Bobek struggled with back problems during the 1996-97 season but won the bronze medal at the 1997 U.S. Championships. Her coach Carlo Fassi died from a heart attack at the 1997 World Championships. She was coached for a time by his widow, Christa Fassi, in Lake Arrowhead, California. She won bronze at the 1998 U.S. Nationals. At the 1998 Winter Olympics, she was impaired by a hip injury and finished in 17th-place. She withdrew from the subsequent World Championships due to a hip injury.