Sasha'sSpins
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Avanta Boot Labs Slam Karen Chen For Boot Problems
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Simone411
To Boldly Explore Figure Skating Around The World
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Yes, that seems about right. I guess Mylanta will continue with the heartburn indefinitely. oops. Excuse me. I meant Avanta.
vesperholly
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D
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I thought SNG was saying he(?) was with Avanta, but not the particular person who made the post. He(?) says he was "working with them" and that "we" did stand behind Karen.
Sylvia
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On this forum also SNG says "we will be providing custom boot fitting at our booth (i.e.e, the Avanta booth) at adult nationals.
http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=8015.0
http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=8015.0
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Karen Chen withdraws from 2018 Worlds.
Tinami Amori
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I think it is smart of her. She'll have a few months to travel and meet with different boot makers, instead of skating in ones that are not comfortable.
Does anyone in USA use WIFA boots? i tried them once (back in the times of King Solomon) and there very comfortable.
http://www.wifa.at/index.php?lang=en
Spun Silver
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https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/0...s-to-sit-it-out-for-2018-world-championships/
If it is really because of a boot problem, I am very sad for her. We don't have any details. I just hope to high heavens that Avanta did not cost Karen her spot.
If it is really because of a boot problem, I am very sad for her. We don't have any details. I just hope to high heavens that Avanta did not cost Karen her spot.
BittyBug
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I don't think WIFA are sold in the U.S.
Tinami Amori
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I am not suggesting that Karen takes this advise, who am i to suggest.... But do want to say that WIFA are very comfortable boots, and if i am not mistaking, Irina Slutskaya wore only them, even during her weight fluctuations, and never had any problems. maybe this is worth a try.... just thinking out loud.
Anita18
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Yeah it would be pretty dumb if they were a factor. AFAIK Karen is their biggest sponsored athlete. It hurts them too.
D
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I have watched Karen train a bit lately, when she hits it, she is so phenomenal. The skating is so fluid, her jumps are crazy high, her choreography from within, not "somebody told me to do this". She is just not consistent enough. I doubt it's the skates right now, although this makes Avanta look even more like total arses. Sometimes athletes feel worn out and one more semi-flop at a big championship was maybe not worth risking. This season has been a bad one, but hopefully she can regroup for the next one.
Tinami Amori
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I said "look like arses". We can disagree on if they do or not, I think they do. But there is a difference being an arse and looking like one from people on the outside.
D
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Here is an excerpt from Karen talking about her back problems. It does not really seem to relate to boots or feet, but it's interesting nevertheless:
Now, what most people don’t know, what I’ve never told anyone before, is that I suffer from a chronic, and at times debilitating, back condition. My whole life, I’d been able to stretch and I was very flexible, especially in my back, which helped me execute spins and spirals from a very young age. Then, a few years ago, sometime after I broke my foot that day in Riverside, this back injury flared up. I’ve seen many doctors for it, and I’ve gotten different opinions. Some say I was born with the problem, others say I must have had an accident when I was younger that triggered it. Basically, my lower vertebrae sometimes slip forward and backward because the bones are slightly cracked. When I arch my back in certain ways, bone pushes against nerve, and pain shoots down my legs and back. I’ve had doctors tell me not to arch my back, but I have to arch my back in order to compete and execute certain moves. So you can see my dilemma.
When I was initially diagnosed, I was so worried about my spine and so nervous about the pain that I was tense all the time. And that tension made everything worse. I was tight and my muscles were constantly seizing, which only intensified the sharp pain radiating from my back down through to my legs.
I decided I needed to be careful and play it safe, not pushing it so far that even normal activities would hurt my back. In training, when I’d run through my programs, I only performed basic movements. For example, if it was a spiral, I wouldn’t lift my legs as high. I toned everything way down.
As you know, I managed to win bronze at nationals in 2015. But my performances grew more and more inconsistent. How could I expect myself to hit positions in competition if I never did them in practice? That’s not how athletes train. Training halfway is not the proper way to train. I’m being lazy.
Finally I had to have a conversation with my doctor. “You have this problem,” he said, “but worrying about it won’t make it better. And arching your back isn’t going to make it any worse.”
Champions figure out a way to persist. And in order to help my back, I added more Pilates and core stability work to my off-ice training. All those core muscles help hold my vertebrae in position. If my core was strong, the vertebrae weren’t as likely to slip around and cause further problems.
Initially, my back pain was scary and I dealt with a lot of fear. But my only choice was to figure out a way to overcome the fear. I tried avoiding it—which didn’t work. It was only after I embraced it that I found a breakthrough. My back condition forced me to strengthen other areas of my body, which made me more powerful overall. In my weakness, I found strength.
Now, what most people don’t know, what I’ve never told anyone before, is that I suffer from a chronic, and at times debilitating, back condition. My whole life, I’d been able to stretch and I was very flexible, especially in my back, which helped me execute spins and spirals from a very young age. Then, a few years ago, sometime after I broke my foot that day in Riverside, this back injury flared up. I’ve seen many doctors for it, and I’ve gotten different opinions. Some say I was born with the problem, others say I must have had an accident when I was younger that triggered it. Basically, my lower vertebrae sometimes slip forward and backward because the bones are slightly cracked. When I arch my back in certain ways, bone pushes against nerve, and pain shoots down my legs and back. I’ve had doctors tell me not to arch my back, but I have to arch my back in order to compete and execute certain moves. So you can see my dilemma.
