Talk:Sasha Cohen

Nickname

Is it true that "Sasha" is a Russian nickname? I thought it was specifically Ukrainian when applied to females. All the Russian Sashas I've heard of before are male. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.163.235.71 (talk) 11:00, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Scores

The scores here seem to be pretty sloppy. The page says that she has the highest score posted under the code of points, but the official ISU site (http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/page/custom/0,8510,4844-160279-177495-33138-139933-custom-item,00.html) has the highest score as Irina Slutskaya's at 198.06 (seems to have been updated 23 February). Also, this page says that Sasha's personal best is 197.60, but below it we have her score at the World Championships as 214.39. Lmblackjack21 23:54, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

The article is correct, but perhaps unclear, as it stands. Cohen has the highest Free skate score, and (from a seperate event) the highest Short score, in ISU competition. Slutskaya has the highest combined score at a single competition.

World championships add a third score from the qualifying round, so a total from worlds (28.41 (qual) + 186.08 (short & free) = 214.39) is not directly comparable to her personal best combined short + free (197.60).

Finally, it seems that the ISU site includes scores only from ISU events.

Sasha's personal bests under isu are:

Short	Free	Combined	Source
71.12 (Skate Canada '03)	130.89 (Skate America '03)	197.60 (Skate Canada '03)	ISU.

However, at State Farm Nationals '06, a USFSA event, she scored

Short	Free	Combined	Source
65.15	134.03	199.18	USFSA Nationals

Ajasen 05:20, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

ISU best scores only include ISU sanctioned events, because events like Nationals typically inflate the scores of their favourites. Therefore, even if Sasha did have a higher score than Irina at her US Championships, it won't count. She no longer has the highest total score, but she still has the highest SP score and the highest FS score. Mao Asada now has the highest total score from NHK in 2006.

And also, the World Championships scores are always very high because the WC include a Qualifying Round that is added into the score. However, only the SP and LP make up the PB. So while the QR helpes determine the winner in Worlds, only the SP and LP count towards the PB, if they have a PB at Worlds. I'm not sure how this can be made clearer, though.

Jewish and Ukrainian Heritage

In the "trivia" section I made reference to American actress Natalie Portman's spoof of Sasha Cohen's Olympic skating routine on Saturday Night Live. And, I pointed out that Portman was born in Jerusalem, Israel. This reference to Portman's place of birth is relevant as the episode of Saturday Night Live had many Jewish cultural themes; including the spoof of Sasha Cohen. For some reason, however, the "Jerusalem Israel-born" reference to Portman was deleted. Why?

Please see my comments under the heading "Kabbalah." --Lance6968 18:44, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

I suppose if you put it that way it could be relevant. I deleted the bit about Portman's heritage because this is an article about Cohen and not Portman. But if you put it in context like that it could be meaningful. Is there perhaps a way of moving it out of the trivia section and into a better-named section like "Other activities"? Has Cohen even met Portman? How is this spoof relevant? These are just my ideas. We eliminated a great deal of "trivia" at Michelle Kwan because much of it was non-encyclopedic or better placed elsewhere. --Fang Aili ^talk 19:41, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

It is possible that an entire article on American Jewish Culture, or perhaps, personalities thereof, is appropriate.

There is much evidence that Cohen is being noticed not so much for her skating accomplishments, (although, skating is what is initially getting Cohen's name in the news), so much as for these skating accomplishments are those of an American Jewish woman.

Indeed, being Jewish entails attention that goes beyond skating. Cohen's acting ambitions also garner attention outside of skating. Since this article is about Sasha Cohen, and not just Sasha Cohen, skater, I believe that there is room for coverage of the Jewish interest in Cohen (as clearly is the case by the attention given to Cohen by the Jewish press). And Sasha will be Jewish long after she hangs up her skates for the last time.

There is also the issue of what the Jewish World Review (JWR) called “a great moment in Jewish sports history,” in its lead up article to the 2006 Olympics. JWR reported:

SASHA COHEN The balletic, pretty Sasha Cohen, 21, became almost a household name when she vied for a medal at the 2002 Games. She ultimately finished a close fourth, behind Michelle Kwan (bronze), Irina Slutskaya (silver), and Sarah Hughes (gold).

