John Nicks Hints At Retiring Before Sochi

[judgejudy27]

It is interesting some people think Cohen could have won the 2002 Olympics. I really dont think that at all. First off Hughes received marks of mostly 5.8, 5.8. There was only room for 2 skaters, and we know which 2 skaters those were. Probably those judges were planning on going 5.8, 5.9 for a clean Kwan (with or without her triple toe-triple toe), leaving them the option of 5.9, 5.9, 6.0, 5.8, 5.9, 5.8 for Slutskaya to place her either 1st or 2nd behind Michelle if she skated clean depending on what they felt after seeing both, if she did a triple-triple, which triple-triple she did, etc...I dont see the judges going higher than that for Cohen with Kwan and Slutskaya still left to skate, space would be getting too tight at that point. Also that fall on the back end of a triple lutz-triple to attempt was her only mistake and her marks were nowhere near Hughes. I doubt she would have been place over Hughes even had she landed it. In fact she might well have still finished 4th I suspect, or best case maybe 3rd bumping Michelle off the podium.

2004 Worlds, 2006 Olympics, 2006 Worlds, every Nationals from 2003-2006 were all hers to win though (2006 Olympics given the other performances), and she blew them all, minus the 2006 Nationals which she won convincingly.

[arakwafan2006]

I hope he continues until Sochi with Ashley. They are such a great team

me too and i agree that they are. If he does retire, i hope that Ashley is not as reliant upon him as Angela Nikodinov was on Elena!

I think that it's worth noting that Tatiana Tarasova has retired a couple times and been brought back to train atheletes. Right now, she is active with Elena B's students but does not do the day to day coaching.

I think that drawing parallels between Tat and John are easy in that they both take talented skaters with potential and streamline their processes, make their basics stronger and organize their training. Thats basically what Tat did for Sasha and what John has done with Ashley and other skaters.

One thing is for sure and thats that ashley is very lucky to have worked with a master of her sport. I wish them both the best

[IceAlisa]

While I have nothing but reverence for John Nicks, I feel for Ashley. She had found the sweet spot of her skating with him and hope she can continue her course. Also, hope arakwafan2006 is right and that Mr. Nicks retires only partially, as in he may not attend competitions but would still consult Ashley and others. He is just too good and too valuable for the sport!

[giselle23]

You HAVE to consider that Arakawa might have stepped up her game if Cohen had raised the bar higher. That said, it is not 100% guaranteed she would have succeeded.

As it was, Arakawa only needed to be clean to assure herself silver.

I agree. Shizuka was going for a medal, not necessarily for gold. When Sasha faltered, she didn't need to do her 3-3.

[kwanatic]

... Mr. Nicks retires only partially, as in he may not attend competitions but would still consult Ashley and others. He is just too good and too valuable for the sport!

I think that's probably what will happen. He's been doing this for 50 or 60+ years so I don't think he'll be able to quit "cold turkey" so to speak. I don't think he'll be there for the early morning practices, or everyday practices, and he probably won't travel to the competitions. He'd probably just come in to consult with his major students before big competitions, tweak the technique, critique the performances, iron out the details, etc. Who else does Nicks have (besides Ashley) who is a top competitor?

It is interesting some people think Cohen could have won the 2002 Olympics. I really dont think that at all. First off Hughes received marks of mostly 5.8, 5.8. There was only room for 2 skaters, and we know which 2 skaters those were. Probably those judges were planning on going 5.8, 5.9 for a clean Kwan (with or without her triple toe-triple toe), leaving them the option of 5.9, 5.9, 6.0, 5.8, 5.9, 5.8 for Slutskaya to place her either 1st or 2nd behind Michelle if she skated clean depending on what they felt after seeing both, if she did a triple-triple, which triple-triple she did, etc...I dont see the judges going higher than that for Cohen with Kwan and Slutskaya still left to skate, space would be getting too tight at that point. Also that fall on the back end of a triple lutz-triple to attempt was her only mistake and her marks were nowhere near Hughes. I doubt she would have been place over Hughes even had she landed it. In fact she might well have still finished 4th I suspect, or best case maybe 3rd bumping Michelle off the podium.

2004 Worlds, 2006 Olympics, 2006 Worlds, every Nationals from 2003-2006 were all hers to win though (2006 Olympics given the other performances), and she blew them all, minus the 2006 Nationals which she won convincingly.

I agree. You have to remember that in 2002 Sasha was in the same position Mirai was in back in 2010. It was her debut international competition. She'd never been to worlds so the Olympics were her first major international stage. That lack of international cred probably did her no favors in terms of scoring and the fact that she had mistakes in her LP didn't help either.

[Maofan7]

Here is another article on John Nicks. It reads:-

At 83, he has competed in two Olympics (1948 and 1952) and coached skaters in 11 Winter Games. And should his current protege, reigning U.S. champion Ashley Wagner of Alexandria, Va., perform to her potential at this weekend’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships and back it up with a solid showing at the world championships in March, Nicks likely will make the 2014 Sochi Games the final Olympics of an illustrious career.

“He sat me down and said, ‘Dear, I’ve been saying I’m going to retire for 20 years!’” Wagner said this week, invoking a decidedly “upstairs” Downton Abbey accent in recounting Nicks’ reply when she asked about rumors he was weighing retirement. “I think that man loves to stir the pot! You never know what he’s going to do; he keeps you on your toes. Maybe it’s good for me.”

[centerstage01]

*snort* Those two could have their own comedy show. I'd totally watch it, too.

[NadineWhite]

lol i knew it, the old badger is just putting everybody on, he'll work till the bloody end imho.

[IceAlisa]

*snort* Those two could have their own comedy show. I'd totally watch it, too.

Great idea.

[bek]

I don't want to sound all age discriminatory but given Mr Nicks age, if he feels like it would be a good idea to retire now, I think he needs to listen to his instincts...The stress of the Olympics and a trip to Sochi may be too much for even the healthiest person his age.

He'll probably never retire completely, and I'm sure he can consult etc. But if I were his children and retirement was coming in my mind, I'd be encouraging it too well. At least retirement as the primary coach.....Then again perhaps the thrill of coaching is what has him in such great shape. He just needs to listen to his own body either way.