felt desire to do her best in a sport she loves.

It takes more to be a champion that say you deserve it.

[underpants]

4. What would she do with a ball?

Why would she want it at all let alone in the "Final seconds"?

Is this asshat aware that the Yankees haven't won a series in 5 years?

This isn't defending SASHA I really don't give a rip its just that this review is lazy and bullshit. Anyone could have read this and at that point practice shouldn't mean anything other than giving all the hangers-on something to run their mouth about.

[devilgrrl]

25. I couldn't agree with you more! Utterly pointless article!

So pointless that I finally called the LA Times to cancel my subscription! All the articles in that paper are as bad as this one is these days. After I finished reading it I thought to myself, "What the fuck was that?"

[MadHound]

5. I simply find it unbelievable that Sasha got a medal at all

There were quite a few others that skated a much better program than she did, yet wound up with lesser marks. But that has always been one of the things about ice skating that has always bugged me, it seems as though th judges are indeed prejudiced towards the big name skaters, the traditional skating powers, and unless you fall in that circle, all you are going to get is perfuntory looks and bad scores.

I'm also becoming highly pissed at how ice skating is covered by NBC. It seems like all they can do is tear down each and every single skater, excepting US skaters, as quickly as they can. My God, they were ripping on this one poor girl last night because her laces were out of place:wtf:

I tune into skating to watch beautiful and athletic men and women combine music and skating in novel, inventive, beautiful and awe inspiring ways, not to listen to three crank has-beens whine and moan about every little niggling thing. It's getting to the point where I don't want to watch anymore, not because I don't like ice skating, but because I get so pissed at the announcers.

[Shell Beau]

6. The other skaters may not have skated well during the

short program. The scores are combined. Also, she may have fallen, but her artistry (which is a big factor in the score) was much better than all of the others except for maybe the winner. It isn't just about the jumps.

[MadHound]

9. I realize that it isn't all about the jumps

In fact I think that there is an over emphasis put on jumping these days. I also realize that it is a combined score from the short and long programs. Given all of that, and having watched both, I still think that there were better skaters out there than Cohen. Just my opinion, that's all:shrug:

Frankly I think that Tugba Karademir from Turkey was a lot more artistic, especially in the long program, than Sasha ever dreamed of being. But sadly, Tugba is from Turkey, not an ice skating powerhouse, and thus, like others from non-powerhouse countries, she got snubbed.

[SteppingRazor]

16. Given that Japan took the gold, its first ever medal in this field...

how can you say that non-skating powerhouses were snubbed?

[MadHound]

21. I was talking in general terms

How many wonderful, enchanting, talented Japanese skaters have even gotten a nod in past Olympics? Oh yeah, that's right, none. Frankly I think that it should have been a gold-silver Japanese sweep, with Fumie Suguri taking the silver instead of Cohen. But God forbid there be a women's figure skating podium without an American on it:eyes:

[cmkramer]

38. Midori Ito

She won the silver medal in 1992 -- the year Kristi Yamaguchi won gold. Midori was the first woman to do a triple axel and was considered a co-favorite with Yamaguchi. She had a terrible short program and ended up apologizing to her country. But her long program was good enough to get her up to silver.

Arakawa is the first Japanese woman to win the gold medal in figure skating.

[SoCalDem]

12. Actually crotch-shots with your skate on your head

is not what i consider artistry and grace.. i wish they would stop all that.. I KNOW they are flexible.. they are young, flexible and athletic..I GET it..

and quit grabbing the damned skate-blade.. Its not an attractive thing, and it only ephasized the fact that you need to hold that leg up by grabbing the skate..

[Common Sense Party]

41. Exactly. Who started that blade-grabbing fad, anyway?

It's old. Get rid of it.

[SoCalDem]

8. Use Mute.. I do.

Most of the time the music is incidental anyway:)

[MadHound]

11. Believe me, I've tried that,

But to me, the music is important. If I could just put a mute on Scott Hamilton's snarky little ass it would help a lot. I just loathe that man as an announcer.

[huskerlaw]

10. I agree

with your comment about the NBC coverage. One of the announcers had negative comments about everybody...except Sasha Cohen...and I think he liked Emily Hughes. But he was the one that went on and on about the laces, the others just kinda went "Yeah, ok, that's distracting" when they showed it up close on the replay (which it was, but only because it was repeatedly pointed out by the jackass announcer).

He also said that Arakawa's performance was awful.