Comparatively few knew in 2002 that they were witnessing a great moment in Jewish sports history: Cohen is Jewish, Hughes' mother is Jewish and Sarah was raised Jewish, and Slutskaya has a Jewish father (see below).

What are the odds against the final in the Olympics most glamorous event being "so Jewish"?

I'm interested in your thoughts on how to incorporate the forgoing into the main body of the article? --Lance6968 21:07, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps a section titled "Ethnicity and cultural heritage"? That could include her knowledge of Russian, her Kaballah beliefs, her Jewish heritage, etc. --Fang Aili ^talk 21:17, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Cohen's own website focuses on skating and her acting. She doesn't talk a lot about her ethnicity (or Judaism). Why should you? I've read the Barbra Streisand article and it only mentions her jewish heritage once. Again the article is focusing on the most prominent attributes of notability. Being jewish in itself is not a prominent attribute. —Pelladon 07:44, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

• Is anybody there to write about her parents and hometown shtetl in Ukraine, and her Judaism believe? (confused english, sorry)--Sheynhertz-Unbayg 18:04, 8 Jan 2005 (UTC)

i have not read anywhere that she is of jewish heritage.—Preceding unsigned comment added by [[User:{{{1}}}|{{{1}}}]] ([[User talk:{{{1}}}|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/{{{1}}}|contribs]])

Yes. She is. The LA Jewish Journal did an article about it right before the 2002 Olympics. Sasha also wears a necklace around her neck (the gold one.) that has the position of the stars in the sky at the time of her birth on one side and a Magen David on the other. When she was living in Laguna Niguel before moving to the East Coast, the Cohen family attended a local Reform synagogue and Natasha Cohen (Sasha's younger sister.) attended Tarbut v' Torah ( a Jewish day school.) in Orange County, CA. I highly doubt that if Sasha Cohen was not Jewish, that she and her family would belong to a synagogue and her parents send her sister to a Jewish day school. --User:aviva_dawn

I think her father is Jewish too. His name's robert cohen and Cohen is not a very jewish last name.

THIS ARTICLE IS TOO BIAS!!!

I don't understand why it would be "biased" to explain that someone is, indeed, Jewish. It's great to be Jewish!

Sasha is Jewish and Ukranian. Cohen is a VERY VERY Jewish name. Her dad's name is Roger Cohen, by the way. And her mom's name is Galina. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.201.117.194 (talk • contribs)

Article Layout

"Cohen is not a very jewish last name." On the contrary, Cohen is a very Jewish last name.

Here's proof that "Cohen" is indeed a Jewish surname. http://surnames.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=cohen&type=n&operator=or

ok

wow all u ppl gotta get ur facts straight sasha cohen is indeed jewish but wtf does it matter in the first place? what signifigance does judism in her life hold? as far as im concered this topic has no importance in relation to her in the first place. she is a magnificant ice skater and her being jewish does not make this possible but rather all the hours of training that she has completed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!—Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.236.21.148 (talk • contribs)

Her background >_> --72.226.224.251 22:41, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

Movie ?

was she in the movie Ice Princess as one of the skaters? if so it should be noted

• No, she wasn't. It was Michelle Kwan and Brian Boitano.

she was the skate double for the lead actress, her face was cgi'ed over with the star.

But according to what the newspapers now, she may be doing an ice skating comedy. Ben Stiller asked her if she wanted to do one and she said sure.

Sasha Cohen is having a small "acting" career. She was in a movie about horses, and is now in a figure skating comedy. However, she was not in Ice Princess. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.183.40.221 (talk) 00:30, 5 December 2006 (UTC).

She is in Moondance Alexander as Fiona Hughes, which is the aforementioned "horse movie". This movie hasn't yet been released. She also has had appearances on CSI: NY and Las Vegas. She'll be appearing in Will Ferrel's "Blades of Glory" in a cameo role along with Johnny Weir and other famous skaters.

Russian or Ukrainian?

