Matthew Savoie (born September 12, 1980, in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

), is an American former competitive

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

. He is a three-time U.S. bronze medalist, the 2006 Four Continents bronze medalist, and competed at the

2006 Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...

Skating career

Matthew Savoie first gained prominence when he won the gold medal on the junior level at the 1997 U.S. Championships. He went on to place in the top five at every U.S. Nationals between 1999 and 2006, winning bronze medals in 2001, 2004, and 2006 and pewter medals (fourth place) in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2005. Savoie won bronze medals at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, the Grand Prix Final, and the World Junior Championships. He represented the United States three times at the World Championships. Savoie was the first alternate to the 2002 Olympic team. In 2004, he underwent knee surgery due to parallel tendonitis. By winning the bronze at the 2006 U.S. Championships, Savoie earned a chance to compete at the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...

. He finished seventh overall. Savoie was raised in

, and trained there with coach Linda Branan throughout his career. He also worked with coach Gene Heffron, choreographer

Tom Dickson Thomas Dickson may refer to: * Thomas Dickson (athlete) (born 1974), Saint Vincent track and field sprinter *Thomas Dickson (Upper Canada politician) (''c'' 1775–1825), Upper Canada businessman and political figure *Thomas Dickson (Nova Scotia po ...

, and modern dance teacher Kathy Johnson. In July 2006, Savoie was appointed as the athlete representative to the Single & Pair Skating Technical Committee of the International Skating Union. He completed a four-year term.

Personal life and post-competitive career

Savoie graduated from Peoria High School (Peoria, Illinois) in 1998. He graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

from Bradley University in 2002, with a major in political science and a minor in biology. He went on to earn his master's degree in urban planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Fine & Applied Arts in 2005 and received the AICP Outstanding Graduate Student Award for 2005. He was admitted to the law school at Cornell University in 2005, but obtained a deferral for a year to focus on making the Olympic team. He joined the program in September 2006, where he also served as secretary of the LAMBDA (LGBT) Law Students Association. After graduating in 2009, Savoie worked as an associate at Choate Hall & Stewart law firm before leaving in 2014 to become a coach at The Skating Club of Boston. His students include Curran Oi. Savoie married attorney Brian Boyle on October 7, 2012, in

Sturbridge, Massachusetts Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques. The population was 9,867 at the 2020 census, with mo ...

Programs

Competitive highlights

References

External links

Matthew Savoie
at

U.S. Figure Skating U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee "USOPC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act an ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Savoie, Matthew 1980 births American male single skaters Bradley University alumni Figure skaters at the 2006 Winter Olympics Living people Olympic figure skaters of the United States Sportspeople from Peoria, Illinois Gay sportsmen LGBT figure skaters LGBT people from Illinois American LGBT sportspeople University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts alumni Four Continents Figure Skating Championships medalists World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists