LATEST NEWS

Rohene was invited to perform in 2 Minnesota club shows -- February 23-24 in Diamond Edge FSC's "Bedazzled on Ice" in Willmar, and March 8-9 in Vacationland FSC's "Turn Back Time" in Brainerd. Thanks to everyone who helped to make these shows a great success!

Rohene placed 18th at Nationals with a total score of 160.45 (54.83 in the short program and 105.62 in the free skate).

Rohene's 2008 Nationals Schedule

Sunday evening, Jan. 20: Junior Ladies Short Program (coaching Kirsten Olson)
Tuesday evening, Jan. 22: Junior Ladies Free Skate (coaching Kirsten Olson)
Friday evening, Jan. 25: Championship Men Short Program
Sunday afternoon, Jan. 27: Championship Men Free Skate

With Rohene both competing and coaching at 2008 Nationals in his Twin Cities hometown, there has been, and will continue to be, a considerable amount of Nationals-related local publicity and media attention. Here is a compilation of links, summaries, and article excerpts to date.

Twin Cities Television Coverage

KARE Channel 11 Extra video feature titled "Practice Makes Perfect" (Jan. 17, 2008):
http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?sid=492859
&aid=61081

This five-minute story on Rohene includes footage of him skating in April 1996 as well as practicing for 2008 Nationals, a visit to his old neighborhood, and quotes from his coach, Page Lipe.

Condensed transcript: Figure skater from North Minneapolis ready to "Xcel" (Jan. 17, 2008):
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?
storyid=492859

WCCO Channel 4 (CBS) Mids preview (Nov. 9, 2007): http://wcco.com/sports/figure.skating.competition.2.
564810.html
Kirsten Olson is interviewed before the Midwestern Sectional Championships as well as Rohene. Clips are shown from Kirsten's "Schindler's List" short program, as well as a clip of a quad toe loop by Rohene.

Twin Cities News Articles and Photos

Rohene, Kirsten Olson and 2 other fellow Minnesotan National competitors are shown unveiling the official 2008 St. Paul Winter Carnival skating-themed buttons in this photo: http://www.winter-carnival.com/buttons/
Close up of the photo: http://www.xcelenergycenter.com/uploads/assets/
saintpaul2008/wc-bb-skater-buttons_web.jpg

Excerpts from two St. Paul Pioneer Press articles by Shawn Wright about Rohene and Kirsten competing at the Midwestern Sectional Championships (November 14-17, 2007):
... it was a different Ward that was on the ice tonight after falling during his triple Axel [in the short program].
"A year ago I might have gotten down on myself and lost focus," Ward said. "Now once I’m done, I forget about. Now, I just look at the good things."
His coach, Page Lipe, is one of the people giving him the mantra of forgetting the past.
"In the past, if he had made a mistake it would’ve unraveled him,” Lipe said. “He’s learned to keep his focus."
...
"He's probably the best coach that I've ever had," Olson said. "I've made a lot of progress this year. I have a lot more fun skating now."
...
"You don't switch," Ward said of coaching and competing. "If you're prepared, and she's prepared, then you don't get so nervous. I'm excited and I'm ready for her to go out there and give them a show."
...
Ward's words have stuck with his protégé, building up her confidence instead of telling her everything that she does wrong. All this is seen by Olson's mother, Brenda.

"They have fabulous chemistry together," she said.
The chemistry that the two have can be considered a trickle-down effect from Ward's life coach Deb Norton, who stepped into his world almost two years ago.

"Brenda says she'll hear my life coach words coming out of Rohene's mouth when he coaches Kirsten," Norton said. "Because he's teaching Kirsten the things that I'm teaching him – it's the most rewarding thing."

St. Paul Pioneer Press article by Bao Ong (November 13, 2007): "Life on the edge: With a hip-hop look and ballet grace, Minneapolis native Rohene Ward hopes to finally seize a berth among the ranks of America's elite figure skaters" [Note: This article is no longer online at http://www.twincities.com/ ]
Excerpt:
The [past] failures may have been a blessing because they taught him the importance of training hard and remaining humble, his mother said.
Ward said he's developed more dedication for training and worked hard to deal with his nerves.
Before, he would become distracted at competitions by chatting with anyone around him, focusing on who was watching him and second-guessing himself if he fell on a jump.
...
"I don't feel like I've touched enough people," Ward said. "I have this gift; I figure I might as well share it."

Minneapolis Star Tribune article by Rachel Blount (October 9, 2007): "In time for regional opener today, skater finds competitive edge" Link: http://www.startribune.com/sports/11712321.html
Excerpts:
His love for competition kept him in the sport through years of inconsistency. He'd grown tired of settling for something less than his full potential. After setting a two-year plan for personal growth, he enlisted a life coach to help him become more consistent in his habits. He approached practice with greater discipline and learned to cope with mistakes.
[Page] Lipe, who has coached Ward for 13 years, marveled at his evolution.
"He knew he was holding himself back," she said. "He admitted that to himself in the last year. He's more reliable, more responsible, calmer. It's been nice to see."

It's all part of the journey for Ward, who made his first breakthrough years ago. Raised in north Minneapolis, son of a black father and Puerto Rican mother, he used to glide away from his hockey teammates to practice jumps and spins. His mom, Evelyn Harris, got him into a learn-to-skate program; such mentors as Lipe and former coach Gailene Norwood polished his talent and provided friendship and financial help.
...
He now lands his jumps more consistently, including the quad toe loop and triple axel that are part of a new long program set to music from the movie "Dragon."
He really understands the technical part now," Lipe said. "He can fix a mistake in the air. And he's coaching some young skaters, which has helped him grow. He's really come a long way."

_________________________________________

Rohene was featured in artist Catherine Sullivan’s multichannel video installation titled "Triangle of Need" that was exhibited at Minneapolis' Walker Art Center from August 23-November 18, 2007.
Link: http://calendar.walkerart.org/canopy.wac?id=3899
Relevant excerpt:
... Furthering the exploration of the body’s ability to extend beyond its erect orientation and bipedal movement, Sullivan also engaged Minneapolis figure skater Rohene Ward, with whom she designed and filmed a series of spins.

_________________________________________

he text of several articles about Rohene (including the 11/13/07 St. Paul Pioneer Press article), as well as articles that mention him, can be found archived at the Latino Skating International Coalition's Articles section: http://www.latinoskating.org/Articles.htm

For a December 2003 Q&A interview with Rohene and other older article links [Go to the Site Archive]