Team USA

[Anni]

Off The Podium Podcast with Jason 

 

Quote

It's time to return to one of our favourite sports in Figure Skating as we chat with American Olympic bronze medallist Jason Brown about his incredible career! We learn from Jason the very unique way in which he got into the sport of figure skating as well as which other sport he had to give up in order to pursue his skating career. We also learn just how the 2010 Olympics played a huge part in spurring him on towards his Sochi appearance and just why a trip to Australia in between 2010 and 2014 was so influential on him. Added to this we learn more about his Olympic experiences in 2014 as well as why the disappointment of not making the 2018 Olympics is helping spur him on towards selection for Beijing 2022. 

[Guest turquoiseblue]

Absolute Skating has published an inspiring interview with Amber Glenn 

 

Amber Glenn: "I want to be the best person and role model I can be"

 

Quote

How are you feeling about the pressure of an Olympic season, especially compared to how you felt four years ago?

 

It's a completely different ballgame. I had none of this four years ago. I wasn't even thinking about making the Olympic team back in 2018. It wasn't even a thought. This year, it's my main goal. It's what I've been working towards since the pandemic. I know this year I have the capability to do it, so all I really do is go into each event with the intention of improvement and trying to do the absolute best I can, so I can make that team.

 

Quote

At the end of the day, it's your own life you to live, regardless of the kind of reaction people are going to have to it. There has been some attention lately, as more skaters have been open about their sexuality, to the way that the fear of judges reacting badly can keep skaters in the closet. I assume those kinds of thoughts were also in the back of your mind - have you ever had anyone react negatively or say anything to you about your sexuality?

 

I mean, the Internet is a toxic place, so of course. But no one has dared to say anything to my face - I don't think that would end very well! I've had a very great, supportive network. Of course, there is fear in my head, that people are biased, they are going to have these judgments, and judges are human, they are going to have biases. When I go out on the ice, you never know, a judge might not agree with it, and they could score me lower because of it. That's just the fact of the matter. People who are very outspoken, about their religion or their beliefs, can face this kind of judgement. And it's something I can't control, I can't control their thoughts, they are human. Luckily, I don't think I've had to deal with any of that. That was a fear of mine, but now that I'm stepping up in skating and doing better than I've ever done before, it's a motivation. Don't you dare score me differently, because I'm showing up, I'm doing my job, people will see that you are being biased if you score me differently. Almost proving them wrong.

 

Quote

If you could be known for one thing - as hopefully bigger audiences are getting to know you this year - what would you want them to know about you as a skater, or as a person?

 

It's been so interesting having an audience again, at Skate America, and one of the best things has been meeting people and seeing how people react to meeting me. People have said afterwards: "Oh my gosh, she's so nice, what a charismatic person, how hard working." Something like that - being a very positive but also hardworking person. That is something I strive to be more of every single day. It's a little cheesy, but I want to make the world better, as much as I can in this little, tiny world of figure skating. Throughout this season, no matter how my actual skating goes, I want to be the best person and role model I can be.

 

[sweetwater]

 

💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪 

 

 

[Anni]

Happy 27th Birthday Jason 

 

[Guest turquoiseblue]

 

[Guest turquoiseblue]

Two new articles on Karen Chen 

 Karen Chen Sets Eyes on Second Olympics

 

Quote

"This is not my first time knowing what it feels like to go through an Olympic year and trying to make the Olympic team," Chen shared. "But, I've also changed as a person, as an athlete and as a skater. So, now there are different challenges that I have to face. I'm really focusing on myself and disregarding all the distractions."

Quote

Chen hopes to return to school as a full-time student in fall 2022. For now, though, she is focusing on not only her physical training, but her mental training, too. According to Chen, she felt a lot of intense pressure when she last competed for an Olympic spot in 2018. A big change this time will be building her mental strength with the help of her sports psychologist and therapist.

 

"Last time it was crazy for me. I told my team at the beginning of this season how hard this was going to be for me, and they've all been so supportive," said Chen. "I don't want to be distracted by all the other pressures I know I will be feeling. I just want to really focus on me and being the best version of myself possible."

Quote

"I want to have that Olympic moment where you finish both your programs, and you know you did everything you possibly could. I still have a lot more to work on to get ready for Nationals (U.S. Championships). [When I] go to Nashville in January, I want to be feeling really confident and ready to deliver."

 

 Meet the Athletes: Karen Chen

 

Quote

ANYTHING EXPERIMENTAL IN YOUR TRAINING?

 

I recently started using a little gadget I clip on my waistband and it tracks how fast I rotate in the air as well as the number of jumps I do in a day. The data I receive from it really helps me track how my body is feeling and reacting.

