At the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Canadian pair skaters Jamie Salé & David Pelletier achieved magic in their free skate. 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.
Following the Games, 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 (pronounced SA-lay) and Pelletier (pronounced PELL-tee-ay) 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.”
Their commitment to their skating partnership continues. Although no longer life partners, they remain mutually committed to raising their son Jesse, born on Sept. 30, 2007. Salé and son were featured on the cover of Today’s Parent, a Canadian parenting magazine. She also made appearances with him in connection to a commercial endorsement of Pampers.
While their love of performing remains undiminished, Salé and Pelletier have also developed 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. For the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., they worked with CTV. They returned to the booth this fall, working for CBC’s sister network Bold during the Skate Canada international competition.
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 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 Bell Canada, General Mills, Burt’s Bees, Driving Force, CCM (The Hockey Company) and Quikcard. Salé is a celebrity spokesperson for P&G and Yoplait.
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.
Both Jamie and David won gold again in the smash hit Canadian TV Show Battle of the Blades . Jamie won the inaugural season with partner Craig Simpson followed two seasons later by David winning with Olympic Gold Medalist Tessa Bonhomme.
Jamie Sale, Olympic gold medalist, figure skating, is available exclusively through IMG Speakers bureau for speaking engagements. Jamie Sale is also available for Olympic appearances, corporate hospitality events, meet and greets, and much more. Please contact IMG Speakers at 212-774-6735 or speakers@imgworld.com for more information on booking Jamie Sale.
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