Papadakis & Cizeron's Very Candid Interview re Olympics 2018

oatmella said:

This interview is from Radio Canada, I would assume that the interview’s intended audience would be French-speaking Canadians.

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this....

and you know... French-speaking Canadians do not like when people from France belittle them saying "well you know, in France, this means this.. of course, you are fluent in French but you cannot understand really what we are saying... " i find from having traveled, that it is quite the opposite... but oh well...

I guess now we know which GS thread will be the next to close down

I thought this interview was very poised and professional. Gabby and Guillaume were respectful of both Tessa, Scott, and the Gadbois coaching team. I didn’t read any backhanded shade throwing, snarly statements, or outright bitterness. Rather, they just stated the honest facts regarding how they felt about those two seasons as training partners with Tessa and Scott. I really hope they don’t get too much flack for what was said here, because I personally believe it’s unnecessary in the first place.

I’ve often wondered to myself if Gabby’s wardrobe malfunction with her dress didn’t occur, would they have beaten Tessa and Scott in the rhythm dance? My gut is telling me no. Granted, that’s just my personal opinion; it’s no secret around here that I’ve always been a V/M fangirl through and through. In both 2016-17 and 2017-18, it was their rhythm dances that won them the two biggest competitions in those seasons: 2017’s world championships; and the 2018 Olympics. Their 2016-17 Prince RD was absolute perfection in every possible way. I still find myself rewatching it quite frequently. In fact, I just might watch it again, after I finish up this post. That non-touch step sequence was a thing of perfection; absolutely out of this world. They were right on the beat, executing both the hip hop theme like no other. Likewise, in 2017-2018, their Rolling Stones/Eagles/Santana rhythm dance was also amazing; though not quite as top notch as the Prince medley, they still killed it out there. In both competitions, it’s the RD’s that made all the difference, with P/C still winning the free dance in both competitions.

Then, as the very last team to end the entire event with their amazing free dance to music from Moulin Rouge, you just knew Virtue and Moir had that gold model in the bag, the second they hit their final pose.

Anywho. Since their first world title, Gabby and Guillaume have been absolutely fantastic skaters in their own right. I mean, come on now, four world championship titles, with several more to likely come in this quad?! Not even Meryl and Charlie, nor Tessa and Scott, were able to pull that off that achievement.

I feel that I must point out that I’ve never been one of those intensely diehard V/M fans, who uncontrollably bash and trash P/C, just because they are petty, malicious keyboard warriors, hiding behind sock accounts, and/or made-up aliases.

I am in awe of both teams and truly appreciate how each of them have upped the ante within the entire discipline of ice dance.

I must also give a shoutout to Meryl and Charlie for doing the same, even though they didn’t compete after winning their 2014 OGM.

Again, I think Gabby and Guillaume are incredibly humble, understanding, mature, and well versed. They spoke so candidly about their experience; in a way that also showed respect, integrity, and honesty. I’m proud of them for feeling safe enough to put it all into words and speak to the media. Doing so requires a high level of courage; one that many of us could never pull off. Kudos to them. Along with my underdog favourites, Piper and Paul, I’ll be rooting for Guillaume and Gabby all the way to 2022 and beyond, if they so choose to continue competing for another quad, post 2022, that is.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to translate this interview for us English speaking folks, Gotlav. It’s always appreciated. :clapper:

randomfan said:

I guess now we know which GS thread will be the next to close down

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Well, I’m glad I got my reply in before that happens. I actually wrote it last night, but I used a word that isn’t allowed on the forums (the U-word); so I had to wait for the admins to let me know what I posted that was a no-no.

It’s interesting to read the extremely different takeaways we all seem to have. Some are positive, some are negative, it’s quite polarized, to be frank. I still stand by my post above this one that I didn’t find P/C malicious or rude in the slightest. Granted, I don’t speak French, so there could be things that got lost in translation, which isn’t rare when articles are published that are speaking about skaters from different countries who speak other languages.

