Charlie Bilodeau retires from competitive skating

[mrrice]

He's so young still, I'm very surprised about him wanting to quit. So sad for Lubov. I really hope she can find another partner. She is just such a bright light. Maybe she can teach Nic Nadeau how to pairs skate.

But...I have to respect his decision. If he no longer wants to skate, then he no longer wants to skate, and shouldn't feel like he has to. It's just too bad that he had to disappoint two very talented and wonderful partners before coming to this realization.

It's the TIMING that has me so upset. Why not call her and give her heads up before she has to read about HER career in the press. When you quit a job in the US you're supposed to give 2 weeks notice before you leave. Call her 2 weeks before the announcement and though it would still hurt, at least she'd have heard it directly from him. OK, that's my final comment on this subject. See what I did there....

 

[el henry]

[/B]

It's the TIMING that has me so upset. Why not call her and give her heads up before she has to read about HER career in the press. When you quit a job in the US you're supposed to give 2 weeks notice before you leave. Call her 2 weeks before the announcement and though it would still hurt, at least she have heard it directly from him. OK, that's my final comment on this subject. See what I did there....

Mr. Rice, I think you may be commenting based on misunderstandings in previous posts of Charlie's article.

Charlie *did* tell Lubov before the article was published, it sounds from my reading of the article like he told her and their coach together by FaceTime. (or Skype or Zoom or something like that).

The lead time may have been short, perhaps only a day, but he did tell her. I don't have an opinion on whether he gave her enough "lead time" or not, to my mind it's like a divorce: if your spouse wants one, and you don't, all the lead time in the world doesn't help.

I wish both Charlie and Lubov the best:hap85:

 

[rain]

[/B]

It's the TIMING that has me so upset. Why not call her and give her heads up before she has to read about HER career in the press. When you quit a job in the US you're supposed to give 2 weeks notice before you leave. Call her 2 weeks before the announcement and though it would still hurt, at least she have heard it directly from him. OK, that's my final comment on this subject. See what I did there....

As el henry said, Charlie did tell her and their coach before announcing it.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Mr. Rice, I think you may be commenting based on misunderstandings in previous posts of Charlie's article.

Charlie *did* tell Lubov before the article was published, it sounds from my reading of the article like he told her and their coach together by FaceTime. (or Skype or Zoom or something like that).

The lead time may have been short, perhaps only a day, but he did tell her. I don't have an opinion on whether he gave her enough "lead time" or not, to my mind it's like a divorce: if your spouse wants one, and you don't, all the lead time in the world doesn't help.

I wish both Charlie and Lubov the best:hap85:

Wow, a whole day.

The mind reels.

 

[ice coverage]

... There's a reason why Charlie's getting so much backlash against someone else on the front page like Quinn who are in the exact same position: dumping a partner in order to retire. ...

What? The word "dump" does not apply whatsoever to Quinn and his partner.

Quinn chose to retire after a FIFTEEN-YEAR partnership with Lorraine.
Together they worked their way up from juveniles to seniors, with many successes along the way. Again, for FIFTEEN YEARS.
Absolutely not a case of "dumping."

 

[WeakAnkles]

What? The word "dump" does not apply whatsoever to Quinn and his partner.

Quinn chose to retire after a FIFTEEN-year partnership with Lorraine.
Together they worked their way up from juveniles to seniors, with many successes along the way.

Exactly. TOTALLY different ways of handling a retirement. Notice Lorraine's social media post where she thanks Quinn for their time together and wishes him all the best. That indicates the matter was thoroughly discussed and agreed upon (not to mention giving each person a chance to process whatever feeling they might have) BEFORE going public.

 

[TontoK]

Mr. Rice, I think you may be commenting based on misunderstandings in previous posts of Charlie's article.

Charlie *did* tell Lubov before the article was published, it sounds from my reading of the article like he told her and their coach together by FaceTime. (or Skype or Zoom or something like that).

The lead time may have been short, perhaps only a day, but he did tell her. I don't have an opinion on whether he gave her enough "lead time" or not, to my mind it's like a divorce: if your spouse wants one, and you don't, all the lead time in the world doesn't help.

I wish both Charlie and Lubov the best:hap85:

I think some fans tend to view these partnerships like a marriage. In some ways I suppose they are. But in others, they aren't.

There's nothing "wrong" with Charlie dissolving the partnership. Do people think he should have continued, even though he clearly doesn't want to?

As for whether people feel he gave her enough notice... or whether she herself feels she had enough notice... that's a legit topic of discussion.

But, as you imply, exactly when would have been the right time? After the quarantine was over and the choreographers had gotten to work? Just before nationals?

I think this period of isolation has caused many people to re-evaluate our lives and examine what's really important. I've done that myself, and I won't lay blame on him for doing that, too.

 

[silverfoxes]

Wow, a whole day.

The mind reels.

Yes...and he had this whole prepared statement for the media already. That's what I find tacky. This obviously wasn't a completely impulsive decision, but the way he informed her almost seems like an afterthought. And he's been through this before with Julianne, who made it well known how hurt she was.

He's like the guy on Sex & The City that broke up with Carrie on a Post-It Note. It's just cowardly.

