Tanith Belbin White, Sasha Cohen and Cristina Lussi, who represented her late grandfather Gustave Lussi
The U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Class of 2016 basks in the moment during its on-ice induction ceremo- ny. (l-r) Evan Lysacek, Ben Agosto,
‘I feel so fortunate’
Years after hanging up their competitive skates, members of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Class of 2016 were as elegant off the ice as they were on. Evan Lysacek, Sasha Cohen, Tanith Belbin
White and Ben Agosto were reunited as they joined the late Gustave F. Lussi as the newest in- ductees into the Hall. In a private pre-event meet- ing, the longtime friends greeted each other with hearty hugs accented by playful banter. As athletes, Lysacek, Cohen, Belbin White
and Agosto grew up together through competi- tions and later, ice shows. Tey shared the biggest stage as members of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team in Torino, Italy. At one point, Lysacek and Cohen were even roommates in Los Angeles. “I think it’s rare that so many inductees are
from the same generation of skating, so I feel fortu- nate to be part of the Class of 2016,” Lysacek said.
34 MARCH 2016
“I myself didn’t have a ton of friends in skating. Most of them came from outside of skating, but I can honestly say that all the people at this table are very, very close friends of mine. We grew up togeth- er.”
Te team had much success in Torino, as Cohen earned the silver medal and Belbin White and Agosto became the first American ice dancers to earn an Olympic silver medal. Lysacek, who battled the flu and finished fourth in 2006, bat- tled back in 2010 to become Olympic champion. And just as old friends were reunited in
Saint Paul, Minnesota, so were coaching greats. Lysacek asked his coach, Frank Carroll, to present him into the Hall of Fame on Jan. 22. Cohen, 31, sheepishly asked her coach, John Nicks. “At first, I didn’t even think to ask Mr. Nicks
because I didn’t think he would come,” Cohen said. “He’s retired. He spends most of his time on his boat, in the sunshine, so I thought it would be
Lysacek, Cohen, Belbin White and Agosto, Lussi inducted into Hall of Fame By Barb Reichert
a long shot to get him to come to Saint Paul in January.” Nicks said he couldn’t miss seeing his star
pupil’s induction into the Hall. However, while presenting Cohen at the Hall of Fame reception, he noted that his life is much more calm now that they have both retired. “I am on the West Coast,” he told a gather- ing of 170 people, “and when Sasha moved some 3,000 miles away to the East Coast, my blood pressure dropped considerably.” Cohen’s respect and love for her coach were
obvious. “I’ve shared so much of my life and my fig-
ure skating career with Mr. Nicks, and he’s always maintained the most wonderful sense of humor and perspective of where exactly skating fits in the spectrum of life,” she said. “It meant the world for him to be there and to know that our time together and our relationship was a special part of
PHOTO BY JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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