Vincent Zhou

Vincent Zhou
Zhou in December 2015
Personal information
Country represented United States United States
Born (2000-10-25) October 25, 2000
San Jose, California
Home town Palo Alto, California
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Coach Tammy Gambill, Christy Krall, Tom Zakrajsek
Choreographer Jeffrey Buttle, Charlie White, Lori Nichol
Former choreographer David Wilson, Yuka Sato, Justin Dillon
Skating club The Skating Club of San Francisco
Former skating club Broadmoor Skating Club
Training locations Riverside, California, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Former training locations Colorado Springs, Colorado
Began skating 2005
World standing 18 (2017–18)
31 (2016–17)
74 (2015–16)
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 276.69
2018 Winter Olympics
Short program 96.78
2018 Worlds
Free skate 192.16
2018 Winter Olympics
Medal record
Representing  United States
Figure skating: Men's singles
World Junior Championships
2017 TaipeiMen's singles

Vincent Zhou (born October 25, 2000) is an American figure skater. He is the 2017 World Junior champion, 2017 Bavarian Open champion, 2017 U.S. national silver medalist, and 2018 U.S. national bronze medalist. In February 2018, Zhou became the first person to successfully land a quadruple Lutz jump at the Olympics.[1]

Personal life

Vincent Zhou was born in San Jose, California.[2] Both of his parents are originally from China.[3] His older sister, Vivian, is a violinist and diver.[4][5] His mother, Fei Ge, and his father, Max Zhou, are both computer scientists and worked in Silicon Valley.[6]

When Zhou was a baby, his family moved to Palo Alto, California where they continue to reside. He trained in Riverside, California, which was about 6½ hours drive away.[7] Zhou's mother gave up her tech job in December 2009 to focus on his training and education.[6] Zhou and his mother traveled to Riverside on Sundays and traveled back home on Fridays, while Zhou's father and sister remained in Palo Alto.[7]

After attending Hoover Elementary, Zhou switched to Capistrano Connections Academy (CapoCA) to accommodate his training.[7] His mother was his "Learning Coach". He was allowed to skip a couple of grade levels.[6] For the 2013–14 school year, he took classes at the 9th grade level or higher, including pre-calculus and programming (agewise, he should have been in 7th grade).[8][9] Zhou is a straight-A student and received the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence from President Obama.[9]

Zhou moved with his mother to Colorado Springs, Colorado in the spring of 2015[10] and returned to California a year later.[11] He has since returned to Colorado Springs, where he spends the majority of his time. He has a Siamese tabby cat named Snookie.[12] He volunteers regularly.[5][13]

Skating career

Early years

Zhou started skating in 2005.[2] As a young child, he had lessons with Julie Lowndes and Charlie Tickner. He was coached by Diana Miro at the juvenile level and represented the Peninsula Skating Club until the 2011–2012 season. When he was nine, Zhou started to be coached by Tammy Gambill[12][11] and became a member of the All Year Figure Skating Club in Riverside, California. On weekdays, he trained three hours on-ice and one hour off-ice.[7] Zhou admires Patrick Chan, Brian Boitano, Michael Weiss, Yuzuru Hanyu, and Richard Dornbush.[5][12]

He won three national titles at different levels in three consecutive years:[9]

  • 2011 U.S. intermediate champion (youngest U.S. intermediate champion)
  • 2012 U.S. novice champion
  • 2013 U.S. junior champion (youngest U.S. junior champion)

Zhou intended to skate at the senior level in the 2013-2014 season,[14] but missed the season due to an injury.[15] He was also forced to sit out the entire 2014-15 season because of a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee and a discoid meniscus. Zhou underwent surgery at the UCSF Orthepedic Institute in San Francisco to get his injuries treated.[10]

In the spring of 2015, Zhou began training at the Broadmoor Skating Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado with Tom Zakrajsek and Becky Calvin as his new coaches.[10] In May 2015, he returned to competition, at the Santa Fe Skatefest.[10]

2015–2016 season

Zhou at the 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final

Making his ISU Junior Grand Prix debut, Zhou won two silver medals at the 2015 JGP events in Bratislava, Slovakia and Linz, Austria. These results qualified him for the 2015–16 JGP Final in Barcelona, where he finished fourth.

In January 2016, Zhou placed 8th on the senior level at the U.S. Championships and was named in the U.S. team to the World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. At the March event, he placed fourth in both segments and fifth overall.

2016–2017 season

Zhou changed coaches ahead of the 2016–2017 season, returning to Tammy Gambill.[11] He has continued to train in Colorado Springs with one of his primary coaches, Drew Meekins, and Tom Zakrajsek. Starting his season on the Junior Grand Prix series, he won silver in Yokohama, Japan, having ranked first in the short and second in the free behind South Korea's Cha Jun-hwan, and then bronze in Tallinn, Estonia. In December, he made his senior international debut at the 2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb but withdrew after the short program.

