Figure skater Sasha Cohen, 24, has already competed in two Olympics and will decide by June if she’s going for a third. Since January, Cohen has been touring with fellow Olympic skaters in “Stars on Ice,” which comes to the Pepsi Center on Thursday.
In a phone interview late last week, the almost 5-foot-2 skater said what she likes about performing in the show is the creativity and individuality of the solo numbers and the teamwork of skating with other champions like Todd Eldredge and Jennifer Robinson.
Her routine: Cohen credits yoga with helping her stay in peak physical and mental condition.
“It’s something I can take with me everywhere,” she says. “I do a little yoga five to six days a week, even if I can’t get in a full practice.”
She does both Vinyasa yoga, which focuses on movements that flow from one position to the next, and power yoga, which is more intense and physical. “I like them both for the variety, and I always love the meditation part of the yoga.”
Cohen started taking yoga classes after the 2006 Winter Games, after her mother, Galina Cohen, took it up and found it beneficial. “It helps me find a center and balance, and I take time for myself.
“It’s so important to have a good teacher. It helped me develop slow stability and the ability to hold positions. As a singles skater, I have a lot of lower-body strength, but with push-ups and so many other positions, I’ve definitely developed upper-body strength.”
One of the things she likes about yoga is that you can do it anywhere and don’t need weights or machines. “You use your own body weight for stability,” she says.
On a typical performance day, Cohen will practice about an hour on the ice prior to the show, and will warm up using yoga positions and movements, as well as ballet-style stretches. “It gets my body awake and ready.”
On the road: When traveling, if the hotel has a gym, she’ll get some cardio in on the elliptical machine and treadmill.
She also travels with a Thera-Band and does yoga in her room.
The show’s travel schedule can be rigorous, but if there are a few days off, she’ll fly home to Newport Beach, Calif. There, she’ll train at her own rink.
How demanding is “Stars”? She skates seven times during the show, so if they perform three or four days in a row, she’s ready to take a break. “You have to give the body time to regenerate.”
Her diet: “I eat a lot of vegetables and lean protein like grilled fish. I like yogurt and nuts. I try to stay away from sweets, but I won’t lie, I have a sweet tooth.” Her splurge? “Cupcakes.”
On a tour date when there’s an evening performance, Cohen eats breakfast, lunch and a snack, and then has dinner after the show.
What about snacks when she’s in the airport? Bran crackers, almond butter, a banana, an apple and ground flax seeds are in her carry-on.
When she’s not skating? “I like to bike and jog, but I have to be careful of my knees.” She also likes swimming — “if it’s warm” — and does Pilates.
Her other passion? “I design all my skating costumes for the solo numbers. It’s something I love to do and have been doing since I was 12 years old.”
What will influence her decision to go for a third Olympics? “As long as I can stay healthy and be competitive, it would be so amazing to come back for a third Olympics. Every single body is different. Some (skaters are) great when they’re 15, some when they’re 26. I’m feeling good and have been training hard. I’ve upped my conditioning and have been skating a lot more.”
Stars on Ice
Sasha Cohen,
Jeffrey Buttle and
Todd Eldredge are
among the skaters
starring in “On the
Edge,” the Smucker’s
Stars on Ice production
at 7 p.m. Thursday
at the Pepsi
Center. Tickets start
at $25 at the Pepsi
Center Box Office;
starsonice.com or
any Ticketmaster
location
