Ever since Joannie Rochette won the silver medal at the world figure skating championships five weeks ago, she has had little time to rest.
She's continuing the torrid pace for another two weeks on the Stars on Ice tour, stopping in Toronto on Friday night, Hamilton Saturday and London, Ont., Sunday before the show heads west to eventually end in Vancouver May 12.
Her schedule since becoming the first Canadian woman to win a world championship medal in 21 years? She stayed in Los Angeles for two or three days to learn the group numbers for Stars on Ice.
She was home one day to do laundry, then made the five-hour drive to Lac St. Jean, Que., to take part in a fund-raising show for a fellow skater, Dave Ferland, the Canadian junior bronze medalist. She trains with him every day in Montreal.
When she returned to Montreal, she did six shows over two weekends.
She added some television interviews, and met Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who chatted with her about the school that both Joannie and his son had attended, and about her future.
"He was just very casual and very chatty about the Olympics,'' she said.
She was paid homage in a ceremony at the Legislature. "I wasn't expecting that, because usually, it's so serious,'' Rochette said. "It was very very cool.''
She spent several days with Shae-Lynn Bourne choreographing two solo routines for the Stars on Ice tour - all before leaving for the World Team Trophy in Tokyo. Rochette admits that she didn't manage to get in a lot of training time before she went to Tokyo.
Still, she managed to finish second in both the short and the long programs behind 2008 world champion Mao Asada of Japan. World champion Kim Yu-Na of South Korea did not compete because her team did not qualify.
"Actually, I feel that my long was even better than at worlds,'' Rochette said. The reason? Her skates broke down the week before the world championships in Los Angeles, so she had to rush to break in new ones. "There was no support any more,'' she said. "I needed to change.''
They were still a little stiff when she won the world silver medal, but by the time she got to Tokyo, they were more well broken in.
"I was happy I could keep my calm and confidence when that happened [before the world championships,]'' Rochette said. "In the past, I would have freaked out.''
"These are things that happen that you need to deal with.''
Her solo routines on the skating tour are challenging, one of them a fast-paced Latin tango program to music by Shakira, the other to Believe, by Suzie McNeil. Rochette stars in the Olympic inspired version of the video for Believe, and she says it's perfect: a celebration of her silver medal, but also of various Olympic sports, such as curling, speedskating, mogul skiing.
The Believe routine is also difficult technically. For the first time in an exhibition, Rochette will attempt a triple Lutz. "I think it helps me so much for my competition,'' she said. "If I force myself to do a Lutz every night, it's going to improve it.''
In the past season, Rochette has also attracted a couple of sponsors, despite tight economic times. Cold FX came on board in November and Joico hair products came on board in February, although the agreement was announced only about a week ago.
"Usually you have to search for these sponsors but they came to me and that was really unexpected,'' Rochette said. "It's not like the United States or even Korea. It's so much harder to get sponsors here. It was just great, getting support from these people. It's not only financial, it's just having a company that trusts in me. That's very important to me.''
After the 2006 Turin Olympics, where she was fifth, Rochette signed on to become one of nine Olympic and Paralympic athletes who serve as national ambassadors for Bell Canada.
"It was a little crazy after worlds,'' Rochette said. "But that's always a good sign.''