 

[Osmond4gold]

I think some fans tend to view these partnerships like a marriage. In some ways I suppose they are. But in others, they aren't.

There's nothing "wrong" with Charlie dissolving the partnership. Do people think he should have continued, even though he clearly doesn't want to?

As for whether people feel he gave her enough notice... or whether she herself feels she had enough notice... that's a legit topic of discussion.

But, as you imply, exactly when would have been the right time? After the quarantine was over and the choreographers had gotten to work? Just before nationals?

I think this period of isolation has caused many people to re-evaluate our lives and examine what's really important. I've done that myself, and I won't lay blame on him for doing that, too.

There was no ''quarantine'' when he broke ties with Julianne within weeks of their GP season, and similarly she was blindsided by the news. #allaboutmecharlie

 

[mrrice]

Wow, a whole day.

The mind reels.

Exactly. He KNEW he would be ending 2 careers with his decision and that's why I'm still sad for his partner. If he were a singles skater, a move like this would impact his coaches and that's it. He took his partner down with him by waiting until it was too late to find a new partner and that is what I can't get over.

 

[Skater Boy]

Another person Charlie just leaves in the dust... I feel bad for Lubov since they had so much potential. I wonder what she’s going to do?

I just think he owed it to himself, his coaches, Skate Canada, Lubov to try more than a year. Yes, it is his decision but it affects so many people -many we don't know. I am not sure if this will help him if he stays in skating. Julianne and him were fourth in the world. Eerily it reflects a bit another pewter winner Kirsten MT and Dylan back in the day. Well what is done is done. THere probably goes the dream of Canaa having three teams at the olympics.

 

[Skater Boy]

What? The word "dump" does not apply whatsoever to Quinn and his partner.

Quinn chose to retire after a FIFTEEN-YEAR partnership with Lorraine.
Together they worked their way up from juveniles to seniors, with many successes along the way. Again, for FIFTEEN YEARS.
Absolutely not a case of "dumping."

Maybe we are splitting hairs but this is the second time Charlie has done this and because of the timing and age it probably makes it hard for Lubov to find another partner. Lubov gave up a job for this and it is during Covid 19 - her finances and everything is in jeopordy.

 

[ice coverage]

Maybe we are splitting hairs but this is the second time Charlie has done this and because of the timing and age it probably makes it hard for Lubov to find another partner. Lubov gave up a job for this and it is during Covid 19 - her finances and everything is in jeopordy.

My post was about QUINN.

(Because gravy's post in this thread was completely unfair to Quinn.)

I did not even mention Charlie, so I have no idea why you quoted my post.

 

[el henry]

Wow, a whole day.

The mind reels.

I didn't say it was a lot But there was some talk at the beginning of the thread that Lubov found out by reading the paper, and I do think there is a difference. I finally got to put that BA in French to some use

 

[DSQ]

Didn't she leave Cirque du Soleil because he contacted her to skate together? And he barely gave it a year? He's dumped 2 partners this way now...you can maybe chalk the first time up to being young and immature, but he obviously didn't learn anything at all. What a jerk. Sorry for Lyubov, she deserved a lot better than him.

This says it all. It’s one thing to hate confrontation but another to treat others with such disrespect.

 

[cell]

I didn't say it was a lot But there was some talk at the beginning of the thread that Lubov found out by reading the paper, and I do think there is a difference. I finally got to put that BA in French to some use

She may as well have found out by reading the paper. See her instagram post about feeling being stabbed in the back.

 

[karne]

Didn't he ditch his partner last year because he said she was holding them back? And now a year later he does this?

Sounds like someone with an overinflated sense of his self-importance and an ego bigger than Mount Everest.

 

[Lota]

I just hope that if he does see negative comments towards him on Twitter, Instagram and other social media, he understands exactly why people are angry with him, instead of believing that they're insensitive and simply don't understand the anguish he's been going through (once again, his reasons for leaving skating are totally valid, his way of handling this is situation - :hpull: ). If he's the self-pitying type though... maybe he won't :scowl:

 

[slider11]

Ugh...my favorite pair team. I agree that it is like a divorce and that every person deserves to be happy in a relationship. But Lubov deserved better than a facetime announcement that he was done. Charlie should have let her know of his concerns personally a month or more ago, whenever he first started having doubts. Perhaps he hadn't come to a decision but she had the right to know of his serious concerns so she could process this before the blow. I don't criticize his decision but the way he let the other person know. My sadness goes to Lubov. I am not angry at Charlie, just disappointed.

 

[skylark]

Didn't he ditch his partner last year because he said she was holding them back? And now a year later he does this?

Sounds like someone with an overinflated sense of his self-importance and an ego bigger than Mount Everest.

From reading the whole article, I don't agree with this. He was going through a lot of anguish. He wasn't happy devoting himself to one thing. He found himself much happier when he lived a more balanced life, giving himself the freedom to be passionate about more than one activity and more than one commitment.

I wish Charlie had told Lubov a week or two ahead of time, to give her time to process her feelings and maybe ask him questions, to help her not feel blind-sided.

But actually I don't think it was about an inflated ego. More about being in denial, hiding the truth from himself.