Two Time Olympian! Karen Chen Cheer Thread

[BlueRidge]

I am excited about Karen putting it all together at Nationals. I was really liking her skating on the Grand Prix this year even though she wasn't getting the results there. Now she's stepped up to the next level. Great performances at Nationals! Way to go Karen.

 

[Wyliefan]

She did a beautiful job! Wishing her the best at Worlds!

 

[rfisher]

She broke the Gambel Senior Curse! Finally. Really happy for her and her team.

 

[DreamSkates]

So excited to see both her beautiful and strong skates. She is one tough little lady on the ice! Wishing her good success at Worlds.

 

[Bellanca]

A Karen Chen cheer thread! YAY!! Thank you, @BlueRidge!

So proud of Karen!! 2017 U.S.A. NATIONAL CHAMPION!! Wishing Karen great success at Worlds and beyond.

 

[IceAlisa]

Loved her at this comp (and in 2015.) Please get her a new SP dress and some completed rotations and she is all set to make a splash on the international scene.

 

[ilovepaydays]

Loved her at this comp (and in 2015.) Please get her a new SP dress and some completed rotations and she is all set to make a splash on the international scene.

I overall like her SP dress, but the wings off the sleeve is a tad distracting.

 

[IceAlisa]

I overall like her SP dress, but the wings off the sleeve is a tad distracting.

I find it a very 20th century skating costume. She deserves something fresher to suit her style.

 

[FSfan107]

I've loved Karen since I saw her as novice skater. I thought she might be a National Champion one day! I think she has what it takes to be a medal contender at Worlds in the coming years.

 

[Vagabond]

 

[FSfan107]

http://www.pe.com/articles/karen-824252-caught-senior.html

 

[tylersf]

I was so happy to see Karen Chen put together 2 good programs. Keep up the great work for Worlds and the Olympics!
She is yet another fine skater from the Silicon Valley along with Peggy Fleming, Brian Boitano, Debi Thomas, Rudy Galindo, Kristi Yamaguchi, Polina Edmunds and Vincent Zhou!

 

[Sylvia]

http://www.pe.com/articles/karen-824252-caught-senior.html

Thanks - Karen is also quoted in a Tammy Gambill article/thread posted in GSD: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/in...les-on-tammy-gambill-and-her-students.100548/

Karen recently joined Twitter: https://twitter.com/Karebearsk8

Her new U.S. champion banner was unfurled at Sharks Ice rink in her hometown of Fremont yesterday: https://www.instagram.com/p/BP1RACbFSFN/

 

[Spun Silver]

It was good to see her put it all together after two years of struggles. So much talent in that tiny package. I exepct great things from Karen. Wishing her perfect boots from here on out and great skates at Worlds.

 

[VGThuy]

The best thing about Karen for me is that she self-choreographed that beautiful SP. It didn't look self-choreographed at all and was very professional and expensive looking choreography. I know some people made fun of that sleeve but when she hit that spiral, that sleeve just worked. Between her SP and her exhibition, I am glad to have discovered what a true artist Chen is.

 

[Coco]

And now that I've seen Karen Chen's SP, I am not as upset about her falls. Her SP is very well put together and looks impossibly difficult. She has very little set up for any of the jumps. They didn't take a traditional SP layout and plop it over this music. They actually listened to the music and placed the elements very appropriately. It's a gorgeous program and extremely challenging to skate, imo.

I think she can do it!! I hope they don't make any changes.

@Maofan7 you made my morning with these vids!

I have to toot my own horn a bit...this is my post from last fall. So excited she came through and won Nationals!

 

[VGThuy]

I have to toot my own horn a bit...this is my post from last fall. So excited she came through and won Nationals!

As you should! You knew you saw something special back then when not many people did.

 

[clairecloutier]

Guess I'll toot mine too? This was my comment on Karen back in late November:

I don't know what to say about U.S. ladies right now. At the risk of being a negative ninny or whatever, this has to be our worst season in years...

I feel like Karen Chen is a bit of a bright spot. Her LPs at CoC/NHK were actually quite good. Technically, looking at her entire package, I think Karen is maybe the strongest U.S. lady aside from Gracie Gold. I don't mean just her jumps. Her spins/footwork/speed are all really good. Her basic skills are strong. She just needs a little better packaging, I think, and maybe just a little more difficulty in the LP? And if she could just eliminate her few URs, or at least decrease them. Still, I think she shows promise. I love her 2A/1Lp/3S combo. She covers so much ice with it, it's really impressive.

I'm so glad Karen put it all together at Nationals. I'm looking forward to seeing her at 4CCs. Hope her Nationals win gives her confidence heading into that event!

I'm impressed that Karen already has an interest in choreographing her own programs. I feel like we tend to see more men skaters become interested in choreography than ladies skaters, so I like that Karen is stepping out of that box a bit. It also indicates a genuine interest in artistry which augurs well for her future career.