Is Sasha's mother Russian or Ukrainian? In the article, she is listed as both. Jimbo (not THE Jimbo) 22:35, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

My understanding is that her mother was a Russian-speaking Ukranian citizen of Jewish descent. Under the Soviet Union, most Ukrainian citizens were Russian-speaking. This was particularly true -- and has continued to be true -- for those of non-Ukrainian ethnic background, including Jews and ethnic Russians within the Ukraine. AnotherBDA 13:29, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Olympic results

Should there be a spoiler warning for those who want to watch tonight?

ahhhh

I read by mistake...and just found out the results...oh well.... I knew she was gonna fall...as usual. kudos for the Japanase girl

Olympic Silver Medal Section

Since I, as an anon user, am not allowed to edit it myself, could someone please clean up the "However, on February 23, she fell twice in the finals of the ladies' event, where she ended up with a siver medal" phrase? It deserves more attention than that and there's a typo. Also, didn't she only fall once? She fell on one but I thought she only stepped out of the other. 65.92.205.116 00:15, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Fixed --Pelladon 02:45, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Sorry about that. I was basing it on what I initially heard, as I was updating the article (there were three different places that mentioned that she was leading after the free skate, and there was plenty of stuff about spoilers without proper tags as well). ErikNY 03:24, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

I think she did fall twice. It may have been a step out but either way, she missed two jumps. I also think someone should mention the possible groin injury she suffered during the final warmup. Although it shouldn't be used as an excuse, it gave her problems throughout the rest of the warmup and during her first few jumps. --72.226.224.251 04:35, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

A step out is not technically a fall, though. It isn't marked as a fall with the 1 point deduction, and thus shouldn't be called a fall. She only fell once. The step-out just got the -3 GOE it deserved.

Well she did skate beautifully...even better than the Japanase girl, but too bad she missed those jumps. She just said in an interview that the groin injury was not really a problem, she just wasn't there.... Still, my heart went for the Russian skater..damm NBC and their sappy stories.

NBC is now calling Sasha Cohen the "Silver Belle." LOL! I love the sappy stories. I would've been happy seeing either Cohen or Slutskaya win, and I just knew one was going to and I'd feel bad for the other. Now neither did and I feel bad for both. I definitely feel dumb for underestimating Arakawa. Juppiter 08:07, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Well... I think her peformance was too poor for a medal! The russian skater (Slutskaya) perfoemed much more better. Cohen fell twice and missed a jump. I personally belive that she get the silver just because she's in the US team!!! Even the georgian yong skater performed better than she did. And in the end... Arakawa deserved the gold medal!—Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.139.3.243 (talk • contribs)

^Cohen's program difficulty and choreography were higher and more detailed to begin with. The only two problems were those missed jumps and she lost points for those. Otherwise, her performance was almost perfect. To say that Elene Gedevanishvili beat her overall is ridiculous.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.226.224.251 (talk • contribs)

Sasha's program was more detailed, she had better choreography, she has better artistry and is captivating, all around she is better than Elene Gedevanishvili. And being on the US team has nothing to do with it. Usually they are more unfair to Americans. She deserved silver because of making up for the one fall and the step-out. She threw herself into the program, and made us all think: "If you had just landed those two darn things, you would've won gold!" Besides calling her the silver belle, they've also called her Juliet, and what I thought was funny: "a diminutive brunette". LOL, she can leg-bench 400 lbs even though she is really tiny.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.201.117.194 (talk • contribs)

Olympic Infobox

I'm wondering why Phil Boswell felt it was necessary to move Cohen's Olympic infobox when every other olympic athelete's infobox is on the top? Certainly not because of consistency. —Pelladon 00:22, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

It is consistency: I checked Michelle Kwan's article, and her athlete infobox is at the top, just like Cohen's is. —C.Fred (talk) 01:09, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

I'm also talking about other olympic medal winners, not just skaters. —Pelladon 02:45, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Actually, Kwan doesn't even have a medal box. It just lists here Olympic results in the infobox with her other results. —C.Fred (talk) 03:19, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Excuse me, what does Kwan's medal box have to do with Cohen's? The olympics in figure skating is the biggest achievement for a skater. For many sports, it's the greatest recognition for an athlete. It's a major factor in notability for a biography. —Pelladon 03:25, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Other than that they're both Olympic medalists? I was looking for some measure of consistency—and seeing her article, realized there isn't any. —C.Fred (talk) 03:30, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Uh, who made the Kwan layout the standard? Not me. The olympics isn't just about skating, it's recognized by non-sports fans. It's bigger than skating. —Pelladon 03:33, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

