Nathan Chen

[yyyskate]

Do we know if this means he got a new costume for the free? I can't imagine the costumes being switched, nor can I see USFS letting him wear the same thing for both programs.

And where is that Zipper... Maybe Nathan and Team have seen some feed back(e.g. detest of that zipper from this fan thread ). or He does not feel comfortable wearing his costume with that big shining metal zipper.

Maybe he will wear his old costume for this FS:shocked: again...

Nathan said in interview this season he will focus on consistency "Consistency is the key".

But his preparation this season seems to be anything but consistency : random change jump layout, no complete full program run-thru. random change costume...

As far as I know, all consistent skaters such as Olympic champion Yuna Kim, world champion Med, Satoko, Olympic champion Evan Lysacek etc. all has been doing full-program run-thru in practices even with full make-up and costumes on to mimic the real competition feeling and scenarios

Also, Yuzuru although coming from a injury is also drilling his full-program run-thru right now.

Nathan is a special talent and a genius, maybe he has his own ways. Maybe 5-quad full-program run-thru is impossible to do it repeatedly in practice (but isn't that is the way to build up your stamina, and Nathan is doing way more quads in practices anyway, just not in the run-thru).

I am worried, I don't feel confident and assured when I am watching Nathan competes. I know Nathan right now is already facing lots of pressure, especially the criticism from media after his TE debut, and I know it is perhaps already too late to make any changes....Just some of my (a fan)'s worries and concerns (as always, fans worry too much).

Continue sending great positive vibes to Nathan BOI.

Also, hope Nathan BOI's ankle is OKAY Sending BOI some magic healing powers.

Boyang injured both of his ankles during SA and he come back brilliantly with Quad Lutz in 4CC.

 

[Miss Ice]

Do we know if this means he got a new costume for the free? I can't imagine the costumes being switched, nor can I see USFS letting him wear the same thing for both programs.

Maybe he decided to go back to his old FS costume? (and listened to some fans )

 

[yyyskate]

about his ankle, He does use lots of black duct tape on his boots...

take care, no matter what is the condition right now with our BOI, I hope his Team and himself can make the right decision, and make the best out of it.

 

[yyyskate]

Maybe he decided to go back to his old FS costume? (and listened to some fans )

Maybe, he will just wear his practice gear (if he chooses to do so, be careful about the brand through, I heard it is not allowed to wear any sponsored brand during OG competition)

 

[reneerose]

I was reading from sportswriter Nick Zaccardi on Twitter that Nathan went back into the basement practice rink to practice (?!) after the team men's SP. I would think if his ankle is bothering him that Raf should advise him to rest? Or maybe he was testing out if the boots were the problem? Poor guy. I'm sure lots of peers have talked to him about handling the media pressure. It's good that he's working that all out before the actual men's competition though. Good luck Nathan!

 

[frida80]

And where is that Zipper... Maybe Nathan and Team have seen some feed back(e.g. detest of that zipper from this fan thread ). or He does not feel comfortable wearing his costume with that big shining metal zipper.

Maybe he will wear his old costume for this FS:shocked: again...

Nathan said in interview this season he will focus on consistency "Consistency is the key".

But his preparation this season seems to be anything but consistency : random change jump layout, no complete full program run-thru. random change costume...

As far as I know, all consistent skaters such as Olympic champion Yuna Kim, world champion Med, Satoko, Olympic champion Evan Lysacek etc. all has been doing full-program run-thru in practices even with full make-up and costumes on to mimic the real competition feeling and scenarios

Also, Yuzuru although coming from a injury is also drilling his full-program run-thru right now.

Nathan is a special talent and a genius, maybe he has his own ways. Maybe 5-quad full-program run-thru is impossible to do it repeatedly in practice (but isn't that is the way to build up your stamina, and Nathan is doing way more quads in practices anyway, just not in the run-thru).

I am worried, I don't feel confident and assured when I am watching Nathan competes. I know Nathan right now is already facing lots of pressure, especially the criticism from media after his TE debut, and I know it is perhaps already too late to make any changes....Just some of my (a fan)'s worries and concerns (as always, fans worry too much).

