Rohene Ward

[climbsk8]

I saw him in person in Atlanta two years ago ... and I am amazed at how far he has come!!! I'm so glad that he's getting some attention, even though he is a young skater and doesn't come from one of the skating "centers."

What a beautiful, stylish, original skater!! He's like Emanuel Sandhu, only standing :)

[loveskating]

ROFL, that is precisely what I thought of...he has the goods, that's for sure.

[jazzpants]

GO ROHENE GO!!! Show those BIG BOYS what you got!!!

He's very nice too!!! I met him at the Fire & Ice Show in San Francisco. He was a soloist and I was part of the ensemble skaters. We all met thru the Friday night dress rehearsal and well into Sat/Sunday midnight just after the show at the cast party. A bunch of us backstage did :bow: after his number (anyone who can spin and jump in both directions AND have the flexibility of a Silly Putty gets a :bow: out of me!!! LOL!!!) and he got a kick out of it!

So glad he's finally getting some attention, cuz I think he has that *IT* quality to him!!! It's only a matter of time now that he becomes an elite skater!!! I just know it!!!

[garyc254]

I met him when he did a show in St. Louis. Very unorthodox moves that made his skate interesting.

At Nationals, everyone (including my coach who doesn't get too excited about any skater) loved his unique program.

Refreshingly different and worth watching.

8-)

[Meredith]

I saw him in LA four years ago. His jumps then were so high it was incredible. Unfortunately he didn't land many (any?) of them. He was impressive then and even more so now.

[mikawendy]

GO ROHENE GO!!! Show those BIG BOYS what you got!!!

He's very nice too!!! I met him at the Fire & Ice Show in San Francisco. He was a soloist and I was part of the ensemble skaters. We all met thru the Friday night dress rehearsal and well into Sat/Sunday midnight just after the show at the cast party. A bunch of us backstage did :bow: after his number (anyone who can spin and jump in both directions AND have the flexibility of a Silly Putty gets a :bow: out of me!!! LOL!!!) and he got a kick out of it!

So glad he's finally getting some attention, cuz I think he has that *IT* quality to him!!! It's only a matter of time now that he becomes an elite skater!!! I just know it!!!

Okay so I'm jealous that you got to meet him because I'd love to tell him in person how much I love to watch his skating. I thought it was really great that they showed his short program on TV! I was watching and going, YES! He didn't get chacked! and thinking of you, jazzpants!

[climbsk8]

This thread makes me wish for two things: 1) That Rohene would actually read this and know he has a fan club, and 2) that US Figure Skating would do a better job of financially supporting athletes ... especially those who aren't in CO, DE or CA. I would pay higher membership dues every year if, say, $20 of it went to training scholarships for skaters with more promise than me!

[jazzpants]

Well, he had a website before (a gift from his previous coach...) but it looks like it's gone now. Hmmm?

[cafelife]

I saw him in Boston when Nationals were here. Everyone was excited about him then...actually I would have thought he would have come further toward the top of the heap by this time. Not sure what is holding him back? I hope everything comes together for him in the next year or two.

[skatingatty]

http://asianathlete.com/DaScoopsFormDisplay.aspx?ID=2720
please click on figure skating to see the other reports.

It was a sad performance for a handful of the men, including Rohene. :( I hope he'll continue skating! He has so many special qualities.

[Terri C]

I had tears well up in my eyes when Rohene was united with his mom this afternoon after his freeskate. Makes me wonder- where are all these rich people that sponsors skaters?

[Nicki]

I too had tears during Rohene's time with his Mom. I wish that Peter wouldn't have been right in their space with his microphone while Rhoene was crying and hugging his Mom. He should have stepped back a bit and alowed them to be with just each other for a moment.

Kudos to State Farm for making this happen, although I could have done without the little plug for them from Terry at the end.

[Schmeck]

I've found Carruthers to be an arrogant SOB the two times I was near him, so it doesn't surprise me that he was trying to shove a microphone between Rohene and his mom...

