Sasha Cohen proved many wrong this morning when she finally took to the Nationals practice ice. Many have been waiting for this hyped event. Sasha Cohen: Back in the Competition.Her practice was promising, during her run through she hit her jump combination and her double axel. Her solo jump - the triple flip - ended in a fall, but still, she looks strong. But, she isn't unbeatable. Not this time.
The others hoping to win one of the two spots are also making a buzz in Spokane, albeit a softer one. Rachel Flatt, Ashley Wagner, Alissa Czisny, Mirai Nagasu, and Caroline Zhang all have equal chances and are all favored to do well. All have their strong points, but, like Cohen, all have a long way to go to be the clear front runner. Where they all have an advantage over Cohen is they've not been out of competition these past few seasons - and they're not in the spotlight.
First up tomorrow will be Rachel Flatt. She's been the bridesmaid the last couple of seasons at these championships (coming in second in 2008 to Mirai Nagasu, and second to Alissa Czisny last year) and many are wondering - and hoping - that this is her year. She IS the top ranked US lady in the world rankings, but that doesn't mean she'll win here (Evan Lysacek is the top ranked man in the world, and he came in second to Jeremy Abbott this past weekend). Rachel has the goods, and rarely misses a delivery, but she seems to lack the spark one needs to really win the judges over. She's sailing fairly low on the radar, but then outside of Sasha none of the ladies seem to be getting the attention of the press. 
Last year's champion, Alissa Czisny is a total wildcard. No one is sure which Alissa will show up, but the audience is guarunteed to see a skater who won't bring everything she has to the table - aside from breathtaking skating. Even with the flawed jumps (pops, falls, negated) her programs seem to capture attention. Her girl next door looks make it incredibly difficult not to root for her. Will she be able to hang onto her title? Improving upon what she did last year will be the only way she'll get that lucky twice. Will she make the Olympic Team? It'll take a whole lot more than that megawatt smile..
Favored by *this* author is Ashley Wagner for no other reason than personal preference! (hey it's my blog I can be biased, girl skated for Alaska not too long ago, how awesome is that?) She's not the totally "pretty little ice princess" that the others are. She's also not a diva. She's an athlete. She's artistic second. She's all sport. And she looks fantastic doing it. She's determined to become a better skater, taking the time to correct her flawed edges in her jumps. She's not fully there, the tech caller is still dinging her, but she's making the effort. Money's on her to fly under the radar and take it all - so long as she stays focussed on the job ahead and not the outcome. She wants this one bad
The underdogs are Nagasu and Zhang. Both have been bitten by the puberty bug. They were dynamos when they came on the scene, and are still incredibly promising - but their recent growth spurts have made their ascent to the top slow considerable.
Nagasu had difficulty handling the pressure of National Champion as she won when she was just fourteen. A lot of expectations were heaped upon her, and coupled with her growth spurt last season was an emotionally rough one. No one could blame her for wanting to have a redeeming nationals, and that makes for a great underdog type story. She stated in interviews earlier this week that she was just looking for the joy in the sport again; there's always 2014! Here's hoping she has a fantastic competition, and who knows she might just see Olympics 2010 up close and personal! 
Caroline Zhang. Touted as the "next Michelle Kwan" by most, she combines the simplicity of the American Sports Icon with the flexibility of fellow competitor Sasha Cohen. Problems for Caroline, though, are her speed and her jumps. She gets nailed for underrotation and wrong edge take offs, and she is painfully slow. She's getting better. 2010 may not be her year, but one has to wonder just how long she'll continue before getting completely discouraged. She certainly shows her frustration with teh judging; should she begin to really work on what they want - mainly speed - she'd be better off. Is it within her to go all out in Spokane? She's not the most flexible this year with Cohen back in the mix, so she's going to have to pull out all the stops so that she's not lost in teh shuffle.No matter what, the ladies short program is going to be hyped to the hilt, and shouldn't be disappointing (why would it? Pairs and Men killed over the weekend!) Good luck to all the competitors, not just the favorites. What a great birthday present for me!
Photos by Getty Images and Associated Press c/o DayLife.com.
