In a sport of vagabonds, he's spent his entire career in his hometown of Peoria, Ill., not exactly one of skating's hotbeds. While a few other elite skaters have managed to juggle training and competing with traditional high school, he not only finished college, but also earned a master's degree in urban planning and will start law school in the fall.

But his unusual route worked, taking him all the way to the Turin Olympics.

''I never thought about giving up school while I was in it,'' said Savoie, who earned his spot on the Olympic team by finishing third at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships earlier this month.

''I always had a sense that they somehow worked in tandem,'' he said. ''My academic successes supplemented my skating endeavors. It was either a distraction, or it gave me confidence in a different area of my life.''

Savoie is one of the favorites at this week's Four Continents Championships, the last tuneup before Turin. He's the only one on the U.S. men's Olympic team competing here, joined by three-time national champion Michael Weiss and Scott Smith, who was fifth at nationals.

Reigning world silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto are heavy favorites in ice dance, and national champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin lead the pairs field. Competition begins today with the compulsory dance, and pairs and men's short programs.

Savoie has always been the ultimate multitasker. The 25-year-old has been one of the top U.S. men since 1999, winning the bronze medal at nationals three times and finishing no worse than fifth. Though his competition schedule took him all over the world, he also found time to graduate with honors from Bradley University.

But a knee injury in 2003 left Savoie wondering what to do about his balancing act. He wanted to keep skating, but didn't know if his knee would allow it. He wanted to go to law school, but knew that might be too much to juggle.

So he compromised, enrolling at the University of Illinois for his master's and cutting back on his training, spending only about four or five hours a week on the ice.

''I was confident that the skills I had built up over the 13 years prior would put me in good stead to get back to training with a little bit more intensity,'' he said.

When he arrived at the 2005 nationals, though, Savoie was again contemplating his future. He'd been accepted at Cornell's law school, and he hadn't skated the way he'd wanted in a while.

Though he finished fourth at those nationals, his performances were enough to convince him to give it one more year.

''I had a couple of good performances, if not moments, there. That, coupled with the fact I really didn't want to go to school five years straight at a graduate level, I decided a year off might be nice,'' he said, laughing. ''Especially since it was an Olympic year.''

Savoie has always been solid technically, and he has some of the nicest lines on the ice this side of Europe. But skaters have to be able to sell their programs with expression and emotion, and that's where Savoie struggled.

''His choreographer, Tom Dickson, has worked on it for soooo long,'' said Linda Branan, who has coached Savoie since he was 9. ''Matt could always feel, and he was good at that. He just couldn't always bring it out.''

With a year to focus only on skating, though, he made great strides.

''Sometimes I liken him to Brian Boitano, who skated really well many years and never got to worlds,'' Dickson said. ''Sometimes that really pushes you to look into yourself and reclaim yourself. Matt's hit a new level that he hasn't attained before.''

Savoie had trouble in the short program at nationals, and was fourth going into the decisive free skate. Though he's never one to focus on medals or a spot on the podium, Dickson pulled him aside before the free skate and asked if he wanted to go to Italy.

''He would never really say that,'' Branan said.

This time, though, Savoie did.

He then went out and skated a spectacular program, filled with intriguing, old-school footwork that could be traced back to the days of compulsory figures. At times, it was mesmerizing.

His only mistake was a fall on his triple lutz. Though that probably cost him the silver medal, he still finished second in the free skate and earned a trip to Turin.

''Obviously I made mistakes in both programs, but in a way that's kind of comforting to me,'' Savoie said. ''That lets me know that I have more to work on, and it's always great to know you have things to occupy your time.''