Ice Capades

Photo by Dave Amorde

"Joey likes Rachel!"

In Aliso Viejo's Ice Chalet snack bar, six typical teens squeal about "Friends" and lace their skates. Among them, an eye-catching brunette balances against a table and lifts her left foot to meet her back. The banner above the skate-rental booth, constructed with orange paper and Scotch tape, reads: "Congratulations! Sasha Cohen 2002 Silver Medalist, you're go'in to the Olympics!"

The flexible brunette? Not just a typical teenager.

Sasha Cohen, 17, will be one of three women figure skaters to represent the United States in the 2002 Winter Olympics. The sassy Aliso Niguel High School senior overcame a debilitating injury and will travel to Salt Lake City in February to fulfill her Olympic dream.

"I'm looking forward to everything: opening and closing ceremonies, staying in the village, hopefully skating my best and winning the medal," Cohen says, glossing her lips with a pink wand.

Fan mail covers the snack counter, and a pint-size girl asks Cohen to autograph her skate. The Orange County Jewish teen seems unfazed by her new celebrity status.

"It's exciting and fun, but it's not reality. I'm enjoying it now, but when it's not here, that's OK, too," Cohen says, fidgeting with the zipper on her rhinestoned black hood. In fact, Cohen seems more excited about her upcoming Winter Formal and her kitten, Mia, than the media attention.

The 5-foot-1, 94-pound bundle of energy and radiance wasn't bat mitzvahed, but always wears a gold medallion around her neck. "The front is an astrological map for my birthday, and the back is my lucky star," Cohen told The Journal. The star is a Star of David. Her parents, Roger, an international business consultant and lawyer, and Gelina, attend Shir Ha-Ma'alot, a Reform congregation, and her 13-year-old sister, Natasha, attends Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School in Irvine.

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