American figure skating takes Winter Olympics

By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

As the U.S. Olympic team heads to the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, the figure skating team will be one of the biggest reasons to watch.

Nathan Chen (Photo by Tony Avelar/AP)

Heading the list is Nathan Chen, who is one of the favorites for the gold medal in the Men’s Figure Skating Competition. Chen completed five quadruple jumps in solidifying his spot on Team USA at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif. last month. He scored 40 points higher than the next competitor.

Vincent Zhou (Photo by Tony Avelar/AP)

Vincent Zhou, also of San Jose, took third place, but controversy surrounded the final decision on who would make the team. Zhou, 17, is the 2017 U.S. World Junior champion and looked to make his first Olympics. His score narrowly missed second place and the silver medal. But he had to wait until the next day to hear whether the committee picked him or another skater. The U.S. Figure Skating Committee does not pick its athletes from the competition but from a ranking of four disciplines based on overall strength. Thus, even if you are in the top three of the competition, you are not guaranteed a spot on the team. Fortunately, Zhou, whose parents are from China, was picked and will be making his first appearance in the Olympics.

Karen Chen (Photo by Ben Margot/AP)

Karen Chen made the women’s Olympic Team for the United States as she placed third at the national championships.

The 18-year-old will be making her first appearance at the Olympics. Chen received advice from 1992 Winter Olympics Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi about her upcoming appearance at the Olympics. She told Chen to remain positive and insulate herself from the obvious pressure of such a stressful competition. Chen and Yamaguchi are from the same hometown of Fremont, Calif. The two have known each other for several years.

Mirai Nagasu (Photo by Ben Margot/AP)

Also, on the team is women’s figure skater Mirai Nagasu. The 24-year-old Pasadena, Calif. native made the Olympics in 2010, but was not on the team in 2014. This year, she placed second at nationals, earning her a spot on the team.

Showing that the life of an Olympic athlete does not mean everything is paid for, she has set up an online fundraiser so that her family and boyfriend can travel to South Korea to cheer her on. U.S. Figure Skating estimates that it will cost $11,000 for one person to attend the event. She was only the second U.S. woman to land a triple axel in international competition and she hopes to do it again at the Olympics.