Karen Wingyan Kwan Oppegard (born 1 June 1978) is best known as the older sister of figure skater

Figure skating

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

 Michelle Kwan

Michelle Kwan

Michelle Wingshan Kwan is an American figure skater. She is a two-time Olympic medalist, a five-time World champion and a nine-time U.S...

. Karen is two years older than Michelle and was an elite figure skater herself.

The Kwan sisters began figure skating at the same time and trained and competed against each other for years. Karen, like Michelle, was coached by Frank Carroll

Frank Carroll

Francis M. "Frank" Carroll is an American figure skating coach and former competitive skater. He has coached three skaters to win the World Figure Skating Championships: Linda Fratianne, Michelle Kwan, and Evan Lysacek...

 at the Lake Arrowhead

Lake Arrowhead, California

Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, within the San Bernardino National Forest, adjacent to Lake Arrowhead Reservoir...

 training center. Though Karen's results never quite matched Michelle's, she was known for her long legs and arms that added a lyrical style and an elegant dimension to her skating. She also had consistent triple jumps

Figure skating jump

Figure skating jumps are a major element of competitive figure skating. Different jumps are identified by the take-off edge and the number of revolutions completed. There are six kinds of jumps currently counted as jump elements in ISU regulations.-Technique:...

 and good technical spins

Figure skating spins

Spins are an element in figure skating where the skater rotates, centered on a single point on the ice, while holding one or more body positions. The skater rotates on the part of the blade just behind the toe pick, with the weight on the ball of the foot...

. Karen also represented the United States at numerous international skating events, and won the bronze medal at the 1996 Nebelhorn Trophy

Nebelhorn Trophy

The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain....

 in Germany. At 5 in 8 in (1.73 m) tall, Karen stands about 1/2 ft taller than Michelle. She retired in 1997 to focus on school. She attended Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

.

Since ending her competitive skating career, Kwan has maintained her connection to the sport. She has worked as a choreographer and is the skating director at the East West Skating Palace, in Artesia, California

Artesia, California

Artesia is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California. Artesia was incorporated on May 29, 1959 and is one of Los Angeles County's Gateway Cities. The city has a 2010 census population of 16,522...

. The Kwan family owns and operates the rink.

Kwan graduated from Boston University in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in communications. She interned with clothing designer Vera Wang

Vera Wang

Vera Ellen Wang is a Chinese American fashion designer based in New York City and former figure skater. She is known for her wide clientele of couture bridesmaid gowns and wedding gown collections.-Personal life:...

 (a relative), who is noted for designing figure skating costumes and personally designs Michelle's costumes. Kwan is married to three-time U.S. pair skating

Pair skating

Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...

 champion and 1988 Olympic bronze medallist Peter Oppegard

Peter Oppegard

Peter Oppegard is an American retired pair skater and coach. With his partner Jill Watson, he won three U.S. championships and a bronze medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics....

. They have two daughters.

Results

Event	1994-1995	1995-1996	1996-1997
U.S. Championships United States Figure Skating Championships The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters...	7th	5th	7th
Trophée Lalique			7th
Nebelhorn Trophy Nebelhorn Trophy The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain....			3rd

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