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.”