Three's A Charm

Once upon a time, an elegant figure skater from Quebec brought home three Canadian women's titles, and earned the admiration of one young dreamer who shared her heritage.
Joannie Rochette couldn't have been prouder to match her idol tonight.
“That feels pretty good,” a relieved Rochette said after she sweated out a third straight triumph in the senior women's event. “Josee Chouinard did it, too, and she’s my idol in skating ... I’m really glad that I was able to win this. It’s very gratifying.”
It was probably closer than the final score, too. Vancouver's Mira Leung pushed hard to upset the champ and, with a six-triple jump skate that was nothing short of terrific, she almost got it done. Rochette, meanwhile, made enough errors, including two blown jumps, to have a lot of folks — including herself — wondering whether the crown was about to fall off her head.
“Thank God,” Rochette said, when the numbers went her way — 113.76 for the free skate and 170.65 overall, good enough to outlast Leung (159.59).
She admitted afterward it was the toughest test of her reign yet.
“Definitely, I'll tell you that,” said Rochette, 21, of Ile-Dupas, Que. “It’s after an Olympic cycle, and things change a lot after it. You can feel it, the newcomers coming up. (It was) the hardest one, but one that I feel I had to work hard to get.
“It feels good to have. Of course, I know (my) competition is getting closer behind me, but that adds value to my title.”
As the titles keep piling up, it is quite likely little girls everywhere in Quebec will start seeing Rochette as their skating idol. The same way the champ once looked at Chouinard.
Even if she finds that thought a little strange to fathom.
“I don’t see myself as Josee or anyone else,” said Rochette. “I’m a different person. But I do get some letters from (younger) girls, and that's great. You never realize they look up to you like they do. I just hope that I can be a good role model for them, too.”