Two Time Olympian! Karen Chen Cheer Thread

Fiero425

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,302
In Karen’s celebratory IG post, she made sure to tag Jackson Ultima boot company. I wonder how Avanta is doing.

Congrats on a very nice performance to save us 3 spots in Int'l comp. next season; the Olympics right around the corner! :rolleyes:
 

Spun Silver

Well-Known Member
Messages
12,130
Karen was able to forget everything else and skate almost perfectly, with joy and maturity. She was one of the highlights of this Worlds for me, and her placing this high for a second time makes it very arguable that she is our best skater. (I already thought so but it's nice to be vindicated.) Her natural gifts are so great that at her best she's not just excellent but glorious. It's wonderful to see her consistency and confidence.
 

Marco

Well-Known Member
Messages
15,268
I admit it - I had doubted USFS' decision to send her to Worlds, but hey I am so happy to be proven wrong. Twice she helped US secure 3 spots for the Olympics and was the top US lady. This is so inspirational.

And if there's any way to love her free skate even more, it's when she skated it absolutely amazingly like she did here! This is by far the performance that I would rewatch the most from the entire event! The absolute star of the event for me.

(she did get lucky with the call on the 3/3 in the short but as I said in the other thread, it all evened out since she got lower PCS than what she deserved - same for the free)
 

Sylvia

TBD
Messages
80,494
Time to bump up Karen's fan thread! :cheer2: Hey @BlueRidge, would you like to have an admin. update your cheer thread title to include Two-time Olympian now? :)

@clairecloutier posted this link to NBC Olympics' "Meet the Athlete" Q&A feature with Karen back in December 2021:

NBC Olympics fluff video (filmed before Nationals) in which Karen talks about her connecttion to Kristi Yamaguchi and her book that was published 4 years ago:

Kristi was one of many to comment on Karen's Jan. 8th Instagram posts (this one was after she was named officially to the 2022 Olympic team): https://www.instagram.com/p/CYfLDZQvbH1/
After Karen finished competing: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYeMm98Lsls/
my performances were far from perfect, but I’m truly so proud of my fight & determination through every single second of the program. I’m also so thankful to have had this opportunity to compete here. & lastly, thank you for all so much for the wonderful support! please stay safe & healthy! 💞
Karen-related excerpts from Phil Hersh's article before the women competed at Nationals (Jan. 4, 2022):
Karen Chen left the 2018 Winter Olympics so disappointed over the subpar performances that left her in 11th place that she immediately vowed to try again.
“When I got off the ice, I remember telling myself, `You’ve got to go for another four years. This was not your dream,’” Chen said in a recent media conference. ... <smip> ...
“The jumbling of skating and school and managing that gave me quite a bit of clarity about how much I love the sport and that I wanted to give myself my best shot at making the team again,” Chen said.
“That fire just relit inside me, and I knew that it’s only going to get harder as you get older, so now is the time to chase those dreams.”
Chen’s surprising fourth-place finish at the 2021 World Championships was the key to the U.S. earning a third spot ... <snip> ...
Chen, ever modest, plays down those two high finishes at the high-pressure pre-Olympic worlds, where results determine each nation’s number of spots in the ensuing Winter Games.
“The way I look at worlds is obviously the reason I got fourth was because a lot of the other competitors had some stumbles, and I managed to skate clean,” Chen said. “In a way, I was prepared to be lucky, and I delivered what I could do, and luck just happened to be in my favor.”
 
Last edited:

VGThuy

Well-Known Member
Messages
41,023
Time to bump up Karen's fan thread! :cheer2: Hey @BlueRidge, would you like to have an admin. update your cheer thread title to include Two-time Olympian now? :)

@clairecloutier posted this link to NBC Olympics' "Meet the Athlete" Q&A feature with Karen back in December 2021:

NBC Olympics fluff video (filmed before Nationals) in which Karen talks about her connecttion to Kristi Yamaguchi and her book that was published 4 years ago:

Kristi was one of many to comment on Karen's Jan. 8th Instagram posts (this one was after she was named officially to the 2022 Olympic team): https://www.instagram.com/p/CYfLDZQvbH1/
After Karen finished competing: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYeMm98Lsls/