Quote

WHAT’S YOUR NUTRITION PLAN?

 

Breakfast: Two eggs, toast, piece of fruit
Lunch: Yogurt with fruit and granola
Snack 1: Sargento snack pack
Snack 2: Skinny Pop
Dinner: Chicken breast with a side salad and lots of grilled veggies
Dessert: Yogurt or fruit

Quote

HAS ANYONE TOLD YOU THAT YOU WOULDN’T SUCCEED?

 

Yes, it's not easy to hear, but what helps me overcome that is knowing how much the people that mean the most to me (family, friends, coaches) believe in me and my abilities. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what other people think, as long as I believe in myself and put in the work, I strongly believe that I can accomplish my goals.

Quote

ANY SUPERSTITIONS?

 

I always wear the jade necklace I received from my grandparents when I born. I started wearing it when I got my very first injury; that's when my mom gave me this necklace to wear because she told me that when she was a kid, she would wear her jade necklace 24/7 and it would protect her. I still wear it today and whenever I get a bit uneasy or anxious, I find myself touching the rabbit shaped jade pendant for reassurance.

 

[Guest turquoiseblue]

Meet the Athletes: Vincent Zhou

 

Quote

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL TRAINING DAY.

 

6:50 - Wake up, exercises
7:20 - Breakfast
7:45 - Tape foot, prepare for day
8:10 - Get to rink for warm up
9:00 to 2:00 - Four sessions with breaks and recovery between
2:15 - Lunch
2:30 or 3:00 to 4:00 - Work out (couple days a week)
4:30 - Get home and recover
6:00 - Dinner
9:00 - Get ready for bed

Quote

DESCRIBE YOUR NUTRITION PLAN.

 

Breakfast - Big glass of milk, eggs, always some meat and veggies, and supplements.
Lunch - Always meat and veggies with rice or noodles.
Dinner - Big glass of milk, beef item (winter sport athletes often lack iron/protein), veggies, some sort of grain or flour item.
Between every session I have refueling and rehydration, including Greek yogurt, chocolate milk, fruit, dried fruit, snacks, etc.
Big bowl of fruit every night a while after dinner.

Quote

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT YOUR SPORT?

 

I would change the pre-existing biases that go into judging/scoring/technical calling. There are so many sports that are truly impartial and results are measured by single objective metrics such as distance, speed, or time. When you have something as complicated as skating, so many factors determine the scoring. It would be all the better, but a far-off wish to be honest, if human biases were not one of those factors.

Quote

HAS ANYONE TOLD YOU THAT YOU WOULDN’T SUCCEED?

 

There are always doubters and armchair experts, who unfortunately with the explosion of social media have become more and more vocal, listened to, and respected. The best way to deal with distractions like that is to keep your head down, recognize your shortcomings and your strengths, be proud of what you have achieved, and continue being hungry for more so you put in the work despite what anyone says and do all in your own power to achieve success.

 

[ralucutzagy]

 

 

[Guest Mary_kyo]

What are Nathan and his team even doing. “La Boheme” is like one of his least interesting and emptiest programs ever. Not to mention bringing back the most “straight” skate/interpretation to Elton’s song after those horrible homophobic comments just a few months ago.

But anyway, it was so funny to see Phil Hersh making a complete clown out of himself to defend this. Gives you enough insight on how biased and corrupted FS journalism is and the special treatment Nathan always received.

[Guest turquoiseblue]

Karen Chen's teleconference:
Twitter thread

 

Quote

"It is incredible what the [Russian skaters] are doing, especially their technical elements. There is no question how amazing it is for anyone to be doing that many quads and 3As. I think it could be the basics they’re taught very early on could be something that helps them lead into quads. I know for me the basics I learned early on– I’m still trying to break those bad habits. Sometimes I regret thinking if I’d been taught better basics when it comes to jumping technique, I could’ve been a different skater."

Quote

On if it feels like the Russians are on one level and everyone else is on another:

 

"Yes, I’ve had those thoughts. I still wake up everyday doing my absolute best and obviously my best isn’t comparable to the Russians– but I can only expect the best out of myself."

Alysa Liu's teleconference:
Twitter thread

 

Quote

"Quads are pretty important but it's also everything else like spins and then your programs and other jumps besides quads. They’re important but I feel like people could get by without them." Alysa is not planning to jump quads in her free skate at Nationals.

Quote

"I feel the best going into these Nationals because I’ve started to care less about the expectations so it feels good to not have pressure. And now skating is more fun and I’m skating with friends, so it makes it better."