While I agree their honesty is refreshing I always found that mentality "if they failed we would've won" "we wish for them to mess up so we can win" idk tacky? for me its like saying "the field was mediocre but we were the least mediocre ones therefor we won"...there's no honor on that, for me at least. I guess Im use to those athletes (not just skaters ! ) that wish for everyone to be at their best so the competition can be at the highest level...or maybe those people are lying, I cant read minds so who knows

But props for honesty! its refreshing

SarahSynchro said:

I thought this interview was very poised and professional. Gabby and Guillaume were respectful of both Tessa, Scott, and the Gadbois coaching team. I didn’t read any backhanded shade throwing, snarly statements, or outright bitterness. Rather, they just stated the honest facts regarding how they felt about those two seasons as training partners with Tessa and Scott. I really hope they don’t get too much flack for what was said here, because I personally believe it’s unnecessary in the first place.

I’ve often wondered to myself if Gabby’s wardrobe malfunction with her dress didn’t occur, would they have beaten Tessa and Scott in the rhythm dance? My gut is telling me no. Granted, that’s just my personal opinion; it’s no secret around here that I’ve always been a V/M fangirl through and through. In both 2016-17 and 2017-18, it was their rhythm dances that won them the two biggest competitions in those seasons: 2017’s world championships; and the 2018 Olympics. Their 2016-17 Prince RD was absolute perfection in every possible way. I still find myself rewatching it quite frequently In fact, I just might watch it again, after I finish up this post. That non-touching step sequence was a thing of perfection; absolutely out of this world. Likewise, in 2017-2018, their rhythm dance was also amazing; though not quite as top notch as the Prince medley, but they still killed it out there. In both competitions, it’s what made the difference, with P/C still winning the free dance in both competitions.

Then, as the very last team to end the entire event with their amazing free dance to music from Moulin Rouge, you just knew they had that gold model in the bag the second they hit their final pose.

Anywho. Since their first world title, Gabby and Guillaume have been absolutely fantastic skaters in their own right. I mean, come on now, four world championship titles, with several more to likely come in this quad?! Not even Meryl and Charlie, nor Tessa and Scott, were able to pull that off that achievement.

I feel that I must point out that I’ve never been one of those intensely diehard V/M fans, who uncontrollably bash and trash P/C, just because they are petty, malicious keyboard warriors, hiding behind sock accounts, and/or made-up aliases.

I am in awe of both teams and truly appreciate how each of them have upped the ante within the entire discipline of ice dance.

I must also give a shoutout to Meryl and Charlie for doing the same, even though they didn’t compete after winning their 2014 OGM.

Again, I think Gabby and Guillaume are incredibly humble, understanding, mature, and well versed. They spoke so candidly about their experience; in a way that also showed respect, integrity, and honesty. I’m proud of them for feeling safe enough to put it all into words and speak to the media. Doing so requires a high level of courage; one that many of us could never pull off. Kudos to them. Along with my underdog favourites, Piper and Paul, I’ll be rooting for Guillaume and Gabby all the way to 2022 and beyond, if they so choose to continue competing for another quad, post 2022, that is.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to translate this interview for us English speaking folks, Gotlav. It’s always appreciated. :clapper:

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This has my vote as the best post ever.

Except maybe some of your Yuzu-daughter stories.

Thank you!

I enjoyed this interview so much, what a brave and intelligent team

4everchan said:

this....

and you know... French-speaking Canadians do not like when people from France belittle them saying "well you know, in France, this means this.. of course, you are fluent in French but you cannot understand really what we are saying... " i find from having traveled, that it is quite the opposite... but oh well...

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This can happen the other way around....I've had discussions with people from Belgium for instance comparing the meaning of words or the different expressions we use. It's just funny to see someone speaking the same language but with differences. I always am very interested to learn new expressions from Quebec or Belgium or even the south of France.