I loved his nephew, sticking his hand up into the camera view :D

[KDSk8BU06]

I have had the pleasure of growing up with Rohene. He and I have competed against each other in ISI competitions since we were about 12 years old, trained and traveled together, and been friends for years. Although his performance tonight broke my heart, I couldn't be prouder of him. Rohene has come from an incredibly disadvantaged background to become an articulate and thoughtful young man. I'm so glad that others are noticing his talent and I hope that this exposure will help him to acquire the financial support that he needs to continue training.

I'm glad State Farm brought his mother to the championships, although I do agree that Peter Carruthers was a bit tasteless in intruding so profusely in a very personal moment between Rohene and his mother. His immediate family hasn't always been able to support his training, but Rohene certainly has an enormous "family" of friends, fellow skaters, and coaches who have been behind him the whole way.

Rohene has had a mental block at competitions for years, and all the talent in the world can't overcome stage fright. I will always remember Rohene's short program performance at the Midwestern Sectionals in Dallas, when he was finally able to put it together; he landed the quad-triple, triple axel, and footwork into triple lutz - he brought the house down and brought many to tears. He's so well-loved among the skating community - fans and competitors alike. He congratulates his competitors and is there to console friends after a rough performance. This young man has been through it all and has brought joy to so many people by sharing his gifts. Congratulations, Rohene. We love you and are so proud.

[crayonskater]

And goodness, he's cute. I love his asymmetric spins and flexibility.

[dbny]

I loved watching him, and hope he gets it together in the future. He is original and exciting.

State Farm has certainly shown that they are not asleep at the wheel. Bringing Rohene's mom to the event was probably worth more than all of their other ads put together.

[jazzpants]

I didn't get a chance to see any of the men's programs for Nationals this year. (Been too busy watching the women's, pairs and dance to get to the men... and today I had a full load of things to do in the afternoon to get to it. :(

But I saw Rohene hugging his mom in the ending credits... OMG!!! I feel so bad for him!!! So bad... :cry:

Fight for it next year, Rohene! There are quite a few skaters in San Francisco who are rooting for 'ya!!!

[Isk8NYC]

... anyone who can spin and jump in both directions AND have the flexibility of a Silly Putty gets a :bow: out of me!!! LOL!!! ...

He did a combination where he jumped one way for the first jump, and the opposite direction for the second jump. I was blown away. His layback is better than many of the women's!!! I loved his performance, but I cringed with each blown jump. Poor kid. I hope he pulls it together, performance-wise, for next year.

State Farm did good the right thing in bringing the Mom and Nephew to the competition. Kudos to them.

I'm not criticizing, but I wonder if the reunion would have calmed his nerves if it happened BEFORE he skated? Maybe ABC/State Farm decided that waiting until after he skated would protect them from criticism about distracting him. (Again, I'M not criticizing them; it was a wonderful thing to do in any case.)

Just to be catty: I hated his hair and the exposed chest tattoo. It was very distracting to look at during his program as well as in the kiss-and-cry booth. I think Marilyn Monroe used look for clothes, makeup, and jewelry that made people say "Wow, YOU look beautiful!" If anyone said "What a great dress!" she would get rid of the dress. Her goal was to make herself look stunning as a whole, not in pieces.

I'm rooting for Rohene. Hang in there, kiddo. Brighter days are coming! Sponsors: get on board for this kid; he's going places in the long run!

[skateflo]

The mental block is what worries me....such a huge talent....skating is a lot of mental preparation. I am saddened that over the years no one has managed to teach him mental preparation for skating under pressure. And it is not something that can be learned overnight...time is passing....will he be another talent lost because of this???

Does anyone know how Robin Wagner got connected with him and if she is in it for the long haul??

I was deeply touched by the class shown by his mom (you had a bad day) and him for admitting honestly that he just got too excited as he prepared for each jump. How many other skaters have been that honest under those circumstances. The first step in addressing any problem is recognizing there is a problem and then looking for solutions. Perhaps he has spent all his energy on the skating and, hopefully now, he will work just as hard on the mental preparation.

While others have been critical of State Farm, I think it was worth it. What separates Americans from say Europeans, is that we want to know and support those skaters who we feel we know as human beings, versus just how they skate. It is the human interest factor.