[RubyDuby in GA]

20. That would be Dick Button.

[MadHound]

23. Is that who that was? Wow, I thought it was Scott Hamilton

Still, annoying as hell, whoever it was. Just shut up and let them skate:grr:

[ronnykmarshall]

29. Miss Dick Button to you!

What a fucking diva. I wanted to snatch that wig right off his head.

[undeterred]

61. Yeah, I'd like to sew Dick Button's lips together with skate laces

He's just a grumpy old man who happened to win a gold medal while there were only 13 colonies, and landing a single jump was considered magnificent.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

56. That would be Dick Button, the most annoying commentator ever...

I don't think he says anything good about anybody, unless you're talking about Americans, and then he just adores them.

:eyes:

[underpants]

14. "Some people skate Romeo and Juliet, Sasha IS Juliet"

NBC commentary last night. Think they were rooting for anyone?

This morning I never heard who WON only that our dear Sasha LOST.

[flamingyouth]

15. OK, that was a completely bizarre comment last night

She's Juliet? She's going to kill herself? :wtf:

[SoCalDem]

17. One day when she pulls her skate on top of her head

while twirling like a dervish, she'll let too much air out of that "purdy little head of hers", and just sputter around in circles like a popped balloon...

[northofdenali]

50. My eyes!! My eyes!!!

Gawd, SCD, you made me LOOK!!! :rofl: Agreed with you on Kwan, but I really thought Sasha was going places. Sigh.

I thought NBC's coverage was hideous. But on one nice Olympic note, a local Alaska snowboarder - Rosey Fletcher of Girdwood, brought home the bronze in th parallel giant slalom. We're all still cheering.

[Arugula Latte]

39. Our newspaper had a huge headline when Sasha was in first place

(going into last night's performance). This morning, there's a little teeny tiny print headline saying that Cohen had lost. You have to read the text of the article to find out who actually won ... :eyes:

[RubyDuby in GA]

19. I'm glad I'm not the only one who wanted to tell Dick Button all week

long to shut the hell up. The other night when it was the pairs Ice Dancing, he went on and on about a couple that dared, I mean DARED, to skate to Bolero like Torvel and Dean did way back in the day. I'm sorry. I didn't realize they retired music in figure skating like they retire jerseys in other sports. His incessant bitching about that distracted from the entire performance of a couple that more than like wasn't alive when his precious Torvel and Dean skated to that piece.

How many decades ago did he win his medal? Scott Hamilton does more than a competent job at announcing. Hopefully, NBC or whoever does the next Winter Olympics "retires" Dick Button.

[SoCalDem]

22. Dick Button in his heyday..pics

1948.. first to do a double axel in competition


doing a flying camel

[Lucy - Claire]

26. The British commentators...

didn't even mention Bolero or Torvil and Dean watching that Ice Dancing pair. We have Robin Cousins a former Olympic gold medalist and the always reliable and fair Barry Davies. Torvil and Dean were and still are magic (they are involved in a celeb/pro Ice Dancing competiton on TV on Saturdays and they perform every week at the beginning of the show, they are still amazing.) But I doubt the use of Bolero was about copying Jayne and Christopher but because it is a great piece of music. The pair did a lovely routine too.

[RubyDuby in GA]

28. Exactly! Not to take away from Torvil and Dean, but this is

over two decades later and a much different skill set and scoring. To compare the two couples is unfair to both.

Dick Button is a twit and needs to shut up.

[LibDemAlways]

36. I've loathed Dick Button for decades.

Back when he skated in the 1940's and 50's a double jump was a big deal. He has a hell of a nerve criticizing anybody. And who was the woman commentator? She had all the personality of Nurse Rachet.

[Hardrada]

48. He said that for that Israeli pair to figure skate to Bolero

was like Roseanne Barr singing the national anthem and none of the other announcers indicated that that might have been a bit unfair. Also my wife and I both cringed when we heard that "Sasha IS Juliet," line.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

57. I wanted to KILL Dick Button.

That thing with the Bolero was so fucking stupid. He ruined the whole performance with his bitching about how "You just don't do that"... Plus, he bitched all through that other performance because the girl's LACES were tied weirdly. I mean, COME ON, you asshat....

:grr:

[Jade Fox]

65. Another bizarre, irritating Button comment....

was when he said that American skater Kimmie Meisner looked awkward doing some move because her arms are "so long". What was the point of that remark? She can't do anything about the length of her arms (which I didn't even notice).

He needs to retire.

