Paul Poirier

Paul Poirier
Gilles and Poirier in 2012
Personal information
Country represented Canada
Born (1991-11-06) November 6, 1991
Ottawa, Ontario
Home town Unionville, Ontario
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Partner Piper Gilles
Former partner Vanessa Crone
Coach Carol Lane, Jon Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Roy Bradshaw
Choreographer Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Piper Gilles, Paul Poirier
Former choreographer Christopher Dean
Skating club Scarboro FSC
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 194.12
2018 Nebelhorn Trophy
Short dance 77.40
2018 Nebelhorn Trophy
Free dance 116.72
2018 Nebelhorn Trophy
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Figure skating: Ice dancing
Four Continents Championships
2014 TaipeiIce dancing
2011 TaipeiIce dancing
Grand Prix Final
2010–11 BeijingIce dancing
World Junior Championships
2008 SofiaIce dancing

Paul Poirier (born November 6, 1991) is a Canadian ice dancer. With Piper Gilles, he is the 2014 Four Continents silver medalist and a six-time Canadian national medalist.

With earlier partner Vanessa Crone, he is the 2010 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2011 Four Continents bronze medalist, 2008 World Junior silver medalist, and 2011 Canadian national champion.

Personal life

Paul Poirier was born November 6, 1991 in Ottawa, Ontario[1] to Debra Mendes de Franca[2] and Marc Poirier.[3] He studied linguistics at the University of Toronto.[4] His brother played in the Ontario Hockey League. Brother David graduated from Brock University.[5]

Partnership with Crone

Junior career

Early in his career, Poirier competed in single skating, and pair skating with Vanessa Crone.[6] The duo began skating together in May 2001.[7] As ice dancers, they won the silver medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships.[8]

Senior career

Crone/Poirier won silver at 2008 Skate Canada, their first senior Grand Prix event, and placed fourth in their second event.[9] The next season they claimed the bronze at 2009 NHK Trophy. At the 2010 Canadian Championships, they were nominated to represent Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[10] They finished 7th at the 2010 World Championships.

Crone/Poirier began the 2010–11 season by capturing gold at 2010 Skate Canada International ahead of Sinead Kerr and John Kerr who had a fall in the free dance. At 2010 Skate America, Poirier fell in the free dance but their score was enough for the silver behind Meryl Davis and Charlie White, both of whom fell, and ahead of Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani with no falls. Their results qualified them for the 2010–11 Grand Prix Final where they won the bronze medal. They finished 10th at the 2011 World Championships.

On June 2, 2011, Crone and Poirier announced the end of their ten-year partnership.[4] He said he would search for a new partner to continue his competitive career and did not exclude looking internationally.[11]

Partnership with Gilles

Poirier contacted American ice dancer Piper Gilles to arrange a tryout.[12] On July 27, 2011, Gilles and Poirier confirmed they had teamed up to represent Canada.[13] They could not compete internationally in their first season due to Gilles needing a release from U.S. Figure Skating.[13] They are coached by Carol Lane at the Scarboro Figure Skating Club at the Ice Galaxy in Toronto, Ontario.[13][14] Their free dance was choreographed by Christopher Dean in Colorado Springs, Colorado in early June.[5] Gilles/Poirier won the bronze medal at the 2012 Canadian Championships. Due to their ineligibility for international competition that season, fourth-place finishers Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill were named to Canada's delegations to the 2012 Four Continents and 2012 World Championships.[15]

2012–2013 season

In the 2012–13 season, Gilles and Poirier won the U.S. Classic. They received two Grand Prix assignments, 2012 Skate Canada International and 2012 Trophée Éric Bompard.[16] They finished 4th and 6th at the two events and then won the silver medal at the 2013 Canadian Championships. They were 5th at the 2013 Four Continents and 18th at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships.

