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Come back, Sasha Cohen. Please.

By Philip Hersh
The Chicago Tribune

One can only hope Sasha Cohen was serious when she said two months ago that she wanted to return to competition for the 2010 Olympic season. Because U.S. women's figure skating can use help. Badly.

That was apparent when the women's competition in the Grand Prix “regular season” ended Saturday in Japan. It was, indeed, the end: No U.S. woman has qualified for the Grand Prix Final for just the fourth time in the event’s 14-season history. And this is the second U.S. shutout in the past three years.

Now it may be nearly three seasons since Cohen finished second in the 2006 Olympics and third in the 2006 world championships. And she may never have transformed her eye-catching style and striking potential into two clean performances in a major competition.

Yet Cohen won three world medals (with two 4ths) and finished first and second in the two Grand Prix finals she made. And she still is barely 24 years old. And the Cohen of the 2006 worlds -- implosion in the free skate notwithstanding -- is a better skater than anything the U.S. has now.

The three baby ballerinas who dazzled last season -- Rachael Flatt, 16, and Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang, both 15 -- all clearly lack the maturity and consistency to be serious medal contenders on the senior circuit for the next two years. And the two 19-year-old veterans who appeared ready to take over after 2006, Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes, each has struggled badly for the past two seasons.

Flatt skated more than respectably in both her Grand Prix events this season, finishing second and fourth, but that left her just eighth in the final standings, with the top six making the Grand Prix Final. Alissa Czisny, her elegance undone as always by badly flawed skating, was 9th overall. Zhang wound up 11th in the standings with individual meet finishes of third and fifth. Reigning U.S. champion Nagasu, trying to cope with a growth spurt, was 17th after finishing fifth at Skate America and eighth at the NHK Trophy in Japan. Meissner, the 2006 world champion, had two 8ths and placed 21st overall.

So we have Cohen, who told reporters after an Oct. 1 rehearsal for a made-for-TV event that she had resumed training and would put her acting career on hold until after the Vancouver Olympics (see http://www.sashacohen.com/news.shtml). The three best scores of Cohen’s career are better than those of any other U.S. skater ever. The six best scores of her career (including those at the 2006 worlds and Olympics) are better than those of any U.S. skater except Meissner who once was a contender.

Now I understand that the new ding ’em attitude among skating judges has made high scores more difficult to get since 2006. But U.S. figure skating officials still should roll out a red carpet for Cohen’s return. Even if she has not been seen in competition since March, 2006, Cohen still looks like the only U.S. woman capable of walking up the red carpet to the awards stand at the 2010 Winter Games.

Sasha on TV Sunday!

Sasha Cohen will be featured Sunday at the “McDonald’s Family Tribute on Ice” that will be aired on NBC at 2 p.m. ET.

Sasha will be performing at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Some of figure skating's top current stars join Sasha, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, as they dedicate this event to the care and devotion of their families in shaping their lives and athletic careers.

Pop Star Nick Lachey, former lead singer of the boy band 98 Degrees, and Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and actor Mario will provide the music for the show.

Other skaters performing are Evan Lysacek, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, Mirai Nagasu Jeffrey Buttle and Kimmie Meissner.

Kristi Yamaguchi and NBC Sports commentator Craig Hummer will host the show.

Sasha featured in yoga magazine

October 3, 2008

By ANNA DUBROVSKY

I love yoga. It's always challenging, especially when you get a great teacher. I started about two-and-a-half years ago. My mom and sister found a Yoga Works studio nearby, and they told me, "Hey, this is a great workout. You have to try it." It's great to find workouts that complement skating and allow you to do certain moves on the ice. With skating, you don't have a chance to develop your core and upper body. It's mainly legs and lower body. Yoga makes me a much stronger athlete. It's a great way to get warmed up and tone all my muscles and keep my whole body strong.

