In a twist of fate, Audrey Shin's breakthrough performance at the 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America never would have happened had it not been for the pandemic. The newcomer was set to compete on the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit again this year, but that series was canceled due to COVID-19. So, the 16-year-old stepped up to senior-level competition earlier than expected.
In Las Vegas, Shin made a splash on the scene, skating away with the bronze medal. Skate America® was Shin's first major senior-level competition. She had only previously competed as a senior lady locally.
"My goal coming into Skate America was just to perform two good programs and I feel like in the back of my mind, maybe I had a chance at the podium, but that wasn't really what I was expecting," Shin said. "I just wanted to show that I can compete at the senior level and I was really excited to be able to participate in this competition especially during this pandemic. It's kind of like a blessing in disguise. I just couldn't believe that I was at my first senior Grand Prix and I'm really thankful that I got this opportunity to skate there."
In her debut, Shin presented two stellar routines. Despite experiencing jitters before her short program set to Michael W. Smith's "The Giving," she felt a renewed sense of confidence to sell the routine to the judges and viewing audience at home after landing her triple Lutz-triple toe combination. At the halfway point of her free skate choreographed to the Modigliani soundtrack by Guy Farley, Shin realized there were only three elements to go during her step sequence and after her triple flip jump.
"I felt like I had full control and I was just going into each jump and landing every one of them," she recalled. "I got more excited every time, so I couldn't help but smile."
Due to social distancing, skaters received their scores in the kiss-and-cry area alone, but Shin's coach was standing off to the side, so they could exchange glances and head nods. Soon after the scores were posted, Shin was able to step off the podium to celebrate with Tammy Gambill.
"I was just shocked that I was right there with Karen Chen and Amber Glenn because I looked up to them since I started skating. I looked at their intermediate programs and followed them all along," she said. "I looked at Tammy and I was like, 'Wait. Really? Did this really just happen?' We were both so happy with how I skated and how the results came out."
As one of many elite skaters who train in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she sees some of her fiercest competition on a daily basis. During practice sessions, she shares the ice with the likes of Bradie Tennell, who placed second at Skate America behind Mariah Bell, and Chen, who finished fourth. This atmosphere prepares her, so she isn't blindsided by their program components and level of execution when she arrives at competitions.
"Training in Colorado Springs are U.S. champions and Olympians. It's super motivating to skate on the same sessions as them," Shin said. "I feel like I learned a lot over the past couple of months skating with all of the Team USA skaters there and it feels like competition every day that I'm at the rink, which I really like. I always find myself trying to work harder and push harder whenever I'm training with them."
Shin and Chen both train under Gambill. Tennell made a coaching change to Tom Zakrajsek in August and relocated to Colorado Springs. "I feel like since [Bradie] arrived in Colorado, everyone's been working harder and she's so consistent all the time [on her jumps], so I really look up to her," Shin said.
By the time the U.S. Championships roll around, Shin is hoping to make some improvements in her skating. "I want to raise my component score. Make sure I have more difficult entries and transitions into my jumps and even spins," she said. "Making sure I skate like a senior lady and really perform for the judges and fans. And, just staying consistent and cleaning up my jumps and making sure I can get good GOEs on each and every element."
To keep up with the rising talent of ladies skaters in the U.S. and around the world, Shin has been hard at work on adding a triple Axel and a quadruple toe loop to her box of tricks.
"I am working on the triple Axel jump and the quad toe jump. Toe is my favorite jump, so I decided why not try some quad toes? I've been doing a lot off the harness. I only work on the harness 10 minutes a day," she said. "I've been landing some on one foot, but it's still cheated. My goal is to get it clean and hopefully put it in competition soon."
After her breakout performance, Shin was invited to compete in the Las Vegas Invitational presented by HomeLight as part of Team Tara [Lipinski], airing on NBC on Sunday, Nov. 15, from 4-6 p.m. ET. She and her teammates will compete against Team Johnny [Weir] for $50,000 in prize money. Be sure to tune in next week for more Vegas action!
