Karen Venhuizen Explained

Karen Venhuizen
Country:	Netherlands
Birth Date:	4 April 1984
Formercoach:	Sylvia Holtes
Formerchoreographer:	Sylvia Holtes, Karen Venhuizen Lisa Michael
Skating Club:	KCG Groningen
Beganskating:	1989
Retired:	2008
Combined Total:	126.30
Combined Date:	2008 Europeans
Sp Score:	45.53
Sp Date:	2008 Europeans
Fs Score:	80.77
Fs Date:	2008 Europeans

Karen Venhuizen (born 4 April 1984) is a Dutch former competitive figure skater. She is the 2003 Triglav Trophy champion, the 2007 International Challenge Cup champion, and a nine-time (2000–08) Dutch national champion. She qualified for the free skate at seven ISU Championships – two World and five European Championships. Her best placement, 14th, came at the 2008 Europeans.

Personal life

Venhuizen was born 4 April 1984 in Zoetermeer, Netherlands. From 2001 to 2003, she suffered from anorexia nervosa. After the 2008 European Championships, she was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome.

Career

Venhuizen started skating at the age of five. In the 1999–2000 season, she debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series and then won her first senior national title, earning assignments to her first ISU Championships. In February 2000, she reached the free skate and finished 21st overall at the European Championships in Vienna after placing tenth in her qualifying group, 23rd in the short, and 21st in the free. In March, she competed at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Oberstdorf; she advanced out of her qualifying group but was eliminated after the short program.

Venhuizen made her final junior-level appearances at the start of the 2000–01 season before repeating as the Dutch national senior champion. She qualified for the final segment at both the 2001 European Championships in Bratislava and at the 2001 World Championships in Vancouver.

Venhuizen won gold medals at the 2003 Triglav Trophy in Slovenia and at the 2007 International Challenge Cup in The Hague. Her best ISU Championship result, 14th, came at the 2008 Europeans in Zagreb, Croatia. It was also the highest placement by a Dutch figure skater since Dianne de Leeuw became the European champion in 1976.

Programs

Season	Short program	Free skating
2007–2008	Music of the Night	West Side Story
2006–2007	Seven Years in Tibet	Harlem Nocturne Blues Fosse Fever
2005–2006	The Promise	Blues in the Night In a Sentimental Mood
2004–2005	The Man with the Golden Arm Roger Rabbit Big Bad Voodoo Daddy	Gladiator Symphony Sur Glace
2003–2004	The Giving	Bolero Fantasy East of Eden
2002–2003	Mary and Steve's Tango	Fire and Ice East of Eden
2001–2002	Mary and Steve's Tango	The Phantom of the Opera Jesus Christ Superstar Don't Cry for Me Argentina
2000–2001	Violin Fantasie on Puccini's Turandot	Variations of Andrew Lloyd Webber
1999–2000	Ever After	unknown

Results

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Karen Venhuizen".

International
Event			01–02	02–03	03–04	04–05	05–06	06–07	07–08	08–09
align=left			22nd			34th	24th
align=left		21st	21st	28th	29th	22nd	20th		26th	14th
align=left							10th
align=left									bgcolor=gold	1st
align=left			4th
align=left								4th	4th
align=left						8th
align=left						14th		10th		11th
align=left										16th
align=left						7th		8th
align=left											13th
align=left							16th		12th
align=left					bgcolor=gold	1st
International: Junior
align=left		29th
align=left		13th
align=left			14th
align=left		13th
align=left			7th
align=left	4th J
National
align=left	4th	bgcolor=gold	1st	bgcolor=gold	1st	bgcolor=gold	1st	bgcolor=gold	1st	bgcolor=gold	1st	bgcolor=gold	1st	bgcolor=gold	1st	bgcolor=gold	1st	bgcolor=gold	1st
WD: Withdrew