When I wake up in the morning, my body isn't very happy with me. I need a bit of yoga to feel really good and start my day. I get on my mat and warm up with some lunges, downward dog, upward dog. After that I go on a short walk to get some fresh air -- get everything awake and moving -- and then I drive down to the rink. When I'm home, I go to a yoga class once or twice a week.

I'm traveling a good eight, nine months of the year. It's very intense. I practice yoga almost every day when I'm on tour. I do it in hotel rooms all the time. I do it at the arenas. I do it outside on the beach, in the park -- wherever I am. it's very easy to find time and a place to do yoga, which is something I love about it.

In one of the programs I did on tour last year, I started on a platform in the middle of the ice without skates and did these forearm stands and arches that I kind of stole from yoga. Yoga really inspired me to go in that direction.

The benefits aren't just physical. Yoga really helps me get centered mentally, get focused and relaxed at the same time. I love shavasana. My mind goes a million miles a minute, so I have to train it to just stay in the moment. I put everything into my yoga practice, so at the end I'm really tired, and I love taking that time in shavasana to just relax and breathe.

Sasha says she's resumed training

October 1, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen on Wednesday said she has resumed serious training after 2½ years away from competitive skating in hopes competing in the 2010 Olympic Games.

"I really want to compete next (season)," Cohen said after a rehearsal for Friday night's McDonald's Family Tribute on Ice at the Galen Center.

"I've been skating a lot and I'm looking forward to being competitive again."
Cohen, the 2006 U.S. champion, said will not be ready to compete in the upcoming 2009 season capped by the World Figure Skating Championships at Staples Center March 22-29.

The Corona del Mar resident hasn't competed since finishing third at the 2006 Worlds in Calgary. A month earlier, Cohen was second at the Olympic Games in Turin.

Cohen, who first came to international prominence as a teenager coached by John Nicks, said she hasn't yet settled on a coach for her Vancouver 2010 bid. She said in recent months she has been working with a number of different coaches, some based in California, others elsewhere, but declined to name them.

Cohen is one of the headliners in Friday's program that will be televised on NBC on Nov.16. She will skate while former 98 Degrees lead singer Nick Lachey performs.

Cohen will devote more training after upcoming performances in Turin and Milan and tours in the U.S. and Japan. She has appeared in a series of television shows and three movies but said she is putting her acting career on hold until after Vancouver.

Sasha to perform in
"Skating for Life" on NBC

“Skating for Life,” an all-star variety show featuring country singer Sara Evans, and a performing roster of 11 Olympic, World and National figure-skating champions, will star in a two-hour NBC special this fall. The show will be taped at Bloomington, Ill., U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen, three-time U.S. National champ Johnny Weir, U.S. National champ Rudy Galindo, U.S. National Bronze medalist Emily Hughes, six-time Canadian National champ Jennifer Robinson and eight-time British champ Steven Cousins will be performing.

Also on board are Sylvia Fontana and the teams of John Baldwin and Rena Inoue, and Jenni Meno and Todd Sand.

The one-time-only performance, hosted by Peggy Fleming, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15, with NBC airing the show from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 25.

Tickets are $30 to $105, and go on sale at 10 a.m. Aug. 16 via the Coliseum box office and area Ticketmaster outlets.

Both the live performance and the NBC special are a benefit for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the network of breast cancer survivors and activists founded in the memory of the Peoria-born Komen.

All of the performers, from Evans to each of the skaters, have been touched either directly or through family members by cancer, according to the show’s executive producer, Steve Disson.

What: ”Skating for Life”

When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15

Where: U.S. Cellular Coliseum, 101 S. Madison St., Bloomington

Tickets: $30 to $105, beginning 10 a.m. Aug. 16

Box office number: (866) 891-9992

Sasha to be on "Secret Talents
of the Stars"

March 20, 2008

Sasha Cohen will begin training this weekend for her appearance on the CBS show, “Secret Talents of the Stars”, a new reality competition series for celebrities, which will premiere live on Tuesday, April 8 at 10PM EDT/PT.

