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Karen Chen on her ‘Carmen’ routine: ‘I trashed it’

 

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In a high-risk move, the reigning U.S. champion has abandoned a “Carmen”-themed long program two weeks before her Grand Prix season begins at Skate Canada.

 

“I trashed it,” Chen told this news organization Tuesday.

 

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“It’s out of nowhere,” Chen said of the move. “Carmen wasn’t doing it for me. It wasn’t the Olympic program I wanted. I wanted something I feel great skating to.”

 

Chen said Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” is the “complete opposite of what I am.”

 

She has turned to music from a 1978 film “Slow Dancing in the Big City” about an aging reporter who falls for a pretty but ailing ballerina. The program will make its debut at Skate Canada in 10 days.

 

Chen, who created her short program “El Tango de Roxanne” by Jose Feliciano, now has choreographed the free skate. Veteran choreographer Mark Pillay had scripted the “Carmen” program but didn’t have time for a massive makeover.

 

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Chen, her mother and coach Tammy Gambill thought “Carmen” would fit because it is a classic skating piece. But Chen, who trains in Riverside, had doubts that were confirmed during the Japan Open team competition 10 days ago.

 

“I didn’t do the music justice so I made that bold decision,” Chen said.

 

The music from “Slow Dancing” “just popped up in my head,” the skater added. “There is no one who can do this for me so I have to figure it out by myself.”

 

Although it’s a big gamble to try a new program so close to the season’s start, Chen said, “This is what I needed. This is what I want.”

 

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“I feel like I am on the right track,” said Chen, whose book, “Finding the Edge: My Life on Ice,” is scheduled for release next month. “I feel way better now than this time last year.”

 

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