Anything on Dubreuil and Lauzon ???

[chuckm]

There's no guarantee that if D/L did skate this season they'd be a shoo-in for gold. It is not certain that Denkova/Staviiski will retire for sure, and don't expect Belbin/Agosto come into this season unprepared. D/L complained of being tired, and a tired couple is not necessarily going to be a victorious one.

 

[waxel]

I'm afraid the saying "out of sight, out of mind" could come into play. Sure they think they'll remain visable doing ice shows ... but that's quite different than staying on the radar of eligible judges.

 

[layman]

I agree with the majority sentiment that the field is simply too talented and improving too fast for Dubreil and Lauzon to sit out even a single season.

Look what happened with Belbin and Agosto when they lost a single month of training prior to last season

When Drobiasko/Vanagas, Fusar-Poli/Margalio sat out four seasons prior to Torino, they really hurt their chances at the games and it was clear from the competition that the rest of the field had passed them by (they could not keep up with the new technical demands of the sport and ended up falling all over the place and really embarassing themselves in the process...I would not want to go out like that). Dubreil and Lauzon should learn from them and go out on a high note...either stay in and go for one more Olympics or leave now forever.

Every team is tired at this point, if Dubreil and Lauzon want to have any chance at an Olympic medal (in their home country) they need to hang in with the field.

 

[chuckm]

By 2008 Worlds, D/L will be 33 and 32. A team in their 30's may appear to have bodies as young as those in their mid-20s, but the unseen wear and tear doesn't show on the outside. Their age will make it even harder to return to competition after a year away. I think they are probably done. At the 2010 Olympics, they would be 35 and 34, and I'm sure they don't want to finish off the podium.