SHERWOOD, Ore. (KOIN) — Some very young skaters took to the ice Monday morning with some of America’s best Olympic caliber skaters.
Karen and Nathan Chen, two of the big stars of the recent South Korean Winter Olympics, spent their morning at the Sherwood Ice Arena giving guidance and encouragement to the future stars.
“Seeing the kids’ faces and how happy they were to see us is really something special and I remember feeling the same way when I saw Michelle Kwan and Kristi Yamaguchi, so this is really great,” Karen told KOIN 6 News.
The duo just finished a national Stars on Ice tour on Sunday at the Moda Center.
At 18 years old, Karen made the Olympic team for the South Korean games — and she plans on competing again in Beijing in 2022.
Fellow competitor Nathan is a 2-time national champion and world champion, and most recently, a bronze medalist in South Korea’s games. He has plans to attend Yale University for two years before taking a two year sabbatical to prepare for the Beijing Games.
Nathan’s desire for the Olympic competition came from growing up in Salt Lake while the 2002 Winter Games took place.
“That’s what really motivated me and pushed me every day to get to the rink,” he said. “And obviously, you have to love it — you have to be willing to spend every single day or every minute of your life to being on the ice. That’s a big commitment, but truly I wouldn’t have wanted anything else in the world.”
Karen and Nathan certainly made Monday a memorable day for these young skaters and helped motivate them to continue working on the dreams.