Nicholas LaRoche (born July 29, 1983) is an American figure skater. He is the 2002 United States National Jr. Men's Figure Skating Champion, Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalist, 2007 Ondrej Nepela Memorial silver medalist, and placed tenth at the 2002 World Junior Championships.
Career LaRoche debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series in 1999. He won the junior title at the 2002 U.S. Championships. He was assigned to the 2002 World Junior Championships where he placed tenth. Later that year, he won a bronze medal on the JGP series, in Germany.
From 2003, LaRoche competed on the senior level at the U.S. Championships. He won the bronze medal at the 2003 Nebelhorn Trophy and silver at the 2007 Ondrej Nepela Memorial. His last competition was the 2009 nationals. On April 13, 2009, he announced his retirement on his official site.
LaRoche coaches at the Toyota Training Center in El Segundo, California. He also runs the US Athletic Foundation, which he started with his sister Tricia, to assist athletes in all sports obtain funding.
Personal life LaRoche's private life has been marred by tragedy. In 2003, his older brother, David, died at the age of 23. On July 1, 2008, his father, William LaRoche, apparently bludgeoned to death Nicholas' mother, Bernadette, before killing himself.
Programs Season Short program Free skating 2007–2008 Fiesta Flamenca by Monty Kelly Unchained Melody by Alex North (piano version) 2006–2007 Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven Unchained Melody by Alex North Unforgettable 2005–2006 Kodo Drums Fiesta Flamenca by Monty Kelly 2004–2005 Time to Say Goodbye by Francesco Sartori Music by Johannes Brahms Music by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky Music by Sergei Rachmaninoff 2003–2004 Illumination by Rolf Løvland performed by Secret Garden Dragonheart by Randy Edelman Jurassic Park by John Williams 2002–2003 Another Cha Cha by Santa Esmeralda JFK 2001–2002 Star Island B-Tribe
Competitive highlights
Results Event 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 Finlandia Trophy 5th Golden Spin 8th Nebelhorn Trophy 3rd Ondrej Nepela 4th 2nd Junior Worlds 10th JGP Canada 5th JGP Germany 3rd JGP Netherlands 12th JGP Norway 5th U.S. Champ. 7th J. 7th J. 1st J. 8th 12th 8th 11th 11th
References
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