Jan 14, 2008 8:23 am US/Central
Local Skater Becomes Mentor For Fledgling Skater
Reporting
Mike Max
ST. PAUL (WCCO) ―
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Rohene Ward has taken Kirsten Olson on as a student, even while he's still in the competitive stage of his own ice skating career.
CBS
Rohene Ward was just a young and upcoming skater when we first met him 10 years ago. Now, at the age of 24, he is set to compete in the upcoming U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
At the same time, he's also coaching another young skater anxious for her moment in the spotlight.
When we caught up with Ward, he had just begun his second practice session of the day at the Parade Ice Garden, putting the final touches on his long and short programs that he'll perform later this month.
It will be his fourth appearance in the championships but his first in front of friends and family on home ice.
"It's been a long time coming for this moment," said Ward. "I'm not putting pressure on myself, I just want to enjoy being prepared for once."
Page Lipe, who has been coaching Ward for 13 years, said his creativity is one of his greatest assets.
"With the new judging system, we've actually had to take out some of his amazing things that he does, just because there's no time with all the bullet points and the checklists of what you have to go through. But still, his artistry is amazing and little nuances and how he carries himself," she said, noting one of his more unusual moves: a dancer's split on the ice.
Not everybody can compete and coach at the same time, either, but Rohene is both a pupil and a teacher these days. He started coaching Kirsten Olson this past June, his first competitive skater in five years of coaching.
Rohene also choreographs programs for both Olson and himself as well. His dual role as a student and teacher has appeared to be beneficial for everyone on and off the ice.
"She's helped me out a lot on the ice, because I have to make sure that I have to show her that what I'm telling her is true," said Rohene. "You know how people say, 'Do as I say, not as I did?' I don't want that to be the case."
"It's nice to have somebody who I know has been there, and been there
now, in the present time, to be there and be able to do all of this crazy good stuff on the ice," said Olson.
"Watching him coach her on all the technical stuff and training programs has been really fun for me because I'll skate by them and I'll hear him telling her something that I told him this morning," said Lipe. "That process of having him tell her the same thing, I'll know it's in his head."
After countless hours spent at the rink practicing and now coaching, Ward said he feels he's ready for the home ice edge in St. Paul.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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