Skating may come easy for junior skater Dinh Tran, but his journey in the sport has not been without its hardships.
When looking at his bio, most would see his success moving up skating levels at U.S. Championships – 2013 juvenile pewter medalist, 2015 intermediate silver medalist, 2017 novice bronze medalist, 2018 junior silver medalist. However, when the 17-year-old skater reflects on his career, he finds the most value in his less successful years, including missing out on U.S. Championships in 2016.
"I think those were the best times for me because I learned the most from them," he admitted. "I got to know how my body works and how my mind works when I'm at competitions. Even though I didn't do as well in those competitions, I value those the most because that is when I learned the most. I think I am here because of those moments."
Since finishing fifth at the Pacific Coast Sectional Championships in 2016, Tran has found his stride, shifting his strategy to focus on his entire skating package with an emphasis on his skating skills. When he returned to Championship ice in 2017, he succeeded in improving his free skate components score by over nine points, jumping from 35.00 points at 2016 sectionals to 44.56 points at 2017 U.S. Championships, both at the novice level, to secure the bronze medal.
"For me, it is always more about the skating skills – the components, spins, footwork and getting clusters in – and less about the jumps," he elaborated. "Without that, I feel like I'm missing the whole package. I've been working a lot on those skating skills and the arm movements and taking my time through turns. I think my biggest goal in this competition is to have strong component scores."
This season, the San Francisco native chose music to show off his progress as a performer, skating to a remixed "Let's Dance" by David Bowie for his short and a Woodkid medley in his free skate.
"My short program has an EDM dance vibe," he explained. "I like skating to it because it is different from what I'm used to. I get to dance to it slow and then super quick, more like an actual dance. I like [my free skate] because it's classical, but also not really. I especially like it because of the footwork. It is quick and the beats are strong and I get to show my dance moves and have fun with it."
With two strong programs, Tran was ready to take on the U.S. qualifying season, however, just before sectionals he hit some major bumps in the road.
"I sprained my ankle three times in three weeks, so that has been very difficult for me, especially at sectionals," he confirmed. "I had sprained my ankle the week before and I didn't think I was going to qualify for nationals."
Despite recent injury, Tran fought through two programs to win the competition by over four points. In his Woodkid free skate, he scored 56.00 points for his program components and landed seven triple jumps, including a triple Axel.
Upon qualifying for this year's U.S. Championships, Tran shifted his focus to recovery.
"Now I'm here and I've been spending a lot of time recovering and doing a lot of exercises for my ankle," he elaborated. "So, my training hasn't been as crazy as last year, but I think my mindset is much better now having repeated this level. I'm more comfortable with where I am."
Last night at Little Caesars Arena, Tran channeled Bowie in his short program, opening with a powerful triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination. On his following triple Axel, he stumbled on the take off and completed a double Axel instead. Notwithstanding, he had a strong finish to his program, executing two Level 4 spins and a Level 4 step sequence.
"I had a major mistake with my triple Axel," Tran said. "But, I fought and I wanted to focus more on my spins, footwork and choreography. I think that held me up pretty well."
Tran scored 30.90 points for his program components for 64.84 points overall and sits in fourth place, just .24 points behind third place finisher Luke Ferrante, at the 2019 GEICO U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Despite a disappointing start, the junior skater still found the silver lining in his performance, continuing to learn from his mistakes that night.
"I've learned my lesson that if I go for [the triple Axel] in the warm-up, then I will do it right in the program," he admitted. "I will definitely keep that in mind for my free skate."
This new lesson will be added to the list of hardships Tran has learned and grown from. Over the years, he has developed a strong understanding of his strengths, and continues to build and improve his weaknesses.
"I know that I have capabilities to dance on the ice and put on a show for the audience," he stated. "I make sure to keep my head up to engage the audience and not skate with my eyes down towards the ice. I don't have crazy high jumps, but I know I can always skate and dance well. When my jumps work out, it is even better."
The junior men are back at center ice for the free skate to determine the 2019 medalists at 7:30 p.m. ET. Watch the competition at Little Caesars Arena live, on-demand and commercial-free on NBC Sports Gold.