Sasha will be performing with the "New Shanghai Circus," a Chinese Acrobat Troupe. “I’m going to begin training with some them this weekend,” Sasha said.

Each week, the celebrities featured will compete in a tournament-style format to determine who has the best hidden talent among them.

While their performance will be critiqued by the show's yet-to-be-announced judging panel, it's home viewers who will be able to vote following each episode to determine which celebrities stay in the competition and who goes home.

Secret Talents of the Stars will follow a seven-week, tournament-style broadcast format.

Sasha in Russia for
skating spectacular

December 18, 2007

From wire reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Sasha Cohen, Olympic Silver Medalist, is among world ice skating stars that will perform in a unique show to take place on Moscow and St. Petersburg’s main squares on Wednesday.

The Two Capitals Ice Show will be held at the outdoor skating rinks built on Moscow’s Red Square and St. Petersburg’s Palace Square.

In St. Petersburg, the show will feature Cohen, Olympic champion Evgeny Plushenko, Tatyana Navka and Roman Kostomarov, Stephane Lambiel, Olympic bronze medalist and Phillipe Candeloro among others.

Moscow’s show will host Olympic champion ice skater Alexei Yagudin, Irina Slutskaya, Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov,  Ekaterina Gordeeva and many other stars.

Tickets for the show will cost from 1,000 rubles ($41).

Sasha shares thoughts with Toronto media

The Canadian Press

December 12, 2007

TORONTO - A figure skating star popped up among the locals out for a midday skate on the rink in front of city hall on Tuesday.

Olympic silver medallist Sasha Cohen was in town to promote the Stars On Ice tour of Canada next spring. "I can't remember the last time I skated in snow," the 23-year-old Californian said as she stepped onto the ice into a curtain of the white stuff.

Cohen hasn't laced on her skates for an International Skating Union competition since winning a third consecutive world championship medal in Calgary in March 2006. She said it's possible she could return for the 2008-2009 season and on into the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

"I've kept my eligibility so I still have that option," she said. "It's been really good to take a break.

"It really kind of renewed my spark and love for skating. If my body holds up and I'm competitive, I'd love to be in Vancouver."

She's well aware that being out of the ISU loop for two years would reduce her chances of getting back to the top.
"It's all about wanting it," she said. "It definitely would be hard to get back to competitive shape but I think that, if there's a will, there's a way."

One thing she knows for sure is that she's more relaxed these days.

"What I miss most is that high after you've done a great program and seeing the story the next day in the paper about the competition and all of the excitement and all of the congratulations and the flowers and the hype and energy attached to all of it," she said. "Living life at that level was so different.

"The highs were so high and the lows were so low. I've got used to (not competing) now but, for the six months of having a normal life, it was weird because life was just too easy - relaxed and flat - but, at the same time, I've really enjoyed being able to go out with friends, being able to spend the holidays with my family, not being so stressed and nervous every day. So, there's been a balance."

She said she hasn't watched any competitive figure skating since Calgary.

"I haven't seen anything and I think that's been good for me," she said. "I have no interest to watch.

"I just needed to do something else. My world was so narrow for so long, right into the (Turin) Olympics. Everything revolved around that. I didn't have anything else. After that, my world kind of opened up and I realized there were other things that I wanted."

Show tours keep the five-foot-two skater on the road. She'd just flown in from stops in British Columbia and following her Christmas break she'll go to Japan on Jan. 2 with Stars On Ice. There'll be shows in Puerto Rico and across the United States before the Canadian tour from April 17 to May 7 in Halifax, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton, London, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver.

Included in the cast are Canadians Kurt Browning, Jeff Buttle, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, and Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon.

"I do five numbers and it's so much fun," Cohen said. "It's making me grow as an artist and performer.

"It's a close family of skaters. People collaborate, which makes for good shows. We've got a wonderful group."
She's always enjoyed being in Canada. She won the Skate Canada International in neighbouring Mississauga in 2003, and her overall mark remains a personal best.

