I have to admit I was among the many skeptics when it came to Sasha Cohen and her comeback attempt. No one had really seen much of her training. She had withdrawn from two international events, and she had never put together two clean programs in a major competition.

So when she showed up for the 2010 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships this week in Spokane, Wash., I was intrigued. Still not entirely sold, but dangling on impressed.

Then she took the ice.

And dominated.

She’s in second place entering the free skate on Saturday, but she’s already a winner in my book.
She skated like vintage Sasha, complete with her trademark spins and spiral sequences. What was new about the 2010 update, however, was the look in her eyes. She had a confidence that I had not seen when she was competing in her so-called prime way back in 2006 when she earned a national title and an Olympic silver medal.

A handful of accomplished skaters have tried making comebacks and haven’t had much luck. Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist, paved the way for professional skaters to return to Olympic competition in 1994 but couldn’t maintain his gold-medal form. He finished sixth in Lillehammer. Others, however, didn’t skip a beat. Russia’s pairs skating team of Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, gold medalists in 1988, won a second Olympic gold medal in 1994.

This year is an interesting year for comebacks. Evgeni Plushenko, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, decided to return to competition after nearly four years away from competitive ice skating. He has been brilliant in his comeback, and this week captured his sixth European title. Stephane Lambiel, who earned world titles in 2005 and 2006, is also on the comeback trail.

One woman who knows a thing or two about making comebacks on ice is Barbara Roles Williams. A bronze medalist at the 1960 Olympic Games, she retired and subsequently entered the life of motherhood. But after the entire 1961 U.S. world team and many coaches and officials were killed in a plane crash en route to the World Championships in Prague, the U.S. Figure Skating Association (as it was known then) needed some stars and managed to bring her back to competition in 1962.

Roles Williams won the national title that year, placed fifth at the World Championships and then hung up her competitive skates for good.

Roles Williams coaches at the University of Delaware. I caught her on her cell phone as she was heading to the rink Friday morning. She had not yet seen Sasha’s short program but knew all about it. She, too, was impressed. She knew all about the breakdown of the scores and plans to watch it later. It was televised but because of the time difference, Roles Williams was in bed while Sasha was skating.

“I think it’s fabulous,’’ Roles Williams said. “I really have got to hand it to her. I think she must have been well prepared.’’

Roles Williams competed in a much different era than Sasha. Back in her day, Roles Williams had to compete in school figures as well as in free skating, and she was judged on the 6.0 scale. Sasha also competed in the 6.0 scale and had to adjust to the new judging system in which every element, from jumps to spins to footwork, is intensely scrutinized.

Still, a comeback is a comeback. And Roles Williams can relate.

“The training was a lot harder when I came back,’’ Roles Williams said. “When you are training all the time, it is part of your life. You remember what it’s like, but you forget how hard it is. One big advantage for Sasha is that she had been doing shows for several years. It’s not the same, but it definitely helped. Competition is a whole new world.’’

Roles Williams is intrigued by all these comebacks.

“I don’t think everyone can do it, just a few unique people,’’ she said.

Is Sasha one of those unique folks?

So far, yes, Roles Williams said.

“She did great and I think sitting in second place is probably better for her than being in first right now,’’ Roles Williams said. “I think if she was in first she’d probably skate defensively. It’s not going to be easy, though. Rachael (Flatt) is right behind her and Ashley Wagner, too. Any one of those girls in the top four can make the team.’’

The question now is who will be the two who will earn spots for the U.S. Olympic team in Vancouver.

Tune in tonight.