Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha have ended their partnership

[slider11]

Too tall? She's 1.53, quite shorter than his previous partner.

My mistake.... I thought Zach was taller than he apparently is.

 

[cocteautwin]

My mistake.... I thought Zach was taller than he apparently is.

I also was suprise when I saw those numbers, probably because their skating was big and powerful with a lot of ice coverage.

 

[moonvine]

LaLa, noooo! This one is the hardest to take. Unfortunately, not unexpected.

It's sad that such a great duo is dissolving their partnership, although perhaps they should just change coaches. For me, this is another symptom that the domination and monopoly of IAM is a disservice to the sport. Once you're there, you have nowhere else to go, even if it's not working for you. I know there's way more to that split than this, probably some personal stuff, but had they been cared for and packaged according to their talent, their results and story perhaps would be different.

I’m pretty known to not be a fan of IAM. My babies sure did not benefit.

 

[moonvine]

Remember: it's always going to get worse, before it gets LOT worse.

I’m going to make this into a motivational poster.

 

[IceDancingQueen]

Comments from Romain Hagenaur on their split:

Romain Hagenauer on the Lajoie/Lagha split: "They were like brother and sister, and they were a bit stuck in that pattern" - Maya Bagriantseva

Romain Hagenauer on the Lajoie/Lagha split: "They were like brother and sister, and they were a bit stuck in that pattern"

t.co

Thank you for this. I am absolutely heartbroken by this news but this explains a lot and maybe they both will find new partners that share the same artistic vision and Canada can have two strong partnerships. There are a lot of possibilities - Paul Ayer, Emmy Bronssard, Alicia Fabbri, Lily Henson, Nathan Lickers etc so maybe there is a partnership amongst this lot for them both. I am praying so!

 

[IceDancingQueen]

I could see Zach with Hannah, but doesn't she want to continue skating for Korea?

Ooh this could be good!

 

[moonvine]

I wonder how this is possible. Fed changes for top skaters is not easy. It seems to beggar belief, if only from a red tape perspective.

Jean Luc hasn’t competed in quite some time.

 

[moonvine]

Thanks so much for sharing baby Jean-Luc with his early partner, Joylyn Yang. Aww I never saw Jean-Luc skate with anyone other than Kaitlin Hawayek. Sooo cute and very talented, as we have always known him to be.

I’m so sad.

 

[moonvine]

I’m going to go hide in a corner and cry until the season starts. See you in August

 

[NanaPat]

Neither is he trying to deflect responsibility as a coach.

I thought he was, in that he didn't address their declining results and poorly-received programs of the last few years. It left me wondering if he was implying that their musical tastes were so different that they had to compromise on poor music choices. I find it hard to accept that anyone (Marjorie, Zack, or coach) thought Austin Powers was a good idea, let alone that it was acceptable to all of them.

 

[Alfa]

I thought he was, in that he didn't address their declining results and poorly-received programs of the last few years. It left me wondering if he was implying that their musical tastes were so different that they had to compromise on poor music choices. I find it hard to accept that anyone (Marjorie, Zack, or coach) thought Austin Powers was a good idea, let alone that it was acceptable to all of them.

I read the article with Roman and I couldn't understand so many things, like as a coach how can you allow your athletes to go down this trajectory for 2 years. Ultimately, this seems like such an immature reason to split! The coaches should have put their foot down in this situation, end of story.

I'm honestly very disappointed.

 

[peepsquick]

Everyone seems so eager to shift the blame on to the trainers but I believe the philosophy at IAM is to create an environment meant to empower the teams to find and refine their own voice/style, not impose choices on them. From what I read, Lala's problems seems to reside in the fact that they could not find a common voice. They might just have given themselves a better chance of succeeding by finding new partners... as sad as I am that it came to that.

