Music: {allcanada} ROCHETTE NOT RULING OUT 2014 WINTER OLYMPICS IN SOCHI

Thursday, October 28, 2010

{allcanada} ROCHETTE NOT RULING OUT 2014 WINTER OLYMPICS IN SOCHI

MONTREAL -- Joannie Rochette, who overcame personal tragedy at the Vancouver Games to soar to a bronze medal and capture the hearts of a nation, isn't ruling out an attempt at further Olympic glory in 2014.

"The main thing is I want to keep my amateur status until the next Olympics," the Quebec figure skater said in an interview with The Canadian Press on Thursday. "So, I won't do anything that can endanger that status.

"I might wait one year, two years, three years, before making a final decision regarding my future."

Rochette's participation in the Canadian championships in January is unclear, but it doesn't appear likely.

She is expected to sign a contract in the coming days with "Stars On Ice," whose dates clash with those of the Canadian championships.

"I think it will be a fun experience for me," Rochette said. "A great way to continue figure skating, but to take it to a different level."

The 24-year-old from Ile-Dupas has been enjoying herself recently, doing ice shows as well as allowing herself the luxury of skiing -- an activity she had never tried before.

Tennis and golfing have also been on Rochette's agenda as she continues to decompress from the emotional lows and highs of last February.

Rochette stunned the skating world when she competed at the Olympics just hours after learning that her mother, Therese Rochette, had died of a massive heart attack while in Vancouver.

She continued her courageous performances and was rewarded with a bronze medal as she accomplished a goal she and her mother had shared for nearly 20 years.

"The last Olympics were very special to me for many reasons," Rochette says. "A lot of emotions were involved with that medal. First of all, winning that medal was my goal since I was six years old.

"So, it's a huge goal that I achieved. At the same time, it's associated with my mother passing away and that brought together a lot of different emotions.

"My performance there still feels very special, even when I'm watching it. I think these Games changed me as a person and changed the opportunities I get for the future. And changed the way I see life."

Rochette, who turns 25 in January, has also returned to junior college to finish off what she started in 2003.

She is just one course away from getting her science degree -- an accomplishment she will dedicate to her mother.

As for the future, Rochette would love to have children, although she said "it feels weird to think about it right now."

"There are many things I want to experience in life. Of course, with my mother passing away, I have a stronger feeling toward family. And I do want to have kids of my own, but not right now," she says, laughing.

"(Plus), I cannot skate if I am pregnant."