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00:00:10Gold medal on the line in the free dance here this afternoon, Lake Placid.
00:00:14The pressure is so intense.
00:00:16Years of sacrifice for this one shot at Olympic glory.
00:00:20And moments away from that final team taking the ice,
00:00:23and it is the Americans, Madison Schott and Evan Bates.
00:00:28Pain is scary, like especially the unknown, it can be dangerous.
00:00:33It's not uncommon for athletes to just push through pain.
00:00:38It's just kind of built into us to train through it, to skate through it.
00:00:43You always want to like go for it, but then at a certain point once you realize like,
00:00:49maybe I shouldn't have done that, you're out there and like there's a lot of people watching.
00:01:00There's also another factor, which is the skirt.
00:01:04They're going to be trying to do the slide, plus hold the skirt,
00:01:07and not let anything disastrous happen.
00:01:11The questions in my mind right now are, is my body going to hold up?
00:01:15Am I going to bail out of a lift or something because it hurts?
00:01:20Am I going to be safe to lift Maddie?
00:01:32What a great lift into that difficult position.
00:01:36How risky it is too.
00:01:41They've been together for so long, experienced so much.
00:01:44They skate very much at the same heartbeat.
00:01:48Good speed across the ice, up over the shoulders.
00:01:51The audience is on their seats.
00:01:59Wow.
00:02:00Just incredible, really.
00:02:02Who can do that?
00:02:10Just tremendous skill throughout the whole performance.
00:02:13I can see this at Center Ice in Milan.
00:02:16The fans of the United States of America have earned a free dance score of 127.8 of a season
00:02:25in the United States of America have earned a free dance score of 127.8 of a season.
00:02:35Now the adrenaline's leaving my body, and my body doesn't feel good.
00:02:43But we did what we needed to do, and I'm proud of that.
00:02:47The Grand Prix scores are so close.
00:02:50Like, we knew it was going to be tight, but this is pure insanity.
00:02:53We truly will not know how everyone's going to stack up until the Grand Prix Final in Japan.
00:03:00I'm proud of it.
00:03:20Hi.
00:03:21Good.
00:03:22How are you?
00:03:25Today, we are in Toronto, and we are doing a shoot with Coca-Cola.
00:03:32Sorry, you said I didn't get you to look forward to.
00:03:34Oh, my goodness, sorry.
00:03:35I can't not look at my husband. He's so handsome.
00:03:38He's such a handsome woman.
00:03:39Look at that.
00:03:40Settling. Quiet on set.
00:03:44And action.
00:03:46There is always, like, a little bit more pressure.
00:03:49In an Olympic year, there's just more going on,
00:03:51and, like, more eyes on the sport.
00:03:55It's so cool.
00:03:58So let's start, you guys, with twisting and turning.
00:04:01Do not look at camera.
00:04:03Lifting her a bit.
00:04:04Want me to lift you a little bit?
00:04:05Sure.
00:04:07Yeah, there you go. Great, great.
00:04:10No, it's like with the Olympics, I feel like every four years,
00:04:12it's like a balance of finding time to train and get ready for the season,
00:04:16but also take once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like this one.
00:04:19This is a different amount of attention.
00:04:22But it's up to us to manage how we focus on what's important.
00:04:26The Winter Games in Milan Cortina now just 100 days away.
00:04:32We're getting closer and closer to, like, Olympics time.
00:04:35I am so excited.
00:04:39When you're halfway through a season, and especially an Olympic season,
00:04:42you kind of can predict what might happen in ice dance results.
00:04:47But this year is very different.
00:04:49That is a jock and Evan Bates as they take the title.
00:04:53Peter Gillis, Paul Poirier on top of the podium here in Skate Canada.
00:05:00With Guillaume and Laurence in the mix, everything has shifted now in ice dance.
00:05:06Usually, it takes time for teams to gel.
00:05:10They have gelled extremely well.
00:05:16With what we've seen from Guillaume and Laurence at their last Grand Prix,
00:05:21they are definitely the ones to beat this season.
