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Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron at Masters de Patinage 2025
- Thread starter iceskatingphoto
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- Feb 24, 2012
tHANK you for sharing. What a wonderful competition. Lawrence and Guillaume look like they are stepping on to the world podium. They are really going to shake up ice dance. Can they beat Madison and Evan I am not so sure but everyone else is looking at dropping a notch. Lawrence and Guillaume have two strong programs that suit them. I find Lawrence stronger than Gabby in many ways. She has more presence and stronger skating skills - perfect for Gullaume. You could tell especially on the podium that the other Fench ice dancers felt defeated and that this was more of a coronation. The FRench Federation clearly have backed this new team. There are going to be some very happy and yet some very very disapponited teams in dance. There are only three spots and if Madi and Evan and Gullaume and Lawrence have two of those spots it leaves Fear and Gibson who had the momentum, the Spanish team and Dune 2, Italy who are technically brilliant and the olympics are in Italy and the team that seems to always end up in that unfortunate s pot Gilles and Porier having just missed the olympics years ago and a few seconds and fourth probably the team that will end up just off the podium. The look on the French champs from 2025 faces said it all as they took their silver. This will also strengthen Frances chance at a bronze in the team event.
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I disagree on the comparison with Gabi who is an exceptional skater herself. She and Guillaume brought the magic together. I was hoping Guillaume would now use Laurence's strengths which are very different from Gabi's, to create something new. Not the case.
I was sceptical because I would not consider these two skaters a perfect match (which could well be "opposites attract" like Chock/Bates) - based on what they presented in the past and there known strenghts. In my opinion this was the case - it was Cizeron as always, without Papadakis. And with Fournier-Beaudry getting in the way. Papadakis had an ethereal presence which complemented Cizeron perfectly, whereas Fournier-Beaudry appears stronger, more directly "into the face". I prefer skaters with a more outgoing style, more evident acrobatics, so I was never a fan of Papadakis/Cizeron, but their sophisticated unique style had to be appreciated and it was very clear they were way better then the rest of the field.
It was clear from the beginning that the French Fed would not only support the new team but do everything possible to push it forward. It was clear as well that Lopareva/Brissaud would be thrown under the bus. But I didn't expect it to be THIS obvious at the very first outing. Lopareva/Brissaud made mistakes, but they seemed faster, more fluent and "together", whereas Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron obviously looked not in synch overall, appeared slow(er) and some elements clearly were far from ideal. BUT the marks were like a reward for a nearly perfect, polished dance at the end of the season. +4/+5 GOE across the board is really ridiculous at this point and for what was on offer. Let alone PCS.
It was clear from the beginning that the French Fed would not only support the new team but do everything possible to push it forward. It was clear as well that Lopareva/Brissaud would be thrown under the bus. But I didn't expect it to be THIS obvious at the very first outing. Lopareva/Brissaud made mistakes, but they seemed faster, more fluent and "together", whereas Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron obviously looked not in synch overall, appeared slow(er) and some elements clearly were far from ideal. BUT the marks were like a reward for a nearly perfect, polished dance at the end of the season. +4/+5 GOE across the board is really ridiculous at this point and for what was on offer. Let alone PCS.
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- Mar 7, 2015
I think that's how I feel too. Guillaume was the better skater but with Gabi, they had worked together to create something special. Their Fauré Free dance at the Olympics remains one of my ultimate favourites. I think Laurence is a stronger skater in some aspects but in this partnership, so far, I don't think they are using her strengths as much as they could. So to me, it's kind of Guillaume + 1 for now and it's not making me very happy as Laurence's brilliance is not showcased. Sœrensen was often seen as the weaker link in their partnership but he knew how to make her look good.
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- Dec 20, 2019
Thanks you Wilma!!
I think that Laurence have a lot of potential and the most probable is that during this season would see something more improved , i liked it their RD and their FD was elegant, simple and expressive (very French style) , maybe some people don't understand the theme of their FD but was nice . FD is about creativity but also for me is keep elegance, dignity, authenticity. Can be lyrical or theatrical but keeping the balance and no choose a theme that is so used that can fall in fatigue or can seem like a mock to something.
Is so nice see Laurence back in competition..
