|
Post by Admin on Mar 11, 2020 18:53:42 GMT
When Nathan Chen enrolled at Yale in the fall of 2018, his California-based coach, Rafael Arutunian, was concerned about Chen being able to keep up his level of skating with essentially a phone and FaceTime coaching arrangement. Since then, the Yale sophomore has won all nine of his competitions, including a world title, two Grand Prix Final titles and a third and fourth straight U.S. title. His performances to beat two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan at last season’s World Championships and at this season’s Grand Prix Final were both simply brilliant and also the best of Chen’s career. With the 2020 World Championships beginning March 18, NBCSports.com/figure-skating recently spoke via telephone with Chen, 20, about Arutunian’s acceptance of the coast-to-coast separation, the rivalry with Hanyu, and Chen’s plans for next season. Rafael was very excited after visiting you at Yale in February. What was it like having him there for the first time? I thought he was able to see what my whole training program looked like and what my life looked like. We walked around campus, and he really enjoyed it. Did you get a sense that it made him appreciate why you chose to go to Yale, so far from him? I think he started to understand that when we were walking around, just from looking at architecture and spending time with a couple of other students. He recognizes and appreciates that finally I have an opportunity to broaden my reach outside of skating by not being in a traditional ice arena atmosphere with the same people every day. He has a new perspective on me being here. Note: After the four-day visit, Arutunian said to me in a text: “Lots of smart kids and beautiful buildings. I totally agree it was the right decision [for Chen to be at Yale]. He made a good choice.” After the free skate at nationals, Raf told me he was astonished you were able to skate so well after being literally knocked flat by the flu until about 10 days before the competition. Did it astonish you? I was happy I was able to do that, but I have been in situations where I have been ether sick or injured, and I have had to compete. So, I have kind of learned how to do that. But, yeah, I was pleasantly surprised with how things went. [Getting through] the programs was definitely easier than I thought. Stamina was definitely an issue going into that competition. Halfway through the program, I wasn’t as gassed as I thought I would be. I was pretty proud I was able to get through it without generally dying. From what Yuzuru Hanyu said at the Grand Prix Final, it seems everything in his mind now is geared to trying to beat you. Do you think you are in his head a little bit? Having this sort of competition is definitely making him approach programs this season differently than if I were not there to compete against him. Without him, my approach would be different too, and it would influence some of the decisions I make in in my programs. It goes both ways.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2020 7:43:09 GMT
From what Yuzuru Hanyu said at the Grand Prix Final, it seems everything in his mind now is geared to trying to beat you. Do you think you are in his head a little bit?
Having this sort of competition is definitely making him approach programs this season differently than if I were not there to compete against him. Without him, my approach would be different too, and it would influence some of the decisions I make in in my programs. It goes both ways.
So, you are both in each other’s head?
I think saying we’re in each other’s head has a negative connotation, and I don’t believe we are influencing each other negatively. I think it’s definitely positive. We are both trying to figure out the best way to approach a competition so we can come out on top. If you consider it from that perspective, yeah, I think we’re both in each other’s head.
In a good way?
We’re not like throwing bad voodoo out to mess with psyches. We’re pushing each other. At least that’s how I picture it, and I would imagine he is pretty similar.
Will you spend any time training in California before worlds?
I won’t, unfortunately. We have spring break [March 6-23] before Worlds, but that’s too tight of a timeline, so I don’t think I will go back.
Let’s talk about whether you will stay at Yale next year. Apparently one factor is that as you have moved into upper-level courses, the time and scheduling demands have become more complicated. Is that correct?
That’s a big part of it.
After three semesters at Yale, has it surprised you have been able to do these two difficult things so well?
I am surprised. I had doubts coming here that I was going to maintain skating and school. For reference, I was doing all home school for two or three years [before the 2018 Olympic season], and I took a gap year for the Games. Home school is an opportunity to continue studying, but the learning environment is completely different than it is here – the level of study, how rigorous it is. I wasn’t sure what that was going to be like.
