Joannie Rochette

Joannie Rochette OLY (born January 13, 1986) is a Canadian physician and retired competitive figure skater. She is the 2010 Olympic bronze medallist, the 2009 World silver medallist, the 2008 and 2009 Four Continents silver medallist, the 2004 Grand Prix Final bronze medallist, and a six-time (2005–10) Canadian national champion.

Joannie Rochette, MD, CM
Rochette at the 2009 Worlds.
Born	(1986-01-13) January 13, 1986 (age 38) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Hometown	La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas, Quebec, Canada
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Canada
Skating club	CPA Berthierville
Retired	2013
Medal record Representing  Canada Figure skating: Ladies' singles Olympic Games 2010 Vancouver Singles World Championships 2009 Los Angeles Singles Four Continents Championships 2009 Vancouver Singles 2008 Goyang Singles 2007 Colorado Springs Singles Grand Prix Final 2004–05 Beijing Singles World Team Trophy 2009 Tokyo Team

Career

Rochette was born January 13, 1986, in Montreal, Quebec.^[1] She was raised in La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas.

Rochette began skating when she was just two years old after her mother took her to the rink.^[2][3] In the 1999–2000 season, she won the 2000 Canadian Championships on the novice level.

2000–01 season: Junior Grand Prix debut

The following season she debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series. She placed 5th at the 2000–01 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in France and 4th at the event in Mexico. She qualified for the 2001 Canadian Championships by winning both her qualifying events. At the Canadian Championships, she won her second consecutive national title, this time on the Junior level. She was then sent to the 2001 World Junior Championships, where she placed 8th.

2001–02 season

In the 2001–02 season, Rochette competed on the 2001–02 ISU Junior Grand Prix, winning the silver medal at the event in Italy. She won the bronze medal at the 2002 Canadian Championships on the senior level and qualified for the teams to the 2002 Four Continents and the 2002 Junior Worlds. At Four Continents, her second senior international event, Rochette placed 8th. She went on to place 5th at the World Junior Championships.

2002–03 season

In the 2002–03 season, Rochette won the silver medal at the 2003 Canadian Championships. She placed 8th at the 2003 Four Continents and 17th at the 2003 World Championships.

2003–04 season: Grand Prix debut

In the 2003–04 season, Rochette debuted on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. She placed 10th at the 2003 Skate Canada and 4th at the 2003 Cup of Russia. She competed at the 2003 Bofrost Cup on Ice and won the event. At the 2004 Canadian Championships, Rochette won her second consecutive silver medal. She placed 4th at the 2004 Four Continents and moved up to 8th at the World Championships.

2004–05 season: Bronze at GP Final, first senior national title

In the 2004–05 season, Rochette won the bronze medal at the 2004 Cup of China and then won the 2004 Trophée Eric Bompard. She qualified for the 2004–05 Grand Prix Final, where she won the bronze medal. She won the 2005 Canadian Championships, her first Canadian senior title, which made her the first Canadian female skater to have won the Canadian Championships at all three levels (Novice, Junior, and Senior).^{[citation needed]} She placed 11th at the 2005 World Championships. Her placement, combined with that of Cynthia Phaneuf, earned Canada two entries to the 2006 Winter Olympics.

2005–06 season: First Olympics

In the 2005–06 Olympic season, Rochette won the silver medal at the 2005 Skate Canada and placed 4th at the 2005 Trophée Eric Bompard. She won her second consecutive national title at the 2006 Canadian Championships. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Rochette placed 5th. At the 2006 World Championships, Rochette led following the qualifying round, then placed 7th in the short program and 8th in the free skate to place 7th overall. She had fallen twice on her jumps.

2006–07 season: First Four Continents medal

In the 2006–07 season, Rochette won the 2006 Skate Canada and placed 4th at the 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard, and missed out on qualifying for the Grand Prix Final on a tie-break. At the 2007 Canadian Championships, Rochette won her third consecutive national title. She won the bronze medal at the 2007 Four Continents and placed 10th at the 2007 World Championships.

2007–08 season

In the 2007–08 season, Rochette won the bronze medals at the 2007 Skate Canada and the 2007 Cup of Russia. At the 2008 Canadian Championships, she won her fourth consecutive national title. She won the silver medal at the 2008 Four Continents and placed 5th at the 2008 World Championships.