2013–2014 season

In May 2013, Poirier suffered a serious ankle injury, delaying the duo's preparation for the upcoming season.[17] Their assigned events for the 2013-14 Grand Prix season were the NHK Trophy, where they finished fifth, and the Rostelecom Cup, where they placed sixth.[18] Gilles became a Canadian citizen during the 2013-14 season, making Gilles and Poirier eligible to participate in the Olympics. Hampering by Poirier's injury, the duo finished fourth at the 2014 Canadian Championships and were not selected for the Canadian Olympic team. Years later, Gilles would admit that the result "was definitely disappointing, but it really made us who we are right now. We didn't want that big upset to change our goals in the future, and I think that made us stronger, more comfortable with each other, because we really had to lean on each other. So I think it made all of us closer and better as athletes, and more well-rounded."[19]

In lieu of the Olympics, they were sent to the 2014 Four Continents Championship, where they won the silver medal, placing behind Gilles' former partner Donohue and his new partner Madison Hubbell. Poirier opined that "we’re going to take this competition with us, because it taught us a lot about resilience and about being able to come back so quickly after nationals.”[20]

2014–2015 season

For the 2014–15 Grand Prix season, Gilles and Poirier took second at 2014 Skate Canada International and second at 2014 Trophée Éric Bompard.[21] This result qualified them for the 2014–15 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, where they placed fifth. At the 2015 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, they won the silver medal behind Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje. The ice dancers then capped off the season with a sixth-place finish at the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships.

2015–2016 season

Gilles and Poirier opened their 2015-16 season with a win at the 2015 Ondrej Nepela Trophy. They won the bronze medal at the 2015 Skate America event and silver at the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard, not quite qualifying for that year's Grand Prix Final. The two again won the silver medal at the season's Canadian championships, followed by a fifth-place finish at Four Continents and eighth at the 2016 World Championships.[22]

2016–2017 season

The 2016-17 season notably featured the return to competition of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, which affected the standings of the other Canadian ice dance teams.[19] Gilles and Poirier recorded a series of third-place finishes at Skate Canada, the 2016 Trophée de France, and the 2017 Canadian championships. The duo struggled with mistakes in their disco-themed short dance for much of the season, with a stumble at the French event and Gilles falling at the Four Continents championship. Gilles described the results as "physically hard and definitely tough mentally."[23]

2017–2018 season

For the 2017-18 season, Gilles and Poirier suffered initial disappointments when placing fourth at both Skate America and the Rostelecom Cup. Following this, the two opted to change their free dance program mid-season, discarding an initial film noir-themed routine for a James Bond program. Poirier explained they felt the need for "a more accessible vehicle going into the Olympics and one that (fans) can more readily identify with."[24] Their scores dramatically improved with the new program, and they earned the silver medal at the 2018 Canadian championships, on the way to qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Gilles described this as "a breath of fresh air because we’ve worked our entire lives for that Olympic moment, qualifying for the games has always been my dream."[25] The duo placed eighth at their first Olympics, and ended the season with a sixth-place finish at the 2018 World Championships.

2018–2019 season

For their free dance, Gilles and Poirier envisioned a tribute to the artist Vincent Van Gogh, and arranged for the British busker act Govardo to create a cover version of the Don McLean song "Vincent" that had the tempo changes necessary for an ice dance program. Following Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje's decision not to skate the 2018-19 Grand Prix series, Gilles and Poirier became the top-ranked Canadian team competing there.[26] They won their first outing of the season, the Nebelhorn Trophy, placing first in both segments. The band Govardo attended the event, meeting them for the first time.[27]

Programs

Ice dancing with Gilles

Season Short/Rhythm dance Free dance Exhibition
2018–2019
[28]
  • Tango: Angelica's Tango
    by Piernicola Di Muro
    choreo. by Juris Razgulajevs and Carol Lane
  • Vincent
    by Don McLean
    performed by Govardo
    choreo. by Juris Razgulajevs and Carol Lane
2017–2018
[29][30]
2016–2017
[32][30]
  • Blues: Oh What A Night For Dancing
    by Barry White and Vance Wilson
  • Disco: Disco Inferno
    by Leroy Green and Ron Kersey
  • Con Buena Onda
    by Daniel Lomuto, Ernesto Baffa, and Hector M. Acre
2015–2016
[33][34]		 Saudade:
2014–2015
[35]
  • A Street Car Named Desire
  • Overture
    from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
  • Si tu vois ma mere
    by Sidney Bechet
  • Dans les rues d'Antibes
    by Sidney Bechet
  • Would You
    by Burn The Floor Orchestra
2013–2014
[36][37]
  • Swing: Just One Dance
    by Caro Emerald
  • Quickstep: You Don't Leave Me
    by Caro Emerald
  • Sweet Dreams
  • Pure Imagination
2012–2013
[16][38]		 Mary Poppins:
  • Sweet Dreams
  • Pure Imagination
2011–2012