00:05:29If you are Piper and Paul, and if you are Madison and Evan, I don't see how you could not
00:05:34be a little rattled.
00:05:35So, we're headed into Finlandia next week, and now you're going to have two top teams,
00:05:41Piper and Paul, meeting with Laurence and Guillaume.
00:05:44It's going to be a bloodbath.
00:05:46It's going to be a bloodbath.
00:05:47This is where all of the placements for the Grand Prix Final get solidified.
00:05:52And a preview of what's to come at Olympics.
00:05:56This doesn't happen a lot where you're up against one of the other top teams before the Grand Prix Final.
00:06:02So, if Guillaume and Laurence beat Piper and Paul, holy cow.
00:06:08They need to have, like, the best material of their life.
00:06:12No pressure.
00:06:16Oh, this one.
00:06:29Remember my My Fair Lady?
00:06:32Costume.
00:06:34I loved the pink.
00:06:36I felt so elegant, and it was just so beautiful.
00:06:40If I could wear this now, which one, maybe.
00:06:46I haven't really changed since I was 13, 14, so it's possible.
00:06:53Let's see.
00:06:54Oh, gosh.
00:06:55The 90s sweaters.
00:06:59All the top skaters had it.
00:07:01Actually, my mom, now I'm just remembering that.
00:07:04Any costume that we would have, she put a gold ladybug inside, because ladybugs are supposedly good luck.
00:07:12She was heavily involved in the design process, and I think that was how my mom and I truly bonded.
00:07:28She could turn anything into everything.
00:07:32With costume, she could literally pull an idea and be like, this is what we're doing, and shape it into
00:07:38something beautiful.
00:07:41My mom was, like, the skater mom to everybody.
00:07:44She wasn't afraid to give her own opinion on your skating, which was just like, oh, mom.
00:07:50But, like, people loved it because she was so honest.
00:07:58Going into the 2018 Olympic Games, I started to notice some really bizarre behaviors.
00:08:08So I took her to see a doctor.
00:08:11Within about an hour, they were like, she's got some kind of tumor on the left and the right side
00:08:16of her brain.
00:08:16It was, like, spread out like a butterfly.
00:08:21And, of course, the first thing you do is go to Google, right?
00:08:24Like, if you have glioblastoma, which is what she had, and, like, the size of it, stage four, you have
00:08:29anywhere from five days to 15 months.
00:08:36It was just a complicated situation trying to figure out, like, do I stay home and help my mom?
00:08:46But my dad was, like, this is, this was an Olympic journey and an Olympic dream that she had, right?
00:08:51So we continued and decided to go for it.
00:08:55Next skate, Fiber Mills, have all four years.
00:08:58We made it to my first Olympic Games.
00:09:02My dad and my siblings were there to watch in person, but my mom was watching from home.
00:09:08And Paul and I had a skate of a lifetime.
00:09:13Complete split.
00:09:15Oh, now, that is very interesting and cool.
00:09:19There was a vision, there was the execution, there was the change in mood, a change in timing.
00:09:27To this day, like, I could still get goosebumps.
00:09:34What we created in that moment was so special.
00:09:40That just brings a smile to your face.
00:09:45Just a marvelous performance.
00:09:50And to know that my mom was able to see
00:09:54a Olympic Games,
00:09:58it was really cool.
00:10:00It was really cool.
00:10:13If we want to keep the same timing,
00:10:16we can do the swivel swivel,
00:10:17but if we're not going to do the point on the turn to the left,
00:10:20then it doesn't matter.
00:10:21Doesn't matter.
00:10:22Let's do it again.
00:10:23Okay.
00:10:24So, for our free dance,
00:10:26we call it Vincent,
00:10:27but a lot of people call it Starry Night.
00:10:30It's a program we did
00:10:32seven years ago
00:10:33that put us on the competitive
00:10:36map.
00:10:37I don't know,
00:10:38I don't care how many times
00:10:40I've seen this program.
