Sasha Cohen (spoiler for those who haven't seen it)

[Wetzelbill]

Wow! She just imploded that first minute of her routine! You could see when she walked out that mentally she wasn't right. She wasn't focused the way she could have been. She's not a big moment skater. She has trouble winning the big ones.

I remember wrestling for the state title in front of thousands of people. It's daunting. Mentally, I came out much like she did. I was flat and doubted myself. So I feel for her, I know what it's like to go out and mentally not be there. I had a shoulder injury and she hurt her hamstring, an athlete can play mind games with themselves. I flamed out on a much smaller stage, I couldn't imagine the pressure she was feeling being watched by millions. Tough time for her. Slutskaya and Arakowa (sp?) are tough as nails too. Sasha may not get a medal with the people coming up. They are all so good.

[begin_within]

1. The final results were appropriate.

Arakawa - Gold
Cohen - Silver
Slutskaya - Bronze

This is the appropriate result, in my opinion, based on how they skated in the finals.

[Wetzelbill]

2. yeah Arakawa won hands down

she was fantastic.

I thought Slutskaya maybe could have gotten the silver, but Cohen had a more difficult routine. Slutskaya really dropped the ball on that last jump. Cohen is a great performer, she illuminates the crowd and that helps her quite a bit. Her artistry and performance skills are truly special.

[begin_within]

3. Discounting the falls, Cohen's skating was better overall than Slutskaya's

[Wetzelbill]

4. I would say so

[XemaSab]

5. Arakowa just HAD IT

she was ON... ya know?

Cohen.. notsomuch...

[begin_within]

6. She was clearly the winner, it obvious. Maybe Irina knew it before skating

[Wetzelbill]

8. Irina knew she had to be perfect

and even then, she still may not have gotten the win. That sort of pressure has to be just about impossible to handle. She didn't look good tonight. Not at all.

[Wetzelbill]

7. she's an intense competitor

Her focus the last few days was unbelievable. She has a womanly grace and beauty about her. Some of the younger skaters are cute, but they are just not women yet. I think it was nice to see someone a little older win this time. She was just a joy to watch, great lines, awesome power and strength. She was perfect.

[XemaSab]

9. While I was watching her

I was thinking she was just graceful.

A lot of the skaters *TRY* to nail the graceful thing, but she just HAD it.

[Wetzelbill]

10. grace is a funny thing

you just have to have it I guess. Can't be taught. It just flowed from her though. Her aura was unbelievable. She skated like she owned the space around her. Tough to beat somebody who is that much on their game.

[XemaSab]

11. Exactly

A lot of the skaters look very practiced, but you can practice all you want and you still won't have that much control.

Choreography has a lot to do with it, and she was very in time with the music. Moreso than many of the other skaters. Maybe that's where the grace comes from, or maybe it's more about spending more effort on the simple movements than on the complicated tricks.