[grace0418]

27. Oh I KNOW! WTF was up with the lace thing?

Who the fuck cares? Even after they pointed it out I could barely even see what they were talking about.

[oregonjen]

33. That comment was uncalled for from Mr. Dick

The young lady was out there skating her heart out and all he could do was comment on her laces. Gawd! Can't they find something positive about each skater instead of finding all the negatives? It took away from her program and all that she worked for. I think she was the Chinese skater? Like all the other posters, I think they should "retire" him soon. He totally ruined the ice skating portion of the Olympics for me.

[tigereye]

35. I think their point was that many of these skaters

were not in the top rank, and didn't know the conventions. Yeah, it did sound kind of bitchy. But if you get past some of the bitchy comments, you can learn a lot from these folks about artistry, how difficult the spins are, how you have to set them up, and the skill it takes.

It is always amazing to me, though, how sportswriters trash these athletes from their armchairs....

[WritingIsMyReligion]

58. LOL--My thoughts exactly.

Never would have noticed it if they hadn't bitched about it all through the performance.... :eyes:

[LibDemAlways]

37. The judges shouldn't have even bothered

putting her in the top three. Her attitude on the podium was that if she didn't get the gold, she didn't want anything. Slutskaya was much the same. A couple of sore winners.

[GalleryGod]

43. Fascinating. Could you please tell me who's winning at Santa Anita

tomorrow? Need to get some bets down!

JAFO:wtf:

[LibDemAlways]

60. Not sure what you're getting at. Was merely

commenting that neither Cohen nor Slutskaya looked happy to be on that podium at all. Other skaters who skated cleanly got nothing, so those medals were at least in part a gift from the judges - exactly the term Cohen used. Those two were so focused on the gold nothing else mattered - and it showed.

[ellie]

47. It's a long tradition for me to tune into

the ice skating finals and listen to the snark and making my own comments. I used to do it when I was little and watching the Olympics, and Thursday night was no different, now that I am older. I think Button is hilarious! He has no patience for anything but perfection. I remember once he criticized the early skaters by calling them all "pedestrian." You can't make that stuff up! There is always the inevitable choke and the inevitable sarcasm. It's great.

[henslee]

7. That Duncan/Webber analogy sums it up. And I like Webber a lot.

[kwassa]

13. And who cares what the LA Times says? This piece is conjecture

about her psyche. Opinions are like certain body orifices; everyone has one.

and Sasha is still artistically head and shoulders above the other skaters.

[nini]

24. She should have won the medal then

but she choked AGAIN.

[ronnykmarshall]

30. Word!

I loved that article in the LA Times. La Sasha has a 'tude and the press is having to back track over the last 48 hours when they were all ga-ga over her.

There was even this dumb ass report about how "Hollywood is calling". Oh great just what we need, another no talented white girl.

[nini]

32. I had her pegged from way back

she was a total bitch to Michelle Kwan on many occasions.. stuff like trying to make her fall in warmups etc.. I cannot get behind someone like that. She deserves to go down on flames in my book.


She'll end up in oblivion like Tara and Hughes.


oh hissss... This girl gets me riled up! haha

[kwassa]

40. How do people get so wound up over a figure skater?

Sasha got a medal, and deserved that medal, for her skating. She is a very good skater.

That is all she should be judged by.

She doesn't have to be Mother Teresa, or vote Democratic, or donate all her winnings to the poor. She just has to be a good skater. She is, and all the carping here doesn't take away one bit from that.

[nini]

63. I never said she wasn't a good skater

She does have talent.


But she's also a snot, an entitled brat and not the kind of person I want to get behind.

I don't think this is a thread of her skating talent but a backlash of past behaviors etc..


I don't have to like people like her that have said and done the kinds of things she has.

[GalleryGod]

42. It's A Piece of Shite Piece from a Total A$$wipe alleged Journalist.

I watched Sasha with Costas tonight...she was great,and far from "prissy".

As for her Legion of Detractors on DU...JAFO's all JAFO's:rofl:

[Dukkha]

18. that wet patch on her leggings

showed that She didn't want to be there.

niiiiice :rofl:

[DS1]

31. Ahhh so what? It's all a bunch of bullshit that's subject to opinionated

judging.

[AngryAmish]

34. Will she make a wedding video like Tonya?

[jakefrep]

44. I thought it was unnecessarily harsh...

unfortunately, just like much of our media's Olympic coverage.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

45. I'm just appalled at some of the posters on this thread.

Do any of you know Sasha Cohen personally...

