He’s Mr. Ice guy
Andrew Glazer
COSTA MESA -- A galaxy of stars float around John Nicks, some burning
long and bright, others fading fast.”He just has so much experience,”
said Sasha Cohen, 15, who finished second last week to Michelle Kwan in
the U.S. Figure Skating Championship, of her coach. “Mr. Nicks knows what
to do, and I listen to him and do it.”
The 4-foot-9, 79-pound Laguna Niguel resident’s hair, braces and white
skating-costume shined in the lights of the Costa Mesa Ice Palace, where
she trains.
Cohen said she has never had a serious disagreement with Nicks, even
though she has spent more than a half an hour each day training with the
Costa Mesa resident for the past three years.
“I have to treat her totally different than I did three years ago,” said
Nicks, whose wet blue eyes and dark, wrinkle-free complexion belie his 71
years. “I have to listen to her, let her give more input on her routine
and let her make suggestions. In my first years of coaching, I made too
many mistakes saying John Nicks’ way is the only right way.”
Nicks’ easygoing personality, experience and dedication to his proteges
has made him one of the world’s most successful and beloved skating
coaches.
He has led nine U.S. Olympic teams, currently coaches two of the nation’s
top figure skaters -- Cohen and Irvine’s Naomi Nari Nam -- and been
honored by the Queen of England since he became a coach nearly 40 years
ago.
For almost 18 of those years, Costa Mesa’s humble Ice Chalet has been his
home base. His wood-paneled office, which is marked with a brass plaque,
is adorned with dozens of photos of the world’s most famous skaters.
“Orange County has some of the most ambitious people in the world,” he
said, explaining why he settled here. “They’re focused to the point of
intensity. And I think the Ice Chalet has a strong tradition that has
drawn wonderful skaters from all over the world.”
Cohen, who travels about 30 minutes to train at the Ice Palace each day,
said it is Nicks’ reputation that initially brought her there.
“I was so nervous when I started,” she said, while she presumably
stretched, but so fluidly, it might as well have been dancing. “It felt
like I was going to a competition each week. I felt like I needed to do
everything perfect.”
While speaking, Cohen stood straight-backed -- one foot propped on a
table, the other on a bench across the room -- balancing in a split. She
snapped out of it in time to crouch into another split on the floor.
Cohen’s mother, Galina Cohen, sat next to her reading a magazine and
preparing for an interview with People Magazine about her daughter.
“Sasha realizes Mr. Nicks’ experience is invaluable, and because of this,
her mind is very open,” Galina Cohen said.
Nicks’ experience extends beyond lutzes and axels. In his years of
coaching, he has seen hundreds of egos go into orbit and even more dreams
fall.
“Skaters love the crowds and costumes,” he said. “It’s very glamorous.
But I try to explain the difference of real world and fantasy to them.
Family is what’s important. The Jay Leno show and limos, they’re not
real.”
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