Rohene Andre Ward is an Americanfigure skater. He competed four times at the U.S. Championships, in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. He also competed for Puerto Rico and is the 2004 Puerto Rican national champion.
Career
Ward is known for his flexibility, as well as jumping and spinning in both directions. His moves include the cantilever, the hydroblade and the splits. Ward was coached by Page Lipe in Minneapolis for 18 years. In 2007, he and Lipe co-coached Kirsten Olson who played the role of Nikki Fletcher, the 'Jumping Shrimp,' in the Disney movieIce Princess. Ward competed and coached Olson at the US Championships in January 2008 in St Paul, Minnesota - a feat never achieved before is US Figure Skating. During the 2010–11 ice show season, Ward played Aladdin in Holiday on Ice's European tour. He was then asked to be a principal skater in the HOI shows "Speed" and "Speed II", touring parts of Europe from the Netherlands to Norway from 2011–2013. In the 2013–14 season, he performed as a principal in the new HOI production of "Platinum" in France and Germany. Ward attended North Community High School where he graduated in 2001. In 2007, he began co-coaching with Kori Ade in Highland Park, Illinois. In spring 2013, Ward and Ade moved to Monument, Colorado. to further expand 7K Skating Academy. They have several top students including Jason Brown, the 2015 U.S. national men's champion, a two-time World Junior medalist, and 2014 Olympic team event bronze medalist. Ward is also a choreographer, working with a variety of skaters including Jason Brown, Karen Chen, Madison Chock & Evan Bates and Mariah Bell. His choreography won critical acclaim when Brown's long program "Riverdance" created an internet sensation garnering over five million YouTube hits following the 2014 US Championships. Ward won "Choreographer of the Year" at the 2015 PSA conference in Bloomington, Minnesota. He won a second time in 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. In between, Ward choreographed the opening ceremonies at the 2016 U.S. Championships. Ward avoids music with lyrics, saying that "It inhibits the ability to create, because the words dictate."