Missing out on Olympic gold in Turin was a major disappointment at the time, but she's way beyond that now.

"If you hold on to your mistakes or defeats, that would eat at your confidence," she said. "You just have to let it go and move forward.

"You have to - for survival."

Cohen is surviving just fine, although injuries that hampered some of her ISU seasons have left her susceptible to backaches.

"It's definitely something I've got to maintain now with all the travel and shows and not being able to see physiotherapists on a regular basis," she said. "My back is definitely sore.

"I'll fly home (to Los Angeles) and work on it (Wednesday). It's upkeep, maintenance."

Her sport has been aching, too. Attendance is down most everywhere. Some blame the complicated scoring system now being used. It is incomprehensible to many, and even some skaters don't grasp its many facets.

"It's unfortunate," said Cohen. "That's another thing that makes it difficult to want to compete, when nobody understands (the scoring).

"You put in all the work and you go to empty arenas. It's hard, especially when you've seen more, and now you've seen it come down to this. It goes in cycles and, hopefully, the sport can be revived because it's one of the hardest sports. The sports I have the most respect for are skating and gymnastics."

Cohen has had numerous acting roles. She played herself in the motion picture "Blades of Glory" and has appeared in TV dramas including "CSI:NY". She attended acting classes at Harvard University for six weeks last summer.

"I absolutely loved it," she said. "I stayed in the dorms, I felt like I was normal, I was a student and it was great to have a taste of that life.

"It also made me understand and appreciate that I can only skate for so long, whether it's competitively or in shows. It made me dedicate myself more to skating and to understand my opportunities in skating."

Sasha and Starbucks
brew special events

What: “Ice At Santa Monica”
When: December 6, noon-2 p.m.
Where: 1324 Fifth Street

What: Embarcadero Ice Rink
When: December 15, 6-8 p.m.
Where: San Francisco at Justin Herman Plaza

December 5, 2007

Sasha and Starbucks are paired up to open two California skating rinks for the holidays. Sasha will be at Santa Monica December 6 and at San Francisco December 15.

Starbucks is “My favorite coffee,” says Sasha. “I’m hoping to get a gift card for their coffee,” she said as she laughed about partnering with the world’s most favorite coffee she has sipped throughout her career including winning the U.S. National championship and the Olympic Silver medal.

“I’m expecting to see a lot of fans and smell some great coffee,” said Sasha. “I look forward to seeing a lot of my friends and fans at Santa Monica and San Francisco. Starbucks has put together a great event and I’m happy they’ve asked me to be part of it.”

At Santa Monica Thursday, Sasha will perform an exhibition when the new ice skating rink is open for the holidays at 1324 Fifth Street.

The event is scheduled between noon and 2 p.m.

Starbucks and the Bayside District Corporation invite residents to celebrate the opening of Santa Monica’s new ice skating rink with a unique event. Sasha will perform during the ceremony.

Sasha and Starbucks invite fans and guests to enjoy fun holiday activities, ice skating, a visit from Santa and complimentary Starbucks beverages. Christmas flavors like Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Christmas Blend Coffee and more are available.

A special presentation to kick off the opening of the all-new ice rink will be made, followed by Sasha skating an exhibition.

An added benefit will be Starbucks hosting one of its community partners, P.S. Arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping arts and music education in Title 1 Los Angeles schools.

The “Ice at Santa Monica” will be open through January 6, 2008. It’s a great way for residents, families and their visiting guests to come together and enjoy the season.

Sasha and Starbucks will have host a special event at San Francisco’s Embarcadero Ice Rink at Justin Herman Plaza. The ceremonies will take place between 6-8 p.m.

Sasha begins starring role in SOI

November 24, 2007

Note: Sasha has amended her music selection for Stars On Ice.

Olympic Silver medalist Sasha Cohen begins her starring role in the Smucker’s Stars On Ice 2008 Tour tonight at 8 p.m. at the Olympic Center at Lake Placid, New York.

