U.S. J U NIOR CHAMPION – MEN ' S
by KRISTIN ZINSMEISTER W
hen the 2002 Olympic Winter Games were held in Nathan Chen’s hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah, Chen was just shy of his third birthday.
Ten years later, the 13-year-old sensation is soaring up the figure skating ranks in record-set- ting fashion. In 2010, Chen became the youngest person ever to win a novice title at age 10. Te following year, he repeated the feat by becoming the first person to win back-to-back novice titles. Ten at the 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Chen won his third consecutive title, becoming the youngest junior men’s cham- pion in recent history at just 12 years of age. “I am very happy about my results [this sea- son] and feel like this is a good step forward in my skating career,” Chen said. Although he was second following the short
program (in 2012), Chen claimed the gold medal after completing seven triple jumps in his “God- father” free skate, including a triple Lutz-triple toe combination that garnered 11.1 points. His high technical scores were complemented by a well-choreographed program that showcased his energetic and expressive style. “I have been co-creating Nathan’s programs on and off for the last 10 years,” said Chen’s choreographer Stephanee Grosscup. “Nathan always comes to me with an idea or a character he wants to portray. I love that he gets excited about a character. Ten I edit the music, com- press the story together and he and I create his pieces.”
Chen’s “Godfather” performance earned a
standing ovation as well as a personal-best score of 193.90 points. Despite the excitement in the arena, Chen remained humble, only revealing a delighted smile after his scores were posted. Now age-eligible for international competi- tion, his winning streak continued in April when he won the novice crown at the Gardena Spring Trophy in Selva Val Gardena, Italy. “Gardena was a lot fun,” Chen said. “I had
a great time hanging out with everyone on Team USA.”
His May 5, 2012, birthday also meant that Chen can compete this year on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, an opportunity he has been waiting for since winning his first novice title in 2010. To prepare for this new chapter in his skat-
ing career, the rising skating star recently moved from Salt Lake City and longtime coach Genia Chernyshova to Lake Arrowhead, Calif., to train
at the world-renowned Ice Castle International Training Center. Tere, he has begun taking from famed coach Rafael Arutyunyan, who has guided the careers of many skating greats, including Mi- chelle Kwan, Alexander Abt, Jeffrey Buttle, Mao Asada and Sasha Cohen. An extremely hard worker, Chen is pleased
with his new training environment, where he shares the ice with fellow Olympic hopefuls. “Te training center offers a lot of ice time,
and everyone here is very serious about skating,” Chen said. “Also, Rafael is a great coach and I have a very good relationship with him.” Salt Lake City-based Grosscup was also hap-
py with Chen’s decision to make the 655-mile move from Utah to California.
“I am so happy for him that he is in a place
where he can train amongst many top athletes,” Grosscup said. “He told me he needed that. He wants to train in a place where, on any given day, there are skaters on the ice that have more tricks than him. Plus, Rafael is such a great coach. He and Nathan have already formed a great rapport. Rafael is articulate, precise and disciplined, but he also has a great sense of humor, which is so important for top athletes.” Located in the San Bernardino Mountains,
Lake Arrowhead sits at an elevation of 5,174 feet, an altitude that would cause many skaters new to the training center to feel winded more quickly. Chen, however, is breathing easy. “Lake Arrowhead is only about 1,000 feet
higher than Salt Lake City, so the altitude change doesn’t really affect me,” Chen said. Te altitude may not have changed that much, but Chen’s schooling has. Originally a stu- dent under Salt Lake City’s Extended Learning Program, a curriculum designed for gifted stu- dents, Chen now attends Rim of the World High School, which allows him to attend class in the morning and leave early to train in the afternoon. Another plus is the school’s location — less than two miles from the Ice Castle rink. Moving away from home, taking from a
new coach and starting a new school may have put a lot of pressure on Chen’s tiny shoulders, but Chen’s mother and biggest supporter Lui Yeung (also known as Hetty) has helped to alleviate much of the stress by relocating with her son. “Nathan is a very hardworking and respon-
sible boy,” Yeung said. “At this young of an age having achieved so much is something I am very proud of.”
Chen’s four older brothers remain in Salt
Lake City, but they continue to support their youngest sibling as he attempts to make it big in the skating world. “My family has been supporting me non-
stop for many years and I am so grateful,” Chen said.
He shows his gratefulness by continuing to
improve and excel at his sport, demonstrating technical and artistic skill far beyond his years. “Nathan’s mom knew that he had a special talent and has always helped nurture both the athletic and creative side in him,” Grosscup said. “He was enrolled in children’s dance from a very young age and performed every year in Ballet West’s production of Te Nutcracker, as well as many other dance performances. He is an incred- ible ballet dancer.” (Ballet West is the ballet com- pany now being featured on the CW reality show “Breaking Pointe.” In addition to ballet, Chen is also a pianist and gymnast, all of which have given him a win- ning combination of strength, flexibility and musicality. Although Lake Arrowhead’s isolated location has made it difficult for him to continue with these activities, their residual effects have fa- cilitated his new training regimen. With all of Chen’s success, the Olympics would seem like the next step, but the diminu- tive powerhouse will be too young for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. So Chen has his sights set on the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. If he qualifies for the Olympics six years from now, he will be 18, an age that not only matches the Olympic year but is also a time when many athletes begin their physical peak years.
Since he has some time before he is age-eli-
gible for the Olympics, Chen is planning to stay in the junior ranks this year, a decision that will give him time to grow and mature before having to try the more difficult elements required at the senior level. Chen’s skating future is bright, and while
his supporters are eager to watch Chen’s career develop, they will also never forget his past suc- cesses. “To have the privilege to watch [Nathan]
grow from such a tiny tot to a teenager has truly been one of the most rewarding student-teacher relationships of my choreographic career,” Gross- cup said. “We are really great friends. I will al- ways be a fan of Nathan Chen.”
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