Caroline Zhang

Caroline Zhang

Zhang on the 2009 World Junior Championships podium.
Personal Information
Full name:	Caroline Zhao Zhang
Country represented:	United States
Date of birth:	May 20, 1993 (1993-05-20) (age 16)
Place of birth:	Boston, Massachusetts
Home town:	Brea, California
Height:	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Coach:	Li Mingzhu
Former coach:	Charlene Wong Sondra Holmes Mary Beckstell
Choreographer:	Lori Nichol Karen Kwan-Oppegard Mary Beckstell
Former choreographer:	Tom Dickson
Skating club:	All Year FSC
ISU Personal Best Scores
Combined Total:	176.48 2007-08 GPF
Short Program:	62.60 2008 World Juniors
Free Skate:	114.66 2007-08 GPF

Caroline Zhao^[1] Zhang (born May 20, 1993) is an American figure skater. She is the 2007 World Junior Champion, the 2006 Junior Grand Prix Final Champion and the 2009 U.S. bronze medalist.

Personal life

Caroline Zhang is ethnically Han Chinese. Her Chinese given name is Yuan-Yuan (simplified Chinese: 张圆圆; traditional Chinese: 張圓圓; pinyin: Zhāng Yuányuán), which literally means round-round, and that is the name by which she is known in China and referred to in the Chinese media. She was born in Boston and moved to California at a young age^[2]. Her parents are from Wuhan, China, and her older sister was born in China. The Zhang family currently lives in Brea, California. Caroline Zhang is bilingual in English and Mandarin.

Zhang is proficient at the piano, was concert master in her middle school's orchestra on violin^[3], and was a ballet dancer before switching to figure skating.

She trains at the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, which is the rink owned by the Kwan family.

Career

Early career

Zhang began skating at age five after watching it on television.

In the 2002-2003 season, Caroline Zhang skated on the Juvenile level, which is the lowest qualifying level in the United States. Zhang began her season by winning the silver medal at her regional championship to qualify for the 2003 U.S. Junior Championships. There she won the pewter medal (fourth place), Juvenile level.

In the 2003-2004 season, Zhang moved up to the Intermediate level, which is one level up from Juvenile. Zhang won her regional championship, which qualified her for a second time for the U.S. Junior Championships, this time at the Intermediate level. She won the bronze medal.

In the 2004-2005 season, Zhang moved up to the Novice level, which is the first level that competes at the United States Figure Skating Championships. Zhang won the silver medal at her regional championship to qualify for her sectional championship, where she won the pewter medal. This qualified her for the 2005 United States Figure Skating Championships for the first time. At the National Championships, Zhang won the pewter medal, Novice level.

Zhang moved up to the Junior level in the 2005-2006 season. She won the silver medal at her regional championship to qualify for her sectional championship, where she won the bronze medal. This medal qualified her for the 2006 United States Figure Skating Championships on the Junior level. She placed 8th at the National Championships at the age of twelve.

2006-2007 Season

Zhang made her debut on the international stage in the 2006-2007 season. She competed on the 2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix and won her first event in Mexico by a record^[4] fifty-three points.^[5] She went on to win her second event by thirty-three points^[6] and then the Junior Grand Prix Final by twenty.^[7] Zhang became known for her creative spin positions, musicality and spiral extension, prompting comparisons to Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan by those in the figure skating community,^[8] including international judge Joe Inman^[9].

Qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final qualified her for the 2007 United States Figure Skating Championships without having to qualify through her regional or sectional championships. Competing on the Junior level, Zhang won the silver medal behind Mirai Nagasu. Zhang was named to the U.S. team to the 2007 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where she beat Nagasu to win the title.^[10] Zhang, Nagasu, and Ashley Wagner completed the first ever sweep by the United States of the World Junior ladies podium^[11].

2007-2008 Season

Zhang at the 2007 Skate America.