 

[Coco]

As you should!!!

 

[Sylvia]

Karen made it to Korea yesterday for 4CC: https://www.instagram.com/p/BQZO0p5F1Z7/?taken-by=karebearsk8

Looks like she had a good meal with Jason Brown and Grant Hochstein! https://www.instagram.com/p/BQdBAxKgFW8/

 

[douglasottawa]

She is a boring skater and deserved only bronze at Nationals behind Wagner and Bell. I hope to see her finish top 8 at worlds and help the U.S get 3 spots for the Olympics next year which would be a good debut for her. She wont get the overscoring she got at Nationals so will need to be perfect to produce that top 8 finish. Also if she doesnt majorly fix those 3-3s they are getting a < or even << at worlds. She got a huge gift with those at Nationals since judges were desperate for her to win whether she deserved it or not, but worlds wont have that kind of leniency for a newcomer. So she had better work on those at home by worlds.

 

[VGThuy]

Someone is threatened that their fave might be usurped.

 

[Sylvia]

Never mind.

I forgot to post the good news announced on Feb. 6 -- Karen is joining the cast of Stars on Ice as a Special Guest Star! https://www.facebook.com/starsonice/posts/10154189480840936
She and Nathan will perform in 6 of the 7 shows from May 4-21, 2017.

 

[Vagabond]

Settle down, folks. We know who that poster is. Here's a hint, cross-posted from another thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VITwmPOt8UA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=02ZfHmiHOBc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll

 

[Sylvia]

Congratulations to Karen on winning the Professional Skaters Association's EDI Award for Best Performance at 2017 Nationals!
The award is based on the "total performance" with an eye to costuming, presentation, music selection, choreography, style, and technique.

Yesterday I posted the news of all the winners here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/in...2017-u-s-nationals.97306/page-16#post-5027124

Best Performance Ladies
Karen Chen – Championship Ladies Short Program
PSA Coaches – Tammy Gambill
Choreographer – Karen Chen
Music selection – “On Golden Pond” by Dave Grusin
Costume designer – Lisa McKinnon

...
"A formal presentation of these awards will take place during U.S. Figure Skating’s Champs Camp later this year."

 

[DreamSkates]

She is a boring skater and deserved only bronze at Nationals behind Wagner and Bell. I hope to see her finish top 8 at worlds and help the U.S get 3 spots for the Olympics next year which would be a good debut for her. She wont get the overscoring she got at Nationals so will need to be perfect to produce that top 8 finish. Also if she doesnt majorly fix those 3-3s they are getting a < or even << at worlds. She got a huge gift with those at Nationals since judges were desperate for her to win whether she deserved it or not, but worlds wont have that kind of leniency for a newcomer. So she had better work on those at home by worlds.

Why do you think the judges were "desperate for her to win..."? Why not Bell or Wagner?

 

[VGThuy]

Why do you think the judges were "desperate for her to win..."? Why not Bell or Wagner?

That poster can't respond to you as that poster has been banned, but maybe "another" poster will respond in that poster's place.

 

[DreamSkates]

That poster can't respond to you as that poster has been banned, but maybe "another" poster will respond in that poster's place.

Ok thanks, guess that question does not need an answer then!

 

[Bellanca]

Ok thanks, guess that question does not need an answer then!

Well, I'll take a stab at it. I honestly think the judges got it right this time. I know that some fans do not agree with the outcome (what's new, right? ) but Karen really did pull it together when it counted the most for her to do so. I think she was justly rewarded for it. Sure, the judges could have thrown the title Ashley's way or even finagled it somehow to Mariah ... they would have heard about it, though and it would have been hard for them to reasonably justify it over more solid and clean skates from Chen and Wagner. IMHO, I do think that Karen did enough, and the call was right. The judges were not desperate to 'crown' Karen, per se, but it is a good sign they did not hold Karen down in favor of holding Ashley up, for example. That would have been very easy for them to do, but they didn't.

 

[Sylvia]

Karen had her first pre-Worlds media teleconference call yesterday: http://web.icenetwork.com/video/topic/220125674/v1244052183

Lynn Rutherford tweeted: https://twitter.com/LynnRutherford/status/843952020608499712

Karen Chen went to Canton for FS tune-up w/Zoueva, Epstein; result is new footwork she "likes much better."

Article in her local Bay Area newspaper based on the call: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/20/skater-karen-chen-reveals-accident-on-the-ice/

Another article ("Five Fast Facts") with photos: http://heavy.com/sports/2017/03/kar...ly-brother-bio-boot-problems-injuries-photos/

ETA:

Article with more details on the media call: http://figureskatersonline.com/news/2017/03/21/karen-chen-strives-to-overcome-obstacles/