Who is the better skater: Kwan or Cohen?

[duane]

I guess Sasha was simply a 3rd-rate skater who got as far as she did with pretty spirals and spins.

 

[AJ Skatefan]

I guess Sasha was simply a 3rd-rate skater who got as far as she did with pretty spirals and spins.

Nobody said that. The original question was comparing Sasha and Michelle. Sasha was a good skater. Michelle was better, IMO.

 

[duane]

Nobody said that.

No edges, no speed, no glide, wobbly, a gymnast on ice...even a person who wasn't into figure skating could tell she wasn't that good. Oh, and even her spins and spirals weren't all that great, as they traveled, weren't well centered, and had a poor change of edge.

Oh, but what wonderful flexibility she had!

 

[Sparks]

I guess Sasha was simply a 3rd-rate skater who got as far as she did with pretty spirals and spins.

If you say so.

 

[duane]

Oooo....good one.

 

[sk8ingcoach]

Now i am a strong hater of both these skaters. But when both were at their prime, kwan was the greater skater. This is easy just by counting the number of world championships

 

[AndyWarhol]

Now i am a strong hater of both these skaters. But when both were at their prime, kwan was the greater skater. This is easy just by counting the number of world championships

a strong hater?!

 

[chanunderrated]

No edges, no speed, no glide, wobbly, a gymnast on ice...even a person who wasn't into figure skating could tell she wasn't that good. Oh, and even her spins and spirals weren't all that great, as they traveled, weren't well centered, and had a poor change of edge.

Oh, but what wonderful flexibility she had!

I havent seen her live but if the people in this thread who have are accurately potraying what her skating looks like live, I would have to say she was probably lucky to achieve what she did even.

However if you just go by her achievements and nothing else she is still nowhere near the skater Kwan, Slutskaya, Kim, Asada are either overall, and even below Hughes, Butyrskaya, Arakawa.

 

[museksk8r]

a strong hater?!

Seriously, people should strongly hate those who abuse children, elderly people, and animals, for example, not figure skaters.

 

[shine]

Now i am a strong hater of both these skaters. But when both were at their prime, kwan was the greater skater. This is easy just by counting the number of world championships

Do your students take you seriously?

 

[falling_dance]

Do your students take you seriously?

With his/her amazingly big hair and plastic "jewel" navel, it's probably impossible not to take that poster seriously.

 

[duane]

I havent seen her live but if the people in this thread who have are accurately potraying what her skating looks like live, I would have to say she was probably lucky to achieve what she did even.

I have seen her live (attended the 2002 Nationals in LA--with a group of members from the old FSWorld board!) and don't think people are accurately portraying her.

 

[sk8ingcoach]

Do your students take you seriously?

Well as i have had students at JW's and 4CC, yes they do take me seriously. Do you have any students

 

[christinaskater]

In terms of spiral extensions, posture, drama and spins- it is Sasha Cohen.

But in terms of overall skating... it is a no brainer, it is Michelle Kwan! Michelle Kwan is one of the greats, if not the greatest skater who ever lived!

 

[dorianhotel]

I once heard someone say Cohen's only weaknesses were jumping and basic skating. Those are like the two most important things in the sport though, so that already is a huge minus for her. It does show how great she was in many other things she even could achieve what she did, but she can never compare to the truly greatest with weak jumps, weak basic skating, and horrible consistency and being a poor competitor.

 

[leesaleesa]

Red Violin was so unique b/c there isn't a lot of music to hide behind.

I agree with this, and will add that Lyra (though I disliked the music), Ariane, and SOTBS didn't give her much to hide behind, either. She performed each of these programs cleanly at least once, and all were 7 triple programs. I would say she gave absolutely spellbinding performances to at least three of those programs.

Sasha was very bendy, but her hyperextension looked stiff and forced to me, and the line she created seemed static-Her spiral shortened her line instead of creating a long, dynamic line such as Kwan achieved. Watch the feet and you will see the true story. her feet are wobbly and unsure most of the time.

Sasha did a great job and had a wonderful career, but I would put her way below Kwan, Slutskaya, and Arakawa, closer to but still behind Butyrskaya, and more on a level with Sarah Hughes and Jenny Kirk. Simply put, she has weak feet. I always found it curious when she was compared to a ballerina because she was so stiff, hyper extended, and had such crummy feet. Toe point is all fine and dandy, but there's more to feet than point.

Yuka Sato had brilliant feet. Good god, she could turn one into a foot fetishist.

 

[dorianhotel]

I dont think as great as she is Sasha could have pulled off Red Violin, atleast not the way Kwan did.

 

[VGThuy]

I dont think as great as she is Sasha could have pulled off Red Violin, atleast not the way Kwan did.

Although I do believe overall that Kwan was more musical and a better interpreter of music, I don't think Sasha not being able to pull off TRV can be considered a criticism of Cohen since I'm sure many will say Kwan would not have been able to pull off some of Sasha's programs with the same style and attack that Sasha did.

I personally found Sasha's musical interpretation to be a little shallow and at times unconvincing, but I know many others disagree vigorously.

 

[mustafinabars]

Sasha became way better in choreography and musical intpretation when she began working with Tarasova. Actually I think she went down a bit again once she left her.

 

[pETEs (Sasha Fan)]

Michelle attempted a 3Z-3R at 2001 Skate Canada so this isn't correct either. That's generally considered harder than either 3-3 you listed for Sasha.

Sasha landed some terrific 4S. That is generally considered harder than a 3Lz-3Lo.

 

[pETEs (Sasha Fan)]

What about Cohen's spirals? Is there any ladies' skater in history who has performed better spirals??

Sasha's spirals are ICONIC even if they aren't truly the best.

 

[chapis]

How did you manage to revive a thread from 2013?

 

[pETEs (Sasha Fan)]

How did you manage to revive a thread from 2013?

Search bars do their magic.

 

[Karpenko]

Let's do the tiiiiiiimewarp agaaaaaain!

The hell? I haven't thought about this question in 10 years. The answer is still Michelle Kwan though.

 

[bardtoob]

I can still feel the sting of negative rep

 

[montrealsurfa]

I think Sasha is the better skater. Michelle's biggest strength is her artisty and Sasha is a better artist, in addition to having way better spins, better spirals, better footwork, better jumps (when landed). Michelle is just the better competitor, which is usually what counts in this sport. Michelle was great at skating cleanly everytime and winning titles through others mistakes. Sasha did the opposite, gifting titles to lesser skaters like Arakawa and Slutskaya with mistakes, and U.S titles to Kwan. Sasha wins all of the 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 U.S titles and has more U.S titles than Kwan today going clean, she wins 2010 over Flatt too had she gone clean (not a clean Nagasu but Nagasu got hit with a ton of <s).

 

[VGThuy]

I feel like I already read that post in this thread like four years ago from a similar sounding poster.

 

[Karpenko]

I bet you he still gets people to reply to him. He pretty much unleashed all of the hounds on that last post.

I almost started bringing up skating skills, but then I'm like why bother - I'd rather talk about almonds. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Almond joy has nuts (mounds don't)

 

[VGThuy]

I bet you he still gets people to reply to him. He pretty much unleashed all of the hounds on that last post.

I almost started bringing up skating skills, but then I'm like why bother - I'd rather talk about almonds. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Almond joy has nuts (mounds don't)

I've been obsessed with chocolate covered almonds for like the past 20 years. I some times eat non-covered almonds pretending there's chocolate covering them when I get a hankering .

 

[Sk8tn]

The consensus would be Kwan is better on the blade and Cohen more striking in positions, but why get wrapped up in comparisons? Life's too short for that so just enjoy all that both offered.