Athletes - Nicole Bobek

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	Athletes - Nicole Bobek

Nicole Bobek (born August 23, 1977) is an American figure skater. She was the U.S. Champion in 1995, and won a bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championships the same year.

Skating Career

Bobek first came to national prominence when she placed 2nd at the novice level at the U.S. Championships in 1989, at the age of 11. In the next few seasons, she worked her way up the competitive rankings at the national level. She was an athletic jumper and charismatic performer, although she was known as an erratic competitor. For example, she placed 4th at the 1992 World Junior Championships, but the next year dropped to 16th at the same event. She made her first appearance at the senior World Championships in 1994 as an alternate after both Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding dropped out of the event, but skated poorly and failed to advance out of the qualifying round.

The following 1995 season brought Bobek her greatest competitive success, as she won the U.S. title and placed 3rd at the World Championships. In late 1995, Bobek chose to tour with an ice show production of The Nutcracker rather than rehabilitate an ankle injury or train for the upcoming 1996 U.S. Championships; the injury forced her out of the championships and off the World team for that season. In both 1997 and 1998, Bobek skated well enough to place 3rd at the U.S. Championships, but at the 1998 Winter Olympics she stumbled to a disappointing 17th-place finish. She withdrew from the subsequent World Championships due to injury.

After a series of further injuries and health problems prevented her from competing during the 1998-1999 season, Bobek decided to turn professional. She toured with Champions on Ice for several years and appeared in a number of other shows and professional competitions. Bobek currently works as a skating coach in Florida.

At her peak, Bobek was a strong jumper although some of her jumps did not have the best technique; for instance, she had a very marked flutz. She had a lasting impact on ladies' figure skating because of her signature move, a spiral with the free leg extended very high. Television commentators including Dick Button and Peggy Fleming were so complimentary of Bobek's spiral that it was widely copied by other U.S. skaters, and set off a fad for extreme flexibility moves in general.

Bobek was notorious for her poor training discipline and for having changed coaches at least 11 times during her eligible skating career. Her coaches included Debbie Stoery, Carlo Fassi, Kathy Casey, Richard Callaghan, Barbara Roles, Frank Carroll, Robin Cousins, and others. She was coached by Callaghan during her period of greatest success in 1995, and by Fassi at the time of his death from a heart attack at the 1997 World Figure Skating Championships.

Home Invasion Charge

In November 1994, Bobek was caught and charged with first degree home invasion, after using an access code to enter a friend's garage and home. While inside, she was accused of taking cash from a purse, only to be foiled when the house owner arrived behind her. Bobek returned the cash immediately, but was charged with the crime. Her defense was that she had been given permission to enter the house and retrieve the cash by another member of the household. Bobek was 17 years of age during this criminal violation; under Michigan law, anyone over the age of 17 may be subject to adult criminal laws and is no longer considered a minor for legal purposes.

Bobek pleaded guilty under a Michigan statute known as the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which allows charged defendants between 17 and 20 years of age to gain probation, and counseling. If they complete their probation, they are excused from a more permanent charge and given a "clean" record, with all records of the prior charge sealed from the public.

After pleading guilty on December 1, 1994, allegedly to avoid a more public inquiry of the charge, Bobek was assigned to "youthful trainee" status and given two years' probation on January 19, 1995. She was also given a choice between fifty hours of community service or thirty days in jail. Only weeks later, on February 16, 1995, Bobek filed for a release from youthful trainee status, and dismissal of her case. Information regarding her case had been leaked by the media and spread widely through skating circles, as well as in the news media at large. Under the Youthful Trainee Act, cases involving "youthful trainees" are to remain confidential. (However, it has been argued by journalists and legal scholars that Michigan law allows journalists to release information about juvenile criminals if there is an "compelling public interest". Since Bobek was a figure skater in world class competition, it can be argued that her case was of compelling interest to the public.) She was given a closed (private) hearing, where the trial court granted her motion for probation discharge.

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Athletes - Nicole Bobek

Skating Career

Home Invasion Charge

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