, maybe Nathan will follow Karen to Colorado Springs, in the far future. And Vincent.:dev2:
crazy thought
If Karen is even still there in the far future. Vincent of the three of them seems to be 100% committed to mostly focusing on skating going towards 2022.
crazy random thought
ETA, the article
Gambill was first approached about a year and half ago by Mitch Moyer from US Figure Skating, followed by the manager of the rink.
“Both were very persuasive,” said Gambill. “The deciding factor was everything that Colorado Springs has to offer. They have the OTC, off ice training, physical therapists, plenty of ice time, and of course, the altitude!”
Several of the Gambill’s student’s will be relocating as well, including Vincent Zhou and Karen Chen.
“I think Tammy’s move to the Springs will balance my training and increase the amount of time I’m able to spend on my choreography and spins for a more complete program,” said Zhou.
“I’m so excited to try out training in Colo., especially since I’ve never trained in altitude before,” said Chen. “I understand it will be very different and new, but having changes and learning to adapt is part of this whole experience. I hope to continue to skate as long as I can while also starting to think about college and other things.”
You can disagree but I think that’s true and it’s just how things work there days. We don’t like it but this “Asian nerdy stereotype” is simply the opposite of what’s being celebrated in the mainstream pop culture. Also, I don’t necessarily think Nathan is popular because he likes NBA and things that appear more “mainstream” - it’s just that his appeal as a whole is simply more universal than someone like Vincent, who may have a particular appeal to a certain market/group of people. This is not a dig at Vincent - just saying things as I see them.
anyway I am so happy to see that Nathan continues to be honored for his accomplishments and I really hope that he can combine skating and Yale. It looks like he and Karen have bonded through Stars on Ice, and it is cute to see their interactions.
But Hanyu is overwhelmingly the most popular figure skater there and he doesn’t speak any Chinese (I actually suspect most of those Pooh bears are thrown by Chinese fans rather Japanese fans) . So while speaking Chinese would definitely help a bit, I think it still has more to do with whether a skater’s particular style/aura/looks/stereotype/whatever intangible qualities appeal to a certain market.
