While battling injuries and self-doubt, Vincent Zhou placed second at 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America.
But his eyes are already set on the podium at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
"The [Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018] was the greatest experience of my life because of the dedication and the passion that went into my training beforehand," Zhou, 20, said. "Now that it's the season before [Beijing], I've finally found it again — that fire where, even if you're tired and hurting and sore, you still want to do more because you know it's going to make you better. "
Because his parents are also from Beijing, Zhou is striving for perfect performances dedicated to his family and fans. He carefully chose this season's music with Beijing 2022 in mind. He also said, however, he might revive his 2018-19 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon free skate.
"[That program] would definitely be appropriately themed for the location, but I also have to consider I have two incredible programs for this year," Zhou said.
He described this year's short program and free skate as "nuanced" and "magical," the kind of music that makes "you want to express yourself." The contemporary choreography feels new to Zhou, but his intention is to experiment now so he's comfortable during the Olympic season.Â
"Olympic performances aren't just skating from end to end doing jumps," Zhou said. "They're full emotion and commitment to the movement and choreography. I've always wanted to put out performances like that, and every year, I've been getting closer and closer to that [goal]."
2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America in Las Vegas was his first opportunity to showcase those programs. A couple of weeks before, however, Zhou suffered minor injuries that deterred his training until the two weeks leading up to the competition.
"I know I could have [performed] better if I had longer to train, but I'm honestly happy with the result and proud of my fight through both programs," Zhou said. His total score, 275.10, placed him in between Team USA teammate Nathan Chen and Canadian Keegan Messing. "I had doubts and some difficult practices, but I was able to overcome them."
To his surprise, Zhou said he wasn't jolted by the lack of fans in The Orleans Arena. If anything, the experience prepared him for the rest of the unprecedented season.
"Sometimes skaters feed off the energy of the audience and that creates a certain atmosphere," Zhou said. "And that's true, but for me, I'm usually so laser focused that I don't notice the crowd. The simulated audience noises played over the speaker system felt familiar, and I was comfortable in the environment."
Zhou, along with the rest of the skating community, is hopeful athletes will compete the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships and ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2021 in some capacity. Whatever happens, he dedicating the next year to "improving the small things."
"I want high levels. I want high GOEs," Zhou said. "I'm improving the aesthetics of my jumps and straightening my legs, because it's one thing to do different kinds of quads, it's another thing to do them with great, quality consistency."
The 2019 World bronze medalist is also changing his mentality, for the rest of this season, the Olympic cycle and his career.
"I want to get to the point where I can challenge for gold because I'm going for that Olympic medal," Zhou said. "I know if I relegate myself to being second all the time, that isn't a great mindset if I want a top spot. So, I want to really push myself to start challenging the title more."
Through his skating career, Zhou could be dubbed as the comeback kid. During the 2019-20 season, he stepped off the ice to focus on school. His hiatus ended three weeks before the U.S. Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he struggled to reclaim the consistency of his triple Axel and quad jumps. Nevertheless, he skated two clean programs and placed fourth.
"That was a huge personal victory for me, and through the process of relearning my jumps, I really started to appreciate the small things," Zhou said. "Week by week, I began to recognize my incremental progress."
Rebuilding his skills after quarantine felt the same way.
"I learned to be proud and relish the process rather than thinking about trying to win or landing a certain jump," he said. "There are always lessons to be learned and progress to be made. There's opportunity for improvement, and that's something that inspires me."
The Grand Prix Series continues this week with 2020 Cup of China in Chongqing. Fans can follow the series on Peacock Premium, your all-access pass to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series. Learn more and start your 7-day free trial at peacocktv.com/skating.
