Sale & Pelletier to Divorce

Jamie Sale & David Pelletier had one of the most famous "Love Story"s of the 2000's, but apparently it's coming to an end. The two skaters, who famously were awarded a second Olympic gold medal for pairs figure skating in 2002 captivated audiences worldwide. Those same audiences were thrilled to learn that the skaters were a couple off-ice, as well.

Sale & Pelletier married 4.5 years ago, and have one son, Jesse, who turns 3 in September. They say that they will continue to skate together professionally. They have been living apart for the past 18 months.

Congrats Tessa and Scott, and Patrick!

http://www.thestar.com/sports/figureskating/article/785951--dimanno-virtue-moir-not-flawless-but-they-re-golden?bn=1

http://www.thestar.com/sports/figureskating/article/785643--dimanno-another-lesson-on-silver-platter-for-patient-chan

Update on Joannie Rochette

http://www.thestar.com/sports/wintersports/article/780749--skating-officials-cut-joannie-rochette-a-break?bn=1

OTTAWA—Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette has been cleared to perform a tribute to her late mother in Friday’s made-for-TV exhibition Thin Ice.

Her plan to skate in the ABC show appeared in jeopardy after she withdrew from the upcoming world championships Monday.

International Skating Union rules state an athlete can’t choose an exhibition performance over an ISU-sanctioned event.

But the ISU agreed Tuesday to make an exception for Rochette, who won hearts with her courage and grace as she skated to a bronze medal at the Vancouver Olympics less than a week after her mother Therese died of a heart attack.

The ISU ruling allows the Ile-Dupas, Que., native to perform Friday even though she won’t compete next week in Turin, Italy. After the ISU gave its blessing, Skate Canada also gave Rochette the green light to perform.

“We appreciate the ISU worked with us to find a solution for this situation,” Skate Canada CEO William Thompson said in a release. “They have agreed to relax ISU rule 136 for Joannie in this instance, due to the unique and extenuating circumstances of this particular request.”

Rochette, 24, said Monday the emotional and physical upheaval of the last several weeks had prevented her from properly preparing for the world championships.

In Thin Ice Rochette will skate to “Vole” by Céline Dion, her mom’s favourite singer. It’s the same program Rochette performed at the Exhibition Gala at the Vancouver Games. Dion wrote the song in memory of her niece who died of cystic fibrosis and Dion is expected to provide a recorded message to Rochette during the show.

It will be the first performance in a busy exhibition season for Rochette, who will also make a guest appearance in the first four shows of the “Stars on Ice” U.S. tour next month in Florida.
Rochette, along with Canadian Olympic gold medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, will then headline the Canadian version of Stars on Ice later in April.

International Skating Union Once Again Shows Its True Colours

http://www.thestar.com/sports/figureskating/article/780416--dimanno-joannie-rochette-faced-with-a-stark-choice?bn=1

DiManno: Joannie Rochette faced with a stark choice

Skater faces sanctions after accepting TV gig and bowing out of competition

by Rosie DiManno

A daughter's love for her dead mother or a skater's obligation to her sport: It's a stark choice that should not be demanded of Joannie Rochette.

She's been through enough already. But unless the International Skating Union does the humanitarian thing and relaxes its rules, makes one empathetic exception, this is precisely the dilemma facing Canada's Olympic bronze medallist.

A fortnight ago, the world was transfixed by the inspirational performance of a 24-year-old woman who compartmentalized her grief, competing in Vancouver just days after her mother's sudden death.

(Thérèse Rochette was struck down by a massive heart attack within hours of arriving in the city to watch her daughter's bid for a medal at the Games.)

Joannie Rochette dedicated that performance to her mom and, last week, placed the bronze medal on her mother's casket at the delayed funeral.

The native of teeny Ile Dupas, Quebec, then accepted an invitation to appear in "Thin Ice," a made-for-TV event to be broadcast live on Friday by ABC. On Monday, citing exhaustion and lack of preparation, she formally withdrew from next week's World Figure Skating Championships in Turin.