Fans will see Sasha perform in a show that features her in individual and cast numbers in “Live and In Color.” Sasha and the cast will interact with the fans during the show.

Sasha will skate two numbers: one to John Lennon’s “Imagine” and another to Sarah Brightman's "Anytime, Anywhere."

Jan Longmire made Sasha's dresses for the two main numbers. Longmire has been making Sasha's dresses for her competitive and exhibition numbers throughout her career. Sasha and Longmire have received rave reviews on the dresses and Sasha has won her biggest competitions in dresses made by Jan -- including the Olympic Silver medal at Turin, Italy.

Joining Sasha on tour are cast members Michael Weiss, Ilia Kulik, Todd Eldredge, Jennifer Robinson, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, Yuka Sato, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier and Marie-France Dubreil and Patrice Lauzon.

The performance is the only one the remainder of the year in the U.S. Sasha will perform in Japan in a three-week SOI Tour in January. Stars On Ice begins its 2008 U.S. tour January 31 at Spokane Arena at Spokane, Washington.

Sasha on "Today" show

November 1, 2007

Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen will be on the Today show Friday morning, Nov. 2, and Saturday, Nov. 3.

Sasha will be promoting her upcoming show in Atlantic with Sarah Brightman and is scheduled to skate a Christmas number.

The schedule has Sasha skating at the Rockefeller Center Rink. Sasha has frequently skated at Rockefeller in the past as part of the lighting of the Christmas tree ceremonies.

“I love New York and all the support I have received from the fans there. I’m excited to be back there and hope to see a lot of my fans tomorrow morning.

“I will be skating my 'Hurt' program Friday morning, and 'Winter Wonderland' Saturday," said Sasha. "I'll be wearing my 'Hurt' costume and a pretty, red dress for the Christmas program.

Young skaters get surprise visit

October 18, 2007

By Michael C. Lewis
The Salt Lake Tribune

They stood on tip-toes, noses pressed against the glass. Dozens of pony-tailed and squealing young members of the Salt Lake Figure Skating Club could scarcely believe what they saw:

Sasha Cohen was on the ice.

The two-time Olympic figure skater sent the skaters (and some of their parents) into a flutter of excitement when she stopped by the Salt Lake City Sports Complex for a workout Thursday, in advance of the world premiere of her feature debut in the family film "Moondance Alexander" at the Jordan Commons theater in Sandy. It was the first time she had skated there since practicing in the days before the 2002 Salt Lake Games.

"Lot of memories," she said.

Better still, the 22-year-old stuck around after her workout, allowing the aspiring skaters to join her on the ice for a quick skate and a short visit.

She unlaced her skates next to a pair of wide-eyed little girls in bright figure-skating dresses, then signed autographs and posed for photos with her adoring fans.

"To be able to inspire so many young girls is really an honor to me," she said. "I have fun, and I see myself in them. When I was that age, I was young and silly and a drama queen and I loved to fly around the rink, so it's fun for me to be here with them."

Though she won the silver medal at the 2006 Turin Games in Italy and the bronze medal at the World Championships in Canada a month later, Cohen has not skated competitively in almost exactly a year. She won't do so this season, either, opting instead to perform in the Stars on Ice Tour and various other shows and exhibitions.

But she still plans to compete at the 2009 World Championships in Los Angeles and the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, for which she will begin serious training in June.

"It has been so good for me to have this break, because it just sparks that fire again, to really, really, really want it and need it," she said. "I look forward, every morning, to going to the rink and it's just a lot of fun for me to push myself."

Cohen has spent much of her time over the past year working on her modeling and acting careers, appearing as herself in episodes of the television series "Las Vegas" and "CSI:NY" and in the figure-skating film spoof "Blades of Glory," among other things. But her role as Fiona Hughes in "Moonlight Alexander" - "I play the mean one," she said - is her first feature part, alongside Don Johnson.

But her fans, clearly, admire her most for her skating.