Ice dancing with Crone

Crone and Poirier in 2008
Crone and Poirier in 2011
Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2010–2011
[39][40]
  • The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing
    by Danny Kaye
Original dance
2009–2010
[41]
2008–2009
[7][9][42]
  • Slow Rag: Solace
    by Scott Joplin
  • Ragtime Two-step: The Entertainer
    by Scott Joplin
2007–2008
[6][43][44]
  • A Los Amigos
    by A. Pontier and F. Silva
2006–2007
[45]
  • Tango

Single skating

Season Short program Free skating
2008–2009
[46]

Competitive highlights

Ice dancing with Gilles

International[47]
Event 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19
Olympics8th
Worlds18th8th6th8th8th6th
Four Continents5th2nd4th5th6th
Grand Prix Final5th
GP France6th2nd2nd3rdTBD
GP NHK Trophy5th
GP Rostelecom Cup6th4th
GP Skate America3rd4th
GP Skate Canada4th2nd3rdTBD
CS Autumn Classic2nd3rd
CS Nebelhorn3rd1st
CS Nepela Trophy1st
U.S. Classic1st
National[1]
Canadian Champ.3rd2nd4th2nd2nd3rd2nd
SC Challenge1st
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew
GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series (began in the 2014–15 season)

Ice dancing with Crone

International[48]
Event 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11
Olympics14th
Worlds12th7th10th
Four Continents4th3rd
Grand Prix Final6th3rd
GP Bompard4th
GP NHK Trophy3rd
GP Rostelecom4th
GP Skate America2nd
GP Skate Canada2nd1st
International: Junior[48]
Junior Worlds9th2nd
JGP Final4th
JGP Andorra7th
JGP Croatia1st
JGP Norway3rd
JGP Romania1st
JGP Taiwan5th
National[7][48]
Canadian Champ.12th N.1st N.6th J.1st J.4th2nd2nd1st
GP = Grand Prix; JGP = Junior Grand Prix
Levels: N. = Novice; J. = Junior

Single skating

International[49]
Event 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09
JGP France10th
National
Canadian Champ.5th N.3rd N.2nd J.11th
Levels: N. = Novice; J. = Junior
JGP = Junior Grand Prix

Detailed results

(with Gilles)

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only. Current ISU personal bests highlighted in bold.