Karen-related excerpts from Phil Hersh's article before the women competed at Nationals (Jan. 4, 2022):
That quote you highlighted:

Chen’s surprising fourth-place finish at the 2021 World Championships was the key to the U.S. earning a third spot ... <snip> ...
Chen, ever modest, plays down those two high finishes at the high-pressure pre-Olympic worlds, where results determine each nation’s number of spots in the ensuing Winter Games.
“The way I look at worlds is obviously the reason I got fourth was because a lot of the other competitors had some stumbles, and I managed to skate clean,” Chen said. “In a way, I was prepared to be lucky, and I delivered what I could do, and luck just happened to be in my favor.”

That shows me Karen may be super aware of how she fits in competition and maybe sometimes it can be to her detriment. She just needs to go out there and be the warrior she can be.
 

Sylvia

TBD
Messages
80,494
Karen flew from Los Angeles to Beijing via Delta's first Team USA charter flight on 1/27/22 and the first photos of her practicing on Olympic ice at the Capital Indoor Stadium competition rink are dated January 30, 2022: [click on this link to view her photos published on Getty Images]
(I didn't know "Tamara" was Tammy Gambill's formal first name until I saw the photo caption.)

Karen shared this photo from the same practice on her Instagram (captioning it "keeping it real @beijing2022 with my lopsided double mask & used tissue in the foreground 🙈"): https://www.instagram.com/p/CZUNnd7l98e/

I came across this Cornell University feature article (originally published on Oct. 5, 2021) that was updated after she was named to the Olympic team following 2022 Nationals in January:
 

VGThuy

Well-Known Member
Messages
41,023
I was rewatching some old Karen Chen performances and I forgot how wonderful and inspired her 2020 Four Continents skate was. It made me the most emotional out of all of her performances, including her Nationals winning one and the four performances that got her 4th at Worlds twice.


I think this was the performance she needed to keep going and not give up. It led to her 2020-21 season which led to her now. I know Karen in the Fall leaves a lot for us to desire but I hope she’s shaken off all of her doubts and demons and just skates this inspired and beautifully (and a few less or even no > or downgrade calls ;) .) in both the team and individual events in Beijing.
 

Sylvia

TBD
Messages
80,494
Snippet from NBC Sports' Feb. 3rd press release about their primetime coverage starting tonight through Saturday:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5
The women’s short program portion of the figure skating team event is expected to be led by 2018 Olympian Karen Chen and will be presented Saturday live in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
This article headline initially scared me :lol: but this is a retrospective of Karen's career so far:
 

VGThuy

Well-Known Member
Messages
41,023

On My Own

Well-Known Member
Messages
5,121
Well I wish her the best. Everyone know it's a farce, but I hope she can at least deliver her programs beautifully, as only she can.
 

Sonata

Well-Known Member
Messages
864
Go Karen! In the words of Mariah (Carey), spread your wings and fly, Butterfly (Lover).

A brief article about Karen's FS dress!

What a talented mother. Karen has beautiful FD dresses. Nice hidden butterfly detail.
 

Amantide

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,501
Despite the mistakes I enjoyed her a lot in the SP. I happened to watched some of the performances many times (Karen's among them) while editing the videos and the girl was on fire. Pity for the tech. but I thought she filled the arena with her performance. That's a big music and it isn't easy but she did it. I truly loved it.
 

livetoskate

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,020
Karen skated very well except for the 3loop. Adam Rippon mentioned during Olympic Ice that Karen was doing well at practices & skating better than ever -- high praise given that he's coaching Mariah. I can't wait to see how they do in the morning!
 

Amantide

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,501
Karen skated very well except for the 3loop. Adam Rippon mentioned during Olympic Ice that Karen was doing well at practices & skating better than ever -- high praise given that he's coaching Mariah. I can't wait to see how they do in the morning!
I thought Mariah was beautiful to watch too. As a performance/interpretation and skating quality I can't find fault with that girl. I loved the program too. Good job from Adam.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top
Do Not Sell My Personal Information