"Her triples are gorgeous," said 16-year-old Brynn Dimino of Salt Lake City. "So is her choreography."

Dimino was among about a dozen skaters who practiced at the same time as Cohen, though she had bigger things on her mind than noticing that Cohen had no need for difficult triple jumps during her 45-minute workout.

"I was afraid I was going to get in her way," Dimino said. "But it was really cool. She was really nice."

Sasha teaming up
with Sarah Brightman

July 11, 2007

Sasha Cohen will appear in Disson Skating shows three times this fall with all of them performed with live entertainment and will be broadcast on NBC-TV.

Sasha will be appearing with Sarah Brightman, Clay Aiken, The Temptations and Boyz II Men.

Sasha, the Olympic Silver medalist and Brightman, the world’s top selling female cross-over artist, will team up in Sasha’s third show – Progressive Fashion at Atlantic City, New Jersey on November 17. “Oh my gosh, I’m so excited. It’s amazing I get to combine skating with Sarah’s singing.”

The uniqueness of the show is that it features fashion three of the world’s hottest young fashion designers Heatherette, John Bartlett and Sue Stemp designing skaters’ costumes. “I will get to skate with Sarah and get a couple of new dresses,” Sasha said with a laugh. “Hopefully the dresses will be made to stretch!”

Sasha’s first appearance will be Kurt Browning’s Gotta Skate presented by Smucker’s at Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. “I will focus on Kurt’s show and the numbers I will perform first,” said Sasha. “This is going to be so much fun to skate to live music.”

The Temptations and Boyz II Men will perform at Browning’s show. Sasha, Browning, Evan Lysacek and Jeffrey Buttle are among the skaters performing.

Sasha will skate in the Holiday Celebration On Ice presented by Capital One on November 6 at The Orleans in Las Vegas, Nevada. Clay Aiken will be the performing artist. Among the skaters appearing will by Yuka Sato Todd Eldredge, Phillippe Candeloro and Jenni Meno & Todd Sand.

That show will be televised Christmas day from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Steve Disson has created and produced over 100 made-for-television specials, adding 10 more NBC specials to the list in 2006-2007.

Disson received his first Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2005 for the show entitled “Scott Hamilton and Friends.”

'Blades' skates to No. 1 at box office

The Will Ferrell parody takes in $33 million in the U.S. and Canada in its
opening weekend.

By Josh Friedman
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

April 2, 2007

Will Ferrell has played an elf, an anchorman, a NASCAR driver and now an iceskater. What he rarely plays — at least when it comes to silly comedies — is second fiddle at the box office.

DreamWorks Pictures and MTV Films’ “Blades of Glory,” Ferrell's latest high-concept parody, skated off with an estimated $33 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada. DreamWorks spokesman Marvin Levy said the studio was on a roll with “Dreamgirls,” “Norbit” and now “Blades of Glory.”

“I like to think of this as our own triple axel,” Levy said.

Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen played a cameo role in the film.

The comedy bested another solid opener, the animated “Meet the Robinsons,” one of the widest releases of a 3-D movie in recent years.

“Blades of Glory,” distributed by Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures, averaged about $9,800 per theater in more than 3,300 engagements to easily rank No. 1. It also stars cult favorite Jon Heder from “Napoleon Dynamite” as Ferrell’s rival who becomes his unlikely figure-skating partner.

“Blades of Glory” opened below Ferrell’s hit from last summer, “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” which brought in $47 million for his biggest opening. But its launch was on par with the former “Saturday Night Live” star's earlier hits “Elf” and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.”

Olympic medalist:
Skaters love 'Glory'

April 1, 2007

The Chicago Tribune

As we prepared to talk movies with Sasha Cohen last week, we were thinking "Borat." Then we found out it wasn't Sacha Baron Cohen but Sasha Cohen, the Olympic figure skater. "I get that a lot when I'm making reservations," she tells us.