The ISU, a bossy organization at the best of times – and for Joannie Rochette these have been the worst of times – isn't having any of it. It has threatened unspecified punitive measures against the skater if she goes ahead and participates in the non-sanctioned "Thin Ice," citing a breach of two specific ISU rules and slyly shifting the blame to Skate Canada.

It was never Rochette's intent to compete in the ABC event. She wanted only to perform, at the end of the show, an exhibition tribute to her mother, the same routine she skated at the post-competition figure skating gala in Vancouver – choreographed to "Vole,'' a song by Céline Dion that was a favourite of Thérèse Rochette.

As of last night, there was no indication that Joannie Rochette, six years in a row the Canadian champion, has changed her mind, even though appearing on the show might put her ISU eligible status at risk – meaning it's possible she might not be allowed to compete in any future ISU-sanctioned event.

A statement issued by the skater on Monday addressed only her decision to withdraw from Turin.
"With everything that has happened over the past few weeks, I have missed a significant amount of training time. That means I'm not prepared either emotionally or physically to skate well at these championships and once again challenge for the podium.

"Whenever I compete I want to give my best to the fans and to respect the competitive nature of the sport. I just would not be able to do that for either the fans or myself next week.''

Her agent told Associated Press Rochette had filed her papers with Skate Canada, requesting permission to appear in the ABC show.

William Thompson, Skate Canada CEO, told the Star on Monday that the federation had made no objection. "But we didn't even know she was going to do it until we saw the press release from the promoter.''

At the time, Skate Canada presumed – but had doubts – that Rochette would still compete in Turin afterwards.

Skate Canada was then informed that "Thin Ice" lacked ISU approval, specifically because the event would be using non-ISU judges. Thompson told the ISU that Rochette was not competing, merely skating as an exhibition artist.

The ISU came back and said, uh-uh, not good enough. Another rule forbids skaters from participating in non-sanctioned events, even in an exhibition role, while simultaneously taking a pass on their competitions. And Rochette had just announced she wasn't going to Worlds. Even withdrawal from an ISU assignment on the Grand Prix circuit due to injury imposes a 30-day ban on any other appearance.

"There are legitimate reasons for the ISU rules,'' says Thompson, noting TV viewership and ticket sales decline when popular skaters – as Rochette certainly is – pull out of major events. "Skaters benefit greatly from ISU events also. They make a lot of prize money.''

While Skate Canada has no wish to directly sanction Rochette, it is at the mercy of the ISU, which has the authority to punish the national body and its other skaters.

"We're kind of stuck because there can be some sort of penalty against our skaters. We can't allow ourselves to be put in that position, but it leaves us between a rock and a hard place,'' Thompson says.

He says he doesn't know what the punitive range might be because he can't recall a similar situation in the past. But if Skate Canada bucks the ISU, it's entirely possibly other Canadian skaters might be denied participation in ISU competitions.

Thompson is now waiting to see if the ISU will show some flexibility.

"We're hoping they will relax the rules, given these particular circumstances. I certainly don't mind Joannie being in this show, and Skate Canada would not punish her. But I don't know where this is all going to land.''

Rochette's only other option might be to turn pro immediately and the hell with the ISU. In Vancouver, however, she made no mention of wanting to end her competitive career, and certainly not this way.

It would be shameful if the ISU pushed a grieving young woman into doing so.

This is an example of something that I talk about a lot: the literal sense of the law vs the spirit of the law. I can understand WHY the ISU would have this law in place. You don't want amateur skaters foregoing ISU events to do paid gigs.

This is not what is happening, though. A grieving young woman wants to do a tribute to the mother who sacrificed so much for her skating career. One small, exhibition performance on a television show. She doesn't, however, feel up to competing at the level of a World Championship. This girl just lost her mother, yet she still skated at the Olympics. Can't the ISU show a little bit of compassion? Oh right, I forgot who we were talking about for a moment.