Nicole Bobek
Nicole Bobek | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Chicago, Illinois, United States | August 23, 1977|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Figure skating career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retired | 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Nicole Bobek (born August 23, 1977) is a retired American
Personal life
Bobek was raised by her Czech mother Jana and Jana's life partner Joyce Barron.[1] Nicole has never met her father.[1][2]
On January 24, 2017, Bobek married circus performer Pedro Santos Leal in Florida.[3]
Skating career
Bobek's interest in skating started when she was three.[2] Carlo Fassi coached her in 1989 and 1990 and then returned to Italy for three years.[4]
At age 11, Bobek won the novice silver medal at the 1989 U.S. Championships. In the next few seasons, she worked her way up the competitive rankings at the national level. She was known as an athletic jumper and a charismatic performer, but an erratic competitor and undisciplined student, often arriving late to training and skipping school.[1] Bobek placed 4th at the 1991 World Junior Championships, but the next year dropped to 16th at the same event. She made her first appearance at the senior World Championships in 1994, as an alternate (after both Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding dropped out of the event), but failed to advance out of the qualifying round. She was coached by Evy Scotvold until the summer of 1994.[5]
In late August 1994, Bobek joined
Bobek struggled with back problems during the 1996-97 season but won the bronze medal at the
In the summer of 1998, Bobek left her coach, Christa Fassi, and returned to Richard Callaghan in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. she never returned to competition.
Bobek toured with Champions on Ice for several years until 2004.[1] She also appeared in numerous other shows and professional competitions.
"[Bobek] coupled athleticism with ingenuity, choreographing her own routines and often improvising during performances. She was a master at playing to crowds who were wowed by her beauty and grace and a flexibility that seemed to ease her effortlessly into a trademark spiral move, her leg held straight up to her ear." |
—ESPN.com sportswriter Amy K. Nelson on Bobek's skating.[2] |
At her peak, Bobek was a strong jumper although some of her jumps did not have the best technique; for instance, she had a very marked
Bobek was noted for her poor training discipline,[1] for occasionally smoking cigarettes, for wearing a lot of jewelry while performing on the ice, and for changing coaches at least 11 times during her competitive skating career. She trained in California, Michigan, Colorado, Florida and Virginia.[1] At one point she explained her behavior by saying: "I'm a teenager. That's what we do."[14] In addition to Richard Callaghan and Carlo and Christa Fassi, Bobek's coaches included Debbie Stoery, Kathy Casey, Hoon Kim, Barbara Roles, Frank Carroll, Robin Cousins, and Mary and Evy Scotvold.
Endorsements
Bobek's skating successes led to a contract with
Film
In 2006, Bobek added acting to her resume when she appeared in the film All the King's Men. Bobek was cast as a skater who fascinates governor Willy Stark in a scene directly from the original book.
Legal problems
In November 1994, Bobek was charged with first-degree home invasion after she used an access code to enter a friend's garage and home in Michigan. She allegedly took cash from a purse, but was caught when the homeowner arrived, and Bobek returned the money. She claimed that she was granted permission by another member of the household to enter the house and retrieve the cash. Bobek was 17 years old and legally an adult under Michigan criminal law,[16] but she was eligible for probation with the record of the offense sealed from the public record by pleading guilty under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, a special law for youthful first offenders. In January 1995, she was sentenced to two years of probation and a choice between 50 hours of community service and 30 days in jail. Information regarding her case soon spread widely through skating circles and was leaked to the news media. Under the Youthful Trainee Act, cases are to remain confidential, so in February 1995, Bobek filed for dismissal. Though some journalists and legal scholars have argued that Michigan law allows journalists to release information about juvenile criminals if there is "compelling public interest,"[17] which was arguable given Bobek's status as a world-class figure skater, her motion for probation discharge was granted by the court.[18] The appeals court reversed the decision of the trial court to terminate probation and remanded for a continuation of probation.[19]
In late 2006, Bobek's mother raised and then dropped a petition to have her undergo rehabilitation, worrying that her daughter would become estranged.[1] On July 6, 2009, Bobek was charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and was alleged to be a member of a drug ring.[20] On June 18, 2010, she pleaded guilty,[21] and on August 16 was sentenced to five years of probation,[22][23] 250 hours of community service and a $2,500 fine.[22]
Recovery and later career
Bobek has admitted that she is a former drug addict, and has said that she wants to help other addicts overcome their addictions and would like to perform ice-show charity benefits. She began taking classes toward a high-school equivalency diploma and worked at a skating rink in Florida[1] after six years away from skating.[8] In 2010, she began teaching power skating and edge skills to junior hockey players at the rink.[1] Her friend Todd Eldredge invited her to a Stars on Ice show, where she reconnected with her old coach Richard Callaghan and began weekly training sessions to return to shape.[8]