DaNiCG said:

While I agree their honesty is refreshing I always found that mentality "if they failed we would've won" "we wish for them to mess up so we can win" idk tacky? for me its like saying "the field was mediocre but we were the least mediocre ones therefor we won"...there's no honor on that, for me at least. I guess Im use to those athletes (not just skaters ! ) that wish for everyone to be at their best so the competition can be at the highest level...or maybe those people are lying, I cant read minds so who knows

But props for honesty! its refreshing

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I can totally understand why you’d feel that way. While I agree that it could come across as tacky, I think context is key: as you already mentioned, they are competitive athletes, hungry in their hunt for that elusive gold medal. While this wasn’t in the heat of the moment, we’ve heard so many skaters in recent years who’ve also made less than stellar statements, both immediately after their scores are announced, and when being interviewed later on. I have my own theory on this, which may be an actual sociological theory, I don’t want to claim I came up with a psychological phenomenon that an academic with a PhD has legitimately studied, haha. But the theory is:discussing these types of major life events have the ability to bring out all sorts of strong statements, with all that adrenaline pumping, not to mention “verbal diarrhea.” Journalists literally begin to foam at the mouth when the an interviewee starts spilling the beans, because as we all know, the media and the general public LIVE for this kind of drama for their articles.

It’s easy for athletes (or anyone, really) to go off on a lengthy, personal soliloquy, when asked about a very intense, pivotal moment in their lives, like what P/C may have done here: their quest for gold in 2018 was not to be. Sometimes, the athletes in question just keep talking and talking, and that adrenaline can easily overtake any kind of internal caution they’ve learned via media training to remain polite, happy, and speak in inoffensive “stock statements” that are evidently nowhere close to how they truly feel regarding how the actual situation at hand went down.

Finally, we all know the liberties the media can sometimes take to construct a narrative that is only telling half truths. Usually this consists of blatant exaggerations, and poor documentation/misrepresentation of the legitimate context of what the interviewee was saying, just to create nonexistent bitter rivalries, simply to get likes, shares, and comments on their social media platforms; not to mention high sales of their employer’s magazines and/or online subscription services.

I’ve previously read many translated-to-English articles here in the forums, and when my knee jerk reaction to something a skater said or did brings about instant feelings of outrage; I then try to be mindful and pause for a moment, reminding myself that anything printed or recorded in any form of media is not the objective truth. It’s meant to draw us readers in for the gossip, essentially forcing us to pick one side and bash the other; because who doesn’t love a good cat fight, right? Being of a neutral opinion is practically classified as some sort of personality defect these days. I don’t want to steer this in the direction of politics, of course, but on the surface, a good comparison to what I’m saying is that bipartisanship of collective beliefs seem to be going the way of the dinosaur. You’re either on one side or the other; and if you aren’t on either side, there must be something horifically wrong with you!

I say that last sentence in jest, because I’m bipartisan when it comes to a lot of things in life, regardless of it’s about politics, or figure skating rivalries, or anything else.

In saying that, I personally don’t care for catfights and pettiness. I love seeing when skaters who are intense rivals on the ice are in fact genuinely good friends outside of skating. Just look at the guest list for Eric Radford and his new husband Luis’ wedding! So many on ice rivals, smiling, hugging, taking group selfies, and just living it up, like one big happy family.

I know there will always be rivalries that exist between skaters, both on and off ice, but that’s perfectly normal. By no means am I implying that bipartisanship beliefs and attitudes should not and do not exist. It’s a basic fact that not everyone is going to get along; and that’s perfectly okay, because that right there is basic human nature at play; a part of the socialization we grow to become accustomed to, as soon as we are born.