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- Jan 10, 2016
Will they be able to go to Olympics? She’s not a citizen. Is it that quick to be able to become a French citizen?
I don't normally watch ID but I felt absolutely nothing watching Cizeron with his new partner. Then I left this event and clicked a random video on YouTube which turned out to be WC in Saitama. I couldn't take my eyes off them - the intensity was off the Richter scale.
Laurence' lines matches Gui better. She is more muscular
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- Oct 26, 2016
This is not where pc's magic came from but it could make FB/C an interesting match. I doubt Guillaume will go this route.
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- Mar 7, 2015
It is faster when you have family established there i.e her grandfather.. and that's what she mentioned
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- Dec 7, 2017
For me there is no denying the what strong skaters Gui and Laurence are. I watched them first before watching L/B and D/L and it was no comparison on the fluidity, glide and speed that Gui and LoLo had, eventhough I really like the other two French teams.
I think they are likely to make the podium based on their strengths as separate skaters but their partnership still needs to gel for me. As everyone has said Lolo is not being used to her strengths and to be honest I find her more compelling to watch than Gui because she is so dynamic. Gabby was perfect for Gui in that way cause he could lead and she knew exactly to move to compliment him despite being a strong skater herseIf but she was almost like his canvas. Lolo’s style is so different to Gabby and she needs more highlights - they could be a sensational partnership but I don’t think Gui will like taking a back seat to Lolo or at least letting her have equal highlights in the pieces.
It’s funny cause although Gabby and Gui’s lifts were never as difficult as what others do, it didn’t bother me too much (although I think they should have been scored accordingly) because it suited their dance style whereas the lifts with Lolo really highlight Gui’s weakness in this area - her and Nik’s lifts were sensational and so innovative - and as @4everchan said, Nik knew how to highlight Lolo….
I don’t think they will challenge Madi and Evan either but agree the rest is up for grabs. I am still hopeful for a Bronze for Piper and Paul. Im not sure Fear/Gibson will leap over them and the Italians. The Italians looked rough last year and perhaps their age is starting to show so I don’t know if home ice will be an advantage for them. The only year they beat Piper and Paul was when Piper had cancer so barring a huge error from p2 im
keeping the faith that they will still make the podium. But the Olympics are always crazy so who knows!
I think they are likely to make the podium based on their strengths as separate skaters but their partnership still needs to gel for me. As everyone has said Lolo is not being used to her strengths and to be honest I find her more compelling to watch than Gui because she is so dynamic. Gabby was perfect for Gui in that way cause he could lead and she knew exactly to move to compliment him despite being a strong skater herseIf but she was almost like his canvas. Lolo’s style is so different to Gabby and she needs more highlights - they could be a sensational partnership but I don’t think Gui will like taking a back seat to Lolo or at least letting her have equal highlights in the pieces.
It’s funny cause although Gabby and Gui’s lifts were never as difficult as what others do, it didn’t bother me too much (although I think they should have been scored accordingly) because it suited their dance style whereas the lifts with Lolo really highlight Gui’s weakness in this area - her and Nik’s lifts were sensational and so innovative - and as @4everchan said, Nik knew how to highlight Lolo….
I don’t think they will challenge Madi and Evan either but agree the rest is up for grabs. I am still hopeful for a Bronze for Piper and Paul. Im not sure Fear/Gibson will leap over them and the Italians. The Italians looked rough last year and perhaps their age is starting to show so I don’t know if home ice will be an advantage for them. The only year they beat Piper and Paul was when Piper had cancer so barring a huge error from p2 im
keeping the faith that they will still make the podium. But the Olympics are always crazy so who knows!
Guillaume and Laurence skated together for less than a year. And they already looked heads above everyone else at Masters.
Yes, there is a lot of work to do, and Romain already acknowledged it. They will work on their short dance, make the free dance more difficult. They will match their lines. They will improve along the season as Guillaume always did with Gabi.
They can even win the Games. I wouldn't be surprised. I remember how it was in 2015. Young, inexperienced Gui & Gabi. 4th (!) after the short dance. Behind the notorious Weaver & Poje and Chock & Bates. But they went on the ice. Skated their free dance breathtakingly. And won the world title. I am sure Guillaume can do it again.
