"Skating has always been a major area of interest to me"
About this Quote
There is a disarming plainness to Sasha Cohen saying, "Skating has always been a major area of interest to me". From an athlete celebrated for balletic flair and high-stakes nerve, the line reads almost like a résumé bullet point - and that’s exactly why it lands. It’s the language of discipline, not destiny. No mythmaking about being "born on the ice", no inspirational poster sincerity. Just a steady claim: this is the thing I kept choosing.
The phrase "always been" does quiet work. It compresses years of early mornings, injuries, and the repetitive, unglamorous mechanics of elite training into something that sounds casual. That understatement is a kind of self-protection, too. In a sport that fetishizes youth and sells skaters as fragile prodigies, calling it an "area of interest" reframes obsession as focus. It signals control over the narrative: I’m not a manufactured miracle; I’m someone with a long-running commitment.
Context matters with Cohen. She competed in an era when U.S. figure skating leaned hard on personality packaging - the wholesome champion, the intense technician, the elegant artist. Cohen often got slotted into the "artist" role, praised for extension and musicality while scrutinized for inconsistency. This sentence pushes back gently. It suggests a professional mindset: the artistry is not just temperament, it’s work, pursued over time.
In its modesty, the quote hints at the real ethos of elite sport: greatness isn’t a thunderbolt. It’s sustained attention.
The phrase "always been" does quiet work. It compresses years of early mornings, injuries, and the repetitive, unglamorous mechanics of elite training into something that sounds casual. That understatement is a kind of self-protection, too. In a sport that fetishizes youth and sells skaters as fragile prodigies, calling it an "area of interest" reframes obsession as focus. It signals control over the narrative: I’m not a manufactured miracle; I’m someone with a long-running commitment.
Context matters with Cohen. She competed in an era when U.S. figure skating leaned hard on personality packaging - the wholesome champion, the intense technician, the elegant artist. Cohen often got slotted into the "artist" role, praised for extension and musicality while scrutinized for inconsistency. This sentence pushes back gently. It suggests a professional mindset: the artistry is not just temperament, it’s work, pursued over time.
In its modesty, the quote hints at the real ethos of elite sport: greatness isn’t a thunderbolt. It’s sustained attention.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sports |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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