NEW QUADRENNIAL NEW MINDSET
While they continue to push the bounds of their skating in different directions, their current campaign is about something equally important — pushing themselves closer to being among the very best in the world.
Perhaps the most telling sign that Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier’s attitude has changed is not the regular appearances they have made on the podium — but rather, the disappointment they express with the color of some of the medals they won this past season.
Gilles and Poirier claimed bronze at both their Grand Prix events in Canada and France, but did not qualify for the Grand Prix Final in Vancouver. Not making the cut was a disappointment for the team.
On the flight home from their second Grand Prix in France, their coaches — Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs — decided that rather than spending the week of the Grand Prix Final being miserable, Gilles and Poirier should instead compete at Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia. They wound up mining gold at the senior B event, their second of the season. (The duo scored their first victory at Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, in late September).
It proved to be the perfect antidote for them. “The Final was always in our plans and when that opportunity didn’t come our way, we decided to put our programs out there on the world stage and get feedback from different judges,” said Gilles, 27.
“The two of us have dealt with disappointing seasons before and things just not going our way. So we have enough experience to not just sit back and wallow in the disappointment. We’ve really been able to capitalize on those moments of disappointment and turn them into something that fuels our energy. And it makes us take a step back and look at our programs differently than we would if everything was going great.”
“As much as it was disappointing at the time, being able to go to Zagreb gave us positive energy,” added Poirier, 27. “We got very good scores there and some really positive feedback — and it was nice to