I don't know that it's bigger than the person, though. That's the problem with the current version with the medals first: the medal list comes above the athlete bio and picture. —C.Fred (talk) 03:40, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

That's the way the world works. The whole world knows what an olympic medal is. It's significant in sports to warrant that. For most people, they only know someone because they won a medal. Like I said, it's recognized by non-sports fans.—Pelladon 03:54, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Whoa

Whoa, that picture is gigantic.

Could someone fix the picture after the article has been unlocked?

Thanks, J.H.

The problem was with Template:Infobox figure skater. I don't know what the editor of that template was attempting to accomplish, but I reverted it. The image should be thumbnailed again now. Jkelly 05:30, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Nasty Attitude and not a humble person

I saw Cohen do an interview and she had such a nasty attitude that I didn't care what she won tonite. She deserved what she got because she fell twice. I'm actually surprised she even medaled given her mistakes. That Japanese girl skated a perfect program and put Cohen in her place. As far as the Michelle comment above. Michelle has won 9 U.S. National Titltes and 5 World Championships so I think it's foolish to insult her or even compare Cohen's skating ability to Michelle's. It's just not comparable. Michelle is the Michael Jordan of her sport while Sasha is like the Kobe Bryant.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.72.100.137 (talk • contribs)

If we're going to compare basketball to figure skating, then basketball's World Championships are equivalent to the Olympics in figure skating. (I know that basketball also has a World Olympics, but for some reasons, American basketball players tend to not care and even pass up chances to play.) Michelle is more along the lines of Patrick Ewing or Charles Barkley - one of the best, with plenty of records/titles, but always beaten at the last minute when it REALLY counts. :Actually, to compare the two is silly. One is a team sport; the other, individual. If Michael could do it alone, the Washington Wizards would have a few rings. There's no reason to dump on Sasha just to lift Michelle up. Rattlerbrat 09:02, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

I agree that Sasha Cohen is no Michelle Kwan, but I thought her silver was well deserved. Her program was flawed, and I kept waiting for someone to do better. But besides Arakawa, nobody did. Juppiter 08:05, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Hello and welcome to Wikipedia. Please use the article Talk pages to discuss improving the article, not to discuss your thoughts about the subject of the article. Thanks for understanding. Jkelly 05:27, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

I believe that Sasha Cohen is one of the most sweet and loveliest girl in the world!—Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.134.255.253 (talk • contribs)

What nasty attitude? She even said herself that she didn't think she would make the podium. To my knowledge, she's never been arrogant or cocky about the way she skates. And why are you insulting her when you don't even know the name of the women who beat her? Arakawa by the way. --72.226.224.251 20:27, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

WTF? What interview did you see that she had a "nasty attitude"? In every interview I've seen her in she admitted her mistakes and showed great poise and humility. And by the way what does this have to do with the actual Wikipedia article? Chiefmartinez 21:23, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

She is indeed a beautiful skater, graceful, poised and talented. She did miss those jumps but she made up for them by throwing herself into the music, captivating us all. She is very humble and admits her mistakes and has a cute personality. She is no Michelle Kwan, but is better at artistry than Michelle Kwan. She IS Juliet. She is beautiful, petite and can leg-bench 400 lbs!!!! How many of us can say that? She is a graceful butterfly, swan.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.175.25.243 (talk • contribs)

Enough with the personal attacks. This is not a forum to level unjustified personal attacks against Sasha Cohen. There is not a single documented incident where Sasha was anything other than polite and humble. Sasha is a beautiful and talented young woman whose full potential is, as yet, unrealized; notwithstanding her many accomplishments. --Lance6968 16:40, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Kabbalah

If she wasn't so into it, she should NOT be wearing it at all. In all actuality, she is VERY much into it, having had more than one bracelet (when one fell off, she immediately replaced it with another), and follows all the basic tenets (superstition, if you will) of it. It's misleading (lying) to hide (deny) something that is so apparent to everyone else.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.188.116.72 (talk • contribs)

Please see Wikipedia:No original research. If you have a reliable source for this, we can reference it properly. Jkelly 02:26, 25 February 2006

The previous comment is clearly bigoted. The reference: "...basic tenets (superstition, if you will) of..." Kabbalah is similar to referring to Jesus or Mohamed as a superstition. So the above comment should be read with this in mind. Kabbalah is an ancient form of Jewish mysticism; and this is not the place for a discussion of Jewish theology.