For the 2007-08 season, Zhang moved up to the senior level both nationally and internationally. She made her Grand Prix of Figure Skating debut at the 2007 Skate America, where she won the bronze medal. At this competition, she earned a level 4 and a +3 Grade of Execution for her layback spin, which is the highest score a skater can receive under Code of Points.^[12] Zhang received deductions for underrotating jumps, costing her 17 points overall. Zhang went on to the 2007 Cup of China, where she received fewer deductions and won the silver medal. She has earned 24 qualification points in the Grand Prix series. Following the result of 2007 NHK Trophy, she qualified for the 2007–2008 Grand Prix Final, where she placed 2nd in the short program and fourth overall. She was the fourth World Junior Champion in a row to qualify for the Grand Prix Final in her first Grand Prix season.

Zhang had a bye through her regional championship due to Skate America and a bye through her sectional championship due to Cup of China. She made her senior national debut at the 2008 United States Figure Skating Championships, where she won the pewter medal.^[13] Zhang was placed on the U.S. team for the 2008 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where she won the silver medal behind Rachael Flatt. With Mirai Nagasu taking the bronze, this was the second ever U.S. sweep of the World Juniors ladies podium.

2008-2009 Season

In the 2008-2009 season, Zhang competed for the second consecutive season on the Grand Prix. At her first event, the 2008 Skate Canada International, she placed third in the short program with a score of 53.28 after falling on her opening jump combination. She placed 5th in the free skate with a score of 97.52, after falling on one jump and omitting another.^{[14] [15] [16]}, to place 5th overall. At the 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard, her second Grand Prix assignment, Zhang placed third in the short program with a score of 51.76 after omitting the required double axel as well as receiving a Level 1 on her spiral sequence. Zhang scored 104.78 in the long program after receiving a downgrade on her triple flip-triple toe combination, as well as a deduction for a wrong edge take-off on her triple lutz-double toe. She earned a Level 4 on all three of her spins and her spiral sequence^[17]. She scored 156.54 overall and won the bronze medal.

At the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Zhang won the bronze medal, moving up one position from the previous year. She was placed on the teams to the 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and the 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. She made her senior ISU Championships debut at the Four Continents Championships, where she placed 4th. She won the silver medal at the World Junior Championships.

2009-2010 Season

Zhang was assigned to the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard and to the 2009 Skate Canada International for the 2009-2010 Grand Prix Series.

Coaching changes

Zhang was coached by Li Mingzhu from 2005 through 2009. On June 15, 2009, Zhang announced a coaching change to Charlene Wong.^[18] She returned to being coached by Li in August, 2009.

Innovative moves

Zhang performs her signature pearl spin at the 2007–2008 Grand Prix Final.

Zhang has performed a spin position that her mother has called the Pearl spin^[19], a cross between a catch-foot layback spin and a Biellmann spin. In this spin, the free leg is brought up to waist-height and the free blade is grasped with both hands. The back and head are bent down towards the knee, with the free leg held above the head in a Biellmann position. This makes the spin, in essence, a catch-foot layback in a Biellmann position, because the Biellmann position, according to regulations, is achieved when the level of the boot passes the head so that the boot is above and behind or over the head.^[20] It is a layback spin because it is an upright spin with the head and shoulders dropped backwards and the back arched downwards toward the ice.^[21] This position has become Zhang's signature spin.^{[citation needed]}

Zhang also performs a hyper-extended Biellmann spin.^{[citation needed]} She is one of several young skaters to perform this move. In this variation, the leg is pulled straight up in the air and the back bent as far into the spin as possible. Zhang is able to perform the spin with her free leg pulled straight up into the air, with very little knee bend, making the spin look closer to a capital-I position than the usual Biellmann teardrop shape. This is a crowd favorite in exhibitions.

Zhang performs her signature combination spin: traditional layback (frames 2 and 3), side layback (frame four), pearl (frames five through seven), and Biellmann (frames 9 and 10)

Programs

Zhang performs an arabesque spiral during her Ave Maria free skate at the 2009 Four Continents Championships.

Competitive highlights

Zhang (far right) on the senior podium at the 2008 U.S. Championships.

• N = Novice level; J = Junior level

Detailed results

• QR = Qualifying round, SP = Short program, FS = Free skating, FP = Factored placements

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Caroline Zhang

• Caroline Zhang at the International Skating Union
• Caroline Zhang at the United States Figure Skating Association
• Caroline Zhang at the United States Olympic Committee.