Bobek returned to performing at the Skate for Love benefit for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in April 2011, hosted by her friend JoJo Starbuck.[8] Bobek said: "I've been back on the ice about a year now. It took me a long time to get my balance again after six years; you really lose the rotation and all of those things. It took three months to do a single Axel again."[8] By January 2012, she had recovered all of her double jumps except the Axel.[24] In November 2011, Bobek said: "I'm blessed that I've been given a second chance in life. Life is so much better now. I think I was in a dark place and now I believe that I have God on my side. I'm very positive about things and very focused. I truly believe that I've bloomed into a different kind of person.."[25] She appeared in skating shows aired on NBC[24] and has appeared in various skating shows.[24][25]
Bobek has also trained on trapeze and aerial hoops at the South Florida Circus Arts School.[24] She has performed with the Rainbow Circus in Miami.[26]
Programs
Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
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1998–1999 |
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1997–1998 |
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1996–1997 |
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1995–1996 |
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1994–1995 |
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1993–1994 |
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Results
GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix
International[27] | ||||||||||
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Event | 89–90 | 90–91 | 91–92 | 92–93 | 93–94 | 94–95 | 95–96 | 96–97 | 97–98 | 98–99 |
Olympics | 17th | |||||||||
Worlds | 25th | 3rd | 13th | |||||||
GP Cup of Russia |
6th | |||||||||
GP Lalique |
5th | 2nd | ||||||||
GP Nations Cup | 3rd | |||||||||
GP Skate America | 6th | 7th | 6th | 4th | ||||||
GP Skate Canada | 5th | |||||||||
Goodwill Games | 7th | |||||||||
Vienna Cup | 1st | |||||||||
International: Junior[27] | ||||||||||
Junior Worlds | 4th | 16th | ||||||||
National[27] | ||||||||||
U.S. Championships | 4th J | 8th | 7th | 5th | 3rd | 1st | WD | 3rd | 3rd | |
U.S. Olympic Festival | 7th | 1st | ||||||||
J = Junior. WD = Withdrew |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hersh, Philip (September 11, 2010). "Spinning back into control". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b c Nelson, Amy K. (August 11, 2009). "Nicole Bobek: Falling through ice". ESPN. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- IceNetwork.com.
- ^ a b Hersh, Philip (March 21, 1997). "Renowned Skating Coach Fassi, 67, Dies". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b c Hersh, Philip (October 29, 1998). "Bobek Skates Back To Old Coach For Another Run At Title". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Hersh, Philip (March 11, 1995). "Spirited Bobek At Her Best". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Ford, Bob (November 30, 1994). "Injury Doesn't Slow Bobek". Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ a b c d e f Rutherford, Lynn (April 18, 2011). "Bobek returns to the ice, with help from friends". icenetwork. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Hersh, Philip (January 8, 1998). "Bobek Knows Road Of Broken Dreams". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Longman, Jere (February 16, 1997). "Kwan's Slips Open Door For a Younger Champion". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- ^ Hersh, Philip (March 25, 1998). "Bobek Pulls Out Of World Meet, Blames Hip Troubles". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b "Bobek to return to ice after health scare". CBS Sportsline. Reuters. November 24, 1999. Archived from the original on October 1, 2000.
- ^ a b "Bobek eyes Olympics again". CBS Sportsline. Associated Press. April 21, 2000. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008.
- ^ http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/magazines/vogue/925L-000-036.html "Vogue - Wild In Winter", "maryellenmark.com" , Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ "Natural on the Ice: the Career of Nicole Bobek". Endorsements. NicoleBobek.com. 2012. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- ^ "Minors - What are the rights of a 17 year old in criminal proceedings?" Archived 2006-05-16 at the Wayback Machine, Calhoun County (Michigan) Courts Website, downloaded on February 23, 2006.
- ^ Jack Kresnak, Juvenile Justice, Chapter 2 of "Covering Crime and Justice," downloaded on February 23, 2006.
- ^ PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN V NICOLE BOBEK [permanent dead link] legal opinion, downloaded from the MichLaw.com website on February 23, 2006.
- ^ https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1857277/people-v-bobek/ [bare URL]
- ^ Zeitlinger, Ron (July 6, 2009). "Former skating champ Nicole Bobek is charged with 'significant role' in drug ring". The Jersey Journal. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ Conte, Michelangelo (June 18, 2010). "Former figure skating champion Nicole Bobek pleads guilty to role in major Hudson County drug ring". The Jersey Journal. Archived from the original on June 23, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- ^ a b Henry, Samantha (August 16, 2010). "Ex-skate champ Bobek gets probation on meth count". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 21, 2010.
- ^ "Ex-figure skater Nicole Bobek gets probation for role in N.J. drug ring". The Jersey Journal. Associated Press. August 16, 2010. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Hersh, Philip (January 21, 2012). "Bobek not skating on thin ice anymore". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b Pritchard, Mike (November 30, 2011). "Nicole Bobek Takes Back the Ice At 'Caesars II Tribute'". Atlantic City Weekly. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011.
- IceNetwork.com.
- ^ a b c "Nicole BOBEK". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.