It seems that many celebrities, notably Madonna, have taken an interest in Kaballah with much corresponding media coverage (some of this coverage, unfortunately, is antisemitism masquerading as celebrity mocking); and this media attention to Kaballah may explain Sasha Cohen's interest in Kabbalah; i.e., this is more a manifestation of popular culture than any interest in religion in general, or Judaism in particular. As far as I can tell from media reports in respect of Sasha’s religiosity, she appears to have not taken a serious interest in Judaism. She is, however, still a young woman, and such an interest can develop as she matures; but, again, besides from Sasha’s surname, there doesn’t appear to be anything really Jewish about her.

Sasha's surname, "Cohen," is so distinctively Jewish, (in the Hebrew language, "Kohane" means priest, and Sasha's paternal ancestors were, according to tri-millennial Jewish tradition, as her name suggests, priests in Jerusalem's ancient Jewish Holy Temple), that it, perhaps, invites speculation regarding the interaction of Sasha Cohen and Judaism.

It needs to be stated, however, that in the Orthodox Jewish tradition, a girl, or woman, could not be a figure skater. Modesty customs would not permit the scantily dressed outfits that woman skaters wear.

Editors of this article have to be careful not to let unwarranted references to Judaism creep into this article. It just gives ammunition to Judeophobes who see Jews everywhere. With that admonition, Jewish people are naturally interested in a daughter of Israel who has made significant accomplishments. Indeed, many young Jewish girls are likely to be inspired by Sasha to take up figure skating. That is clearly part of the attraction of Sasha Cohen.

What I am saying is that a balanced, informed, and clearly justified reference to Sasha Cohen and Judaism is warranted; but, such references must be considered in light of the ugly problem of antisemitism. --Lance6968 18:35, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

I think I deleted something here; and I don't know how to recover it. If someone notices it, please restore the deleted text.--Lance6968 18:39, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

(UTC)http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WinterGames2006/story?id=1653313&page=1 ABC News] a good enough

Is [source. Nearly everyone in the world saw her wearing the bracelet at the Olympics. It's not something she hides. savidan^{(talk) (e@)} 00:52, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

In replying to email on the nbcolympics site that's currently cited in the wiki article, Cohen writes: "Yeah, Evan Lysacek tied it on for me. I'm not deeply into Kabbalah, but I appreciate the principles of it, to ward off evil and not think negative thoughts about people. I had a Kabbalah string before this one and it fell off -- which is good luck. Johnny Weir tied that one on me the year before". Evan_Lysacek and Johnny_Weir are teammates of Cohen's. Ajasen 05:45, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Mathematics

Someone please edit this: It is not .03 points. It is .03 of a point. Thank you.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.188.116.72 (talk • contribs) .

In English, the two phrases mean the same thing. Jkelly 02:25, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Really? Even if something is <1 it's still plural? The announcers don't do that -- they specify of a second and usually say hundreths of a point/second.

I suspect that if one went looking, one would find some announcers using the plural. Jkelly 20:56, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

They would be wrong. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 152.163.100.7 (talk • contribs) 02:10, 28 February 2006 (UTC).

Most likely, .03 of a point is the official terminology but .03 of a point can confuse some. .03 points just makes it easier for most to understand exactly what the score was. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.226.224.251 (talk • contribs) 22:45, 26 February 2006 (UTC).

The further dumbing down of wiki. *sigh* —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 152.163.100.7 (talk • contribs) 02:10, 28 February 2006 (UTC).

Actually, the only style guide citation I can find says that .03 of a point is incorrect. The correct presentation is three hundredths of a point. To compound matters, this business-related story released on the AP wire uses the phrasing 0.02 yen and 0.04 point.

