2012 PRUDENTIAL U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS NOVICE - LADIES
CHEN DAZZLES WITH
ELECTRIC PERFORMANCES by TROY SCHWINDT
D
iminutive, soft-spoken and unassuming describe 12-year-old Karen Chen from Fremont, Calif. Aggressive, fearless and passionate speak to her skating
prowess. Chen, the 2011 intermediate champion, turned on her extraor-
dinary talent to capture the novice crown with 140.17 points. Am- ber Glenn, 10th last year in the intermediate ranks, secured the silver medal with 125.88 points. Amanda Gelb claimed the bronze medal with 122.34 points. Representing the Peninsula Skating Club, Chen led second-place
Gelb by 2.87 points heading into her free skate to the soundtrack from Te Godfather. She pulled away from the field with a senior-level program that
featured five triple jumps and three jump combinations. Her confident footwork and fast spins earned rousing applause. Te program’s only real hiccup came late when she fell on her
second triple Lutz. Chen, though, jumped right up for a downgraded triple flip and finished strong with a level four layback spin. Having such an ambitious program is exactly what Chen wants, said one of her coaches, Gilley Nicholson. “She’s a very confident young lady and she goes for everything,”
Nicholson said. “We could have taken the triple toe out after the double Axel. We talked about that but she said, ‘No, I’m doing it.’ Tat’s her character, so she’s very determined.” Nicholson and Sherri Krahne-Tomas started coaching Chen
about five years ago. Te skater discovered early on that she loved to compete and hasn’t looked back since. “Te more I give her the more she does,” Nicholson said. “If you
challenge her, she’ll rise to the challenge.” One of Chen’s mentors is 1992 Olympic champion Kristi Yama- guchi, who also grew up in Fremont, Calif. Yamaguchi, who was on hand to watch Chen, offered the young skater some advice before the competition started. “She told me that nationals was like a big party and that I have an invitation to come here to compete and have fun,” Chen said. “Now all I have to do is just have fun and enjoy this party.” Yamaguchi has been extremely helpful in numerous areas, Nichol-
Karen Chen
son said. “You couldn’t ask for a better mentor,” he added. Glenn, of the Dallas FSC, erased a rough performance at the 2011
U.S. Junior Championships to claim silver with her free skate to selec- tions from the Black Swan soundtrack. Conquering her nerves and gaining confidence proved instrumen- tal in her comeback effort. “I had motivation from my inspiring family and coach and
friends,” Glenn, 12, said. “Tey pushed and helped me through the tough times and helped me succeed when I really needed it the most. I came back and worked hard and got the rest of my jumps. I was OK with what happened last year; I accepted it. But I thought I’m going to come back next year and I’m going to go to nationals and leave an impression. Tat’s what I was aiming for and I think I’ve done it.” Her coach, Ann Brumbaugh, said Glenn has always possessed the
talent. It was overcoming nerves and the pressure of skating that she had to address head on. “From last year to this year, she got all of her tri- ples and made a huge improvement,” Brumbaugh said. “She was very motivated to make a comeback and show what she had. I’ve always believed she would go out and do that.” Gelb, of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club, also
showed vast improvement over last year, when she placed 10th as a novice at the Southwest Pacific Regional. Te 14-year-old shined in her free skate to Romeo
and Juliet. “I felt like I was much more prepared this year and
more confident,” Gelb said. “It’s awesome.” Highlights from her free skate included level three
Amanda Gelb
and level four spins and footwork. Madison Vince, of the Washington FSC, placed
fourth. Amber Glenn SKATING 41
PHOTOS BY JAY ADEFF
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