Nicholas LaRoche

Nicholas LaRoche (born July 29, 1983) is an American figure skater. He is the 2002 United States National Jr. Men's Figure Skating Champion, Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalist, 2007 Ondrej Nepela Memorial silver medalist, and placed tenth at the 2002 World Junior Championships.

Nicholas LaRoche
Born	(1983-07-29) July 29, 1983 (age 42) Gardner, Massachusetts
Figure skating career
Country	United States
Skating club	All Year FSC
Began skating	1992
Retired	2009

Career

LaRoche debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series in 1999. He won the junior title at the 2002 U.S. Championships. He was assigned to the 2002 World Junior Championships where he placed tenth. Later that year, he won a bronze medal on the JGP series, in Germany.

From 2003, LaRoche competed on the senior level at the U.S. Championships. He won the bronze medal at the 2003 Nebelhorn Trophy and silver at the 2007 Ondrej Nepela Memorial. His last competition was the 2009 nationals. On April 13, 2009, he announced his retirement on his official site.

LaRoche coaches at the Toyota Training Center in El Segundo, California. He also runs the US Athletic Foundation, which he started with his sister Tricia, to assist athletes in all sports obtain funding.

Personal life

LaRoche's private life has been marred by tragedy. In 2003, his older brother, David, died at the age of 23. On July 1, 2008, his father, William LaRoche, apparently bludgeoned to death Nicholas' mother, Bernadette, before killing himself.^[1]

Programs

Season	Short program	Free skating
2007–2008 [2]	Fiesta Flamenca by Monty Kelly	Unchained Melody by Alex North (piano version)
2006–2007 [2]	Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven	Unchained Melody by Alex North Unforgettable
2005–2006 [2]	Kodo Drums	Fiesta Flamenca by Monty Kelly
2004–2005 [2]	Time to Say Goodbye by Francesco Sartori	Music by Johannes Brahms Music by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky Music by Sergei Rachmaninov
2003–2004 [3]	Illumination by Rolf Løvland performed by Secret Garden	Dragonheart by Randy Edelman Jurassic Park by John Williams
2002–2003 [4]	Another Cha Cha by Santa Esmeralda	JFK
2001–2002 [5]	Star Island	B-Tribe

Competitive highlights

Results[6][7]
International
Event	1999–00	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08
Finlandia Trophy								5th
Golden Spin					8th
Nebelhorn Trophy					3rd
Ondrej Nepela							4th		2nd
International: Junior
Junior Worlds			10th
JGP Canada				5th
JGP Germany				3rd
JGP Netherlands	12th
JGP Norway	5th
National
U.S. Champ.	7th J.	7th J.	1st J.	8th	12th	8th	11th	11th