Latest news with #IceAcademyofMontreal
CBC
28-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Fournier Beaudry maintains 'spark' and 'passion' ahead of new challenge with Olympic champion Cizeron
Social Sharing Canadian figure skater Laurence Fournier Beaudry is starting a new chapter on the ice alongside 30-year-old Olympic and world ice dance champion Guillaume Cizeron. After more than a decade of competing, the 32-year-old isn't quite ready to hang up her skates. So, she's teamed up with Cizeron for another go on the ice. The pair trains out of the Ice Academy of Montreal, but are hoping to compete for Cizeron's home country of France in the upcoming season. "I introduced the idea to Laurence a few months ago, I think we were both at a crossroads," Cizeron told CBC Sports. "We were getting close to the end, but had the feeling of maybe some unfinished business … and thought it would be a good opportunity to have a new, last chapter together." WATCH | Fournier Beaudry still has desire to compete, opens new chapter Cizeron: The partnership marks the Frenchman's official return to the sport after not competing for nearly three years. He was previously partnered up with Gabriella Papadakis, whom he won the 2022 Olympic gold medal with, and five world titles. Cizeron and Papadakis officially retired their partnership in December 2024. Turning the page Fournier Beaudry, a Montreal native, competed for Canada at the Beijing 2022 Olympics where she placed ninth with her former partner Nikolaj Soerensen. Skate Canada issued the ban for Soerensen in October 2024 following an investigation by the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner into an allegation that he sexually assaulted an American figure skating coach and former skater in Hartford, Conn., in 2012. He has been barred from sport for a minimum of six years for "sexual maltreatment." Soerensen has denied the allegation, which has not been tested in court. As Fournier Beaudry embarks on a new team partnership, she says she still has a "spark" and "passion" for the sport. "We love challenges. And I think we saw that as an opportunity to evolve towards something new and create something new together and discover each other through this new partnership," Fournier Beaudry told CBC Sports. Cizeron says the two still have more to give despite their respective lengthy and successful careers on the ice. "I think we were both at that place where we could have retired happily," he said. "But we're still young, and I think the passion to perform and the will to get better … that little fire inside that you need to train every day." Each athlete brings well over a decade of experience and knowledge, something they hope to use to their advantage. "On the ice, off the ice, the partnership component, everything that goes into the preparation of an Olympic athlete, I think we have a lot of knowledge and experience," Cizeron said. "We can combine that experience that we have separately and use each other's strength to get better and compete against a team that's strong." Fournier Beaudry says the pair is preparing to begin competing together in August of 2024. "We have nothing to lose, we have everything to gain," Fournier Beaudry said. "We're still discovering and still creating and it's just been a beautiful surprise."
BBC News
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Fear & Gibson - the best friends who keep rivals close
When Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson first trained together in Montreal a decade ago, even their coach did not let them know exactly how badly it had was a junior ice dancer but Gibson was new to the had been a singles skater but turning jumps into jives is not an overnight they are the first British figure skaters to win a medal at a World Championships since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean in 1984 after taking bronze on Sport takes a look at how an initially "terrible" first practice in Canada evolved into the creation of Britain's most successful ice dancers in a generation. Keeping friends close and rivals closer Fear and Gibson train at the Ice Academy of Montreal, where many of the top couples practise and whose skaters account for nine of the past 10 World Championship gold medals in ice describes the environment as a "creative, collaborative and competitive"."I think the word that comes to mind is motivating because we are training alongside our top competitors," the 25-year-old told BBC Sport earlier this year. "And when you see what material they have and what they're working on, it forces everyone around them to elevate their game."We support one another, we're all friends, we're encouraging. And it's just a really very special environment. And I wouldn't trade it for the world."It was there that they teamed up with renowned coach Romain Haguenauer - and it was he who did not let on his real thoughts on what 30-year-old Gibson has described as a "terrible" first practice session together in Montreal."