As the semesters have gone on, I learned how to study a little better, and I think that learning how to study is a huge part of succeeding in school. And it kind of goes the same way with skating – learning how to prepare.
One thing I didn’t realize before getting here was how in selection of classes you can make it a very easy semester or an incredibly hard semester. I think I overloaded my plate too much with hard classes the first couple semesters. [This year], I got into a class that meets only once a week, and that incredibly eases my schedule. All these things I should have considered, you don’t know about until you are there.
What are your plans for the next off-season and summer?
I’ll be doing shows, but the priority will be going back to California and maximizing the time I have with Raf and determining whether or not I’m coming back [to Yale] or taking a gap year. I might take an online class through Yale over the summer just so when I come back for the next semester or future semesters I won’t have to have quite as hectic of a work load.
Is it still possible you will return for your junior year this fall?
I’m 50-50 on it right now.
Will what happens at worlds affect your decision?
The results of worlds, and the results of the school year plus considering what classes I will have to take the following year all will definitely influence me. [Chen is majoring in statistics and data science.] The classes will be pretty tough, and I’ll have to max out the science credits, which means a lot of labs. And I don’t know how well I’ll be able to manage that. I have to figure this out for myself.
Back to skating for a final question. Do you think at Worlds you will need more than the four free skate quadruple jumps you did at nationals?
Probably. I saw online that Yuzu is planning a quad Axel. I really hope that he does, because it is going to be amazing to see. If he does, and I want to have a fighting chance, I’ll have to up the quad count. But if by the time I get to Worlds, my quads are all over the place – which could totally happen – then it’s more logical to do four and skate very, very clean. Assuming everything is to plan, I assume I’ll do something similar to what I did at the Final [five quads].
|
|
|
Post by Admin on May 21, 2020 19:09:37 GMT
Chen’s coach, Rafael Arutunian, agrees with both his star skater and Bianchetti.
“I think the decision to give these elements the same base value is correct, because it equalizes the chances of different athletes,” Arutunian said. “But there should be special benefits for those athletes who do (more than one) correctly. That is what is really difficult.”
Two-time Olympic champion Hanyu, for instance, is a master of the loop, with 13 clean results in 21 attempts and full base value on another four. He has done just three Lutzes (two clean) but no flips.
Zakrajsek sees the evening of the base values for quad Lutz, flip and loop as a way to level the playing field.
“The (three jumps) having the same value will not only reduce the base value for the multiple quad jumpers like Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou but also sends a message to young skaters that if they can learn one of the ‘big three,’ they can have a competitive technical score and a podium future in our sport,” Zakrajsek wrote.
Almost every year since the introduction of the International Judging System in the 2003-04 season, the ISU’s technical committees for singles, pairs and ice dance have tweaked the values assigned to figure skating elements and the way they are evaluated.
Some tweaks have had a yo-yo effect: increasing the value of the most difficult jumps to encourage trying them, then decreasing the value of the same jumps (or limiting them) in an attempt to, in simplest terms, give artists more of a chance against envelope-pushing athletes.
Many of the changes have made an already complicated scoring and judging system incomprehensible to casual fans and produced decisions that are very difficult for even the most educated observers to explain.
“What bothers me about the amount of precision they are trying to get out of the system, even if in an ideal world it is the right thing to do, is there is a lot less precision than we think there is,” said skating analyst Jackie Wong of rockerskating.com.
Wong, who understands the sport’s judging intricacies as well as anyone in the world, is most concerned about the ISU’s attempts to determine exactly degrees of rotation, given the minimal evidence available (one camera angle) and the difficulty of pinpointing the precise point of takeoffs and landings, especially with the limited time allocated for technical panel reviews
“Without special instruments, finding a clear difference will be impossible,” Vasiliev said. “In my opinion, the technical committee is going in the wrong direction… and we are losing our fans, more and more.”
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jan 7, 2021 22:28:11 GMT
In a teleconference on Jan. 6, Nathan Chen spoke about his preparation for nationals, the quad Axel, the 2021 World Championships and his impression of Yuzuru Hanyu at Japanese nationals last month.
