Nathan Chen Aiming for Balance and Self-Improvement After Undefeated Season

Figure skating is, at its core, all about balance.
 
Balance on the blade. Balance between difficulty and artistry within a program.
 
Nathan Chen, however, has built his whole life around the idea of finding that perfect – and elusive – equilibrium.
 
The two-time reigning World champion and three-time reigning U.S. champion, it's fairly clear that Chen has the on-ice balancing act down pat. It's the off-ice part that he's still trying to get the hang of.
 
Chen famously attends Yale University, and the sophomore lives and trains in Connecticut while coach Rafael Arutunian is based in Irvine, California. The long-distance coaching arrangement is a unique one under which Chen managed to flourish in the 2018-19 season, but it wasn't always the smooth sailing his on-ice successes – gold medals at Skate America, Internationaux de France, the Grand Prix Final, U.S. Championships and World Figure Skating Championships – suggested.
 
"Skating is always tough," Chen said. "It's always a challenge putting in the work. You have to put in a certain number of hours. You have to do the right thing."
 
Now, however, skating isn't Chen's primary challenge. He and Arutunian have their system down, and it's become somewhat routine.
 
What he does have to get used to is sophomore-level classes.
 
"The classes are harder," Chen said. "You really have to grind for a long period of time or else you don't do well. And of course as you progress it just gets harder and harder.
 
"But at the same time, at least I have last whole season and semesters to understand how to approach school. I'm a little bit more comfortable just being here this year."
 
Chen has managed to successfully balance skating with schoolwork, and also prioritizes getting plenty of sleep and regular recovery to let his body heal from the mental and physical grind.
 
It's all about balance.
 
Chen was able to spend the summer at his old training base in California – when he wasn't in Charleston, South Carolina, working with choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne on his short program, or in Montreal working with choreographer Marie-France Dubreuil on his free skate – and says the time back with his training group and under the watchful eye of his coach was infinitely beneficial.
 
"It's nice to be sort of be where I'm at, have him see where I'm at, think about how we're going to approach the season, how we're going to keep improving, what we can improve on, and take some general action steps into that direction. And California is an awesome place to be, so I can't really complain," he added with a laugh.
 
The time spent with his choreographers was equally as fruitful, as both presented him with ideas for his programs that took immediately. Bourne choreographed a short program to "La Boheme" performed by Charles Aznavour, and Chen is looking forward to adding a new level of depth to his skating.
 
"Shae-Lynn's given me some pretty excellent choices and has made some amazing programs, and we want to continue going off of that," Chen said. "The character that I'm trying to develop is still developing, so I'm trying to come at it with different people and see how I feel so I can interpret the music best. I think the piece has a lot of character, has a lot of soul, has a lot of depth to it, so I've been really enjoying it."
 
Dubreuil, meanwhile, choreographed his free skate to music from the Rocketman soundtrack, the Elton John biopic.
 
"The way we're approaching it is not necessarily that I'm trying to be Elton John, but mostly that we're trying to interpret his music and share his music," Chen said. "I think that'll be an awesome way for me to sort of enjoy his music and allow other people to enjoy it as well."
 
Both programs will make their Grand Prix debut at 2019 Skate America presented by American Cruise Lines in Las Vegas on Oct. 18-20. Chen will also return to Internationaux de France to defend his title on Nov. 1-3.
 
There's currently a lot to enjoy for Chen, who hasn't lost a competition since the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and is working on a streak of seven consecutive Grand Prix event wins.
 
Rather than getting complacent, though, he's found new motivation – both internal and external – to continue pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
 
"The sport continues to evolve, and the guys I've been competing against for the past few years continue to get better and continue to try new things. And I don't want to fall behind," Chen said. "And of course, we're not going to these competitions to lose. We want to be the very best that we can and continue to improve ourselves."
 
Improving himself is a theme Chen has touched on numerous times since establishing himself as figure skating's leading man. It's his main on-ice goal this year, along with the addendum of topping what he's achieved in the past.


As for goals outside of skating, Chen says he's focusing on regaining the equilibrium that helped him thrive as a freshman.
 
"Classes involve a lot more of my attention, so right now I'm trying to find that balance again," Chen said. "I realize that some of my other classmates are a little bit more academically involved than I have been, so right now I'm just trying to be the best I can be in the frame of academics, and just see where I go."
 
For this "rocket man," the sky's the limit.