Jamie Salé
Jamie Salé was born on April 21, 1977 in Calgary, Alberta. As a young girl, Jamie discovered a love of figure skating while growing up in Red Deer, Alberta. Jamie moved quickly through the competitive ranks in Canada; she placed 3rd in novice and 8th in junior ladies at the national championships. In 1994, Jamie won the short program and finished 3rd in the junior event at the Canadian championships.
In her early teens, Jamie Salé was paired with a skater named Jason Turner who was 7 years her senior. Jamie traveled from Red Deer to Edmonton for three years to train with Jason at the Royal Glenora club before moving to Edmonton. While skating pairs, Jamie continued to compete as a single skater. "It is actually quite fun to be in both events because they are quite different," (Cowley 1994). Early success came first as a pair when Jamie Salé and Jason Turner won the 1992 Canadian junior championship. One year later, Salé and Turner placed 4th in their first year of senior competition at the national championships.
In December of 1993, Jamie Salé and Jason Turner received their first international assignment and traveled to Japan to compete at the NHK Trophy. The young Canadian pair placed 5th in a field of strong international competitors. "'This is the first year they've really had a senior look to them,' pairs coach David Howe said about Salé and Turner. 'We really noticed that at the NHK (Trophy) at Japan last month. They were getting a lot more credit for the same stuff they had been doing,'" (Cowley 1994).
Following NHK, Jamie and Jason returned to Canada to compete at the national championships in their hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. At nationals, Jamie Salé and Jason Turner shocked everyone when they skated an almost flawless long program which earned them the bronze medal and an opportunity to compete at the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. Jamie was thrilled with the performance and the fact that she had made the Olympic team: "This is the best feeling I've had in my whole entire life," (Canadian Championships, CTV, 1994).
Olympic Dreams
At 16 years of age, Jamie Salé was the youngest member on the Canadian Olympic team. "As long as we have fun out there, that's all that matters. We're just here to enjoy the experience and have fun," (Olympic Winter Games, CTV, 1994). In their technical program, Jamie and Jason had two small mistakes: a balance check on the lift and a two footed landing on Jason's double axel. Salé and Turner finished 14th in the technical program and 12th overall after a strong long program.
Jamie Salé and Jason Turner returned home before flying to Makuhari, Japan for the world championships. Both skaters were exhausted from the travel and the competition: "Jamie and Jason have had a few difficulties here this week - some inconsistencies in practice. They said it's been really difficult to get motivated for this event after the high of being at the Olympics," (Barbara Underhill, World Championships, CBC, 1994). In Japan, Jamie and Jason skated inconsistently in both the technical and long programs - including a spectacular fall in the long program on the triple twist. Ultimately, Salé and Turner placed 16th at the world championships, which was somewhat of a disappointment following their 12th place finish at the Olympic Games. Regardless, both Jamie and Jason were pleased to have reached the end of their competitive season and they were looking forward to the opportunities that followed.
Immediately after the world championships, Jamie and Jason returned to Canada to participate in the Skate the Nation tour which featured Canadian champions Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Josee Chouinard, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret. Both Jamie and Jason enjoyed the opportunity to travel across the country and perform for a very appreciative Canadian audience. The team appeared to be constantly improving, but in August of that summer, Jamie Salé and Jason Turner made the decision to end their partnership. Jason Turner returned to the national championship the following year with another partner but eventually turned to coaching. Jamie Salé looked to life as a single skater.
Life as a Singles Skater
"I've really enjoyed the challenges in pair skating, and I'd like to give myself a fair chance to see if I can go as far in singles skating," (IFS article). Her pair career behind her (for the moment), Jamie Salé placed 12th at the world junior championships and 5th in her first year as a senior competitor at the 1995 Canadian championships. In the years that followed, Jamie struggled to return to the national championships; Jamie withdrew from the 1997 championships because of a stress fracture in her left leg. Jamie was thrilled when she earned the opportunity to compete at the 1998 Canadian championships - though she knew that she faced a very tough challenge.
"Salé, the 20-year-old from the Royal Glenora Club who went to the 1994 Worlds and Olympics as a pairs skater with then-partner Jason Turner -- back when she was a cute-as-a-button teenager with eyes as big as saucers -- made her bed when she opted to try life as a singles skater. And now she's at the crossroads. At 20, she looks in one direction and sees her old calling, pairs. But even if she wanted to try again she has no partner and no prospects of one since a tryout 18 months ago with up-and-comer David Pelletier didn't pan out. She looks in the other direction and sees an opening wide enough to drive a Zamboni through in the women's division ... but she doesn't have the tools yet to drive that machine," (Cole 1998).
As Jamie Salé took to the ice for her short program, Barb Underhill commented: "She's not a skater with the big triples, but she's a performer and when she's on she just shines," (Barb Underhill, Canadian Championships, CTV, 1998). In her short program, Jamie two footed the triple flip combination, but otherwise skated a strong program filled with strong spins, footwork, and wonderful presentation. After her performance, Jamie looked incredibly pleased with her performance and with her sixth place finish in the short program. "You just can't help but smile when you watch Jamie. She just sparkles. It's so obvious that she just loves to skate," (Barb Underhill, Canadian Championships, CTV, 1998).
In her long program, Jamie Salé completed only 1 of 5 planned triple jumps. After the long program, Jamie remained in sixth place and Barb Underhill admitted: "Jamie's dream is to find another pairs partner. She knows that she doesn't have what it takes: she doesn't have the big triple jumps. She can't make it in singles. She can, she does have what it takes to make it in pairs," (Barb Underhill, Canadian Championships, CTV, 1998).
REFERENCES
Norm Cowley, Salé Plays Double Threat Role, Edmonton Journal, January 9, 1994.
Cam Cole, Singling Out Women Skaters' Woes, Edmonton Journal, January 7, 1998.
Salé and Turner Split, International Figure Skating, December/January 1995
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