Michelle Kwan is engaged!

[BITTER]

Bimbobek

Oh, but wasn't she, though? If she wasn't she'd never have dyed her hair that shade of blonde .

Didn't she show up late at Nagano? US ladies could have swept the podium, but she showed up late and fucked up her short program; it was like a fetus dangling from a coat hanger.

[msdeb]

it was like a fetus dangling from a coat hanger.

[Rusalka]

Bitter, you may possibly be my favourite person ever.

[BITTER]

Bitter, you may possibly be my favourite person ever.

*BITTER bows* Awwww, shucks. Thanks so much. I love talking skating with you, you know? I love the idea that GR has devoted skating fans!

If I didn't like Nicole, I wouldn't rag on her. My goodness, the goods this girl had - the talent and the looks (save for that wonky eye that they could have fixed). Rusalka, do you know why Jana Bobek and her lover switched Nicole's coaches so much? They changed them so often and I think it had a detrimental effect on Nicole's skating.

[Rusalka]

I love talking skating on GR too!

The story with Nicole is that she kept coach hopping because a) no one could deal with her for long and b) Jana and Joyce kept looking for a quick fix and rushed to the coach du jour. It was absolutely detrimental because you don't build that trust, nor do you get a solid technical background. A strong coach/skater relationship is probably *the* most important thing in skating.

I loved Nicole, I truly believe she was more naturally talented than Michelle, Tara, etc. Because she'd never train but if she managed to focus for like, 2 weeks and get herself in shape, she could turn out brilliant performances. That happens far too often IMO. The truly gifted ones (Sasha, Johnny, Sandhu, Bowman, etc) fall back on their talent too much because they can pull it out of their ass when they need to. But it always catches up to you, which is why none of them have the results they're capable of. Sure Michelle was very talented, but girl WORKED, stayed in shape all year, trained like a fiend, did what she was told, etc. Evan Lysacek is the same way.

[BITTER]

I love talking skating on GR too!

The story with Nicole is that she kept coach hopping because a) no one could deal with her for long and b) Jana and Joyce kept looking for a quick fix and rushed to the coach du jour. It was absolutely detrimental because you don't build that trust, nor do you get a solid technical background. A strong coach/skater relationship is probably *the* most important thing in skating.

I loved Nicole, I truly believe she was more naturally talented than Michelle, Tara, etc. Because she'd never train but if she managed to focus for like, 2 weeks and get herself in shape, she could turn out brilliant performances. That happens far too often IMO. The truly gifted ones (Sasha, Johnny, Sandhu, Bowman, etc) fall back on their talent too much because they can pull it out of their ass when they need to. But it always catches up to you, which is why none of them have the results they're capable of. Sure Michelle was very talented, but girl WORKED, stayed in shape all year, trained like a fiend, did what she was told, etc. Evan Lysacek is the same way.

I wanted to slap Nicole when she cried those fake-assed tears when Carlo Fassi died. I mean, how long were they together? And how she fell to her knees in prayer after her program? Drama queen. And poor Robin Cousins (I think he did her choreo) had to sit there in K&C with Krista Fassi and watch Nicole make an ass out of herself. You can't tell me those tears were real, no way.

All the ones you mentioned - OMG Rusalka, we are so on the same page. My thing with Sasha is that although she had gorgeous extension and flexibility, her edging and stroking were shallow and seemed to lack confidence; she always looked like she was about to tip over. Her nerves would get the best of her - the camera caught her at 04 Worlds in Dortmund and the 06 Torino games, where she led after the short. The look on her face each time, told me she was gonna fuck it up. The same thing with Sandhu - he made me ill the way he'd botch things up.

Neither Kwan nor Lysacek are the most talented, but yeah, they had a great work ethic instilled in them by Frank Carroll.

[olivia]

All the ones you mentioned - OMG Rusalka, we are so on the same page. My thing with Sasha is that although she had gorgeous extension and flexibility, her edging and stroking were shallow and seemed to lack confidence; she always looked like she was about to tip over. Her nerves would get the best of her - the camera caught her at 04 Worlds in Dortmund and the 06 Torino games, where she led after the short. The look on her face each time, told me she was gonna fuck it up. The same thing with Sandhu - he made me ill the way he'd botch things up.

I always thought that Cohen simply wasn't strong enough to be a the best skater. Though her body could do amazing things, she never had the sheer strength to consistently jump, spin and hold her edges. Her legs and her back just couldn't handle it.