2008–09 season: World silver medal

In the 2008–09 season, Rochette won the 2008 Skate Canada. She then won the 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard, beating reigning World Champion Mao Asada, and credited her work with a psychologist for her improved performances.^[4] She qualified for the 2008–09 Grand Prix Final, where she placed 4th. She won her fifth consecutive national title at the 2009 Canadian Championships.^[5] At the 2009 Four Continents Championships, she won the silver medal, again beating Asada. At the 2009 World Championships, Rochette won the silver medal, becoming the first Canadian woman since Elizabeth Manley to medal at the World Championships.

2009–10 season

For the 2009–10 Grand Prix season, Rochette was assigned to the 2009 Cup of China, and the 2009 Skate Canada International. She started off the season with at the Cup of China, where she placed 7th in the short program, with 52.12 points, 10.08 points behind overnight leader Mirai Nagasu. During the free skate she rebounded, placing 2nd with 111.06 points behind Akiko Suzuki, who placed 1st in that segment. Rochette won the bronze medal with 163.18 points, behind gold medallist Suzuki and silver medallist Kiira Korpi.

At the 2009 Skate Canada, she scored a new personal best in the short program, 70.00 points, placing her first. During the free skate, she placed first again, with 112.90 points. She won the gold medal ahead of silver medallist Alissa Czisny and bronze medallist Laura Lepistö.

Rochette qualified for the 2009–10 Grand Prix Final. She placed 4th in the short program with 60.94 points, 5.2 points behind overnight leader, Miki Ando. Rochette placed 5th in the free skate, earning only 95.77 points. She placed 5th overall with 156.71 points, 32.15 points behind gold medallist Yuna Kim.

2010 Winter Olympics

See also: Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Rochette on the podium at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Rochette was nominated to represent Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics after winning her sixth straight Canadian National title.

At the Olympic Village, Rochette received the news that her mother had died shortly after arriving in Vancouver.^[6][7] Upon hearing the news, NBC speed-skating commentator Dan Jansen sent an e-mail to Rochette and shared his experiences of his sister's death during the Calgary Olympics (Canada's last Olympics before Vancouver).^[8]

Rochette chose to continue competing in her mother's honour.^[6] She recorded a new personal best in the short program, scoring 71.36 points, the third highest score of the night.^[9] Two days later, she held on to her third-place position after the long program and won the bronze medal. She became the fifth Canadian to win a medal in ladies' figure skating at the Olympics.

Rochette's performance at the 2010 Olympics figure skating gala on February 27 featured the original French version of Celine Dion's song "Fly", «Vole» as a tribute to her mother (a long-time fan of Dion), ending with her face raised to the heavens.

Because of her inspiring determination in the face of these circumstances, along with Petra Majdič, she received the inaugural Terry Fox Award for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Fellow Canadian Olympian Jon Montgomery described Rochette as having shown "so much heart and determination at the 2010 Games (...) What she displayed is honestly what the Olympics are all about."^[10] Rochette was chosen as the flag bearer for the closing ceremony.^[11]

Post-Olympics

In December 2010, Rochette was voted the Female Athlete of the Year by The Canadian Press.^[12]

She did not compete at the 2010 World Championships and later announced that she would not take part in the 2010–11 Grand Prix series.^[13] In an October 2012 interview, Rochette said she was weighing a return to competition.^[14] She confirmed in September 2013 that she would not compete for a spot to the 2014 Olympics but would travel to Sochi with the CBC for an undetermined role mainly in French.^[15]

In August 2017, Skate Canada announced Rochette would be inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame as a member of the 2017 class.^[16]

Personal life

On February 21, 2010, two days before the beginning of ladies' figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, her mother, Thérèse Rochette, died of a heart attack at age 55 at Vancouver General Hospital after arriving to watch her compete; Rochette chose to remain in the competition and skate in her mother's honour.^[6] At her mother's funeral, she placed her Olympic bronze medal on the casket for some time.^[17] Rochette has been a spokesperson for the "iheartmom" campaign at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, which deals with raising awareness for heart disease in women.^[18] She has also worked with World Vision.^[19][20]