2018–19 season
Date Event SD FD Total
November 23–25, 2018 2018 Internationaux de France TBD TBD TBD
October 26–28, 2018 2018 Skate Canada International TBD TBD TBD
September 26–29, 2018 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 1
77.40		 1
116.72		 1
194.12
2017–18 season
Date Event SD FD Total
March 19–25, 2018 2018 World Championships 6
74.51		 6
111.59		 6
186.10
February 19–20, 2018 2018 Winter Olympics 9
69.60		 8
107.31		 8
176.91
January 8–14, 2018 2018 Canadian Championships 2
78.37		 3
113.71		 2
192.08
November 24–26, 2017 2017 Grand Prix Skate America 5
64.07		 4
102.47		 4
166.54
October 27–29, 2017 2017 Grand Prix Rostelecom Cup 4
69.67		 4
102.62		 4
172.29
September 20–23, 2017 2017 CS Autumn Classic International 3
68.80		 3
103.46		 3
172.26
2016–17 season
Date Event SD FD Total
March 29 – April 2, 2017 2017 World Championships 9
72.83		 7
106.16		 8
178.99
February 15–19, 2017 2017 Four Continents Championships 7
61.21		 5
108.93		 6
170.14
January 16–22, 2017 2017 Canadian Championships 1
78.15		 1
111.74		 1
189.89
November 11–13, 2016 2016 Grand Prix Trophée de France 4
64.74		 3
106.04		 3
170.78
October 28–30, 2016 2016 Grand Prix Skate Canada International 3
72.12		 3
110.45		 3
182.57
September 22–24, 2016 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 3
70.32		 3
106.52		 3
176.84
2015–16 season
Date Event SD FD Total
March 28 – April 3, 2016 2016 World Championships 5
70.70		 8
102.37		 8
173.07
February 16–21, 2016 2016 Four Continents Championships 5
63.92		 5
98.27		 5
162.19
January 18–24, 2016 2016 Canadian Championships 2
70.63		 2
109.19		 2
179.82
November 13–15, 2015 2015 Grand Prix Trophée Éric BompardC 2
63.94		 N/A 2
63.94
October 23–25, 2015 2015 Grand Prix Skate America 3
61.33		 3
96.25		 3
157.58
October 1–3, 2015 2015 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy 3
62.56		 1
96.58		 1
159.14
2014–15 season
Date Event SD FD Total
March 23–29, 2015 2015 World Championships 7
65.90		 6
99.32		 6
165.22
February 9–15, 2015 2015 Four Continents Championships 4
63.45		 4
98.80		 4
162.25
January 19–25, 2015 2015 Canadian Championships 2
70.03		 2
104.67		 2
174.70
December 11–14, 2014 2014–15 Grand Prix Final 4
62.49		 5
95.67		 5
158.16
November 21–23, 2014 2014 Grand Prix Trophée Éric Bompard 2
61.90		 2
95.68		 2
157.58
October 31 – November 2, 2014 2013 Grand Prix Skate Canada International 4
57.35		 2
95.25		 2
152.60
October 15–16, 2014 2014 CS Skate Canada Autumn Classic 4
53.52		 2
89.10		 2
142.52
2013–14 season
Date Event SD FD Total
March 24–30, 2014 2014 World Championships 10
59.42		 7
94.44		 8
153.86
January 20–26, 2014 2014 Four Continents Championships 1
62.38		 2
91.33		 2
153.71
January 9–15, 2014 2014 Canadian Championships 4
65.11		 4
99.41		 4
164.52
November 22–24, 2013 2013 Grand Prix Rostelecom Cup 6
51.14		 6
83.52		 6
134.66
November 8–10, 2013 2013 Grand Prix NHK Trophy 5
55.20		 5
88.87		 5
144.07
2012–13 season
Date Event SD FD Total
March 11–17, 2013 2013 World Championships 15
58.61		 18
81.41		 18
140.02
February 6–11, 2013 2013 Four Continents Championships 5
60.20		 3
97.63		 5
157.83
January 13–20, 2013 2013 Canadian Championships 2
67.95		 2
102.86		 2
170.81
November 15–18, 2012 2012 Grand Prix Trophée Éric Bompard 6
51.99		 6
83.87		 6
135.86
October 26–28, 2012 2012 Grand Prix Skate Canada International 5
58.79		 4
94.66		 4
153.45
September 13–16, 2012 2012 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic 3
55.98		 1
90.92		 1
146.90
2011–12 season
Date Event SD FD Total
January 16–22, 2012 2012 Canadian Championships 3
68.41		 3
111.61		 3
180.02
November 30 – December 4, 2011 2012 Skate Canada Challenge 1
58.79		 1
94.66		 1
153.45

