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Work hard, be yourself, have fun!" quote made by Michelle Kwan

Michelle Kwan

Michelle Kwan was born on July 7, 1980.  She is 5’2”.  Her full name is Michelle Wing Kwan.  Her nick- name is Shelly.  She was named after a song that the Beatles made called, “Michelle.” Her hometown is in Torrance, California.  Michelle’s coach is Rafael Arutunian.  Also, she used to have Frank Carroll as a coach (1992- 2002) and Scott Williams (2002- 2003).  Her current choreographer is Tatiana Tarasova.  In the past she has had Lori Nichol, Sarah Kawahara, Christopher Dean, Peter Oppegard, Brian Wright, Philip Mills, Nikolai Mororzov, Karen Kwan, and Michelle.  Michelle’s agent is Shep Goldberg, Proper Marketing Associates.  Her home club is Los Angeles FSC (figure skating club). She trains at East West Ice Palace in Artesia, California.  Michelle’s college was UCLA.  Currently she is at the senior level.    

Michelle started off skating at a small rink near her home called Ice Chalet.  Michelle started skating at age five, following her two older siblings (one did ice hockey and the other figure skated).  They were a skating family!  Her family moved to Lake Arrowhead, California in 1991 so she could start training with Frank Carroll.  When she was 12 she passed into the senior level.  In 1993 she won sixth place at the senior U.S. championships.  She went to Lillehammer, Norway, a city where the 1994 Olympics were held.  She went to the 1994 Olympics as an alternate, she was only 13!  Some people think that she is going to retire, but her goal is to win in the Olympics.  She is still training very hard!

Michelle always wears her good luck necklace that her grandmother gave her.  Also, she had a pet squirrel when she was a child. 

Sasha Cohen

Sasha Cohen is my favorite skater. I had the opportunity to meet her at the UCLA Book fair this year, when she was signing her book “Fire on Ice”. She is very sweet and friendly. Sasha Cohen was born on October 26 th 1984, her real name is Alexandra Pauline Cohen, but Sasha is a common Russian nickname for Alexandra. Her mother was born in Ukraine and always loved ice-skating but she couldn’t practice. Sasha started practicing ice-skating at the age of 7, but before was competing in gymnastics. Her first rink was in Pasadena, but two years later, she moved to the Orange County and started taking lesson with Yvonne Nicks (John Nick’s wife) at the Ice Capades Chalet in Costa Mesa, CA. Later, John Nicks became her coach.
Her first big competition was in November 1996, the Southwest Pacific Regionals and she placed fourth. The next season she placed second and qualified for Sectionals and later for Junior Olympics. This was the beginning of her successful career. In 2002, she qualified to go to the Olympic as a senior level, she had the opportunity to run with the torch in San Diego. She was very honored and excited. She is well known for her famous spiral combination and the height on her jumps and she is able to do quad jumps but only in practice. The next Olympics will be in 2010 in London and she wish's she will shine and become an Olympic champion.

Jennifer Kirk

Jennifer Anne Kirk was born August 15, 1984, in Newton, Massachusetts. Jennifer became involved with the sport of gymnastics at five years old. However, Jennifer left the sport at the age of nine and became involved in figure skating. Jennifer accomplishments in the sport had been very important, she won bronze medal in the junior ladies at her first at the National Championships. Jennifer qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final the same year, where she won the silver medal. Later in the season, she competed as a senior at the 2000 National Championships and placed sixth overall. Her placement at the National Championships earned her a spot on the United States’ team for the World Junior Championships. Competing with three technically superior programs, she won the title of World Junior Champion.

In the summer leading up to the to the 2002 Olympic season, Jennifer experienced a devastating personal loss when her mother lost her battle with breast cancer. Dedicating her performances to her mother, Jennifer claimed her first senior international title at the 2002 Four Continents Championships.

After two seasons with coach Richard Callaghan, Jennifer relocated to Hermosa Beach, California, to skate with coaches Frank Carroll and Ken Congemi. In her first National Championships with her new coaches, Jennifer placed fourth after stumbling in the free skate. At the Four Continents Championships in Korea she won the gold medal.

The Marshall’s Challenge marked the end of her competitive career.  On September 7, 2005, Jennifer announced her retirement from figure skating, effective immediately. She will remain active in the sport as a coach and she moved back to Massachusetts.
Jennifer is famous for her sit spin, her favorite jump is the triple flip, her favorite male skaters are Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir ,and her favorite female skaters are Michelle Kwan and Kristi Yamaguchi . Also her favorite quote is “ Life might not go how you want or plan it to be. Don't look back and wish you had. Look forward and do."

Joannie Rochette

          Joannie Rochette was born on January 13,1986.  Her hometown is in Montreal, Canada in Quebec.  Joannie is 5’2”.  Her nick name is Joe.  Joannie’s coach is Manon Perron, her choreographer is David Wilson.  Her former coaches are Josse Normand and Sabation Britten. 

          Her hobbies are, rollerblading, jumping on her trampoline, riding her bike, and dancing. She loves competition in all sports.  To relax, she goes to the movies with her friends. Joannie likes romantic comedies, thrillers and horror movies.  She also reads and listens to music.

          She loves to travel. She really liked China.  She’s been there three times and has never seen the Great Wall! She also enjoys going to the beach.

          Her mom once took her to an ice skating rink when she was two tears old, and that is when she began skating.  She began taking lessons from Nathalier Riquier at the Berthierville Skating Club.  For the past three years she has been working with a team of coaches, Trois Rivieres and St-Leonard: Manon Perron, Nathalie Martin, Normand Proft and Danielle Robillard.  She trains about three hours a day, five days a week and, five hours of off ice training.  She said she wants to do her own choreography some day but, she doesn’t have any time now.

          When she was 12 she said that her easiest jump was her triple toe and her hardest was her triple lutz.  She landed her first triple jump, a solchow also when she was 12.  She had always wanted to be a doctor, but skating takes up too much time.  Now, she wants to work in a pharmacy, or anything that has to do with health.

Her favorite skaters are Elvis Stojko, Tara Lipinski, and Michelle Kwan.  Her favorite jump is the triple loop but, now that one is her hardes jump.  Her best subjects are math, science, English, and Physical Education.  The singers she likes are U2, Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Nine Days.  Joannie loves to e-mail her friends and travel all over the world.  Also, she would love to be in the 2010 Olympics.     

*Joannie Rochette*