Rochette received her DEC from Collège André-Grasset's Natural Sciences program in November 2011. It took 7 years for her to complete the program, which could have been finished in two or three years under normal circumstances.^[21][22] In the fall of 2015, she enrolled in a medical preparatory year at McGill University, and continued as a medical student in 2016.^[23][24] In September 2017, Rochette participated in a white coat ceremony at the start of her second year in the medical school.^[25]

Rochette earned her medical degree in April 2020 and announced that she would be working in Quebec's long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[26]

Programs

Post-2010

Season	Free skating Pro-am events	Exhibition
2015–16 [27][28]	Gravity by Sara Bareilles	Hands to Myself[29] by Selena Gomez Sour Cherry[29] Gravity[29] by Sara Bareilles O Holy Night[30]
2014–15 [31]	La Vie en rose covered by Ute Lemper choreo. by Marie-France Dubreuil	La Vie en rose[32] covered by Ute Lemper choreo. by Marie-France Dubreuil Addicted to You[32] by Avicii Keep On Walking by Marc Sway
2013–14 [33]	Notre Dame de Paris by Luc Plamondon choreo. by Yuka Sato	Notre Dame de Paris[34] by Luc Plamondon choreo. by Yuka Sato[35] Shot Me Down[34] by David Guetta Santa Baby[36] by Joan Javits, Philip Springer At Last[37] by Mack Gordon, Harry Warren covered by Cyndi Lauper Hurt by Christina Aguilera That Man[38] by Caro Emerald
2012–13 [39]	For Me, Formidable by France d'Amour	Is It a Crime[38] by Sade That Man[38] by Caro Emerald What About Me[40] performed by Measha Brueggergosman Show Me How You Burlesque[41] by Christina Aguilera
2011–12 [33]	The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky choreo. by David Wilson	Indestructible[42] by Robyn choreo. by Jeffrey Buttle[43] For Me, Formidable[42] by France d'Amour The Perfect Gift[44] by The Canadian Tenors
2010–11 [33]	Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns choreo. by Lori Nichol	True Colors[41] performed by Cyndi Lauper Show Me How You Burlesque[41] by Christina Aguilera O Holy Night[45] by Adolphe Adam

Pre-2010

Rochette during her short program La Cumparsita at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2009–10 [1]	La Cumparsita by Gerardo Matos Rodríguez choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne	Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns choreo. by Lori Nichol	Objection (Tango) by Shakira Vole by Celine Dion Summertime[46] by George Gershwin performed by Renee Olstead My Immortal[46] by Evanescence
2008–09 [5][47]	Summertime by George Gershwin choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne	Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo choreo. by Lori Nichol	Die Another Day by Madonna Believe[48] by Suzie McNeil Objection (Tango)[48] by Shakira
2007–08 [49]	Piano Concerto No. 1 by Peter Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto by Robert Schumann choreo. by Sandra Bezic	N'as-tu pas Honte Un Grand Homme est Mort Aimer (from Don Juan) by Félix Gray choreo. by David Wilson	Die Another Day[50] by Madonna Finally[50] by Fergie Summertime by George Gershwin performed by Renee Olstead
2006–07 [51]	Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix choreo. by Sandra Bezic		Summertime[52] by George Gershwin performed by Renee Olstead Heartbreaker[53] by Pat Benatar Vole by Celine Dion
2005–06 [54]	Like a Prayer (instrumental version) by Madonna and Patrick Leonard choreo. by David Wilson	Les Feuilles Mortes by Joseph Kosma Hymne à l'Amour by Édith Piaf choreo. by David Wilson	Like a Prayer [55] by Madonna Vole [55] by Celine Dion
2004–05 [56][57]	Dumky Trio by Antonín Dvořák choreo. by David Wilson	The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky choreo. by David Wilson	Labour of Love by Frente
2003–04 [58]	Metamorphoses and Other Plays by Willy Schwartz choreo. by David Wilson	Il Etait Une Fois le Diable by Ennio Morricone choreo. by David Wilson	Paint It Black by Vanessa Carlton
2002–03 [59]	Song from a Secret Garden by Rolf Lovland choreo. by David Wilson	Once Upon a Time in the West by Ennio Morricone choreo. by David Wilson
2001–02 [60]	Somewhere in Time performed by Sir Simon Rattle Orchestra choreo. by Jean-Pierre Boulais	La Fete des Fleurs a Genzano by Riccardo Drigo London Festival Ballet orchestra choreo. by Jean-Pierre Boulais
2000–01 [61]		Istanbul not Constantinople by Joe Carr Puttin' On the Ritz by Irving Berlin choreo. by Jean-Pierre Boulais

