Matthew Savoie (born September 12, 1980, in Peoria, Illinois) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is a three-time U.S. bronze medalist, the 2006 Four Continents bronze medalist, and competed at the 2006 Olympics.
Skating career Matthew Savoie first gained prominence when he won the gold medal on the junior level at the 1997 U.S. Championships. He went on to place in the top five at every U.S. Nationals between 1999 and 2006, winning bronze medals in 2001, 2004, and 2006 and pewter medals (fourth place) in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2005.
Savoie won bronze medals at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, the Grand Prix Final, and the World Junior Championships. He represented the United States three times at the World Championships.
Savoie was the first alternate to the 2002 Olympic team. In 2004, he underwent knee surgery due to parallel tendonitis. By winning the bronze at the 2006 U.S. Championships, Savoie earned a chance to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He finished seventh overall.
Savoie was raised in Peoria, Illinois, and trained there with coach Linda Branan throughout his career. He also worked with coach Gene Heffron, choreographer Tom Dickson, and modern dance teacher Kathy Johnson.
In July 2006, Savoie was appointed as the athlete representative to the Single & Pair Skating Technical Committee of the International Skating Union. He completed a four-year term.
Personal life and post-competitive career Savoie graduated from Peoria High School (Peoria, Illinois) in 1998. He graduated summa cum laude from Bradley University in 2002, with a major in political science and a minor in biology. He went on to earn his master's degree in urban planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Fine & Applied Arts in 2005 and received the AICP Outstanding Graduate Student Award for 2005. He was admitted to the law school at Cornell University in 2005, but obtained a deferral for a year to focus on making the Olympic team. He joined the program in September 2006, where he also served as secretary of the LAMBDA (LGBT) Law Students Association. After graduating in 2009, Savoie worked as an associate at Choate Hall & Stewart law firm before leaving in 2014 to become a coach at The Skating Club of Boston. His students include Curran Oi.
Savoie married attorney Brian Boyle on October 7, 2012, in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. He and Boyle have one son together.
Programs Season Short program Free skating 2005–2006 Windmills of Your Mind by Michel Legrand Journey of Man by Benoît Jutras Gabriel's Oboe Once Upon a Time in America Ascunsion The Falls by Ennio Morricone 2004–2005 Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber Intro by B Tribe 5 (from Higher Octava album) by The Brave Earth from Xotica (from Cirque du Soleil) by René Dupéré Intro by B Tribe 5 Church Shootout (from Once Upon a Time in Mexico) 2003–2004 Mandala Spirit of Taiko by Kitarō Prologue from Ragtime (musical) by Stephen Flaherty The Ragtime Symphonic Suite Ragtime (musical) by William David Brohn Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra Coalhouse and Sarah from Ragtime (film) by Randy Newman 2002–2003 Cirque du Soleil: Reveil Quidam by Benoît Jutras 2001–2002 Toccata con Fuoco - Piano Concerto No. 1 by Keith Emerson London Philharmonic Orchestra Age of Illusion by Joe Hisaishi New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Introspection by Bob d'Eith and Paul Schmidt 2000–2001 Passion and Power by J. Schlachter and A. Maek Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra by George Gershwin
Competitive highlights Results International Event 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 Olympics 7th Worlds 12th 16th 11th Four Continents 4th 5th 5th 3rd Grand Prix Final 3rd GP Cup of China 8th 7th GP Cup of Russia 3rd 4th 5th GP NHK Trophy 9th GP Skate Canada 3rd 5th GP Skate America 5th 6th 3rd GP Sparkassen 3rd Bofrost 3rd International: Junior Junior Worlds 4th 3rd JGP Final 3rd 6th JGP China 4th JGP France 2nd 3rd JGP Germany 1st Gardena 1st J. National U.S. Champ. 1st J. 11th 4th 4th 3rd 4th 5th 3rd 4th 3rd
References
External links
Matthew Savoie at U.S. Figure Skating