Cohen, 22, has a cameo in "Blades of Glory" and hits the United Center on May 6 with "Champions on Ice." She says the figure skating community totally supports Will Ferrell's farcical "Glory." "There are a lot of true stories in the movie," Cohen said. "Of course, they make fun of it because skating tries to have this positive, proper image. But we're interesting people and we like to have fun too."

Sasha's luggage, skates lost, but doesn't disappoint fans

March 13, 2007

Sasha Cohen, whose figure skates were lost by US Airways Monday, laces up a pair of hockey skates that Bruins wingman Dennis Wideman brought her for her free skate with kids in Cambridge, Mass. (Photo by Lisa Hornak)

Scores of Sasha Cohen wannabes laced up their skates at the Simoni Skating Arena in Cambridge, Mass., yesterday to practice their form with the Olympic ice princess.

But they didn’t get to see Sasha’s trademark spins and spirals because she was outfitted more for checking and charging!

“I had to wear hockey skates that (Boston Bruins right winger) Dennis Wideman brought for me,” said Cohen, whose figure skates were packed in her luggage that US Airways lost en route from Philadelphia to Boston.

“Dennis had to hold my hands and pull me across the ice. I was quite terrible at it,” said the 2006 silver medalist and “Champions on Ice” star.

 Sasha, who was in town to promote the skating tour’s stop at the TD Banknorth Garden on April 22, laughed off the blades brouhaha.

“Figure skating is getting too serious anyway,” said the ice princess, who has a cameo in the upcoming DreamWorks skating spoof, “Blades of Glory.”

She said appearing in the Will Ferrell flick was “a great time” because she enjoyed watching her sport get the silly treatment.

  “No one is serious in the film, and I just thought that was great,” she said.
   

Sasha signs autographs for skaters of the Figure Skating Club of Harlem./Brian Ach/WireImage.com photo

Sasha part of Figure Skating in Harlem show

March 10, 2007

Sasha Cohen will among the headliners at Figure Skating in Harlem’s 10th Anniversary Ice Show Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 at Riverbank State Park in New York City.

The theme this year is “A Gift From Africa.” Friday’s show is 7:30 p.m. and Saturday’s performance is 3 p.m. A $5 donation to the non-profit organization allows guests to see the show.

Sasha will skate, coach and be part of the two-day festivities that has become one of figure skating’s biggest success stories of skaters mentoring young girls to become a success off the ice while using the sport to as a reward system.

“Having Sasha here brings credibility and excitement to our guests and skaters,” said Sharon Cohen (no relation), the founder and Executive Director of the Figure Skating Club of Harlem (FSH).

Sasha’s goal and charitable appearances have been dedicated to helping young girls and children. “I think it’s important that young girls have mentors and know there are people supporting them and believe they can achieve,” said Sasha.

Sharon Cohen’s dedication and hard work has rallied corporations, skating stars, Olympic athletes and movie and TV stars to support the Figure Skating Club of Harlem. “Figure Skating of Harlem is a very impressive organization and Sharon has done an unbelievable job of having such a big impact on so many young girls,” said Sasha.

All the girls who are part of the (FSH) must want to be in the skating club and commit to being successful in school. “We check all the report cards and speak to their teachers,” said Sharon. “One hundred percent of our students go on to college.”

(FSH) students will be dressed in colorful costumes and live drummers will perform during the show. “Many of the past students come back because this is their reunion,” Sharon Cohen said.

Other Olympic skaters joining Sasha this year are Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, Evan Lysacek, Viktor Petrenko, Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton and U.S. stars Emily Hughes and Alissa Czisny.

Sasha is finalist for prestigious Sullivan Award

February. 25, 2007

USA Today announced today Sasha Cohen as a finalist for the 2006 AAU Sullivan Award, which honors the top U.S. amateur athlete each year. Cohen won the 2006 Olympic silver medal and the 2006 U.S. gold medal.

