GILLES / POIRIER (CAN) | Ice Dance Rhythm Dance | GP Final 2023

The final team represents Canada, Piper Gillies and Paul Poirier, winners of Skate Canada International in the Cup of China. They come in here ranked first, but they'll have to produce right now. There's a big score, it just went up in front of them and their personal best, season's best, 87.55. They'll skate to No More, I Love You and Addicted to Love. That transition within the midline step just doesn't get old. A little bit of a spin within the second twizzle I think for Piper. So many small little details to that performance, really quite special. Absolutely, and Piper had explained that they've stepped up the speed in the transitions and the samba, the choreo rhythm sequence to try and up the grade of execution. They've been working on different transitional exits from the lifts. There's a very definite, conscientious approach to pushing ever higher to try to repeat as Grand Prix Final champions following their success in Torino 12 months ago. It's difficult, I've just talked about Madison and Evan and how you had that emotional connection to them knowing that they've been at the Grand Prix Final so many times. With Piper and Paul, we know what Piper has endured, she had stage 1 ovarian cancer last year. You wish the very best for them, but if I just look very pragmatically at the skate, I don't think it was as clean as that of Madison and Evan in this instance. Well, it is sport and it has to be looked at on an individual basis at the moment of presentation. If that's the case, yeah you're right, it's emotional attachments to these skaters and their journeys. But, during the time that they perform, it has to be looked at cleanly, clearly and fairly. And this is where we see a forward inside counter there within the midline step. It's a level 3 for Piper, a level 2 for Paul assigned by the panel. And this, within the midline step, they're allowed to touch the ice within this element, should boost the grade of execution. But they have two levels lower compared to Madison and Evan who lead the field at this stage. So there's a loss in the tech score and then here, I think it's a right forward outside twizzle that they step into now. I think Piper had a spin on one of the rotations so that should drop a level as well. So, tech score perhaps a little lower but there's no doubting the commitment to the expression. Piper did say that they make the most wondrous team. I wanted to shout out also to Nick Robinson, their trainer who's been on their team for 8 years, pushing them on so many levels. Stephanie Moser, their physio who's been with them since the beginning and has gone above and beyond. There are so many people supporting Piper and Paul, not just the wonderful Caroline who joins them now in the Kissing Cup. Wonderfully said, it takes so many people to support all these athletes of course. This team has gone through so much but it's just partway through the season, much more to come of course. Rhythm Dance score is 85.17. That'll put Piper and Paul Curley into third place. They'll take a look at the report card, they'll see where they've lost some points, get back to work at that. But we have the pre-program, the free dance still yet to come. So comfortable it is between second and third. So, lots can happen in the free dance.