Competing as a senior, Zhou won the silver medal at the U.S. Championships in January 2017. The following month, he stood on his first senior international podium, taking gold at the Bavarian Open. In March, he won the gold medal at the 2017 World Junior Championships. After placing 5th in the short program, he moved up to win the title with a personal best free skate.

2017–2018 season

Zhou opened the season at the Finlandia Trophy, where he scored 6th in the short program, then moved up to a second-place finish behind China's Boyang Jin after winning the free skate. He made his senior Grand Prix debut, having received assignments to the 2017 Cup of China and 2017 Internationaux de France. In China, he scored 8th in the short program and 2nd in the free skate, landing just three points short of the podium; in France, he fell on the quads in his short program, ending up 10th in the short and 9th overall. After intense training and a shoulder dislocation, Zhou headed to the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where he attempted a total of seven quadruple jumps. He took 5th in the short program and 3rd in the free skate, taking the bronze medal. His total score was just 0.68 points behind silver medalist Ross Miner.

Alongside Nathan Chen and Adam Rippon, Zhou was named in the U.S. Olympic figure skating team to Pyeongchang, South Korea.[16] During his short program on February 16, he became the first skater to land a quadruple Lutz jump at the Olympics.[17] After the free program, he ultimately placed 6th, behind US national champion Nathan Chen.

In April 2018, Zhou announced on Instagram that he and his choreographer Joshua Farris completed a new exhibition program to A-ha's Take on Me. Zhou noted he had grown fond of the song while reading Ernest Cline's Ready Player One.[18]

2018–2019 season

At his first event of the season, the 2018 CS U.S. International Classic, Zhou placed sixth in the short, first in the free, and fourth overall.

Zhou's assignments for the 2018-19 Grand Prix series are Skate America and NHK Trophy.[19]

Records and achievements

Programs

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2018–2019
[2][20][21]
2017–2018
[22][23][24][25][26]
choreo. by Jeffrey Buttle
2016–2017
[29][11]
  • Casablanca
    by L'Orchestra Cinematique
  • Melody Main Title - Casablanca
    by Royal Film Orchestra
2015–2016
[10][30]
2014–2015
[10]		 Did not compete this season
2013–2014
[4]
2012–2013
[4]
  • Casablanca
    by L'Orchestra Cinematique
  • Melody Main Title - Casablanca
    by Royal Film Orchestra
2011–2012
[4]

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International[31]
Event 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 15–16 16–17 17–18 18–19
Olympics6th
Worlds14th
GP Cup of China4th
GP France9th
GP NHK TrophyTBD
GP Skate AmericaTBD
CS Finlandia2nd
CS Golden SpinWD
CS U.S. Classic4th
PhiladelphiaWD
Bavarian Open1st
International: Junior[31]
Junior Worlds5th1st
JGP Final4th
JGP Austria2nd
JGP Estonia3rd
JGP Japan2nd
JGP Slovakia2nd
Gardena1st N
National[4]
U.S. Champ.1st N1st J8th2nd3rd
U.S. Jr. Champ.5th V1st I
Pacific Coast Sect.1st N1st J
Southwest Pacific1st J
Central Pacific1st V1st I1st N
Levels: V = Juvenile; I = Intermediate; N = Novice; J = Junior

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships.

2018–19 season
Date Event SP FS Total
9–11 November 2018 2018 NHK Trophy
TBD
TBD
TBD
Oct. 19 – 21, 2018 2018 Skate America
TBD
TBD
TBD
Sept. 12–16, 2018 2018 CS U.S. International Classic 6
61.72		 1
142.90		 4
204.62
2017–18 season
Date Event SP FS Total
March 19–25, 2018 2018 World Championships 3
96.78		 19
138.46		 14
235.24
February 14–23, 2018 2018 Winter Olympics 12
84.53		 6
192.16		 6
276.69
Dec. 29 – Jan. 8, 2018 2018 U.S. Championships 5
89.02		 3
184.81		 3
273.83
November 17–19, 2017 2017 Internationaux de France 10
66.12		 7
156.09		 9
222.21
November 3–5, 2017 2017 Cup of China 8
80.23		 2
176.43		 4
256.66
October 6–8, 2017 2017 CS Finlandia Trophy 6
76.10		 1
173.91		 2
250.01

Junior and novice

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. Current ISU world bests highlighted in bold and italic.

