Friday, January 11, 2002
Cohen leaps into view

Sasha Cohen wants to be the first woman
to execute a quadruple jump in  competition.
Her coach, John Nicks, scoffs at the idea and
quickly changes  the subject whenever it's
broached. The two often are at odds because
of conflicting philosophies. However,  Nicks
always is willing to forget the past when
Cohen performs well.  Nicks was particularly
forgiving after the ladies' short program
Thursday  at Staples Center. In a beautifully
skated session, Cohen evoked memories  of her
winning short program two years ago at the
nationals and left the  field mildly
surprised by her second-place standing at the
U.S. Figure  Skating Championships.
Predictably, Torrance product Michelle Kwan
is the leader, and Sarah  Hughes is in third
place. "My young protege, the beautiful Ms.
Cohen," Nicks said in his proper  British
accent, "when she skates like this,
everything is forgiven." The performance puts
the 16-year-old Laguna Niguel resident in
prime  position to qualify for her first
Olympics. "It was one of my better
performances," Cohen said. "I don't think I
could  have done much better." UCLA student
Kwan, who has won the past four nationals and
five of the  last six, pushed aside the
hullabaloo surrounding her decision to fire
long-time coach Frank Carroll in October and
skate on her own. "I've been pretty used to
it," Kwan said. "You can't rely on your coach
all that much. You have to rely on yourself.
That's one of the reasons I  feel like I need
to be strong. I need to stand on my own feet
and I need  to take control of my skating.
I've been able to do that for the last
couple of months. I feel confident in my
decision." Composed but apparently cautious,
Kwan set the stage for a conservative
program in which none of the top ladies
attempted triple-triple jumps.  Instead, they
all attempted variations of triple-double
combinations that  resulted in minor
deductions in their scores. Kwan received six
scores of 5.7 and three of 5.8 for her
required  elements. Her marks for
presentation were even better -- seven scores
of  5.9 and two of 5.7. Hughes, who finished
second a year ago, was followed by Angela
Nikodinov,  now coached by Carroll. Of the
top four ladies, three train in Southern
California. Hughes trains  in New Jersey. "I
think this is probably the most exciting
group of short programs, going  back to World
Championships (in March)," said Robin Wagner,
Hughes' coach.  "The field was deep. The
girls were strong. They weren't just good
because  technical elements were done well.
Everybody really skated with their  hearts.
In this particular competition, where
(everyone) is trying to get  on the Olympic
team, I think that's an extraordinary feat."
The level of competition made the draw for
Saturday's long program, which  counts for
two-thirds of the score, crucial. Kwan goes
first and is  followed by Nikodinov, Cohen
and Hughes. The top three advance to the
Olympics next month in Salt Lake City. Kwan,
Nikodinov and Hughes each skated in the first
group of the  afternoon. However, it was
Cohen's routine about 90 minutes later that
electrified the crowd. Questions of how Cohen
would react to skating on the national stage
after  missing last year's U.S. Championships
with a lower-back injury quickly  were
answered. Her striking response has some
believing she will be the next great
American skater after Kwan. Cohen had no
difficulty with her jumps and  received marks
ranging from 5.5 to 5.9 for her required
elements and 5.7  to 5.9 for presentation. "I
didn't see the other skaters. I didn't know
how they skated," Cohen  said. "I was just
focusing on my performance and doing what
I've been  doing in practice and just
focusing on the pattern I had in my head, and
I  knew if I could stick to that, it would
work out. "I've worked really hard this year
and so far, most of it has been  rewarding.
Right now, I'm focusing on Saturday and
trying to make the  Olympic team." Cohen, who
has tried three quadruple jumps in
competitions but has yet to  land one
cleanly, doesn't plan to attempt one in the
long program. And  that's fine with Nicks.