That said, I think 0.03 points is sufficiently clear and does not need copyediting. —C.Fred (talk) 04:28, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Residence

According to this(http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5061879/detail.html?qs=;t=11;tab=Bio) she recently purchased a house in Newport Beach, CA. I think that should be put in. IndyFan32589 09:24, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Sasha is Juliet and has a humble attitude

She is indeed a beautiful skater, beautiful and talented, passionate and Juliet. She is very very humble and admits her mistakes, and I honestly think she is a good description of how we try to do our best but sometimes make mistakes. She is a ballerina on ice and has a cute personality. She is humble, so be quiet. She has funny times too. I think she deserved the silver medal for throwing herself into the music and feeling for it, passionate and graceful, like a swan.

—Ballet is totally different from ice skating. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.231.78.4 (talk • contribs) 22:48, 11 July 2006 (UTC).

if she ever make a porno, I will watch it. 14:10, 12 June 2007 (UTC)~

DOB

In the Olympics it was announced that she's 22. But her DOB given here indicates that she's 21 at the moment. Who is right? -- Smjg 11:12, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

Have you got a more specific source that "in the Olympics"? NBC's coverage in the USA referred to her as 21. —C.Fred (talk) 12:47, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

I'm sure it's something that was said during the figure skating (at least as it was on British screens). Probably on one of the last two days of this competition. -- Smjg 13:49, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

She's born on October 24, 1984, and is 21. She is not 22 until October 24th, 2006.

Whoops, make that October 26th, 1984. Sorry. I messed up.

The NBC's coverage in the USA said she was 21 and that's correct (especially since she is American).—Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.201.117.194 (talk • contribs)

Weight

An anonymous editor has listed Sasha weight at 147 lbs. That could be right, but I can't find a citation on the web for it. Has somebody out there got a citation to support that figure? —C.Fred (talk) 23:50, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

• IMPOSSIBLE for a slight 5'2" girl to weigh that much!! Perhaps they meant that she is 104 or 107 lbs. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 172.163.43.237 (talk • contribs) 09:35, 11 March 2006 (UTC).
  • On the one hand, it's not impossible, given that she probably has some serious leg muscles from the jumping. I agree that it's unlikely that the weight is right: that's why I asked for a source. —C.Fred (talk) 02:00, 12 March 2006 (UTC)

Uh, trust me, she's only 94 lbs. or 95 lbs. By tiny, they really mean TINY—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.201.117.194 (talk • contribs) .

• on the other hand, Cohen is not as slight as Kyoko Ina, whose weight *is* listed in the 90's. Cohen has to be at least 100 lbs., as pointed out by C.Fred, because she showed off those great (big) leg muscles during the Olympics.

Here's proof that Sasha is 95 lbs. Look up nbcolympics.com Click on Athletes. Click on Sasha Cohen. It tells her height and weight—Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.201.117.194 (talk • contribs)

This is more accurate: [1] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.201.117.194 (talk • contribs)

it's really not a question of accuracy or "trust" :), but of truth. skaters aren't like wrestlers -- they don't have officially regulated weigh-ins, so they can write whatever weight they wish.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.163.100.7 (talk • contribs)

She can't be heavier than me, I'm only 114 lbs 5'3.5", which is tiny for a guy, but she is at least 10 lbs lighter than me, so 95 is about right, though I thought she'd be up to 100.TimHowardII (talk) 04:20, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Television and Film

I corrected the awkward wording of this section (both grammar and diction).--Lance6968 01:39, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

My editing was deleted without explanation; the poor grammar and diction of this section subsists.--Lance6968 04:18, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

And, curiously, my editing has now been restored.--Lance6968 04:26, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

I added some additional details taken from SC's Web site. --Lance6968 07:54, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Pictures

Need more pictures!!!!! :) Jonemerson 08:43, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

Provided you can find public domain pictures, sure. I don't think more than one fair use image will fly, unless it illustrates some specific event in her career. —C.Fred (talk) 23:21, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

Citations

Why are citations needed for her autobiography and her Grand Prix Final info? Her autobiography info can be looked up thru the ISBN link and the Grand Prix Final, all you have to do is open up the Navigation box with the Grand Prix Final champions and read. Or is that not clear enough for some people? —Pelladon 01:32, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Then why not do the courtesy of having the ref to the appropriate source in with the info? My only question would be formatting of the ref for anything in tabular format. —C.Fred (talk) 01:41, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Both sources are on the MAIN page, that's what I'm trying to point out. —Pelladon 03:00, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Then they should be there as References and not External Links! I referenced the assertion about Sasha understanding Russian—and removed the unsupported statement that she speaks it. NBC never explicity says she can speak it. —C.Fred (talk) 04:20, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

pictures why would you need more? oh sasha?