One last thing, which is more of an off-topic, personal comment: I just love love love that you used the term “tacky.” It came with impeccable timing, because I’m actually sitting on a bench at the cemetery right now, “visiting” my late Nanny and Poppy. “Tacky” was of my Nanny’s favourite words, she used it all the time in its expected context, such as when i was a child and I’d show up at their condo wearing mismatched clothes, or I had ice cream stains smeared on my face, or any other childhood tendency of looking less than ideal. She was never malicious or cruel about it when she said it to me, nor to anyone else; it got to the point where I’d laugh whenever I heard it, and she’d then help me clean myself up. So thank you for activating those happy memories, at the most appropriate of times. She passed away 15 years ago, in 2004, but I still miss her very much.

Tavi... said:

This has my vote as the best post ever.

Except maybe some of your Yuzu-daughter stories.

Thank you!

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Awww, you’re welcome!

See everyone, there’s more to me than sarcasm, snark, and ridiculousness, I can have adult discussions too!

Yuzudaughter has been pretty boring lately when it comes to her usual tomfoolery I highlight here and there in my posts. I blame it on the off season.

Eleanor said:

This can happen the other way around....I've had discussions with people from Belgium for instance comparing the meaning of words or the different expressions we use. It's just funny to see someone speaking the same language but with differences. I always am very interested to learn new expressions from Quebec or Belgium or even the south of France.

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As the saying goes re English, "countries divided by a common language..." of course there are going to be different nuances between the different countries and no matter how fluent you are, even if you've lived there you will slightly miss some of the language's unique flavour (speaketh someone who is Anglo-Australian, and knows full well that she does this with American or English or Canadian speakers/books no matter how careful and well-read she is in all these.)

I saw nothing wrong, in fact by Aussie sporting standards (or, let's be honest, the worldwide standards in many other sports) it was milky-white, silky-smooth diplomacy. I will say that I think if the other team involved hadn't been one of those who inspire a higher level of mad fannish/protective passion (and no need to mention motes and beams, I'm aware of them) it would have passed by with less notice.

SarahSynchro said:

I just love love love that you used the term “tacky.” It came with impeccable timing, because I’m actually sitting on a bench at the cemetery right now, visiting my late Nanna and Poppy. “Tacky” was of my Nanna’s favourite words, she used it all the time in its usual context, such as when i was a child, and I’d show up at her condo wearing mismatched clothes, or I had ice cream stains smeared on my face, or any other childhood tendencies of looking less than ideal.

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I have a deep fondness for it too, one of those colloquialisms that more formal English doesn't have quite the right synonym, but which we all know immediately and bone-deep what is meant.

I have no issues with the interview. To me it was just them explaining their thoughts and feelings leading up to, including, and after the Olympics.

I didn't react negatively to reading that they hoped for mistakes from V/M when they were skating. I was amused by the honesty. What skater (or any athlete) has thought...*please, let my competitor do their absolute best so that they can possibly beat me!!* ? Most are probably hoping for some little flaw to help sway the judges to their side, no matter what they say publicly about hoping to beat the other at their very best. Once you've won you can say that, and there really would be extra special satisfaction with that victory, but at the actual time when the competitor is competing, I am sure there are a few fingers crossed...

liv said:

I didn't react negatively to reading that they hoped for mistakes from V/M when they were skating. I was amused by the honesty. What skater (or any athlete) has thought...*please, let my competitor do their absolute best so that they can possibly beat me!!* ? .

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Wasn't it Michelle Kwan who cheerfully said she didn't like to watch her competitors on the screen because she didn't want to get caught out going "fall! fall!" (I loved that )

I enjoyed this interview, thank you for posting and translating! I found it candid but not unkind. They are fierce competitors who wanted to win and had to deal with a crummy situation.

It definitely lends itself to the notion that 2nd place is the worst. 1st is happy they won and 3rd is happy to be on the podium. 2nd place gets all the disappointment.

Seren said:

I enjoyed this interview, thank you for posting and translating! I found it candid but not unkind. They are fierce competitors who wanted to win and had to deal with a crummy situation.

