For Matt Savoie, it was a Long Way to Torino

I tried to come into these games without any expectations with respect to placement or to the spectacle of the Olympics in general. As a result, I’ve been very happy with the experiences I’ve had here."

- Matt Savoie, U.S. Olympic figure skater

The 25 year-old from Peoria, Ill. finished seventh overall in Torino, just behind his American teammates Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir, who finished fourth and fifth respectively. His path to the Olympics was unique, though, especially in comparison to most figure skaters.
Savoie began skating at the age of nine and admits that he is not sure what made him stick with the sport.

“It was terribly hot the summer I started, and compared with the tennis lessons I was also taking at the time, skating lessons were a much more comfortable and cool activity."

Savoie found an appreciation for skating as an individual sport, where he could practice and improve without a team or partner.

“It was easy to tell if I was improving by counting the number of times I fell and number of jumps I landed."

Linda Brana coached nine year-old Savoie to his first skating competition. While most skaters shuffle coaches and often relocate for training, it is still Branch standing at the boards with Savoie 16 years later.

“Linda is my biggest supporter and her confidence in me has been invaluable in helping me succeed in my sport," said Savoie.

In Torino, Matt embraced the culture of the Olympics.

“Competing was a good experience, but skating my programs there did not really feel much different from skating in other events," said Savoie. “I was most excited about getting a chance to interact with other athletes and learn about their sports."