At the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Canadian pair skaters Jamie Salé & David Pelletier achieved magic in their free skate, set to music from the film Love Story. When they finished their extraordinary program, you could hear a pin drop as the audience held their collective breath before erupting into thunderous applause. The cheers turned into boos when the scoreboard showed they had finished second, and in the days that followed unprecedented Olympic controversy unfolded as a judging scandal was revealed. Ultimately, Salé and Pelletier were named co-gold medalists and clearly also won the hearts of millions of fans around the world for the incredible grace and dignity they demonstrated both on and off the ice.
Reflecting back, Pelletier says they went to the Olympics knowing it would be a life-changing experience. They were prepared to finish anywhere from first to fifth, but, he says, “Nobody could get us ready or could imagine what life was going to be like after the scenario that happened.” The pair appeared on the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazines. There was no script to follow, so they decided to play with the cards dealt them the best they could.
They enjoyed the extraordinary sponsor opportunities presented to them, but never lost sight of the long-term. Salé and Pelletier were determined to have a meaningful professional career. “We wanted our career to be more than just hitting the jackpot at that time,” Pelletier says.
That conviction led Salé and Pelletier to sign with the Stars on Ice tour, and they fully immersed themselves in learning to be the best performers possible. Although they continued to train with the same diligence as when they were competitors, they enjoyed the freedom of creating programs that suited them and not the judges.
They immediately thrived on the ensemble style of Stars on Ice, where skaters perform intricate group numbers together. “I love it. It’s a team thing,” says Salé. “I always liked playing soccer as a kid because there was a bunch of us. When I’m on the ice with all the girls or we’re doing a group number and Dave and I don’t skate together or he’s not even in it, it’s so much fun to come together collaborating to make up this great group number.”
Pelletier likens skating with the guys to being on a hockey team, a sport he played with a passion before focusing solely on figure skating at the age of 15. “What’s amazing is seeing the show grow from the first day of rehearsals to the last show of the tour,” he says. “The show grows and evolves. It will become whatever the skaters want it to be. That’s the best part of it.”
To keep their own skating growing and evolving, Salé and Pelletier have chosen to work with a variety of different choreographers: Lori Nichol (who choreographed their competitive programs), David Wilson, Renée Roca, Christopher Dean and Cindy Stuart.
“Accountability in the pro world is not the same as in competitive skating. You have to have a lot of respect for yourself and for the audience,” Pelletier says. “We always want to be the best we can be. The only way to do that is by working with different choreographers and coming up with new ideas, new concepts. When you do something so many times, when you go on the road for 60 to 70 shows, you want to make sure you’re challenged every night.”
Salé knows audiences love when they skate to a love song, but “it’s so important for Dave and me that we’re trying to do something different every year,” she says. “We’ve enjoyed the challenges of working with the different choreographers and trying new things. It’s made us grow as professional and as skaters. We really appreciate that.”
One of the reasons audiences love to see the romantic ballads is because of they know Salé and Pelletier have skated their own love story. They became engaged on Christmas Day 2004 and married on Dec. 30, 2005. On Sept. 30, 2007, they became parents when Salé gave birth to son Jesse, who weighed in at 7 lbs. and measured 19 inches. Mother and son were recently featured on the cover of Today’s Parent, a Canadian parenting magazine.
Salé did her best to stay in shape during pregnancy, which enabled her to get back on the ice within a few weeks. With Jesse in tow, they hit the road as guest artists for the U.S. Smucker’s Stars on Ice tour, performing in 20 cities. Then it was onto all 12 cities of the Canadian tour. Their mothers took turns accompanying them. They also got great joy out of the loving response they received from castmates.
“Everyone was so great having him there,” Salé says. “It was nice for everybody to have this little person. He put smiles on people’s faces.” Given that he’s the son of two athletes, needless to say Jesse is very physically active. They are already signed for 2009 Stars on Ice. Canada and hope to again be guest artists on the U.S. tour, but are mindful as time goes on it will be harder and harder to take Jesse on a tour bus.
While their love of performing remains undiminished, Salé and Pelletier have also been developing a career as TV commentators. They were part of the NBC broadcast team at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, where they appeared on daily segments called Olympic Ice. During one of the broadcasts Pelletier delivered a hilarious description of the dope testing that medalists must undergo. Each day, they were encouraged to come up with story ideas and he had thrown that out to a producer and two NBC executives. They called in the camera crew and he nailed it in one take.
In January 2008, they were at the U.S. Championships, where they vividly described the tension that competitors face. “The thing we can do is bring the audience into the moment and help them understand,” says Pelletier.
Salé and Pelletier have received numerous awards for their on-ice accomplishments and off-ice grace under fire. In December 2001, they became co-recipients of the Lou Marsh Trophy, awarded annually by the Toronto Star to Canada’s outstanding athlete. They were also named Canada’s 2001 “Team of the Year” in a poll of sports editors and broadcasters conducted by The Canadian Press and Broadcast News. In November 2002, they were inducted into the Edmonton Royal Glenora Hall of Fame. In 2001 and again in 2002 they were recipients of the Sport Partners of the Year for Quebec. They were selected by the Globe & Mail as the second most influential athletes in Canada for 2002, after Wayne Gretzky. At the 30th Annual Canadian Sport Awards event, they were named the Canadian Sport Partners of the Year for 2002; and, during the same year, were awarded the Golden Jubilee Award, for demonstrating exceptional qualities and outstanding service to Canada, approved by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
On Sept. 22, 2003, Salé and Pelletier were appointed Honorary Life Members of West End Rotary of Edmonton. That same day, the Rotary Club awarded them the International Paul Harris Fellowship in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among the people of the world. In August of 2003, Salé was voted in a Reader’s Digest survey as the number one choice as Canada’s best representative of true beauty. From 2002-04 she was voted one of the 100 sexiest women of the world by FHM magazine. They were inducted to the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2006.
Salé and Pelletier were also proud to be featured in the Cheerios “Read-The-Box” Program, which celebrated authors, publishers and Canadian Olympic hopefuls together at the breakfast table. In the months leading up to the 2002 Olympics, images of the pair appeared on the front and back of special edition Cheerios boxes throughout Canada, along with a bio written by Canadian children's author, J. C. Mills. Other sponsors and endorsements have included Rogers AT & T Wireless, Driving Force, CCM (The Hockey Company) and Quikcard.
On October 8, 2003, Salé and Pelletier were appointed the Honorary Chairs for the City of Edmonton’s 100th Anniversary Celebration that took place on October 8, 2004. The pair was also appointed as Honorary Ambassadors for the Province of Alberta's 100th Anniversary for 2005.
David Pelletier, Olympic Gold Medalist in Figure Skating, is available through IMG Speakers Bureau for speaking engagements. David Pelletier is also available for corporate hospitality events, business seminars, and much more. Please contact IMG Speakers at 212-774-6735 or speakers@imgworld.com for more information on booking David Pelletier.
About IMG Speakers
IMG Speakers, a division of IMG Worldwide, Inc., is a leading speakers bureau and celebrity talent agency representing today’s best motivational speakers. We secure celebrity talent for FORTUNE 500 companies, trade associations, healthcare organizations, corporate hospitality programs and special events. Our extensive client roster includes professional corporate speakers, head coaches, sports broadcasters, current and retired professional athletes, inspirational keynote speakers, award-winning chefs, business executives and television personalities.
Explore IMG Speakers bureau’s complete roster of talent to find the right keynote speaker for your next event.
