The end of his 2017-18 campaign was bittersweet for Vincent Zhou.
An impressive sixth-place finish at the Olympics, along with a personal-best 98.78 points in his short program at the 2018 World Figure Skating Championships in Milan, Italy, proved the 17-year-old from Palo Alto, California, belonged among the sport's elite. But a disappointing free skate, including three falls, left him in 14th place.
"I did miss out on, probably, a World silver medal," Zhou said. "I don't know if everyone knows I hurt my back the day before I left (for Milan). It was giving me lots of trouble the whole week."
The trouble didn't end when he returned to his training home in Colorado Springs.
"Through this whole summer, I've been struggling with it," Zhou said at Champs Camp. "I haven't been able to train (full out) for, like, three or four months. I recently have gotten back on the ice, and it's a little bit of a late start, but I have a tendency to bounce back quickly."
Zhou didn't stay completely off of the ice this off-season. He took part in shows, including six stops on the Stars on Ice tour, and worked with Lori Nichol and Jeffrey Buttle to choreograph new programs. But his back pain, which he described as muscular in nature, lingered.
"I've been trying to get it fixed," he said. "I've made so many trips to my doctor in northern California, who is amazing. It's been tough. I've gotten better, and then re-injured it once or twice."
Zhou's back issues may stem from his ambition. Last season, he executed five quadruple jumps in his Olympic free skate, including two quad Lutzes. In training, he said, he often did clean run-throughs with six quads.
"I knew (the back pain) could happen," he said. "We really tried our best to make sure I stayed injury free, but unfortunately when you have to do what it takes to succeed, there is a price."
By the end of August, though, things were looking up for Zhou. His back pain had eased and he resumed jumping, taking several weeks to progress through singles, to doubles and triples, and finally quads. The physical therapists and trainers at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center (OTC) have helped; moreover, adding Nichol to his team has inspired him to raise his artistic game.
"She's really brought a lot to the table," Zhou said. "If I can skate my new programs (including a short set to "Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3" by Muse) as intended, as they're choreographed, then it's going to be a huge difference from last season."
"Lori has a special sort of approach I haven't seen before," he added. "I've seen her twice, and from what I've seen so far, she's absolutely incredible."
New ISU rules may encourage Zhou to re-think his quad count. Skaters are no longer permitted to repeat more than one quad in their free skate, and judges' grades of execution (GOEs) now range from -5 to 5.
"Right now I can lose 5 points of GOE on a jump, so I really do recognize that it's much better to skate a program that I can train consistently, as opposed to going for more and more," Zhou said.
The teen has a triumvirate of top coaches in Colorado Springs: Tammy Gambill, Tom Zakrajsek and Christy Krall. Gambill, the skater's longtime coach in Riverside, California, moved to Colorado this spring and now trains students alongside Zakrajsek and Krall at the World Arena.
"It's great having (Gambill) here," Zhou said. "Her arrival coincided with the beginning of the World Arena Skating Academy, which is a new program that will bring together a great community of like-minded athletes training under an academy structure.… The coaches have put their expertise together and come together very well."
Zhou sees himself remaining in Colorado Springs through the 2021-22 season, when he hopes to compete in a second Olympics. He's exploring taking college classes online this season to stay active academically.
"If things go well, and I keep skating and pushing for Olympic gold, then I won't be able to attend physical college yet," he said. "I'll have to hold off a little on that."
Zhou is set to make his international debut this season at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in Salt Lake City, Utah, from Sept. 12-16.
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