 

[4everchan]

I think coaches have a part of responsibility here. It's not like they didn't know they had a classically trained musician to work with. Of course, Zachary's musical culture is way different than most. I'm.fully aware of this myself. Zach must have hated the RDs thèmes. However, I've played and coached all sorts of ensembles. Even in the classical music world, everyone has different tastes. Good coaches know how to connect people with the most different tastes and cultures. I have a hard time believing that this year's RD was the only option there for them. Btw, they haven't even skated to real classical music. Warsaw concerto ain't it. Nor is White Crow. Even less so with Roses, which was however a good program for them. So perhaps they should have gone with a different kind of compromise when it comes to programs . A real Marjo choice for RDs and a real Zach choice for FDs.

I always thought they did well with what they were given but I rarely liked what they indeed were given. So in that sense, as someone who does have to guide my own students through the nebulous meanders of piano repertoire, I think they did fail as coaches and choreographers.

They had a wonderfully talented unique set of skaters and they turned them bland. In the end, with all the work Zach and Marjo did, on subpar material, they lost their drive and desire to keep going.

At this point, i understand the split and it is necessary maybe... But it should never have had to happen.

Rant over

 

[Sai Bon]

I contacted my spy over at IAM directly during my lunch break…
Unofficially, it is:

Zachary is with Hannah
Marjorie is with Jean Luc

Personally, I think Marjorie has the better partner. Hopefully, they both skate for

Seriously?!!!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I’m going to go hide in a corner and cry until the season starts. See you in August

If you love Zac and Marjo, root them on and be supportive in their courageous efforts to find new and hopefully greater partnership successes. They clearly did not make this momentous choice lightly.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I think coaches have a part of responsibility here. It's not like they didn't know they had a classically trained musician to work with. Of course, Zachary's musical culture is way different than most. I'm.fully aware of this myself. Zach must have hated the RDs thèmes. However, I've played and coached all sorts of ensembles. Even in the classical music world, everyone has different tastes. Good coaches know how to connect people with the most different tastes and cultures. I have a hard time believing that this year's RD was the only option there for them. Btw, they haven't even skated to real classical music. Warsaw concerto ain't it. Nor is White Crow. Even less so with Roses, which was however a good program for them. So perhaps they should have gone with a different kind of compromise when it comes to programs . A real Marjo choice for RDs and a real Zach choice for FDs.

I always thought they did well with what they were given but I rarely liked what they indeed were given. So in that sense, as someone who does have to guide my own students through the nebulous meanders of piano repertoire, I think they did fail as coaches and choreographers.

They had a wonderfully talented unique set of skaters and they turned them bland. In the end, with all the work Zach and Marjo did, on subpar material, they lost their drive and desire to keep going.

At this point, i understand the split and it is necessary maybe... But it should never have had to happen.

Rant over

Coaches cannot do all the heavy lifting. Fans who love Zac and Marjorie maybe should take some time out for a marathon of LaLa performance vids, and get the tears out and crying binge done. Reading what Romain had to say gave me a greater understanding of the reasons behind the split. Even Romain did not want them to split. There's a lot of human stuff going on that can be instructive if we take a step back and cease trying to assess blame. Romain clearly pointed out that coaches can only do so much to help, and that it was the independent natures of both Z & M which had them struggling to make artistic choices in a unified and beneficial way.

At the end of the day, Zac & Marjo made the career choice they felt was best for them, and they did not decide hastily. And they apparently still respect and love each other.
Hugs to you @4everchan

 

[moonvine]

I have competed my masterwork

 

[moonvine]

If you love Zac and Marjo, root them on and be supportive in their courageous efforts to find new and hopefully greater partnership successes. They clearly did not make this momentous choice lightly.

I love Kaitlyn and Jean Luc.

 

[moonvine]

If you love Zac and Marjo, root them on and be supportive in their courageous efforts to find new and hopefully greater partnership successes. They clearly did not make this momentous choice lightly.

I love Kaitlyn and Jean Luc.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I love Kaitlyn and Jean Luc.

You mean Kaitlin Hawayek. Kaitlyn Weaver spells her first name with a 'y.'

I fell in love with Kaitlin and Jean-Luc from juniors onward. It was so hard seeing them forced to end their career together, largely due to injuries.