Continue sending great positive vibes to Nathan BOI.

Also, hope Nathan BOI's ankle is OKAY Sending BOI some magic healing powers.

Boyang injured both of his ankles during SA and he come back brilliantly with Quad Lutz in 4CC.

I wish it were that easy. The truth is I think Nathan's mind works differently than others. I think I regained confidence in Nathan after watching him in practice again. He's so cerebral. If he knows he can't do the layout he wants to do, he's figuring out the layout that he can do.

I think that's why it finally clicked in nationals. Instead of forcing himself into a fixed layout, he worked out his own layout. Then he landed all of his quads. He did what felt right for him at the moment. I watched so many skating struggle with their layouts all season including Yuzuru, Kaetlyn, and Alina. If they adjusted them to sometime the worked for them, they may have had better results. But the nature of quads means sometimes they don't work when you want them too. Sometimes old injuries flare up. If Nathan couldn't adjust, he'd be in a worse position.

I feel like so many people are suddenly in his life adding more instructions and pressure than he's used to. Right now, I hope that he's given space and the time to put himself mentally where he needs to be to execute his programs.

 

[yyyskate]

I feel like so many people are suddenly in his life adding more instructions and pressure than he's used to. Right now, I hope that he's given space and the time to put himself mentally where he needs to be to execute his programs.

I agree with this, his whole costume/hair style/packaging is an example. including me this fan (arm chair coach) another example. I was very hesitate when I post the stuff above, but I decided to spill it out.

Hope everything goes for the best outcome.

EDIT: Just a little more thoughts RE nationals,
Nathan perhaps is already injured (ankle issue) or is coming back from a sickness (as hinted by media back then). So they did not plan Quad Lutz at all, but they do wanna achieve a 5 quads FS for one time before OG to give him (and people watching him) some confidence/momentum going into OG. So that 5 quads repeats flip and T lay-out is somehow planned.
Also, other skaters with fixed lay-out, yes they may has some issues during the beginning of the season, but they usually use a whole season to build up the stamina, polish the detail, so that they will peak and perfect it in the end of the season (most important event).

 

[shine]

I was reading from sportswriter Nick Zaccardi on Twitter that Nathan went back into the basement practice rink to practice (?!) after the team men's SP. I would think if his ankle is bothering him that Raf should advise him to rest? Or maybe he was testing out if the boots were the problem? Poor guy. I'm sure lots of peers have talked to him about handling the media pressure. It's good that he's working that all out before the actual men's competition though. Good luck Nathan!

It’s possible his ankle is only aggravated by the outside edge entry of the lutz and is otherwise okay. That would explain his not practicing/attempting the lutz, triple or quad. Regarding him going to the practice rink right after - it was mentioned in an article that Raf took him to practice also the night after he had that disastrous FS at SA to help him regain confidence and exorcise his demons so to speak. So maybe this was part of their training strategy.

 

[yyyskate]

I really is examining his duct tape very carefully, He seems put more tapes on his left skates. Maybe he needs more support on his left skates (which is the ankle lutz needs)

 

[1111bm]

What I noticed: Being interviewed after the team event SP, Nathan seemed very insistent that he didn't make the mistakes because he was nervous (at least not more than usual)... even though this would have been an understandable and convenient explanation...
Seems like he doesn't wanna show weakness? Like he wants to portray an image of someone who's mentally strong and not susceptible to pressure? I mean, maybe that's how he felt, who knows, but claiming that he just wasn't able to focus sufficiently on his elements, still raises the question WHY he couldn't put his mind to it... I'd still presume that it was due to stress and nerves, but maybe just subconsciously, so he wouldn't identify it as such?

It’s possible his ankle is only aggravated by the outside edge entry of the lutz and is otherwise okay. That would explain his not practicing/attempting the lutz, triple or quad.

The Lutz itself could possibly be the cause of an ankle issue in his left foot (if this is at all true). Nathan has one of the most pronounced outside edges of all the men, which I love so much, but bending your foot like that repeatedly in those stiff boots... and considering the insane amount of jumps Nathan seems to be doing during training every day... makes that kind of damage very likely. But who knows...

