I just read this on Sports Illustrated:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/11/30/rochette.skip.championship.ap/
Quote
She has spent the past several months skating in shows and attending speaking engagements. But she says she hasn't lost her competitive spirit and plans to retain her amateur status.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/11/30/rochette.skip.championship.ap/index.html#ixzz16t7HWYt0
Yup, I'd pretty much assumed that would be the case. And frankly I'd be surprised if she came back next year -- 25/26 is a challenging age to come back after time off. Obviously she's keeping her options open, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll miss seeing her at competitions, but I think last season might have been a natural ending to her competitive career.
I wish her the best regardless. She's been a great contributor to the sport.
I agree, she's a great asset to skating and I hope she does well in her second career.
If that Japanese female skater can still compete at the age of 28+, why can't Joannie come back next year or the year after? She's not even 25 yet. Heck, Jo's not even old enough to be an Adult Skater yet.
^ I didn't say she couldn't come back, only that it would be a challenge. And that last year & the Olympics was a natural ending point for her competitive career. And Fumie (if that's who you're talking about) never took a break from competitive skating -- that's one of the biggest hurdles, both mentally and physically.
I guess I implied that, sorry. I just meant that Rochette's laying the groundwork this season for what she wants to do now that she's gone to the Olympics and brought home a medal. She seems to be exploring all her options, which is smart. She has to retire from competitive skating at some point, so it's good that she takes the time to think it through.
She's probably also in mourning, so the stress of competition would be overwhelming for her, especially given her mother's involvement with skating and tremendous support for so many years. My cousin lost her mom earlier this year and she posts a weekly prayer or wish that she could talk/hug/visit to her mother just one more time. I can only imagine that going to a big competition in a city that she had visited earlier with her mother would make Joannie very sad.