References

  1. 1 2 "Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier". Skate Canada.
  2. ↑ "It takes a village to build a Canadian skating champion". CBC Sports. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  3. ↑ nurun.com. "Olympian has local family ties". Cornwall Standard Freeholder. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  4. 1 2 "Crone, Poirier announce end of partnership". Skate Canada. Ice Network. June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (November 9, 2011). "The Inside Edge: Gilles and Poirier skate, play". Ice Network. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Mittan, Barry (May 17, 2008). "Passionate Performances Propel Poirier and Crone". GoldenSkate.
  7. 1 2 3 "Vanessa Crone / Paul Poirier: 2008/2009". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009.
  8. ↑ Hoyt, Melanie (July 2008). "Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier". ice-dance.com.
  9. 1 2 Mittan, Barry (February 15, 2009). "Crone and Poirier Feel Up to Pre-Olympic Challenges". GoldenSkate.
  10. ↑ "More Olympic team members named in London". Skate Canada. January 18, 2010. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010.
  11. ↑ Kwong, PJ (June 2, 2011). "Catching Up With....Paul Poirier". Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  12. ↑ Walker, Elvin (September 23, 2012). "Gilles and Poirier make big impact at international debut". Golden Skate.
  13. 1 2 3 Kany, Klaus-Reinhold (July 27, 2011). "Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier Dance to a New Rhythm". IFS Magazine. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  14. ↑ Giffin, Taylor O. (February 14, 2013). "Worlds next stop for ice dance pair Gilles, Poirier". Toronto Observer.
  15. ↑ Hoyt, Melanie (January 22, 2012). "Virtue and Moir win fourth title at Canadian Nationals". Golden Skate.
  16. 1 2 3 Thayer, Jacquelyn (July 8, 2012). "Catching Up with Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier". ice-dance.com.
  17. ↑ Green, Jeff (December 7, 2013). "Sochi 2014: Piper Gilles lands Canadian citizenship". Hamilton Spectator.
  18. ↑ Chiasson, Paul (December 17, 2013). "Sochi 2014: Ice dancer Piper Gilles becomes Canadian citizen". CBC. Associated Press.
  19. 1 2 Ewing, Lori (November 10, 2016). "Ice dance pair Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier aim for 2018 Olympics". Globe & Mail.
  20. ↑ "Silver medal for Gilles and Poirier at ISU Four Continents". Skate Canada. January 23, 2014.
  21. ↑ Slater, Paula (December 9, 2014). "Work has 'paid off' for Canada's Gilles and Poirier". Golden Skate.
  22. ↑ Slater, Paula (February 16, 2016). "Gilles and Poirier work to 'close the gap'". Golden Skate.
  23. ↑ Flade, Tatjana (February 17, 2017). "Virtue and Moir continue winning ways at Four Continents". Golden Skate.
  24. ↑ Cudmore, John (January 19, 2018). "Unionville's Poirier, partner Piper dance on for date in South Korea". YorkRegion.com.
  25. ↑ Bzdikian, Vartan (January 18, 2018). "RYERSON ALUMNA PIPER GILLES ON HER WAY TO FIRST WINTER OLYMPICS". The Eyeopener.
  26. ↑ Kwong, P.J. (September 1, 2018). "Canadian figure skating going through unprecedented transformation". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  27. ↑ "Canada's Gilles and Poirier score win at Nebelhorn Trophy". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 29, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier". Skate Canada.
  29. ↑ "Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017.
  30. 1 2 "Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier". IceNetwork.
  31. ↑ ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Rostelecom Cup 2017 Exhibition (Television production). Match! Arena. October 22, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017.
  33. ↑ Smith, Beverley (September 29, 2015). "Gilles, Poirier stray from norm in effort to close gap". IceNetwork.
  34. ↑ "Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier: 2013/2014". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
  38. ↑ "Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011.
  40. ↑ Walker, Elvin (November 28, 2010). "Crone and Poirier evolve into contenders". GoldenSkate.
  41. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 30, 2010.
  42. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009.
  43. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008.
  44. ↑ Mittan, Barry (September 9, 2007). "Crone and Poirier Continue Golden Ways". Skate Today.
  45. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 5, 2007.
  46. ↑ "Paul POIRIER: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009.
  47. ↑ "Competition Results: Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER". International Skating Union.
  48. 1 2 3 "Competition Results: Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012.
  49. ↑ "Competition Results: Paul POIRIER". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013.
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