Quote

When asked whether it was a mutual decision or a parental choice to make the coaching change, Alysa replied:

 

"It was a mutual decision. Obviously it was hard for me to make, which is why I wasn't dealing with it well at first."

 

[Guest turquoiseblue]

A new article on Jason Brown:

Jason Brown: “I hope by doing what I love and by doing me, I wind up on my second Olympic team”

 

Quote

Before qualifying for the Grand Prix Final, Brown had intentions of competing at the final ISU Challenger Series event of the season at Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia. Even after qualifying for the Final, Brown was still listed on the roster for Golden Spin and could have competed at the event which was held Dec.8-11, the same time as when the Grand Prix Final was to occur. However, after discussions with his coach Tracy Wilson, Brown chose not to compete in Croatia and selected to spend the extra time in Toronto, preparing for Nationals.

 

“It was a tough decision,” Brown explained, noting that after the Final was cancelled, he did consider going to Croatia. “The more we thought about it – we were like, ‘We are four weeks out from the U.S. Championships. We made it this far safely.’ So we kind of made the decision that I was going to stay back.”

 

With the additional training time, Brown said that he’s not rebuilding – but is building off the foundation that he created over the Grand Prix season. “In the Grand Prix Series, you are constantly in competition mode, where you are maintaining, but you’re making little tweaks,” Brown clarified. “This was the first big break where we were able to take everything we learned and really apply it and have these four weeks to really build upon.”

Quote

As he heads into Nationals in a few weeks, Brown said his experience of missing out on the Olympics in 2018 taught him a lot. “I lived through my worst nightmare in that (experience),” he admitted.

 

“I remember in 2018, I was counting down the days (to Nationals), like I was almost dreading it. Now I’m counting down the days like I can’t wait to be in front of audience and getting to do what I love and I hope by doing what I love and doing me, I wind up on my second Olympic team,” Brown added.

 

If Brown is named to the Olympic team, his parents, Marla and Steven Brown, will not be in the stands to cheer him on. In September, the International Olympic Committee announced that overseas fans would not be allowed to attend the Games in Beijing. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, the Browns have never missed one of Jason’s competitions — having traveled all over the world to see him skate. Brown admits he never thought there would be a possibility that his family wouldn’t get to see him skate in-person – especially at the biggest competition of his career.

 

“It wasn’t my reality. They have been at every single event that I’ve competed at,” said Brown of his family. “However, in the last few years, I, unfortunately got used to not having them at competitions. So while it’s disappointing to not have the opportunity for my family to travel to Beijing, if I compete there, I’m much more comfortable with what it is like (not having my family there).”

 

[Guest turquoiseblue]

Pre-Nationals media call

 

Jason Brown
Twitter thread

 

Quote

On if this will be his final U.S. Nationals:

 

"I honestly do not know the answer to that. I came to Toronto with a 4 year plan. I was there to change things up and see where it led. That being said, so much has changed. It’s hard for me to wrap my brain around not being able to experience a competition with my family to end my career, so it's definitely something I need to sit down with my entire team to talk about how we move forward. That being said I can't wrap my head around ending on such an unusual year and setting. I’ve been so fortunate to travel the world with my family, it feels like a weird way to go out - for me at this point.”

 

Vincent Zhou
Twitter thread

 

Quote

On if he’s going for gold at Nationals:

“Why not? There’s no point going into Nationals thinking the best I can do is second place.”

Quote

On future plans:

“I’m not going to stop skating but I will be going back to Brown in the fall 2022 semester.”

 

[Guest turquoiseblue]

Pre-Nationals media call

 

Madison Chock & Evan Bates
Twitter thread

 

Quote

On future plans:

 

“Well there are certainly no plans to stop at the moment. We’re very focused on the Olympic Games and we feel like we're in the best shape and the most motivated we've ever been. We will reconvene after the games.” – Madison Chock

Quote

On the team event:

 

“We share such a special bond with [Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue]. We really feel that it would be a good tribute to our friendship and the environment that our school has cultivated, it would mean a lot if we could share it with them.” - Chock

 

[Anni]

Jason's new post 

 

 

Good luck Jason 

 

[Guest turquoiseblue]

Karen Chen is doing a Christmas giveaway 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX13G1evGYS/

 

Quote

GIVEAWAY TIME! ✨ I've partnered with Jackson to give away a pair of Freestyle skates for Christmas!
.
to enter, you MUST:
1. LIKE this pic
2. COMMENT what your favorite thing about the holidays is? (mine is designing/making my own cards!)
3. TAG a friend
4. FOLLOW both me & @jackson.ultima
.
we will announce the winner Monday morning! good luck & happy holidays!