Sasha Cohen, Olympic Skater

Sasha Cohen earned the Silver Medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Is she going to compete again in 2010? She says she will make that decision later this year. Qualifications for the 2010 Winter Olympics will begin in January of 2010. Her training regimen right now is hectic. From September through May she does shows (i.e. Smucker's On Ice, coming to Orlando in Feb.), she is busy touring. I spoke with Sasha just after she returned to the states from a whirlwind tour abroad. 

When she is preparing for the Olympics she sets aside blocks of time, when she is at home, is more focused and has more intensity on the ice. Sasha performs in about three to five competitions per year. While in training she will skate for three hours then does various training off the ice as well including cardio. She also enjoys yoga, pilates, going to the gym, swimming, running and biking, which she can do year round, as she lives in Newport Beach, CA. 

She admits her inspiration and motivation comes and goes but it takes balance. She has patience for what she loves to do and follows her heart. Lance Armstrong has been a great inspiration to Sasha, she readily admits. "What he did, and how he did it is unbelievable." 

She also admits that staying injury free is a challenge, you also need to know how to pace yourself. "You don't want to be lazy and you don't want to burn yourself out."

Injuries to Athletes

More than 50 percent of sports related injuries can be avoided, according to Olympic coach, Bruce Thomas II, who specializes in sports medicine. He is currently the consulting physician to the People's Republic of China national baseball team. Dr. Thomas also consults with the LPGA and PGA players in the states on a regular basis.

In most sports, timing is everything, (especially in the Olympics). "Sometimes they push too hard both internally and externally; both the coaches and intrinsically, from the athlete. There's a fine line when an athlete peaks in their performance," said Dr. Thomas. 

Athletes do not allow enough time for their injuries to heal properly, nor enough time for the body to heal and rest between training and injuries.

"Lance Armstrong has both the ideal training, ideal mind, ideal body, which brought him incredible success," says Dr. Jeffrey Spencer, cyclist and Olympic coach, eight times on the Tour de France. "You have to have confidence in yourself. You have to have a positive mental attitude every day," said Dr. Spencer. "You have to have the freedom, the mindset to embrace change immediately. You can have a longer athletic career. It doesn't have to be finite."