When I was initially diagnosed, I was so worried about my spine and so nervous about the pain that I was tense all the time. And that tension made everything worse. I was tight and my muscles were constantly seizing, which only intensified the sharp pain radiating from my back down through to my legs.
I decided I needed to be careful and play it safe, not pushing it so far that even normal activities would hurt my back. In training, when I’d run through my programs, I only performed basic movements. For example, if it was a spiral, I wouldn’t lift my legs as high. I toned everything way down.
As you know, I managed to win bronze at nationals in 2015. But my performances grew more and more inconsistent. How could I expect myself to hit positions in competition if I never did them in practice? That’s not how athletes train. Training halfway is not the proper way to train. I’m being lazy.
Finally I had to have a conversation with my doctor. “You have this problem,” he said, “but worrying about it won’t make it better. And arching your back isn’t going to make it any worse.”
Champions figure out a way to persist. And in order to help my back, I added more Pilates and core stability work to my off-ice training. All those core muscles help hold my vertebrae in position. If my core was strong, the vertebrae weren’t as likely to slip around and cause further problems.
Initially, my back pain was scary and I dealt with a lot of fear. But my only choice was to figure out a way to overcome the fear. I tried avoiding it—which didn’t work. It was only after I embraced it that I found a breakthrough. My back condition forced me to strengthen other areas of my body, which made me more powerful overall. In my weakness, I found strength.
Sylvia
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Source for this extended excerpt (I like source links
) is her autobiography for younger readers, Finding the Edge: https://parade.com/624027/m-b-rober...-champion-karen-chen-turned-pain-into-a-plus/
Spun Silver
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It sounds excruciating!!
But we still have no word from Karen on her reason for withdrawing? I just find it so drastic. Getting to Worlds is such a huge accomplishment, and there are no guarantees that she will make it back there again (although one would hope she'll have a long career in which she's able to reach her potential).
But we still have no word from Karen on her reason for withdrawing? I just find it so drastic. Getting to Worlds is such a huge accomplishment, and there are no guarantees that she will make it back there again (although one would hope she'll have a long career in which she's able to reach her potential).
Carolla5501
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And if you believe that "denial" I have a bridge for sale.
New poster shows up just to defend the company???? If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it's a duck...
SkateSand
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supergirl573
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Well... that was an interesting episode of TSL. Allegedly, Karen visited the boot company and allegedly the broke her boots in front of her and that is why Karen missed Worlds. Allegedly.
I’m sorry what? They actually broke the boots in front of her? What minute of this is in their video. I don’t have two hours of my life to waste.
Maybe it's a case of Dave being dramatic? Like maybe she took them in so that they could do the mounting or whatever it was they were concerned about and made a mistake that ruined the boots and they wouldn't be able to get the new pair done in a week? Technically that would fit Dave's claim, but would be much more believable. Unless the in-person service is as bad as the PR, which sounds improbabl.
BaileyCatts
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I'm sorry but what the hell?!!!!! They broke her boots in front of her so she couldn't skate at Worlds??!!! (coughcoughAllegedlycoughcough) Why the hell would anyone want to do business with these people! I'm not a skater so they could probably give a feck what I think, but if SNG ever shows up here again and claims 'oh no we didn't' there is no way in hell I would believe them or anything their people ever said. Ever. Especially after that "I'm working on getting that post taken down" yet here we are like a month later and its still up. Those are the most unscrupulous business people I have ever heard about. How can anyone even want to get their skates from them? I know I wouldn't if I was a skater.
supergirl573
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It's at 1:00:42. Apparently Mariah really didn't know that she was going to Worlds (she knew that she would be going if an alternate was not called because Ashley would not be going).
BaileyCatts
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After everything we have heard about this incident, I would be more inclined to believe they did it "accidentally on purpose" .... i.e., ....... completely on purpose! (allegedly)
Vagabond
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https://youtu.be/hWz36YTGU_0?t=3644 and (allegedly) thereafter. 
The (alleged) word is (allegedly) "destroyed."
Oh, and the Instagram post linked in Post #1 is still up. I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!
The (alleged) word is (allegedly) "destroyed."
Oh, and the Instagram post linked in Post #1 is still up. I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!
VGThuy
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I would usually think Dave was being dramatic for effect or assuming the worst because it's juicier and more entertaining to imagine, but given the way Avanta handled this whole situation, I don't think it's that implausible.
BaileyCatts
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https://youtu.be/hWz36YTGU_0?t=3644 and (allegedly) thereafter.
The (alleged) word is (allegedly) "destroyed."
Oh, and the Instagram post linked in Post #1 is still up. I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!
uhm ... yeah. After watching that, "allegedly" my ass. They totally did it on purpose.
Japanfan
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https://youtu.be/hWz36YTGU_0?t=3644 and (allegedly) thereafter.
The (alleged) word is (allegedly) "destroyed."
"Broke her boots in front of her" above suggested to me that they did so deliberately, but "destroyed" doesn't have the same connotation to me for some reason. Rather, it suggests that they trying to fix the problem but failed miserably.
And why would the company break her boots in front of her? It sounds like an action that would be taken in anger, and even if the company was/is angry at Karen, I don't see why they would do that. Also don't really see why they would be angry at Karen. Given that they are in the boot business, they are going to want their customers to be happy. Otherwise, they would not be able to sell boots.
