Here, Nicks seems reluctant to give away too many trade secrets. “A correct jump is a combination of the cor-


rect position in the air and the correct timing,” he said. “A skater with talent should be able to land a jump most of the time.”


CASHING IN HER CHIPS When Wagner arrived in San Jose, she was


primed and ready, going so far as to call the 2012 Prudential U.S. Championships “my nationals to lose.” Mills credited her newfound confidence to


intense preparation. “Every day I noted every mistake Ashley


made in a log,” he said. “By the time she got to nationals, she had between 30 and 40 clean shorts and 10 to 20 clean longs in her log. So there was no doubt in her mind she was ready.” Entering the free skate a little more than


three points off the lead, Wagner’s Black Swan wasn’t perfect — she popped an intended triple Salchow into a single — but the mistake didn’t tarnish her win, some seven points over the field. “I was so confident and prepared and calm,” she said. “Tat was the biggest change for me. I felt absolutely calm going into the short program, which has always been my nemesis. I knew I had done clean run-through after clean run-through.” At the 2012 ISU World Figure Skating Cham- pionships in Nice, France, that nemesis reared its head when Wagner turned out


right decision [to move],” Wagner said. “So when I have a rough day and I’m bummed about being in California, I think about Stars on Ice and World Team Trophy and being on the national podium.” Although she still struggles with homesickness, she has adapted to life in the Golden State. Her apartment is 10 minutes from her rink, so L.A.’s notorious traffic isn’t much of an issue. She has made local friends, does yoga, goes running and has a favorite restaurant. “I’m an East Coast girl through-and-through,”


Wagner said. “But a year later, I’ve been able to develop a life for myself. I’m getting used to Cali- fornia, but I still miss home so much. Tis is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I miss my family.” For Nicks, Wagner’s determination to live L.A. life on her own terms is as impressive as any tri- ple-triple combination. “She’s very fortunate, in a way, that she makes


of the


landing of the opening triple flip in her “Pollock” short and sat eighth entering the free skate. Although she placed third in that portion of the event, she ended up fourth overall. Wagner gives her coach


credit for her strong free skate. “Going into the long pro-


gram, Mr. Nicks sat me down and said, ‘You’ve been doing this for a year, you’ve been getting better with each competition, and there is no reason you can’t do the same thing at Worlds,’” she said. “He is an incredible man.


It’s scary how he knows what he needs to do to get you where you


need to be. He worked with me and my mental approach to skating, and that was huge for me because I always felt like I was one of those skaters who had the goods but under pressure never showed up.”


ALL THE RIGHT MOVES After Worlds, Wagner was selected


Ashley Wagner and coaches, John Nicks and Phillip Mills, react to the skater’s winning scores at the 2012 U.S. Championships.


26 OCTOBER 2012


to compete at the World Team Trophy in Tokyo, where the U.S. contingent placed second to the Japanese. From there, she joined the 12-city Stars on Ice Canadian tour, performing with the likes of four-time World champion Kurt Browning. She was also invited to take part in Sun Valley’s fa- mous summer ice shows in Idaho. “I’m sure these opportunities came my way directly because of nationals, and for me, it is confirmation I made the


friends very easily,” Nicks said. “I’ve never met her father [Eric], and I’ve only met her mother [Melis- sa] twice. I’ve talked with her mother maybe four times over the past year. “She is quite independent, which is a little bit of a catch-22. My philosophy is that at age 13 or 14 a young lady should gradually assume inde- pendence, but, of course, the more independent students get, the less they listen to you.” Nicks pauses for a few seconds, perhaps think-


ing of all of the other young skaters — from Peggy Fleming right up through Cohen — he has helped guide over the years. Ten, he pays Wagner his biggest compliment yet. “I admire her.”


FINDING THE RIGHT VEHICLES Entering the 2012–13 season, Wagner want-


ed two new programs, and she knew topping her Black Swan skate free would be no easy feat. With Mills, she mulled her options for al- most two months, considering the Snow White and the Huntsman soundtrack, music from Te Red Violin and other selections. Finally, the two hit upon Camille Saint-Saens’ Samson and Delilah. “Ashley has a great dramatic flair,” Mills said.


“At first, I was skeptical about her playing Odette/ Odile [in Te Black Swan]. I told her, ‘You are go- ing to move like a ballet dancer,’ and she did. “Tis time, I turned her into a femme fatale,


who is what Delilah is, and she handles it really well. During the slow part, when she’s wheedling the information out of Samson, she looks positive- ly angelic.” She returned to Te Red Violin, John Corigli-


ano’s soundtrack from the 1999 film tracing the fortunes of the owners of a 400-year-old violin, for her short program. “She is not a character in this program; she’s an abstract interpretation of a violin itself, and the music you’re hearing,” Mills said. “In her opening pose, she is the violin. Her left hand is not in a pretty position, but looks exactly like the neck and top of a violin.” Nicks wasn’t involved in the music selection,


but he did have veto power.


PHOTO BY EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES


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