[garyc254]

I'm not criticizing, but I wonder if the reunion would have calmed his nerves if it happened BEFORE he skated? Maybe ABC/State Farm decided that waiting until after he skated would protect them from criticism about distracting him. (Again, I'M not criticizing them; it was a wonderful thing to do in any case.)

They may well have let his coach make the decision.

Not sure, but that's what I would have done.

GO ROHENE!!!!

8-)

[kgl2]

I, too, have known Rohene since he was a young kid in the ISI classes. I think he did an Spotlight number with a triple toe ( I remember because my daughter pointed it out and I thought she was wrong!). He has been a supportive friend, a friendly competitor, and has turned into a level-headed young man. I'm so happy he got some TV time, and hope that with that comes some financial support. He's got such talent!

[Mel On Ice]

he's awesome. I hope he learns from this and we see him on the podium next year. Take a page from Johnny after Dallas and go for it - you've already got the crowd Rohene.

[Sylvia]

This thread makes me wish for two things: 1) That Rohene would actually read this and know he has a fan club, and 2) that US Figure Skating would do a better job of financially supporting athletes ... especially those who aren't in CO, DE or CA. I would pay higher membership dues every year if, say, $20 of it went to training scholarships for skaters with more promise than me!
Just found this thread -- thanks for supporting Rohene, everyone! I help run his official site and will let him and his coach, Page Lipe, know about this thread. :)

Well, he had a website before (a gift from his previous coach...) but it looks like it's gone now. Hmmm?
We've had problems renewing the roheneward.com domain, but hopefully it will be fixed -- and his site updated -- in the near future.

Rohene has had a mental block at competitions for years, and all the talent in the world can't overcome stage fright. I will always remember Rohene's short program performance at the Midwestern Sectionals in Dallas, when he was finally able to put it together; he landed the quad-triple, triple axel, and footwork into triple lutz - he brought the house down and brought many to tears.
It was a quad toe-double toe combo :) and, yes, a wonderful performance that I've seen on video. I thought he did very well in St. Louis to come back strong after the initial fall on the quad toe (planned 4toe-3toe combo) and land the triple axel and triple lutz from a cantilever in his short. I believe Rohene has made some progress on his "mental block at competitions" this year... up until his free skate in St. Louis, that is.

He's so well-loved among the skating community - fans and competitors alike. He congratulates his competitors and is there to console friends after a rough performance. This young man has been through it all and has brought joy to so many people by sharing his gifts. Congratulations, Rohene. We love you and are so proud.
Even after his FS meltdown on Saturday, Rohene was approached by many fans in the concourse where he willingly signed autographs and posed for photos.

For those interested in helping Rohene out financially and/or to show him your support of his skating... I sold one of his "RoWarmer" fundraising scarves in St. Louis and I know his coach has a plentiful supply left. You can email me at rowarmer@comcast.net for more info or just click on this link to see a photo of the purple scarf and how to buy one:
http://www.greenskylark.com/rohene/scarf.htm
Also, feel free to visit his Support page at
http://www.greenskylark.com/rohene/support.htm
and leave a message in Rohene's Guestbook.

[loveskating]

Maybe someone should organize a fund for such athletes? I'd donate. And I"m not well off, I assure you. I hate it when money stands between talent and the public.

People do not realize what it takes, the sacrifice that has to be made, when the family has very little if any disposable income.

It wasn't just this competition his mom could not attend -- its probably been like that forever, and then he doesn't have someone on his side, someone to take care of him. Its a BIG deal.

He has fully shown everyone that deserves assistance.

[Sylvia]

Maybe someone should organize a fund for such athletes? I'd donate. And I"m not well off, I assure you.
There is such a fund -- New England Amateur Skating Foundation -- and Rohene is registered with it -- for more info see:
http://www.greenskylark.com/rohene/neasf.htm
Donation form:
http://www.greenskylark.com/rohene/form.htm

A donation -- in any amount -- would be welcomed. :)

[garyc254]

I was wondering if you were following along Sylvia.

:D

Just mailed my order for a RoWarmer.

8-)

[twokidsskatemom]

Michael Weiss has a foundation for skaters, they give 5000.00 grants out.A girl at nats this year Christina Z. had a grant the past two years.

[cecealias]

TV from nationals just didn't do him any justice!!