[There were] some little passive jokes perhaps but we always felt his belief and his encouragement for us to really want to try and go as far as we could," Gibson said previously."That has really instilled a hard work ethic in us and also where we want to get to in the sport, it just seems that the possibilities are endless, and I think that really came from him."Haguenauer is also the coach of Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who won their third successive world title this year. Being creative - on and off the ice A talented artist, who loves interior decorating, DIY and drawing, Gibson has also been able to channel creativity on to the ice – something that has been actively encouraged by to Fear, their coach will always say "why not?" to new Gibson, Fear is also highly creative, this year designing her own dress for their free that context, it was no surprise that they bucked the trend and went for a fun disco-style free dance in 2018-19 while many of their rivals were skating to more serious classical crowds got on board with the 'Disco Brits' and their scores began to rise, winning the national championships and placing sixth at the Europeans that season. Loving the limelight Over the years Fear and Gibson have been known for their high-energy performances that have delighted crowds because they always look like they are having fun with their best really has spoken in the past of his enjoyment of performing – be it dancing with his dad or posting light-hearted social was that aspect of ice dance, coupled with a struggle to consistently perform the big jumps in single and pairs skating, that persuaded him to switch disciplines in 2015 at the age of had been a late starter in figure skating, only taking it up at the age of 11, and even though he was a natural – he raced through three badges in one of his first beginner sessions – he was not qualifying for the biggest events in their first season together in 2016-17, he and Fear won the British ice dance title and qualified for the European Championships. Away from the ice, Fear enjoys performing behind the microphone, either singing or presenting podcasts.A psychology student with a thirst for learning, she presents and edits her own podcasts where her interview subjects range from athletes to authors to entrepreneurs."I just really have felt the power of role models in my own life, [Canadian Olympic ice dance champion] Tessa Virtue really inspired me in this sport and the belief in myself," she said. "And I want to be able to give that to people in a variety of crafts from all over the world to share stories and just spark something in my listeners."Gibson has been a guest on her show, revealing his love of haggis and fudge and how he has the latitude and longitude coordinates of his home town - Prestwick in Scotland - tattooed on his shoulder. The right music and an 'authentic' message When it comes to their music choices for their dances, there are a couple of simple requirements."We go with the one that makes us the most excited and where we think, oh, yeah, we want to skate to that every single morning when it's freezing at 7am, and get all the repetitions and hear it over and over again," Fear season that means a Beyonce medley for the free dance, which includes Halo, which has allowed them to show a more emotional side before the trademark struts to Crazy in Love."It [Halo] really evokes something within us and we really believe in the message of finding your inner light, letting who you are shine through and just breaking down all those barriers that you've put up along the way," Fear said."That's where the emotion comes through is because it's a very authentic story for us and for everyone watching, they can relate to that feeling. And when you're able to perform from a place of truth like that, it's meaningful and can touch a lot more people." Being encouraged by the best Success at the World Championships has come at the ideal time with next year's Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina looming finishing 10th in at the 2022 Beijing Games, Fear and Gibson have made no secret of their ambition to reach the podium in Italy for a first British Olympic figure skating medal since was a bronze for Torvill and Dean, 10 years after their famous gold, and the skating legends have often sent messages of encouragement to three-time European medallists Fear and Gibson over the and Dean have said they hope there is now a new couple who can take British ice dance forward after shouldering that job themselves for so many decades."Hopefully this will stir up momentum," Dean told BBC Sport last month."Success breeds success but you've got to have somebody doing that to begin with and hopefully that's what Lilah and Lewis can do for the future of British ice skating."We've been skating for together for 50 years and, you know, maybe they can see their future for another 50 years - that might shock them if they thought like that!"
NBC Sports
02-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Guillaume Cizeron eyes ice dance return with Laurence Fournier Beaudry
Guillaume Cizeron, who won 2022 Olympic ice dance gold with Gabriella Papadakis for France, plans to return to ice dance competition with a new partner, Laurence Fournier Beaudry, who has been competing for Canada. 'A new story begins,' the skaters said in a social media post announcing the partnership. They want 'to make France shine at the Milan Cortina Olympic Games in 2026,' according to a France figure skating federation press release. A rep for the skaters said that Fournier Beaudry is in the process of obtaining French citizenship to make them eligible to compete at the Olympics together. Cizeron, 30, and Papadakis, 29, announced a joint retirement on Dec. 3. Their last competition was March 2022 when they won a fifth world title together. Fournier Beaudry, 32, placed ninth at the 2022 Olympics with Nikolaj Sørensen, then fifth and ninth at the last two World Championships. This past October, Sørensen was banned for at least six years for sexual maltreatment, according to Canada's Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner. With their previous partners, both Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron trained at the Ice Academy of Montreal. After Papadakis and Cizeron left competition, Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the last two World Championships in 2023 and 2024. Later this month, Chock and Bates will bid to become the first ice dance couple to win three consecutive world titles in 28 years. Nick Zaccardi,
