Caroline Zhang

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Caroline Zhang

Personal Info
Country:	United States
Height:	146 cm
Coach:	Ming Zhu Li, Sondra Holmes
Skating Club:	All Year FSC
ISU Personal Best Scores
Short + Free Total:	169.25	2007 World Juniors
Short Program:	59.17	2007 World Juniors
Free Skate:	110.08	2007 World Juniors

Most Recent Results:
Event	Points	Finish	Year
World Junior Championships	169.25	1st	2007
National Championships	151.88	2nd J.	2007
Junior Grand Prix Final	162.68	1st	2006

Caroline Zhao Zhang (Chinese: 張圓圓; born May 20, 1993 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American figure skater. She is the 2007 World Junior Champion.

Contents 1 Career 2 Innovative moves 3 Programs 4 Competitive highlights 5 References 6 External links 7 Navigation

[edit] Career

Caroline Zhang first came to national attention when she placed 8th at the junior level at the United States Figure Skating Championships at the age of twelve. She made her debut on the international stage in the following season, starting off by winning her first Junior Grand Prix event in Mexico by a record fifty-three points. She went on to win her second event by thirty-three points and then the Junior Grand Prix Final by twenty. Zhang is already known for her creative spin positions, musicality and spiral extension, prompting comparisons to Sasha Cohen by those in the figure skating community.^[1]

Zhang represents the All Year FSC and trains at the rink owned by the Kwan family. After placing second at the 2007 National Championships behind Mirai Nagasu, Zhang was named to the World Junior team. At the 2007 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Zhang beat Nagasu to win the title.

Zhang is coached by Mingzhu Li, who once coached 1995 World Champion Chen Lu. Her choreographer is Cindy Stuart.

[edit] Innovative moves

Zhang is the inventor of the "Pearl" spin position,^[2] a cross between a layback spin and a Biellmann spin. In the Pearl, the free leg is brought up to waist-height and the free blade is grasped with both hands, while the back and head are bent down towards the knee, making the spin both a layback and a catch-foot. In a short time, this position has become Zhang's signature spin.

Zhang is also the inventor of a spiral position. In this position, Zhang moves backwards across the ice, with her leg parallel to and beside her body, but enclosed within her arms. Zhang is the only skater to have performed this spiral so far.

[edit] Programs

2006-2007 Season

Short Program

"Olga" from Ladies in Lavender soundtrack

Long Program

"Meditation" from "Thais" by Jules Massenet

Exhibition

"You Raise Me Up" by Celtic Woman

2005-2006 Season

Short Program

O Mio Babbino Caro" by Puccini

Long Program

"Meditation" from "Thais" by Jules Massenet

[edit] Competitive highlights

Event	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007
World Junior Championships			1st
U.S. Championships	4th N.	8th J.	2nd J.
Junior Grand Prix Final			1st
Junior Grand Prix, Mexico			1st
Junior Grand Prix, Taipei			1st

• N = Novice level; J = Junior level

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=35474
2. ^ http://www.spokesmanreview.com/skate/stories/?ID=170269

[edit] External links

• Caroline Zhang at the International Skating Union biography page

• Caroline Zhang at the United States Figure Skating Association

[edit] Navigation