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International[62]
Event	00–01	01–02	02–03	03–04	04–05	05–06	06–07	07–08	08–09	09–10
Olympics						5th				3rd
Worlds			17th	8th	11th	7th	10th	5th	2nd
Four Continents		9th	8th	4th			3rd	2nd	2nd
GP Final					3rd				4th	5th
GP Bompard					1st	4th	4th		1st
GP Cup of China					3rd					3rd
GP Cup of Russia				4th				3rd
GP Skate Canada				10th		2nd	1st	3rd	1st	1st
Bofrost Cup				1st
International: Junior[62]
Junior Worlds	8th	5th
JGP France	5th
JGP Italy		3rd
JGP Mexico	4th
JGP Poland		5th
National[63]
Canadian Champ.	1st J.	3rd	2nd	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st
J. = Junior

Team events[62][64][65][66]
Event	05–06	06–07	08–09	09–10	10–11	11–12	13–14
World Team Trophy			2nd T 2nd P
Japan Open	2nd T 2nd P	3rd T 3rd P		2nd T 1st P	2nd T 1st P	1st T 2nd P	2nd T 2nd P
T: Team result; P: Personal result. Medals awarded for team result only.

Pro-am events[62][67][68]
Event	12–13	14–15	15–16
Medal Winners Open	2nd	1st	1st

See also

• Sports portal
• Canada portal

• Petra Burka
• Karen Magnussen
• Elizabeth Manley
• Kaetlyn Osmond
• Barbara Ann Scott