That's what Kwan had over so many other skaters, the girl was STRONG. So was Irina Slutskaya. At the end of the day, all the prettiness in the world can't compete with the consistency of strength and good training.

[Slushie]

I'd forgotten about good old Nicole. Aunt Joyce still lives on in the soul of that amazingly bitchy Ice Cream Stand blog, though.

[BITTER]

I always thought that Cohen simply wasn't strong enough to be a the best skater. Though her body could do amazing things, she never had the sheer strength to consistently jump, spin and hold her edges. Her legs and her back just couldn't handle it.

I think she had a serious eating disorder; that can have an affect on one's strength and stamina. Sometimes Sasha looked like a prisoner of war. There used to be a pic of her on her website wearing a midriff-baring dance outfit. It caused quite a stir; you could not just see her ribs, but her liver as well.

That's what Kwan had over so many other skaters, the girl was STRONG. So was Irina Slutskaya. At the end of the day, all the prettiness in the world can't compete with the consistency of strength and good training.

Irina was a bit of a throwback to the days of Katarina Witt, Rosalynn Sumner and Debi Thomas; remember how buff and fit lady skaters were back then? Of course, Irina had the artistry of an epileptic St. Bernard, but man, she was in shape.

[laurenshelton2]

I think she had a serious eating disorder; that can have an affect on one's strength and stamina. Sometimes Sasha looked like a prisoner of war. There used to be a pic of her on her website wearing a midriff-baring dance outfit. It caused quite a stir; you could not just see her ribs, but her liver as well.

I was just going to post something about this. When she was trying to come back to competition for Vancouver, she looked positively emaciated. She was always very thin but she looked really bad and weak.

[Slushie]

Of course, Irina had the artistry of an epileptic St. Bernard

[BITTER]

I was just going to post something about this. When she was trying to come back to competition for Vancouver, she looked positively emaciated. She was always very thin but she looked really bad and weak.

What a mistake that was. She never should have come back. Did the USFSA talk her into trying to come back because their then-current crop of women sucked so bad? Is that why?

It's funny, but I remember so many of her fluff pieces on ABC/ESPN had her in restaurants.

Remember her 04-05 short program? She's like, supposed to be a fortune teller, and she's dealing cards, but since she's so fucking artless, she looked like she was feeding chickens??!!

[laurenshelton2]

What a mistake that was. She never should have come back. Did the USFSA talk her into trying to come back because their then-current crop of women sucked so bad? Is that why?

Possibly. We had Rachael [sic] Splatt and little Mirai Nagasu, who actually was really wonderful and should've gotten the bronze. Sasha never had the psychological fortitude to really compete at that level. Her short programs were always great but she would fall apart in the long.

[Slushie]

Remember her 04-05 short program? She's like, supposed to be a fortune teller, and she's dealing cards, but since she's so fucking artless, she looked like she was feeding chickens??!!

That was in her LP for that season. Some of the choreography she was given throughout her career was just plain bizarre: chicken-feeding, hair-pulling, arm-flailing etc. etc. particularly considering she had no musicality whatsoever. Combine that with some of the music cuts she skated to, and you had yourself one hot mess right there.

Oddly enough, I always found myself enjoying watching her routines, though.

[BITTER]

Possibly. We had Rachael [sic] Splatt and little Mirai Nagasu, who actually was really wonderful and should've gotten the bronze. Sasha never had the psychological fortitude to really compete at that level. Her short programs were always great but she would fall apart in the long.

Rachael Flatt is offensive to the eyes. Mirai is very bendy and elegant, but is an inconsistent jumper. Ladies are stank post-Vancouver. If Carolina Kostner can win Euro and World titles, something is very wrong with skating. Sasha was just a big ol' head case.

That was in her LP for that season. Some of the choreography she was given throughout her career was just plain bizarre: chicken-feeding, hair-pulling, arm-flailing etc. etc. particularly considering she had no musicality whatsoever. Combine that with some of the music cuts she skated to, and you had yourself one hot mess right there.

Oddly enough, I always found myself enjoying watching her routines, though.

Plushenko's coach Alexei Mishin said, "Russian women - make better truck drivers than skaters!". Or something along those lines. Elena Sokolova had her charms IMO, save for those telegraphed jumps. Victoria Volkchova was lovely, but was too curvy to skate. Maria Butyrskaya was awful, so stiff-legged. On some skating boards, she's called Gumby, and for good reason. Russians showed so strong in all the disciplines save for ladies' singles.