2016–17 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
March 15–19, 2017 2017 World Junior Championships Junior 5
78.87		 1
179.24		 1
258.11
February 14–19, 2017 2017 Bavarian Open Senior 1
85.53		 1
162.28		 1
247.81
January 14–22, 2017 2017 U.S. Championships Senior 3
87.85		 2
175.18		 2
263.03
December 7–10, 2016 2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb Senior 12
64.61
WD
WD
Sept. 28 – Oct. 2, 2016 2016 JGP Estonia Junior 1
78.10		 3
135.82		 3
213.92
September 8–11, 2016 2016 JGP Japan Junior 1
80.53		 2
145.86		 2
226.39
2015–16 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
March 14–20, 2016 2016 World Junior Championships Junior 4
77.37		 4
143.88		 5
221.19
January 15–24, 2016 2016 U.S. Championships Senior 8
68.10		 8
149.13		 8
217.23
December 10–13, 2015 2015–16 JGP Final Junior 4
70.48		 3
134.08		 4
204.56
September 9–13, 2015 JGP Austria Junior 3
66.59		 2
145.37		 2
211.96
August 19–23, 2015 JGP Slovakia Junior 2
68.07		 2
132.78		 2
200.85
2012–13 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total Ref
April 2–3, 2013 2013 Gardena Spring Trophy Novice 1
48.46		 1
105.09		 1
153.55		 [32]
January 20–22, 2013 2013 U.S. Championships Junior 2
66.31		 1
138.95		 1
205.26		 [33]
2011–12 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total Ref
January 22–23, 2012 2012 U. S. Championships Novice 1
52.45		 1
112.51		 1
164.96		 [34]
  • ISU Personal best highlighted in bold.

References

  1. ↑ NBC Olympics [@NBCOlympics] (February 15, 2018). "HISTORY. Vincent Zhou, the youngest member of Team USA, lands the first quad Lutz at the #WinterOlympics" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 3 "Vincent ZHOU: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018.
  3. ↑ 披龍服報捷 周知方鎖定2018冬奧. World Journal (in Chinese). 25 January 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Vincent Zhou". U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018.
    "Earlier versions". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Walker, Elvin (24 June 2012). "U.S. novice champ Zhou hungry for more". Golden Skate. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Fay Ge". Capistrano Connections Academy. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Press Release". Dare To Dream Vincent Zhou's Official Website. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Profile". Dare To Dream Vincent Zhou's Official Website. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 "Vincent Zhou". Capistrano Connections Academy. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brannen, Sarah S. (June 1, 2015). "Zhou on comeback trail after injury, academic break". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Brannen, Sarah S. (July 21, 2016). "Zhou returns to his roots, reunites with Gambill". IceNetwork.com.
  12. 1 2 3 Whetstone, Mimi (August–September 2013). "A Coach's Dream". Skating Magazine.
  13. ↑ "Charity & Volunteering". Dare To Dream Vincent Zhou's Official Website. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  14. ↑ Brannen, Sarah S. (29 August 2013). "Young Skaters Look to the Future". Boston 2014. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "Competitive Records". Dare To Dream Vincent Zhou's Official Website. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "Athlete Profile - Vincent ZHOU". pyeongchang2018.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018.
  17. 1 2 "American Zhou lands 1st quad lutz in Olympics". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. January 15, 2018.
  18. 1 2 Zhou, Vincent (April 5, 2018). "Josh Farris and I are so excited to have finished my "Take On Me" exhibition program!!" (Instagram).
  19. ↑ "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2018/19 - Entries - Men". ISU.org.
  20. ↑ Almond, Elliott (May 3, 2018). "The lonely road of a teenage Olympic ice skater". The Mercury News.
  21. ↑ Zhou, Vincent (August 7, 2018). "2018-2019 SP: Exogenesis Symphony Pt. 3, choreographed by Lori Nichol--one of my best programs yet" (Instagram).
  22. ↑ Brannen, Sarah S. (June 23, 2017). "Creating the program: Zhou makes music selection". IceNetwork.com.
  23. ↑ IceNetwork [@icenetwork] (July 6, 2017). "Extra nugget: Zhou's short program is to Cinematic Pop's cover of the Snow Patrol song "Chasing Cars" and is choreographed by Jeff Buttle" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ Rutherford, Lynn (August 24, 2017). "Champs Camp Chatter: Zhou gets new free skate". IceNetwork.com.
  25. ↑ Brannen, Sarah S. (August 30, 2017). "Creating the Program: Zhou, team hit reset button". IceNetwork.com.
  26. ↑ "Vincent ZHOU: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018.
  27. 1 2 김, 희준 (April 20, 2018). "올림픽 감동 재현한 봄의 아이스쇼…색다른 매력도 선보인 평창 스타들". Newsis.
  28. ↑ ISU Grand Prix 2017 Cup of China Exhibition (Television production). Eurosport. November 5, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Vincent ZHOU: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Vincent ZHOU: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016.
  31. 1 2 "Competition Results: Vincent ZHOU". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 3, 2016.
  32. ↑ "23° Gardena Spring Trophy 2013". Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio. 3 April 2013. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  33. ↑ "2013 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships". U.S. Figure Skating. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  34. ↑ "2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships". U.S. Figure Skating. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
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