What is up with Nathan Chen? | Golden Skate

What is up with Nathan Chen?

MasterB

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 18, 2004
Does anyone know what is going on with this wonderful kid? I know it was stated that he was injured at his last GP but, I just didn't believe it. At Sectionals he looked a bit off, no passion very business like. Also, there didn't seem to be a coach anywhere near him. Whatever his injury is it must be affecting his Lutz, which he left off his program completely.

In his first GP he looked to be invincible, even by men twice his age.

Well, whatever it is, he is about to find out how strong he is.

Nathan, if you read these crazy boards I want to wish you the best and I look forward to your recuperation and I hope to see you at Nationals in top form.
 

gmyers

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
It's amazing he chose to do a double flip rather than something else. He had to do something to fill that slot and it really looks like injury is still troublesome so doing triple lutz is not possible with what the mechanics of that jump demande with the edge takeoff from the outside so I guess flip is the highest double he could do because he used up his double axels and apparently lutz is not possible so he went with flip. Better to do a double flip than than nothing or double toe or loop or salchow. But almost at first I think he meant to do a triple lutz but doubled it and then becaus of an edge error it was judged a double flip!! That was the first thought but then I just thought of his injury. No 3A no 3lz must be a problem recovering.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Well if that's the case, it's better that he water down his programs and lose a few competitions then harming himself too much in the long run. Nathan's only 13 years old -- he won't qualify for Worlds until 2015, so no point in forcing him to overwork himself for the sake of a few competitions. He's already won the junior title, so I don't think he has anything to prove right now.
 

ImaginaryPogue

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
It was noted at FSU, with a quote from Nathan Chen's website. I haven't found the quote on the website itself, however, so take that with a grain of salt.
 

pitterpatter

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
I remember reading about him having Osgood-Schlatter on his website after his withdrawal from JGP Croatia, but it looks like its since been removed.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
He's exhibiting pain similar to Osgood-Chlatter disease. It's not necessarily career ending (Florent Amodio has/had it) but it's serious.
Oh, that is too bad if true - Florent was off the ice for a year and a half when he dealing with that, which is quite a setback for any skater, let alone a young one.

David Wilson also had Osgood-Schlatter disease, and in his case it ended any idea of a competitive career (source, where he also said he didn't really have a competitive nature).
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Osgood-Schlatter (if that's what Nathan has) resolves on its own, in time, because it is growth-related. But it is very painful. Nathan would do well to rest and compete only when he is able to.
 

Johnet

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Does anyone know what is going on with this wonderful kid? I know it was stated that he was injured at his last GP but, I just didn't believe it. At Sectionals he looked a bit off, no passion very business like. Also, there didn't seem to be a coach anywhere near him. Whatever his injury is it must be affecting his Lutz, which he left off his program completely.

In his first GP he looked to be invincible, even by men twice his age.

Well, whatever it is, he is about to find out how strong he is.

Nathan, if you read these crazy boards I want to wish you the best and I look forward to your recuperation and I hope to see you at Nationals in top form.

Just curious: why didn't you believe the statement of his injury? (BTW it was a JGP not a GP - he's not age eligible for GP).
 

MasterB

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 18, 2004
Just curious: why didn't you believe the statement of his injury? (BTW it was a JGP not a GP - he's not age eligible for GP).

Nathan is a child who wins everything. In his first JGP he was practically invincible and earned a score that most senior men would kill for. There was a huge difference in marks for his second assignment and he looked crushed. I felt at the time that his ego was injured and not his body. He made one mistake in the short (fall on 3axel). His score didn't make sense to me and neither to him. How could one fall earned almost 20 points less than his previous competition? He still delivered the rest of the program with his usual energy. When I saw him at sectionals I coulld see that he really is injured. So my thoughts were wrong.

On a different note, I feel that Weir dropped out of COR for the same reason but, who knows.
 

Johnet

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Nathan is a child who wins everything. In his first JGP he was practically invincible and earned a score that most senior men would kill for. There was a huge difference in marks for his second assignment and he looked crushed. I felt at the time that his ego was injured and not his body. He made one mistake in the short (fall on 3axel). His score didn't make sense to me and neither to him. How could one fall earned almost 20 points less than his previous competition? He still delivered the rest of the program with his usual energy. When I saw him at sectionals I coulld see that he really is injured. So my thoughts were wrong.

On a different note, I feel that Weir dropped out of COR for the same reason but, who knows.

Thanks for the answer - just one note, he doesn't win EVERYTHING. In fact, he lost to Vincent Zhou twice this summer before JGP events (he ranked 2nd and 3rd in those two competitions). And as you know, he didn't win the sectional, either. I would bet he can handle the pressure of losing or having bad skates, he's got the experience. :p
 
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