The girl has said that she herself thinks the silver medal was a gift. After she skated last night, she took off her costume and skates and put on her warm-ups. She was shocked that she actually got any medal, let alone the silver.

BTW, that so-called incident between Sasha and Michelle Kwan was blown way out of proportion. It wasn't done deliberately, near collisions happen all the time during pre-skate warmups.

And as for Dick Button, the man can snark and bitch about anyone he wants. Just a reminder, Mr. Button won two Olympic gold medals, he is a 7 time US Champion and even won the European Championship in 1948. He was the first man in history to land a triple jump and a double axel in competition.

He's earned the right to say what he thinks. He's 76 years old and still in pretty damn good shape. Quite frankly, I was delighted to hear him commentating at these Olympics. He's ten times more knowledgeable than Scott Hamilton and most of his criticisms are taken very seriously by elite skaters. In other words, Mr. Button is an icon, not only among American skaters but worldwide.

[Hardrada]

49. He IS knowledgeable. I should look him up on Google to see

if he's written any books on skating and/or the Olympics.

[GalleryGod]

52. I believe he signed with Wide World of Sports in 1960.

He's seen a lot of spills and near misses, along with the triumphant moments.

[GalleryGod]

51. Well said, Mo!

I'm comfortable defending the "targets"...I just wonder what's bothering the(to put it politely)"critics", here. Lots of anger,bile and obsession.
LUVOX helps,I hear.

:patriot:

[kwassa]

53. Dick Button's credentials

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Button

Button was a five-time world champion from 1948 to 1952 and won the Gold Medal at the 1948 and 1952 Winter Olympics. In 1949, he won the Sullivan Award as the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.

Button was the first skater to successfully land the double axel jump in competition (in 1948), although on the video it appears he did not complete the full rotation, as well as the first triple jump of any kind -- a triple loop -- in 1952. He also invented the flying camel spin, which was originally known as the "Button camel".

After his competitive skating career ended, Button toured with Ice Capades and Holiday on Ice, and completed a law degree at Harvard University.

He has been a figure skating analyst for ABC Sports since 1962. Fed by ABC's coverage of Olympics in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Button became the sport's best-known analyst, well known for his frank and oftentimes caustic appraisal of skaters' faults.

[Baclava]

54. Exactly - all the bitching and sniping here is even more juvenile

Like these critics could even stand up on skates.

Jealously and envy is rampant everywhere.

[LisaL]

46. I think it's a rather mean article. Even if Sasha didn't deserve

a medal, it's not exactly her fault judges judged it as they did.
And to say she didn't want to be there because she didn't end up winning gold-well, that's just ludicrous. Many athletes don't win any medals at all, I guess none of them actually want to be there?

[Orsino]

55. Unsupported thesis.

The years she spent preparing and the flight to Italy say that she did "want to be there."

If the author is just complaining that she was nervous and didn't perform well, that's a different issue. Silver medalists are champions; indeed, making an Olympic squad could be said to make one a champion.

Is this just a case of a sports writer inventing a story to fill space?

[LisaL]

59. She also had injuries. A lot of figure skaters have all kinds

of injuries. It's a dangerous sport. Granted, she was given a gift with a silver, but she got a medal after all. So, for some sport author to write a crap like that is just stupid. She is a young girl and she doesn't owe anyone a gold medal, despite what this jerk of author seem to think.

[kwassa]

62. The silver medal was not a gift at all.

The new skating rules are quite specific, much more than the old system. The Washington Post had a chart yesterday as to exactly why Sasha won the silver, and Slutskaya won the bronze, showing the point totals for each maneuver, and dissecting each routine. The judges have to be much more responsible now than they did in the past, though it took a judging scandal to make it happen.

[LisaL]

64. Well, of course, if they are awarded for falling down on their behind,

you can fall down a number of times and still get a medal. Which makes so-called judging scandal even more funny, because the Russian pair that got gold didn't fall. So, presumably, under the new system, they could have easily won gold too.
I have no clue why they made them to share with the canadians.

[kwassa]

66. you'd have to see the write-up, it does make sense

[Fleshdancer]

67. between this article and this thread....

I would have to say that people are taking this a little too seriously. She didn't start a war, she didn't go on a shooting rampage, she put on ice skates, did her routine and fell. That's all. Why do people get this emotional over an ice skater? It's not like any of the Sasha haters could do any better than she did, so why all the anger and useless hate?

:eyes: