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"Shy kid" Karen Chen has a plan for fighting off nerves

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — Karen Chen found herself in a room full of athletes, and she froze.

The 18-year-old American figure skater describes herself as a "shy kid," and her nerves were getting the best of her again. She was there hoping to trade collectable pins, a longstanding Olympic tradition that helps break the ice between people from different sports or countries.

She just couldn't do it.

"I was nervous," she said. "Like, 'What if this person doesn't want to trade pins with me? What if they already had my pin?' All these random thoughts raced (through) my head.