 

[yyyskate]

"Seems like he doesn't wanna show weakness? Like he wants to portray an image of someone who's mentally strong and not susceptible to pressure?"
I kinda have similar feeling regarding this.

I love love Nathan's LUTZ. some of the most beautiful true quad lutz. :sad21:

 

[reneerose]

What I noticed: Being interviewed after the team event SP, Nathan seemed very insistent that he didn't make the mistakes because he was nervous (at least not more than usual)... even though this would have been an understandable and convenient explanation...Seems like he doesn't wanna show weakness? Like he wants to portray an image of someone who's mentally strong and not susceptible to pressure? I mean, maybe that's how he felt, who knows, but claiming that he just wasn't able to focus sufficiently on his elements, still raises the question WHY he couldn't put his mind to it... I'd still presume that it was due to stress and nerves, but maybe just subconsciously, so he wouldn't identify it as such?.

Yes I think he wanted to keep why he didn't do well to himself to be dealt with in private with him and his coach. Deflection is probably his way of coping with the stress of it being his 1st Olympics.

 

[yyyskate]

Nathan I hope you feed off the energy and spirit of your teammates.
And come back stronger than ever.
Go Nathan!

 

[GGFan]

I hijacked the wrong thread

 

[dorispulaski]

Nathan and team USA get their Olympic team medals!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfGFN-6BK1n/?tagged=maiashibutani

 

[slider11]

I'm a bit concerned. The US team who won the team bronze were on the NBC Today show this morning. Everyone was there minus Nathan. Under the weather? Can't take the questions of a sub-par performance? It's always tough to tell with Nathan. He is definitely an inward feeler. Alot of pressure for an 18 year old!

 

[siberia82]

Nathan's Team SP (CBC 1080p, but edited down to only his performance and the end of his kiss & cry): https://streamable.com/15nfn

 

[sheetz]

I'm a bit concerned. The US team who won the team bronze were on the NBC Today show this morning. Everyone was there minus Nathan.

If it was live then he might have been in bed already. Men's practice is first thing in the morning.

 

[maryeli]

I hijacked the wrong thread

Well I think reading about snowboarding was not so bad
It's funny how a year ago many said that Nathan was just "a great jumper", and in his first Olympic presentation shined by his components and not by his jumps :clapper: .. a few days ago I saw a report about YH and the reporters asked him for the quad lutz, he answered something interesting: "I know I can win with what I have, but there is a skater that worries me, has started to improve its components and it is a fact that will continue to grow". :agree:
Nathan is amazing, I just wish he would return those days when he "skated because he wanted" and not "skate because he has to do."
I love your skating Nathan :luv17: Enjoy your Olympic moment

 

[1111bm]

I'm a bit concerned. The US team who won the team bronze were on the NBC Today show this morning. Everyone was there minus Nathan. Under the weather? Can't take the questions of a sub-par performance? It's always tough to tell with Nathan. He is definitely an inward feeler. Alot of pressure for an 18 year old!

I wish the answer was, that he's decided to boycott certain media outlets, especially blatant and invasive ones like NBC.
But I doubt he has the freedom to do so, unless there's a specific reason, like possibly the one you mention. Sadly it's not advisable for athletes to withdraw from media, since they kind of need the exposure.

On a more shallow note: I love the way Nathan's hair looks!
Obviously there's still room for improvement (curls!) which would make it more awesome but still... it has such a nice tousled look right now.
And did anyone catch how Mirai ruffled his hair, when Nathan hugged her right after her FS team performance? The same way Adam did during the Skate America medal ceremony last year? It's so cute, apparently people just can't resist the urge to touch his hair it's too funny! (I hope he's not annoyed by that)

I also can't help but notice, that it looks like he trimmed the hair on the sides of his head, because it had already grown out too much, and it turned out a bit patchy on one side... does it look to anybody else like he did this himself at home, maybe with the help of a family member?
I would LOVE that! Would be hilarious, after having been subjected to a Hollywood hair stylist, to be this nonchalant about his appearance at the olympics, like yeah, I'm just gonna clean this up a little myself!