Nicole Bobek at the 1998 Olympics
Photo: AP/Amy Sancetta
During a relative slow pre-Olympic season, one of the biggest stories was 1995 U.S. National Champion Nicole Bobek’s arrest earlier this summer. She was arrested for alleged “high level” involvement in a methamphetamine ring and meth distribution in New Jersey.
Bobek was one of the heirs apparent in the early 1990s after Kristi Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan turned professional. She battled Michelle Kwan in 1995 and defeated her both at Nationals and at Worlds. Her free skate at the World Championships that year was one of the most difficult and technically unique – she included a triple lutz-triple toe combination and a one-foot axel-triple salchow combination. Unfortunately, after landing the first four triples, she fell on the final two and finished third overall.
Bobek was always known for her charisma and style. Her spiral was groundbreaking, leading her peers to improve their flexibility and line to match hers. Michelle Kwan may never have had her trademark spiral if not for Bobek. But her inconsistency was always the liability, the one reason she could not replicate her success in 1995. Even then, she battled back from injuries and personal issues to make the 1997 World Championships team and the 1998 Olympic team when skeptics counted her out.
After her arrest, Bobek posted $100,000 bail and was released on July 6. The New Jersey Journal interviewed inmates and workers at the Hudson County Jail who interacted with Bobek during her stay. Descriptions about her ranged from “friendly” to “upset,” and one could only imagine what she was dealing with during her time in jail.
The skating community knew Bobek as a skater with enormous talent but never had a direction. And after she stopped touring with Champions On Ice a few years ago, perhaps the lack of direction caught up with her, as she no longer had skating to fall back on. Unfortunately, her story is beginning to sound similar to that of Christopher Bowman, whose talent was similarly immense but whose career was similarly directionless.
ESPN.com reports that Bobek is waiting to find out how the prosecutors will handle her case, which will not happen for at least another month. For now, she is back in Florida with her mother, reflecting on how her life has evolved.
Nicole Bobek has fought back before – from bad performances, injuries, the passing of her coach Carlo Fassi – and it will be interesting to see how she handles her latest bout with adversity. Hopefully, she realizes that she has support within her family and the skating community, and she can bounce back from this chapter in her life stronger than before.
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