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Cohen breaks through silver lining

By JOHN ROMANO
Published January 15, 2006

ST. LOUIS - It took one step up to the next podium, and already it was difficult to see the trail of disappointments behind her.

One step up, and she was looking at the world from an entirely different vantage point. One step up, and her profile was instantly changed.

That was Sasha Cohen, the most famous runnerup on ice, standing a step above the competition on the gold-medal platform at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday night.

When the medal was placed around her neck, she neither shouted nor wept. Instead, she bowed her head and held it in her hands for a closer look.

"I've got a lot of silver in shoeboxes and storage all over the place," Cohen said. "A gold one would have a pretty special place."

We tend to worship our champions, and quickly forget the rest. The team that just missed the Final Four? The second driver to the checkered flag? The actor who, honestly, was just honored to be nominated?

They are scenery in someone else's story. The ones who must fall short as a counterpoint to the winner's glory.

It isn't meant to be cruel. And it's usually understood that such designations are neither appropriate nor fair. It's just, well, life.

This is the territory Cohen has traveled. She was everyone's foil. If it wasn't Michelle Kwan, it was Sarah Hughes. If it wasn't a teammate, it was a Russian.

Cohen, 21, might have been the most accomplished U.S. skater never to have won a major title. Which seemed to make her more tragic than impressive.

The Buffalo Bills are remembered not for winning four consecutive AFC Championship Games, but for losing four consecutive Super Bowls. And Cohen was threatening to write a similar tale of missed opportunities.

Let's face it, we are star junkies. We want our heroes to stand straight, stand tall and, preferably, stand a step higher than the silver podium.

"Just looking at the color on the podium it was like, "Wow, this color is nice,"' Cohen said. "It was just a special day, a special moment for me."

Of course, this is not the end. For the story to complete, for the fairy tale to make it to happily ever after, the Olympics must be conquered.

Cohen will have to beat Russia's Irina Slutskaya, who kept her from the 2005 World Championship title. And Japan's Shizuka Arakawa, who stood between her and the 2004 World Championship gold. And, yes, she might even have to face Kwan, who won five U.S. titles ahead of Cohen.

So can Cohen win an Olympic gold?

Absolutely. Slutskaya may be the favorite going into Italy, but Cohen clearly will be one of her toughest challengers.

The big question is what impact these championships have on Cohen's reputation and psyche. Is it the breakthrough she has desperately needed, or does it simply increase the pressure that has forever taunted her?

The time is right. She has outgrown impatience without losing exuberance. She has matured. Mostly, she has closed the gap between herself and Kwan.

It is, of course, the comparison that has followed her since the time she was a child working from behind Kwan's shadow in Southern California.

If Kwan was grace and dignity, Cohen was athleticism and passion. Her jumps were higher, her spins more dramatic. Kwan could leave you feeling as if you had seen perfection. Cohen made you wonder if there was something better.

"She has that pop in her skate, that spunk in her skate," said Tara Lipinski, the 1998 Olympic gold medal winner. "Some skaters are genuine, and some aren't. Some are just out there, and some are happy and fun and real. I think Sasha has that. She's great."

The problem is Cohen showed it. She was Thursday's skater. The one who could look magnificent during the short program, but couldn't close the deal come Saturday.

Twice, she had led the nationals after the short program only to lose to Kwan on the final night. The same thing happened at the World Championships in 2004, when she was passed by Arakawa.

Not to mention the 2002 Olympics, when she was ahead of Hughes going into the long program but ended up without a medal while Hughes got gold.

In all, Cohen has two silvers at the World Championships and four silvers and a bronze at the U.S. Championships.

She was not flawless Saturday, but she didn't have to be. The skaters chasing Cohen lacked her grace and strength. Not one made it through the long program without a fall.

And when it was over, when her routine was finished and the flowers and stuffed animals were raining on the ice, Cohen lingered a minute or two longer than normal.

It was a chance, she said, to soak in the crowd. To appreciate everything she has been through.

Mostly, it was a chance to see what she had been missing.

[Last modified January 15, 2006, 01:48:18]