Ballots for the 77th Sullivan Award are sent to AAU officials, U.S. Olympic Committee members, college sports information directors and others. Fan voting is available until March 31 at www.usatoday.com and counts for one-third of the final tally.

Cohen won her first U.S. title at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Mo. At the event, she scored 199.18 points, setting the U.S. record under the U.S. judging system and beating the second-place skater by more than 28 points.

She then headed to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games where she skated to the lead in the short program. In the free skate, her gold ambitions were lost in the opening moments as she fell on her first jump. Cohen dug down and regained her composure, landing five clean triples and nailing her trademark spins and spirals en route to a second-place finish in that segment. Her resolve led to her earning the silver medal with a total score of 183.36.

At the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships, she won the third World medal of her career, taking home the bronze. It also marked the end to a season in which she medaled in every event she competed. Cohen holds the highest scores in the world for the short program and the free skate under the ISU judging system and has the third highest total competition score.

Known as one of the most talented figure skaters in history, Cohen has won numerous awards throughout her career, including the U.S. Olympic Committee Female Figure Skater of the Year in 2004, 2005 and 2006. She was named a member of the top-10 most popular female athletes of all time in a 2006 Harris Interactive Poll.

The winner of the 2006 Sullivan Award will be announced April 11 at the Awards Presentation Banquet at the New York Athletic Club in New York City. The other 14 finalists are: Joey Cheek, speedskating; Troy Dumais, diving; Chris Leak, football; Jessica Long, Paralympic swimming; Joakim Noah, basketball; Apolo Ohno, speedskating; Candace Parker, basketball; Michael Phelps, swimming; Brady Quinn, football; Angela Ruggiero, ice hockey; Troy Smith, football; Hannah Teter, snowboarding; Joe Warren, wrestling; and Bill Zadick, wrestling.

Past figure skating winners include Dick Button in 1949, Michelle Kwan in 2001 and Sarah Hughes in 2002.

Sasha to guest star in Stars On Ice

Jan. 25, 2007

Olympic Silver Medalist and television and movie actress Sasha Cohen has signed for nine appearances with Smucker’s Stars On Ice this winter. It’s Sasha’s first time she will be performing with the star-studded cast.

Sasha’s first performance will be February 2 at St. Louis, Missouri. She will appear in virtually all regions of the country. The dates were selected so there was no conflict with Sasha’s appearances with Champions On Ice. She is scheduled to be on tour this year with COI.

“I’m very excited to be skating with Smucker's Stars On Ice. It will be exciting to skate with a new cast and some old friends,” said Sasha. She will be reunited with former competitor Angela Nikodinov and Canadian Jennifer Robinson. Sasha will have three of her appearances with Kurt Browning, who is also skating in 13 cities. “Kurt is one of the nicest people and he’s so artistic. He’s one of my favorite skaters.”

The theme of this year’s show is “Double Exposure: The Many Lives of Figure Skaters.” It reveals the lives of the skaters themselves.

Sasha will perform to “Hurt” written and sung by Christina Aguilera. Sasha performed with Aguilera during an NBC Christmas special at New York’s Rockefeller Center in December. She will wear the same costume she wore at NYC with a variety of colored beads that are being added by Sasha’s dress designer Jan Longmire.

Stars On Ice cast members:
Alexei Yagudin, Olympic Gold Medalist
Jamie Sale & David Pelletier, Olympic Gold Medalists
Todd Eldredge, World Champion
Yuka Sato, World Champion
Michael Weiss, 2-time World Bronze Medalist
Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman, World Bronze Medalists
Steven Cousins, 8-time British Champion
Jennifer Robinson, 6-time Canadian Champion
Jason Dungjen, 2-time U.S. Pair Champion
Angela Nikodinov, 2-time U.S. Bronze Medalist
Guest performers
Sasha Cohen, Olympic Silver Medalist
Ilia Kulik, Olympic Gold Medalist
Kurt Browning, 4-time World Champion
Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto, 3-time U.S. Ice Dance Champions
Emily Hughes, 2006 Olympian