Wolfkostin and Chen Finding Their Niche in the Senior Ranks

For Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen, this season is all about trying new approaches as they move into the senior ice dance ranks.
 
In 2021, the team won the U.S. junior ice dance title, and they followed that with a fourth-place finish at the ISU Junior World Figure Skating Championships 2022. This season, Wolfkostin, 18, and Chen, 20, have moved fully into seniors.
 
The duo hit some bumps in the road competitively this fall, but are focused on improvement and growth.
 
"We learned a lot of lessons, is the best way to put it," Chen said of their season so far. "We're trying to find our niche."
 
Last season, Wolfkostin and Chen went to Junior Worlds in Tallinn, Estonia, as contenders for gold. But they wound up just missing the podium. It wasn't the ending they had pictured for their junior career, but the duo said they did not consider returning to juniors for another season.
 
"It didn't really affect our decision. We had already competed a bit in seniors last year, and we were excited to move into seniors," Chen said. "We feel that it's inspiring and helps us grow faster. It also relieves a bit of pressure; being the ones who chase after people, instead of being targeted. I think it was the right call."
 
Wolfkostin and Chen also changed coaches after Junior Worlds. They moved from Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo's group in Novi, Michigan, to the new Michigan Ice Dance Academy (MIDA) in Canton, Michigan, headed by Charlie White, Tanith White and Greg Zuerlein.
 
"It was definitely a hard decision to make," Chen said of the switch. However, the timing felt right.
 
"We were looking for something different and new," Wolfkostin explained. "It's our first season going into seniors. If we're going to experiment with a different training environment, now's the time."
 
MIDA was a natural choice, as Wolfkostin and Chen both had prior experience training at the Canton rink and consulting with the Whites.
 
"It also works out because we're both students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It's close," Chen added.
 
The switch to MIDA has gone smoothly for Wolfkostin and Chen. They voiced praise for their new coaches.
 
"One of the biggest things is how hard they work for us, and all the teams," Chen said. "The amount of work they're putting in – the thinking, the consideration – really amplifies everything. The environment is lifted up. They're emphasizing not just making us better skaters, but better people."
 
Wolfkostin and Chen said that the Whites and Zuerlein evenly split coaching duties, rather than having each coach specialize in a different area. Creating their programs was a team project, involving all the coaches.
 
This season's programs are a departure from the modern orchestral, ballad and show tune music that Wolfkostin and Chen have often skated to previously. Their rhythm dance features dynamic, percussive samba tracks, while the free dance is set to "Dog Days Are Over," an up-tempo indie rock song from Florence + the Machine.
 
"It's definitely the time to experiment with different types of music, so we have a broader repertoire," Wolfkostin said.
 
The team acknowledged that it's physically challenging to have two programs set to fast-paced music. Their free dance is particularly demanding.
 
"We're working on being able to keep up with it and, hopefully, even overpower the music and be full of energy right to the very last note," Wolfkostin said. "Which is difficult. It takes a lot of stamina."
 
In October, Wolfkostin and Chen earned a bronze medal and season's-best scores at Budapest Trophy, a Challenger Series event. However, their November debut on the senior Grand Prix circuit was not as successful. They placed 8th at Grand Prix de France and 10th at NHK Trophy.
 
"After Budapest, I was sick for a week and a half. Then my ankle was injured for a week," Chen revealed. "So we didn't get as much training as we needed for France. And, between France and Japan, Katarina wasn't feeling too well. It just wasn't enough training. That, in my opinion, was what we lacked. Obviously, we should be able to put out [good] performances even without training. But it definitely did not help."
 
"Some things are out of our control, and it can be a little frustrating," Wolfkostin added.
 
Combining skating and college is another learning curve this season. Wolfkostin is a freshman at University of Michigan's School of Kinesiology, majoring in applied exercise science. Chen is a sophomore, pursuing a degree in computer science. Both currently attend part-time.
 
"It's a huge challenge, if I'm being completely honest. It's hard," Chen said candidly. "But we make it work. It helps when we have accommodating professors. And it's not only balancing skating and school. That can't just be our whole lives – skating and school. We're human; we need other things, like taking care of our physical and emotional sides."
 
Wolfkostin and Chen recently started seeing a sports psychologist to help them find the right mindset for practice and competition, as well as the necessary balance outside the rink.
 
"It's something new we're trying out," Wolfkostin said. "We had a session together, and we've had a couple sessions by ourselves, just to see what works, and if it could be helpful for our future training."
 
The duo said their communication, as a team, continues to improve.
 
"We're both pretty quiet people, in general," Chen said. "So there wasn't that much talking [at first]. The main thing was just to work. In new partnerships, you have to get used to how you can interpret the other person's communication."
 
"At the very beginning, we didn't talk much," Wolfkostin concurred. "But now that we have a couple of years [together] and we've gotten to know each other, we're much more comfortable communicating and working things out. We're both very determined and goal-driven."
 
"Now I can just be direct, because I feel like we know each other enough," Chen echoed. "It's less filtered, and it's fine. It's more efficient for work. From the beginning, we've always had respect for each other."
 
Wolfkostin and Chen are currently preparing for the 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January in San Jose, California. After placing sixth in senior ice dance at last year's championships, Wolfkostin and Chen set a goal to place fourth this season.
 
"We're working really hard on everything," Chen said. "Not just getting through our programs, but skating to the best of our abilities throughout the whole program. It will take a lot of stamina training."
 
The team briefly considered changing or tweaking their free dance music after their disappointing result at NHK Trophy.
 
"But we decided better on it," Chen said. "We want to give this [program] a better chance." 
 
"We want to skate clean and show our best performance," Wolfkostin agreed.
 
The duo will face a strong field of competitors in senior ice dance at the U.S. championships. At least nine senior U.S. ice dance teams, including Wolfkostin/Chen, have won medals this season in ISU Grand Prix or Challenger Series events.
 
"It's fun to be around all of these super-talented, super-driven teams," said Wolfkostin.
 
"We've been looking up to everyone we're competing against for so long. At least, I have," Chen said. "Everyone is so good. It's kind of unreal to be competing on the same field with them, and it's very cool."
 
Wolfkostin and Chen will look to stand out from their competitors when they compete in San Jose. Taking place January 23-29, fans can follow the U.S. Championships, as well as purchase tickets, on the event's competition central.