But even if not, I won't mind. Guillaume and Laurence brought magic back onto the ice, and that's enough for me.
Yes, there is a lot of work to do, and Romain already acknowledged it. They will work on their short dance, make the free dance more difficult. They will match their lines. They will improve along the season as Guillaume always did with Gabi.
They can even win the Games. I wouldn't be surprised. I remember how it was in 2015. Young, inexperienced Gui & Gabi. 4th (!) after the short dance. Behind the notorious Weaver & Poje and Chock & Bates. But they went on the ice. Skated their free dance breathtakingly. And won the world title. I am sure Guillaume can do it again.
But even if not, I won't mind. Guillaume and Laurence brought magic back onto the ice, and that's enough for me.
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- Jan 31, 2019
Personally, I think that the stronger the competition, the more incentive is for each team to work on programs that would be something worth watching. The further into the season, the more it would matter, even though in early/small/national outings the judges can afford to be starry-eyed (if they were). Now that everyone had a chance to see what this partnership is geared with, they can adjust their programs or even change them to counter.
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- Jun 21, 2003
I think that's the main takeaway. We'll see.
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I think it's clear that Fournier-Beaudry/Cizeron have tons of potential together, and with their combined experience they've managed to come a long way in a short period of time. That said, this still looks like a first year partnership effort — it's not quite all there for me yet.
One of my biggest quibbles, I think, is that I was expecting more from their programs — more innovation, more highlights, more of a melding of styles rather than just Fournier-Beaudry replacing Papadakis in programs that are all Cizeron.
I found the Depeche Mode music unfortunately blah in the SD. The SD itself suffers under the inevitable comparison to the much better whacking program Papadakis/Cizeron did. I know, I know, this was voguing, not whacking, but there's no getting away from the fact that both are based on a lot of synchronized arms. Papadakis/Cizeron's whacking program was unexpected, fresh, sharper, with better music. This was a complete miss for me. If they weren't such a new team, I'd tell them to go back to the drawing board, but I suspect they've already put in too much time on this one to ditch it when they have so many things to work on together.
The FD was the better effort of the two programs, but it was totally Cizeron's wheelhouse. This one might grow on me as the season goes. I was not an instant fan of the Fauré program that won Gabby/Guillaume the Olympics the first time I saw it either, but their Olympic performance of it is one of my favourite programs of all time. Right now, it doesn't build, or hit enough interesting/unique moments. There were points where they looked a bit careful, thinking through the choreography in both programs.
Now, we have not seen what the other top teams have in store yet this season, but these programs, for me, were not an automatic podium placement, though I suspect a very strong political push will get them there anyway. They needed to team up at least a year earlier, in my opinion, to have the mileage. It looked good, not great. Neither program is especially exciting.
One of my biggest quibbles, I think, is that I was expecting more from their programs — more innovation, more highlights, more of a melding of styles rather than just Fournier-Beaudry replacing Papadakis in programs that are all Cizeron.
I found the Depeche Mode music unfortunately blah in the SD. The SD itself suffers under the inevitable comparison to the much better whacking program Papadakis/Cizeron did. I know, I know, this was voguing, not whacking, but there's no getting away from the fact that both are based on a lot of synchronized arms. Papadakis/Cizeron's whacking program was unexpected, fresh, sharper, with better music. This was a complete miss for me. If they weren't such a new team, I'd tell them to go back to the drawing board, but I suspect they've already put in too much time on this one to ditch it when they have so many things to work on together.
The FD was the better effort of the two programs, but it was totally Cizeron's wheelhouse. This one might grow on me as the season goes. I was not an instant fan of the Fauré program that won Gabby/Guillaume the Olympics the first time I saw it either, but their Olympic performance of it is one of my favourite programs of all time. Right now, it doesn't build, or hit enough interesting/unique moments. There were points where they looked a bit careful, thinking through the choreography in both programs.
Now, we have not seen what the other top teams have in store yet this season, but these programs, for me, were not an automatic podium placement, though I suspect a very strong political push will get them there anyway. They needed to team up at least a year earlier, in my opinion, to have the mileage. It looked good, not great. Neither program is especially exciting.
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