Paul Poirier

Paul Poirier

Gilles and Poirier in 2012
Personal information
Country represented Canada
Born November 6, 1991
Ottawa, Ontario
Home town Unionville, Ontario
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Partner Piper Gilles
Former partner Vanessa Crone
Coach Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Jon Lane
Choreographer Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Christopher Dean
Skating club Scarboro FSC
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 162.25
2015 Four Continents
Short dance 63.45
2015 Four Continents
Free dance 98.80
2015 Four Continents

Paul Poirier (born November 6, 1991) is a Canadian ice dancer. With Piper Gilles, he is the 2014 Four Continents silver medalist and a two-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] He studied linguistics at the University of Toronto.[2] His brother plays in the Ontario Hockey League.[3]

Career

Early career

Early in his career, Poirier also competed in single skating, and pair skating with Vanessa Crone.[4] The duo began skating together in May 2001.[5] They won the silver medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships.[6]

Senior career with Crone

Crone/Poirier won silver at 2008 Skate Canada, their first senior Grand Prix event, and placed fourth in their second event.[7] 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.[8] 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.[2] He said he would search for a new partner to continue his competitive career and did not exclude looking internationally.[9]

Partnership with Gilles

Poirier contacted American ice dancer Piper Gilles to arrange a tryout.[10] On July 27, 2011, Gilles and Poirier confirmed they had teamed up to represent Canada.[11] They could not compete internationally in their first season due to Gilles needing a release from U.S. Figure Skating.[11] They are coached by Carol Lane at the Scarboro Figure Skating Club at the Ice Galaxy in Scarborough, Ontario.[11][12] Their free dance was choreographed by Christopher Dean in Colorado Springs, Colorado in early June.[3] Gilles/Poirier won the bronze medal at the 2012 Canadian Championships.

In the 2012–13 season, Gilles/Poirier won the U.S. Classic. They received two Grand Prix assignments, 2012 Skate Canada International and 2012 Trophée Éric Bompard.[13] 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.

In May 2013, Poirier suffered a serious ankle injury,[14] delaying the duo's preparation for the upcoming season. 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.[15] Gilles became a Canadian citizen during the 2013-14 season, making Gilles and Poirier eligible to participate in the Olympics. However they finished 4th at the 2014 Canadian Championships and were not selected for the Canadian Olympic team.

For the 2014–15 Grand Prix season, Gilles and Poirier took second at 2014 Skate Canada International and second at 2014 Trophée Éric Bompard.[16] The team then went on to win the bronze at the 2014–15 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final before taking second place at the 2015 Canadian Figure Skating Championships. The ice dancers then capped off the season with a 6th place finish at the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships.

Programs

Ice dancing with Gilles

Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2014–2015
[17]
  • 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
    2013–2014
    [18][19]
    • Swing: Just One Dance
      by Caro Emerald
    • Quickstep: You Don't Leave Me
      by Caro Emerald
    • End Credit from Hitchcock
      by Danny Elfman
    • Explosion from Hitchcock
      by Danny Elfman
    • The Premiere from Hitchcock
      by Danny Elfman
    • The Rainstorm from Psycho
      by Bernard Hermann
    2012–2013
    [13][20]    		 Mary Poppins:
    • Sweet Dreams
    • Pure Imagination
    2011–2012

    Ice dancing with Crone

    Crone and Poirier in 2011
    Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
    2010–2011
    [21][22]
    Original dance
    2009–2010
    [23]
    2008–2009
    [24][5][7]
    • Slow Rag: Solace
      by Scott Joplin
    • Ragtime Two-step: The Entertainer
      by Scott Joplin
    2007–2008
    [25][26][4]
    • A Los Amigos
      by A. Pontier and F. Silva
    2006–2007
    [27]
    • Tango

    Single skating

    Season Short program Free skating
    2008–2009
    [28]

    Competitive highlights

    GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series (began in the 2014–15 season); JGP: Junior Grand Prix

