Karen Chen Sets Eyes on Second Olympics

Former U.S. champion Karen Chen was only 18 last time she attended the Olympic Winter Games, placing 11th at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. In the past four years, Chen has overcome injuries, boot issues and missed the 2018-19 season. She even enrolled at Cornell University. During that time, she has also gained confidence in herself, maturity in her skating and proved herself as one of the most well-rounded American skaters. Now at 22, Chen is looking to continue her comeback journey as she pursues her Olympic dreams.

"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."

To prepare for another Olympic year, Chen worked with her training team to choose music she thought would best represent her artistic abilities. After hearing the music several years ago, Chen decided to use "Nocturne" from La Califfa by Ennio Morricone and Maxime Rodriguez for her short program. For her free skate, which she helped choreograph, Chen chose to reuse "Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto" by Takako Nishizaki.

"My love for the music and for the program has to come from a genuine place, and it's really important for me to feel a connection with the music," said Chen, who has matched both pieces to dresses designed and created by her mother. "Part of the reason I kept ['Butterfly Lovers'] was to spend more time with the music and develop the program."

Chen noted having little opportunities to compete in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the "weirdness" of starting a normal season, again, at the beginning of 2021. The last international competition Chen participated in prior to Skate Canada International was the 2021 World Championships in March – she placed fourth and scored international bests in the short program and overall. That was also the only true international competition she had last year with the others being canceled or modified to only consist of skaters training in the U.S.

"This year is a little bit more hectic compared to last year. It's been a little bit of a struggle so far," said Chen, who placed 10th at Skate Canada and then fifth at Internationaux de France. "Skate Canada didn't go the way I hoped. I felt trained and ready. But, when the time came to compete, I just got really nervous and stiff."

Having regular competitions every other week during the fall has been an adjustment. Besides her Grand Prix assignments, Chen also competed at Autumn Classic International and Finlandia Trophy, placing fourth and sixth, respectively. Despite the challenges in regular competitions again, Chen is no stranger to facing obstacles. After returning to skating post-injury, Chen decided to start her studies in human development at Cornell.

Chen started her freshman year on campus at Cornell in the Fall of 2019. However, like many college students, her spring semester was abruptly transitioned to remote learning due to COVID-19. With the ice rink closed and training limited, Chen focused on her studies and saw a dramatic improvement to her grades. Sadly, with the improvement, she realized there was no way for her to excel in both areas of her life, and one would have to be sacrificed.

"[That time] gave me a lot of clarity about how much I really loved skating and wanted to go for another Olympics," Chen explained.  "The truth is I'm only getting older, and skating is only going to get harder. 

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."
 
More than anything, Chen wants to look back at the season and remember how much she enjoyed it. Even though she attended the Olympics four years ago, the experience in PyeongChang was affected by her boots breaking down before her free skate. Focusing on the present and future, Chen is hoping to finally have her big, magical Olympic moment that she has dreamed of her whole life.