It definitely lends itself to the notion that 2nd place is the worst. 1st is happy they won and 3rd is happy to be on the podium. 2nd place gets all the disappointment.

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I think it really depends on the context of the field. In dance (and also pairs and ladies), there was a clear top 2, so whoever came 2nd was bound to be disappointed. But look at the men's field - it was more open, and Shoma seemed thrilled with his silver. Or look at men's mogul's, where Mikael Kingsbury was the clear favourite (had been on top of the field for years). When he won, the whole podium seemed pretty happy (though I didn't read any interviews with the silver medalist so I'm just going by the reactions in the moment).

SnowWhite said:

I think it really depends on the context of the field. In dance (and also pairs and ladies), there was a clear top 2, so whoever came 2nd was bound to be disappointed. But look at the men's field - it was more open, and Shoma seemed thrilled with his silver. Or look at men's mogul's, where Mikael Kingsbury was the clear favourite (had been on top of the field for years). When he won, the whole podium seemed pretty happy (though I didn't read any interviews with the silver medalist so I'm just going by the reactions in the moment).

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I agree with you Snow. It's all in the mindset of the silver medalist. Some choose to be happy, some to be sad/disappointed. It's all in outlook.

Seren said:

I enjoyed this interview, thank you for posting and translating! I found it candid but not unkind. They are fierce competitors who wanted to win and had to deal with a crummy situation.

It definitely lends itself to the notion that 2nd place is the worst. 1st is happy they won and 3rd is happy to be on the podium. 2nd place gets all the disappointment.

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I think this is a bit different though where there were clearly 2 top teams and the rest were playing for bronze. So in that sense, ending up 2nd isn't as great. as, say, a surprise silver or coming in 2nd when there are 3 or 4 top entries who are more or less evenly matched. It's hard though when you go in knowing that if everything goes as well as it can and as you've previously shown, you'll win Olympic gold, but then the circumstances prevent that from happening. While thrilled for V/M (who already had an OGM), I was heartbroken for the French, and honestly wished they would have not had the freak SD incident and likely win overall.

edit: eek, I just saw SnowWhite essentially said the same about a top 2, lol!

SnowWhite said:

But look at the men's field - it was more open, and Shoma seemed thrilled with his silver.

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I wouldn't say so much thrilled as almost serene and blandly detached from what all the fuss was about (me, I think he does this sort of thing at least partly just to mess with everyone's heads, I love him for it )

Ic3Rabbit said:

I agree with you Snow. It's all in the mindset of the silver medalist. Some choose to be happy, some to be sad/disappointed. It's all in outlook.

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Oh I very much doubt that any of those ambitious, driven and brilliant enough to contend for the Olympic podium are at all really happy to end up just that step away from the ultimate prize (unless it's someone who never expected to make the podium at all). Obviously none of us are all of that so probably can't even imagine the feeling, but I would rather suggest that some are better at acting happy and being diplomatic than others... and I can totally understand both.

every performance is different... and every medal means something else... a gold with a few falls cannot be as good as a silver or even a bronze with a flawless program... athletes are trained to focus ON THE PROCESS... the work.. the training.. NOT THE RESULT.. which they cannot control because there are judges, other skaters, unexpected BS etc....

Athletes are happy when they skate their best...

Seren said:

I enjoyed this interview, thank you for posting and translating! I found it candid but not unkind. They are fierce competitors who wanted to win and had to deal with a crummy situation.

It definitely lends itself to the notion that 2nd place is the worst. 1st is happy they won and 3rd is happy to be on the podium. 2nd place gets all the disappointment.

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There is actually scientific data regarding the nature of the silver medalist(s) being the most unhappy with their result(s). This article from Scientific American goes into it: https://blogs.scientificamerican.co...ze-medalists-are-happier-than-silver-winners/

In the case of P/C I don't necessarily think it's tacky for them to hope for their competitors to make mistakes, but it is definitely less than tactful to say it out loud. Athletes are driven to win, after all.