    Ice dancing with Gilles

    International[29]
    Event 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15
    Worlds 18th 8th 6th
    Four Continents 5th 2nd 4th
    Grand Prix Final 5th
    GP Bompard 6th 2nd
    GP NHK Trophy 5th
    GP Rostelecom Cup 6th
    GP Skate Canada 4th 2nd
    CS Autumn Classic 2nd
    U.S. Classic 1st
    National[1]
    Canadian Champ. 3rd 2nd 4th 2nd
    SC Challenge 1st
    WD = Withdrew

    Ice dancing with Crone

    International[30]
    Event 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11
    Olympics 14th
    Worlds 12th 7th 10th
    Four Continents 4th 3rd
    Grand Prix Final 6th 3rd
    GP Bompard 4th
    GP NHK Trophy 3rd
    GP Rostelecom 4th
    GP Skate America 2nd
    GP Skate Canada 2nd 1st
    International: Junior[30]
    Junior Worlds 9th 2nd
    JGP Final 4th
    JGP Andorra 7th
    JGP Croatia 1st
    JGP Norway 3rd
    JGP Romania 1st
    JGP Taiwan 5th
    National[5][30]
    Canadian Champ. 12th N. 1st N. 6th J. 1st J. 4th 2nd 2nd 1st
    GP = Grand Prix; JGP = Junior Grand Prix
    Levels: N. = Novice; J. = Junior

    Single skating

    International[31]
    Event 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09
    JGP France 10th
    National
    Canadian Champ. 5th N. 3rd N. 2nd J. 11th
    Levels: N. = Novice; J. = Junior
    JGP = Junior Grand Prix

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier". Skate Canada.
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Crone, Poirier announce end of partnership". Skate Canada (Ice Network). June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (November 9, 2011). "The Inside Edge: Gilles and Poirier skate, play". Ice Network. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mittan, Barry (May 17, 2008). "Passionate Performances Propel Poirier and Crone". GoldenSkate.
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Vanessa Crone / Paul Poirier: 2008/2009". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009.
    6. ↑ Hoyt, Melanie (July 2008). "Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier". ice-dance.com.
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mittan, Barry (February 15, 2009). "Crone and Poirier Feel Up to Pre-Olympic Challenges". GoldenSkate.
    8. ↑ "More Olympic team members named in London". Skate Canada. January 18, 2010. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010.
    9. ↑ Kwong, PJ (June 2, 2011). "Catching Up With....Paul Poirier". Retrieved June 2, 2011.
    10. ↑ Walker, Elvin (September 23, 2012). "Gilles and Poirier make big impact at international debut". Golden Skate.
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Kany, Klaus-Reinhold (July 27, 2011). "Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier Dance to a New Rhythm". IFS Magazine. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
    12. ↑ Giffin, Taylor O. (February 14, 2013). "Worlds next stop for ice dance pair Gilles, Poirier". Toronto Observer.
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Thayer, Jacquelyn (July 8, 2012). "Catching Up with Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier". ice-dance.com.
    14. ↑ Green, Jeff (December 7, 2013). "Sochi 2014: Piper Gilles lands Canadian citizenship". Hamilton Spectator.
    15. ↑ Chiasson, Paul (December 17, 2013). "Sochi 2014: Ice dancer Piper Gilles becomes Canadian citizen". Associated Press.
    16. ↑ Slater, Paula (9 December 2014). "Work has 'paid off' for Canada’s Gilles and Poirier". Golden Skate.
    17. ↑ "Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER: 2014/2015". International Skating Union.
    18. ↑ "Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014.
    19. ↑ "Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier: 2013/2014". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
    20. ↑ "Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013.
    21. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011.
    22. ↑ Walker, Elvin (November 28, 2010). "Crone and Poirier evolve into contenders". GoldenSkate.
    23. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 30, 2010.
    24. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009.
    25. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008.
    26. ↑ Mittan, Barry (September 9, 2007). "Crone and Poirier Continue Golden Ways". Skate Today.
    27. ↑ "Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 5, 2007.
    28. ↑ "Paul POIRIER: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009.
    29. ↑ "Competition Results: Piper GILLES / Paul POIRIER". International Skating Union.
    30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 "Competition Results: Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012.
    31. ↑ "Competition Results: Paul POIRIER". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013.

    External links

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paul Poirier.