AJAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
In the driver’s seat Nguyen learning to harness vast talent
2017 U.S. JUNIOR LADIES CHAMPION BY DAVE LEMIEUX
Forced to withdraw from the 2016 U.S. Championships by a fever of 100 degrees, Kaitlyn Nguyen has been a girl on fire ever since.
Te 13-year-old from St. Louis (now liv- ing and training near Los Angeles), skated to an impressive six golds and a silver in her next seven events, including the junior ladies title at the 2017 U.S. Championships in Kansas City, Missouri. Nguyen says her family helped her work
through her deep disappointment after with- drawing from 2016 U.S. Championships. “Tey comforted me and helped me
move on, helped me look at the bright side,” Nguyen said.
Tings immediately began looking a lot brighter for the talented young jumper when she moved to Los Angeles and began working with coaches Ivan Dinev and Angela Nikodin- ov.
“I couldn’t have done it without my amazing coaches,” Nguyen said. Tere never was any doubt about Nguy-
en’s talent. She won the bronze medal as a juvenile in 2014 and followed up with a pair of silver medals as a novice and junior at U.S. Challenge Skate. From the beginning, Nguyen’s jumping ability turned more than a few heads, includ- ing Nikodinov’s. “I remember watching her during practice at 2016 nationals,” Nikodinov said. “Her jumps were eye-catching, but it was just that — do a jump, fall, do a jump, fall. She was a jumping machine, but it was like having a Ferrari and not knowing how to drive it.” Even then, Nguyen was as fearless and determined as any Formula 1 race car driver. Left to her own devices, she’d have been on ice for the novice final in 2016. “My temperature was only 100 degrees,”
she says ruefully. “I thought I could have skated.”
“Tat sounds just like her,” Nikodinov said, laughing. “She’s the type that will push through anything. She’s a perfectionist. She’s self-driven and self-motivated and open to trying new things.”
And that was, in part, the challenge of bringing out the best in Nguyen. Talent and
42 JUNE/JULY 2017
now. We’re doing a lot of core exercises and my back and core are a lot stronger now and I’m not getting injured as easily.” You could say she’s in the driver’s seat
now. Tat was the feeling even though Nguy-
en was third going into the free skate at the 2017 U.S. Championships. “I didn’t really think about placement,” she said. “I was happy with my skating and knew I’d had a great, strong long program, so I was not worried. My goal going into nationals was just to skate two clean programs. I felt confident. I was happy to be at nationals again and competing and feeling strong and healthy.” “She had an amazing free skate,” Nikodi-
nov said.
motivation have never been a problem. What Nikodinov and Dinev had to do was find a way to harness and focus Nguyen’s determina- tion and drive. “Jumping was her only focus,” Nikodin-
ov explained. Before moving to Los Angeles, Nguy-
en wasn’t doing much in the way of off-ice conditioning or strength training and, as a consequence, was often injured. “I couldn’t skate that much,” Nguyen
admitted. “And every time I jumped I’d have back pain.” In fact, Nguyen was injured once again and unable to perform any jumps when she skated for Dinev in a tryout in spring 2016. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t ready to leap up to the next level.
“I could tell when she and Ivan were out on the ice during her tryout that they clicked really well,” Nikodinov said. “All they were doing was focusing on edges and stroking, but they can look at each other and know what they want and what each other is thinking.” From the start, the move to Los Angeles opened a whole new world of skating for Nguyen. “It’s a systematic approach,” she said.
“Tere are sessions on the ice, but there’s also ballet and strengthening and stretching to prevent injuries. I train a lot more off the ice
Nguyen’s powerful performance began with what would turn out to be the event’s highest-scoring element — a triple Lutz-half oop-triple Salchow worth 11.40 points. She went on to earn her first title by more than 15 points. It was the culmination of a year of hard
work by Nguyen and teamwork by her coach- es, including Anastasiya Sharenkova — who helped with flexibility and strength — and choreographers Jeffrey Buttle and Jonathan Cassar.
As after last year’s disappointment, Nguy-
en’s family, principally her mother Kieu, have been the backbone of her support system. “Her mom is very supportive; she’s more like her best friend,” Nikodinov said. “She’s there to give her a hug. Kaitlyn loves that.” Tis is only the beginning for Nguyen. “Tese results are not a flash in the
pan,” Nikodinov said. “Longevity is the key for Kaitlyn. Winning at nationals was by no means a secret goal, but it’s not the focus. It’s important to keep your eye on the prize, but to stay focused on what you need to be doing in practice and training.” “My coaches have worked really hard
with me,” Nguyen said. “Tey’ve helped me improve my second marks, my jumps and my consistency. My jumps are higher now and I’m working on a triple Axel and quad Salchow.” So much for the short term. In the long
term? “2022,” Nguyen said, mentioning the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70