Christmas carol controversy

This section is unclear:

"Reuters reported that Cohen was "stunned" to learn from news reports that a U.S. high school choir had been ordered by police, at the instigation of a public official, to stop singing Christmas carols at a holiday show on December 12, 2006, because, according to this official, she is Jewish.[7] Though Cohen's parents are both Jewish,[1] her mother, who is also her manager, described Sasha as "half-Christian" and said she "celebrates everything" during the holidays.[8]"

The choir was ordered because Cohen is Jewish? Umm, OK, what does Cohen have to do with the choir? And the police ordered the choir not to perform carols? Really? The police take orders from a "public official" to dictate to a choir what songs not to sing?

Also, is this really a "controversy"? Who says?

The source listed is a cobweb link. Mdbrownmsw 20:19, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

I am not sure if this "controversy" is even relevant for this bio, very minor in importance. —Pelladon 07:36, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

I think that it should be removed. Perhaps, the external links to the news articles can be left on the page. The first time I read that paragraph, it made no sense whatsoever. And I agree, it's a very minor event that doesn't need it's own headline. All in favor for removal? Byxbee 13:26, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

It was probably notable as news for a while, but I can't imagine why it would be important to note now. V-Man - ^T/_C 01:03, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

No one seems to think it should stay (it seemed pretty dumb to me too), so out it goes. KarlM 04:21, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Hooray! Byxbee 05:22, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, this sort of thing seems to happen on a lot on Wikipedia: there's some stupid or even wrong bit in the article that everyone agrees should be deleted, but no one actually does it. KarlM 18:08, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

Caption of Sasha's picture

The caption of Sasha's picture is wrong. She didn't wear that costume at the 2004 Worlds. The picture was probably taken during one of the 2003 grand prix events. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 219.95.40.178 (talk • contribs) 14:24, 26 May 2007 (UTC).

She must have worn it during 2004 Worlds, since she was wearing it when the picture was taken! The picture was taken by the uploader, who says he took it while at 2004 Worlds, and the timestamp on the picture backs that up. How can you be sure she didn't wear it at any time during worlds—short programmes, preliminary rounds, even practice—where she might have been photographed? —C.Fred (talk) 15:19, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Caption is correct, she wore that costume during her qualifying round at Dortmund. Pelladon 05:36, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Reopen Christmas carol controversy

This was part of somewhat of a moral panic that was rife in the U.S. at the end of 2006, largely, but not exclusively, fueled by Bill O'Reilly, and others, who asserted that Christmas was under attack in the U.S. Sasha had recently won a silver medal in the Olympics and was quite newsworthy. Her Jewish identity was used somewhat to attach substance to a situation that completely lacked any substance.

This particular story, however, got alot of press coverage. The reference to Reuters as a source was deliberate in that the story went beyond the borders of the continental U.S. It also brought out into the open a certain lack of genuiness displayed by Sasha's mother/manager Galina who rather oddly referred to Sasha as "half-Christian." The importance and relevance of including the controversy is that Sasha is being made into something of a product; and Wikipedia does not exist to market Sasha Cohen the brand or product. This biographical info, consequently, should not have been removed from the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.211.195.54 (talk) 22:20, 20 October 2007 (UTC)

How, though, is the story particularly relevant to Cohen? If O'Reilly really used it to stir the pot, maybe it's relevant for him, but I don't think it really relates to Cohen at all. —C.Fred (talk) 00:51, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Again, Wikipedia articles are not advertisements. This article is looking more and more like it was written by Cohen's publicist. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.211.195.52 (talk) 16:35, 21 October 2007 (UTC)