If Chen wins his fifth straight title at the 2021 U.S. Championships next week, he will be the first man to do so since Dick Button claimed the fifth of seven consecutive national titles in 1950.
Training and preparation for nationals
Things have been going well. Training has been different than a regular season, where time between competitions is always quite short and there is not much time to change gears and focus on more fundamental oriented work, so it has been nice to get a little bit of a break and solely focus on programs. In the meantime, I have been keeping up with some of the skating on the Grand Prixs. I am disappointed that the Final is not happening but thrilled that I have the opportunity to compete at nationals.
Motivation
“This is a very strange season. I think there are two things. One, of course, is the Olympics — that is on the back of everyone’s mind. The Olympics is coming up in about a year plus and that is the main motivator for most athletes I would assume. I think the second thing is just the fact that I am able to train right now. A lot of people are focused on things that are much more real than skating is, so the fact that I am able to not have other things directly impact me while I am on the ice, and just be able to focus solely on the ice. And just really appreciate the fact that I have training time, healthy training mates and people that are being responsible and staying safe. And going to nationals and having the opportunity to compete.
A lot of people are struggling a lot more than elite athletes, so I don’t think there is much to complain about — like, ‘Oh, I am lacking motivation’ and all this stuff. I am like man, we get this opportunity so make the most of it, and enjoy the fact that we have this opportunity because this is definitely not the same struggle that other people are facing.
World Championships
I would love for Worlds but I am expecting before every competition that they are just going to cancel it. Bottom line, I would love to go to Worlds. If they have it I would love to be there. I am just a little concerned about the virus and the safety of the athletes and I don’t know what the fans are going to look like (real people or cardboard cutouts) — I am hoping they retain a bubble. But even if that is the case — as long as everyone is safe and it is a responsibly held event … yeah, by all means I would love to be there. But as of now I cannot really say. We will wait to hear and decide then.
Program Changes
It (the free) is basically the same with small modifications here and there. I tried to expand time in the choreo section of the program but it is so technically loaded right now that it is hard for me to steal some time before a certain element just because I need a certain amount of time to prep for a Salchow or a certain amount of time to prep for a toe. We have been trying to reorganize the program so I have a little more time for the choreo step, but beyond that the programs are generally the same.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jan 8, 2021 21:12:29 GMT
Quad loop
I would love to do it, but the success (rate) has been quite low recently in practice, so that is sort of a game time decision. If I am able to get my success rate up a little bit then I think that I will have a higher chance of putting it in. If it is going the way it is now, probably not.
Practicing Quad Axel?
No, the risk of these bigger jumps is always imminent so it really depends on the time of the season. Over the summer when I had more time … of course, injury is always a thing, but if anything happened I would have more time to recover. At this point in time, I do not think it is the smartest thing to do. The truth is, I don’t really think it is necessary.
Based on the points system it is really not that much of a value gain over a triple Axel. It is enough to set you aside, but based on the value of the other quads I don’t think it is something that should be entirely focused on. If someone is able to do it that is really cool — and hopefully I see it in the near future so we strive for something new.
Did you watch Yuzuru Hanyu at Japanese nationals and what did you think?
Yes, of course. I am impressed. I know he has been training by himself and training in isolation is pretty tough, so I give him a lot of credit for still being able to stay on top of his game. I think he is looking quite strong. It was a nice break to be able to watch him skating, and Shoma as well. It has been a long time since I have been able to see them skate live so it was nice to see that.
I am looking forward to whatever competition we can have in the future to compete against each other. As I always say, competing with Hanyu is such a unique feeling and experience and I really love it and I always look forward to it.
Competing without an audience
We had a points challenge earlier in the season and that was just recorded in our rinks. I think honestly just having that experience helped a lot going into Skate America. So, yeah, going into nationals I think it will feel probably a little more ″natural″ to have cardboard cutouts this time around. And it is nice to see — since it is cardboard cutouts — a lot of familiar faces. A lot of Japanese fans go to these competitions and you can see their faces in these cardboard cutouts so that is also pretty fun.
|
|