The Ice Storm

(2 of 4)

On one side are Cohen, a petite, doll-like 21-year-old, and Meissner, a lanky 16-year-old from Maryland. Cohen, a breathtakingly elegant skater, has had a disturbing habit of cracking at major events. But she has immersed herself in the new scoring structure, crafting smart programs that could finally elevate her from perennial runner-up to ice queen in Italy. "I am happy with the new system," she told TIME. "It rewards points for more than just jumping."

Unlike Cohen, Meissner didn't have much adapting to do. She has basically known nothing but COP since she debuted at the senior level last year. She flung herself into Olympic contention with that tricky triple Axel and has thrived under COP ever since, reaping rewards by filling her programs with difficult moves from beginning to end.

The transition hasn't been so smooth for Kwan. At her first competition without the 6.0s, she finished fourth, the first time she failed to medal at an event in a decade. Injuries kept her out of the pre-Olympic competitions, including last month's qualifier. She was still awarded a spot on the Torino team, but that berth puts her in the unenviable position of making her competitive debut this year on Olympic ice. "I would be terrified," says Peggy Fleming, a 1968 Olympic gold medalist. "She hasn't been out there competing and doing her routines. I'm extremely scared for her."

That fear will only get worse when Kwan finds herself up against not just her teammates but also medal contenders like Russia's Irina Slutskaya and a gaggle of Japanese women--all of whom have wrestled COP into submission. Still, Kwan is a big-time performer with loads of experience.

No one knows that better than Cohen. She has built a career on her innate talent, using her balletic grace and anatomy-defying flexibility to mesmerize judges and fans. But Cohen is the first to admit that all that élan disguised a lack of discipline and control that has kept her from becoming a champion. Her string of six second-place finishes at U.S. and world competitions--most of them behind Kwan--were more the result of her losing gold than of her earning silver. "She makes you have goose bumps when you see that perfection," says Fleming. "But I have seen so many beautiful performances only in practices. I want to see that at the Olympics. I know she has that in her."

In an Olympic year, most figure skaters avoid the O word as if it were toxic, predictably fending off questions with the usual patter about doing their best, enjoying the experience. Not Cohen. Over lunch in a Newport Beach, Calif., restaurant last summer, Cohen addressed the Olympic question head on. "The Olympics are a very important part of my training this year," she said. "Because I'm looking for more than an Olympic medal. I want Olympic gold." Brash, yes, but this year Cohen may actually deliver on that bravado.