References

1. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 2, 2010.
2. Mittan, Barry (March 1, 2002). "Joannie Rochette: Canada's Rochette Aims to Attain Final Goal at World Juniors". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
3. "Biography". Joannie Rochette Official Site. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
4. "Chan, Rochette give Canada double Trophee Bompard win". ESPN. Associated Press. November 15, 2008.
5. Mittan, Barry (February 4, 2009). "Rochette Wins Fifth Canadian Crown". Skate Today.
6. Smith, Beverly (February 22, 2010). "Tragic news doesn't stop Rochette from skating on". The Globe and Mail. p. A1.
7. Perreaux, Les (March 29, 2010). "For now, the ice calls to Joannie Rochette". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
8. Branswell, Helen (February 24, 2010). "Former speedskating sprinter Dan Jansen understands Rochette's grief". Canadian Press.
9. Cole, Cam (February 24, 2010). "Rochette delivers emotional performance". Vancouver Sun. p. A3.
10. Scaringi, Joe (August 11, 2010). "Shooting the breeze with four Olympic medalists". Archived from the original on 2011-04-14.
11. Waldie, Paul (March 1, 2010). "Flag-bearer Rochette 'surprised and touched'". The Globe and Mail. p. A8.
12. "Rochette voted female athlete of the year". The Canadian Press. The Globe and Mail. December 28, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
13. "Rochette to skip Grand Prix events, but keeps options open". TSN. The Canadian Press. June 15, 2010. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011.
14. Drouin, Simon (October 2, 2012). "Le choix déchirant de Joannie Rochette" [Joannie Rochette's difficult decision]. La Presse (Canadian newspaper) (in French).
15. Zaccardi, Nick (September 16, 2013). "Joannie Rochette will have different role at Sochi Olympics". NBC Sports.
16. "Skate Canada Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2017" (Press release). Skate Canada. August 14, 2017.
17. Ravensbergen, Jen (March 4, 2010). "Funeral remembers Joannie Rochette's mother". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
18. CBC News (April 24, 2010). "Skater Rochette shares story for heart campaign". CBCNews.ca.
19. Elfman, Lois (May 12, 2011). "Rochette enjoys first year away from competition". IceNetwork. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012.
20. Brodie, Rob (August 20, 2011). "Joannie Rochette Develops a New Vision". IFS Magazine. Archived from the original on September 11, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
21. "Joannie Rochette décroche son DEC à André-Grasset". Courier Ahuntsic/Bordeaux-Cartierville. November 21, 2011.
22. "Love life, gold medal on Rochette's mind". IceNetwork. May 5, 2008. Archived from the original on February 12, 2014.
23. "McGill University welcomes the Class of 2020". McGill University. September 2, 2016. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
24. Drouin, Simon (8 July 2017). "Joannie Rochette: De la glace… à la médecine". La Presse.
25. Branswell, Brenda (September 2017). "Olympic star on the path to becoming Dr. Rochette". McGill News Magazine.
26. "Retired Canadian Olympian Joannie Rochette to work at Quebec long-term care homes". CBC Sports. 26 April 2020.
27. "木下グループ カップ メダル・ウィナーズ・オープン2016" [Kinoshita Group Cup Medal Winners Open 2016] (in Japanese). TBS 2. January 2016. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016.
28. Stars on Ice (January 27, 2016). "...The ladies event was won by strong field with her performance to "Gravity" by Sarah Bareilles..." Facebook (Facebook). Archived from the original on 2022-02-26.
29. "Stars on Ice - Music: 2016 Investors Group Stars on Ice presented by Lindt". Stars on Ice. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
30. Oreste, Debi (January 6, 2016). "Holiday Festival on Ice 2015". Absolute Skating.
31. 木下グループpresents メダル・ウィナーズ・オープン2015 [Kinoshita Group presents Medal Winners Open 2015] (Television production, BS-TBS) (in Japanese). Japan: TBS. January 17, 2015.
32. "2015 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music" (PDF). Stars on Ice. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
33. "Japan Open". Golden Skate. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
34. "2014 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music" (PDF). Stars on Ice. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
35. Rochette, Joannie [@JoannieRochette] (May 3, 2015). "It was Yuka Sato!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
36. Holiday Festival On Ice (Television production). Spain: TDP. December 2013.
37. Baden, David (November 3, 2013). "The running order for @scottcares show" (Instagram).
38. "2013 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music" (PDF). Stars on Ice. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
39. "Medal Winners Open". Golden Skate. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
40. Holiday Festival On Ice (Television production). Canada: CBC. December 12, 2012.
41. "2011 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music". Stars on Ice. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
42. "2012 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music" (PDF). Stars on Ice. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
43. Brown, Mickey (December 15, 2011). "Rochette enjoying life sans competition (for now)". IceNetwork. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
44. Holiday Festival On Ice (Television production). Canada: Global. December 16, 2011.
45. Holiday Festival On Ice (Television production). Canada: CBC. December 14, 2010.
46. "2010 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music". Stars on Ice. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
47. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009.
48. "2009 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music". Stars on Ice. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
49. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008.
50. "2008 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music". Stars on Ice. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
51. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 17, 2007.
52. "2007 Canadian Stars on Ice - Tour Program". kurtfiles.com. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
53. "2007 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music". Stars on Ice. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
54. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 22, 2006.
55. "2006 Canadian Stars on Ice - Music". Stars on Ice. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
56. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 3, 2005.
57. Mittan, Barry (January 2, 2005). "Rochette Battles Phaneuf for Canadian Crown". Skate Today.
58. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2003/2004". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 18, 2004.
59. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 3, 2003.
60. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 15, 2002.
61. "Joannie ROCHETTE: 2000/2001". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 25, 2001.
62. "Competition Results: Joannie ROCHETTE". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
63. "National Teams: Team Profiles - Joannie Rochette". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on August 11, 2009.
64. "2006 Japan Open detailed results". Japan Skating Federation Official Results & Data Site.
65. "2007 Japan Open detailed results". Japan Skating Federation Official Results & Data Site.
66. "2013 Japan Open detailed results". Japan Skating Federation Official Results & Data Site.
67. "Medal Winners Open 2015 detailed results". Japan Skating Federation Official Results & Data Site. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015.
68. "Medal Winners Open 2016 detailed results". Japan Skating Federation Official Results & Data Site. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016.

External links

• Official website
• Joannie Rochette at the International Skating Union
• Joannie Rochette at IMDb
• Skate Canada profile
• Team Canada profile