Signe Ronka
| Signe Ronka | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Country represented | Canada |
| Born |
April 23, 1988 Riga, Latvia |
| Residence | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in) |
| Former coach | Ellen Burka, Marcus Christensen, Petra Burka |
| Former choreographer | Ellen Burka, David Wilson |
| Skating club | Granite Club |
| Began skating | 1997 |
| Retired | 2006 |
| ISU personal best scores | |
| Combined total |
111.84 2004 JGP Belgrade |
| Short program |
36.65 2004 JGP Belgrade |
| Free skate |
75.81 2004 JGP Romania |
Signe Ronka (born April 23, 1988) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She won three medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and competed at the 2003 World Junior Championships.
Personal life
Ronka was born on April 23, 1988 in Riga, Latvia.[1] She arrived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the age of three.[2]
Career
Ronka trained at the Granite Club in Toronto with coaches Ellen Burka and Marcus Christensen. In the 2001–02 season, she debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series. She won the junior bronze medal at the 2002 Canadian Championships[3] and the junior gold medal at the 2002 Triglav Trophy.
In the 2002–03 season, Ronka won a pair of medals at her JGP assignments — bronze in Courchevel and silver in Milan. Her results qualified her for the JGP Final in The Hague, Netherlands, where she finished seventh. She withdrew from the 2003 Canadian Championships due to a groin injury, having resumed full training in mid-January.[4] She placed 16th at the 2003 World Junior Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
In 2004, Ronka won bronze at a JGP event in Belgrade. She ended her career with a 10th place finish at the 2006 Canadian Championships and then retired from elite competition. She went on to skate for the University of Toronto varsity team, placing 1st at the 2007 and 2008 OUA Finals. In 2008, she received the Competitive Athlete of the Year award from the University of Toronto.
Ronka skated for two seasons (2007 to 2008) at the Canada's Wonderland "Endless Summer" ice show. She currently works as a coach and choreographer at East York skating club as well as the Granite Club in Toronto, Canada.
Injuries ultimately ended Ronka's career. She has developed a sport specific fitness program called Figure Skater Bootcamp, which helps skaters prevent injuries and improve performance on the ice. She is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a certified personal trainer.[5]
Movies
- Emma Flanders in the Disney movie Ice Princess.
- Mary-Kate Olsen's soccer double in the movie Switching Goals.
- Herself in documentary series Heartbeats by Breakthrough Films & Television Inc. (2005).
Awards
- "Own the Podium 2010" Funding Award (2006)
- Petro-Canada Olympic Torch Scholarship (2002–03, 2003–04)
- Granite Club Gold Crest Award (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) and Outstanding Volunteer Award (2006)
- Bank of Montreal "Possibilities" Award (2002)
- Toller Cranston Bursary Award (2000, 2001, 2002)
- Elvis Stojko Bursary
- Underhill/Martini "Hopes & Dreams"
- University of Toronto Athlete of the Year (2007)
- 2002 Junior Female Athlete of the Year Finalist, 30th Annual Canadian Sport Awards[6]
Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 [7] |
|
|
| 2004–05 [1] |
|
Competitive results
JGP: Junior Grand Prix
| International[8] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 99–00 | 00–01 | 01–02 | 02–03 | 03–04 | 04–05 | 05–06 |
| World Junior Champ. | 16th | ||||||
| JGP Final | 7th | ||||||
| JGP Bulgaria | 9th | ||||||
| JGP Croatia | 6th | ||||||
| JGP France | 3rd | ||||||
| JGP Italy | 7th | 2nd | |||||
| JGP Romania | 7th | ||||||
| JGP Serbia | 3rd | ||||||
| Triglav Trophy | 1st J. | ||||||
| National[8] | |||||||
| Canadian Champ. | 3rd J. | WD | 11th | WD | 10th | ||
| Cdn. Jr. Champ. | 9th Pn. | ||||||
| Eastern Challenge | 1st Pn. | 1st J. | |||||
| Central Ontario Sect. | 1st Jv. | 1st Pn. | |||||
| Tomorrow's Champions, Kelowna, BC | 5th Jv. | ||||||
| WD: Withdrew Levels: Jv. = Juvenile; Pn. = Pre-novice; J. = Junior | |||||||
References
- 1 2 "Signe RONKA: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 20, 2005.
- ↑ Mittan, Barry (April 19, 2002). "Signe Ronka: Rising Star". Golden Skate.
- ↑ "Signe Sports a New Look". Skate Canada. February 26, 2002. Archived from the original on March 19, 2004.
- ↑ "Junior skaters ready for worlds". The Canadian Press. The Globe and Mail. February 21, 2003. Archived from the original on August 30, 2004.
- ↑ "Figure Skater Bootcamp". Retrieved February 21, 2016.
- ↑ "Olympians dominate Canadian Sport Awards nominees". CBC Sports. February 13, 2003.
- ↑ "Signe RONKA: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 10, 2003.
- 1 2 "Signe RONKA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016.