Renée Roca
Renée Roca | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Rochester, New York, U.S. | May 18, 1963|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Figure skating career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retired | 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Renée Roca (born May 18, 1963) is an American
Career
Early in her career, Roca competed with Andrew Ouellette. She later teamed up with Donald Adair. Their most successful season was 1985–86, in which they won 1985 Skate Canada International, 1985 Skate America and the 1986 U.S. national title. She also achieved her highest World placement, 6th at the 1986 World Championships. The following season, they won the U.S. silver medal. He decided to retire ten days before the 1987 World Championships, stunning Roca who had hoped to qualify for the 1988 Winter Olympics.[1]
After that partnership ended,
Roca left competition and began working as a skating choreographer.[1] She choreographed the free program Jill Trenary used to win the 1990 World Championships.[1]
In early 1990, Russian skater Gorsha Sur, who had defected to the U.S. the previous month, was advised to contact Roca by Belgian skater, Jirina Ribbens.[1] Ribbens noted, "Of all the U.S. ice dancers, Renee's style is the most European. She has a classically elegant and dramatic flair, more like a ballerina than a ballroom dancer."[1] Roca and Sur worked together in Detroit for two weeks and were soon invited to audition for tour organizers and to compete at professional competitions.[1] A year later, the International Skating Union changed its eligibility rules, allowing professional skaters to reinstate as amateurs to compete at the World Championships and Olympics; Sur convinced Roca to return to eligible competition.[1]
The pair choreographed for
Roca began competing with Sur in the 1992–93 season. They were coached by
Roca and Sur hoped to win the United States' single berth to the ice dancing event at the 1994 Winter Olympics. To do so, the couple had to not only win the 1994 U.S. national title but also receive accelerated citizenship for Sur due to the Olympics' citizenship requirements.[5] A Republican Representative and Democratic Senator, both from Colorado, lent their support to speed up Sur's naturalization in Congress.[5] It was argued that his case differed from other athletes because not speeding up the process would hurt an American citizen, Renee Roca.[5] However, their efforts were stymied in late December 1993 when the United States Olympic Committee denied a request for a waiver to the requirement that athletes be citizens by the national championships.[6] In addition, their main rivals for the Olympic spot, Punsalan and Swallow, were involved in a letter-writing campaign to Congress to prevent Sur from receiving expedited citizenship.[3][7]
During a warm-up at the
Roca and Sur returned to competition the following season and defeated Punsalan and Swallow at the
At the
Roca also choreographed the short program that Nicole Bobek used when she placed first at the 1995 Worlds in that segment and the program Alissa Czisny used to become 2011 National Champion and 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final Champion. Roca was a choreographer on the television show Skating with Celebrities.
Programs
- With Sur
Season | Original dance | Figure skating
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Exhibition |
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1997–98 |
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1995–96 | |||
1994–95 |
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1993–94 |
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1992–93 |
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Results
GP: Champions Series (Grand Prix)
With Sur
International | ||||
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Event | 1992–93 | 1993–94 | 1994–95 | 1995–96 |
World Champ. | 11th | 10th | 14th | |
GP Nations Cup | 4th | |||
GP Skate America | 3rd | |||
NHK Trophy | 5th | |||
Skate America | 3rd | |||
Skate Canada | 3rd | |||
National | ||||
U.S. Champ. | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
With Yorke
International | ||
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Event | 1987–88 | 1988–89 |
Prague Skate | 1st | |
Skate America | 3rd | |
National | ||
U.S. Championships | 4th | WD |
Eastern Sectionals | 1st | |
WD = Withdrew |
With Adair
International | ||||||
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Event | 81-82 | 82–83 | 83–84 | 84–85 | 85–86 | 86–87 |
World Champ. | 11th | 6th | ||||
Skate America | 1st | |||||
Skate Canada | 1st | |||||
NHK Trophy | 5th | |||||
National | ||||||
U.S. Champ. | 6th | 4th | 2nd | 1st | 2nd |
With Ouellette
International | |
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Event | 1979–80 |
World Junior Championships | 3rd |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harvey, Randy (January 19, 1993). "Defector Finds New Life, and New Partner". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ a b Brown, Mickey (June 24, 2008). "Jim Yorke, 45, passes away at his L.A. home". Icenetwork. Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ a b Kent, Milton (February 16, 1995). "Skating squabble plays to soap opera background". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Longman, Jere (January 6, 1994). "OLYMPICS; Roca, Ice Dancer, Breaks Arm But Comes Back to Skate On". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ a b c Longman, Jere (December 5, 1993). "OLYMPICS; Sur, a Russian Ice Dancer, Is Pursuing U.S. Citizenship". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: FIGURE SKATING; A Setback for Sur". New York Times. December 22, 1993. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ Blount, Terry (February 17, 1995). "Latest skating controversy will be detailed on ABC". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ Harvey, Randy (January 20, 1996). "Punsalan, Swallow Win Dance Title". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 7, 2011.