00:10:41It never fails
00:10:44to move me.
00:10:45When we were thinking about Olympic music,
00:10:47we kept coming back and thinking
00:10:49we would really like to finish
00:10:51the story with Vincent again
00:10:53because they never did it
00:10:56in an Olympic year.
00:10:57And that program
00:10:59meant a lot of different things
00:11:01to different people.
00:11:03It was the program we choreographed
00:11:05when Piper's mother was very ill
00:11:07before she died
00:11:08and Piper's mother never got to see it.
00:11:12I actually remember hearing
00:11:13the first draft of Vincent
00:11:15on my patio in Colorado
00:11:17while we were kind of organizing
00:11:19all the funeral stuff.
00:11:20Starry, starry night.
00:11:22And I felt like,
00:11:23oh my God,
00:11:24this would have been a program
00:11:25that my mom would have loved.
00:11:27And as we started to compete it,
00:11:30every time I finished,
00:11:31like I had like a tear in my eye.
00:11:33I looked at the top of like
00:11:34the arena
00:11:36and I was just like,
00:11:37she's here.
00:11:38She's here.
00:11:38And like,
00:11:39I want that feeling.
00:11:40Like I want to be almost like
00:11:41reconnected with my mom
00:11:42by bringing this program back.
00:11:45So pick it up from corner or?
00:11:49Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:11:50We'll take it from the corner
00:11:51kind of the end.
00:11:52But then it's like,
00:11:52oh my gosh,
00:11:53now I have to kind of like
00:11:54bring myself back
00:11:55to a time that was so hard.
00:12:00Since we're recreating a program,
00:12:02the risk could be that
00:12:04it seems like you're not
00:12:05living for a bird.
00:12:06Yeah.
00:12:07Let's go for it.
00:12:07Make something we all like.
00:12:09Okay.
00:12:10For us,
00:12:11it was really important
00:12:12to not just to do it
00:12:14the way that we had done it before,
00:12:16but to take this piece of music
00:12:18that we feel really connected to
00:12:19that we really love
00:12:20and see where does that music
00:12:23take us now?
00:12:24I don't know what she's doing,
00:12:25so.
00:12:26Well, hold on.
00:12:28Programs are never finished
00:12:29across the course of the season.
00:12:31And as soon as you compete,
00:12:33it changes everything.
00:12:34I'm fine to leave it.
00:12:34I'm fine to leave it.
00:12:35It was just one thing
00:12:36that popped out in my own mind.
00:12:37We can put that on the list.
00:12:38Ski Canada was successful
00:12:40in the fact that we won.
00:12:43We have good feedback.
00:12:46But obviously,
00:12:47the free dance for us
00:12:48was really disappointing.
00:12:49And there,
00:12:50that one moment,
00:12:51just don't feel
00:12:53it's quite as polished
00:12:54as we're used to seeing
00:12:55from these two.
00:12:56It's going to have to go up a notch,
00:12:58I think,
00:12:58as the season goes on.
00:13:00The overall goal
00:13:01is just to be faster,
00:13:03be closer,
00:13:03be stronger.
00:13:05But I think we know
00:13:06exactly now
00:13:06what we need to do
00:13:07to make it better.
00:13:08You are the artist.
00:13:10Like,
00:13:10I'm the painting.
00:13:11You know,
00:13:12it's the story
00:13:12about Van Gogh
00:13:13and his relationship
00:13:13to his art
00:13:14and how he was not
00:13:16a painter
00:13:16that was appreciated
00:13:17in his time.
00:13:18Where are we taking it from?
00:13:19He said Mark the Limb.
00:13:20But it's also
00:13:21the story
00:13:22of us
00:13:23and our relationship
00:13:24with our own crafts.
00:13:27I'm feeling really
00:13:28positive about
00:13:28the adjustments
00:13:29that we made.
00:13:30Sorry,
00:13:31that's okay.
00:13:31But really nervous
00:13:33for the Grand Prix
00:13:35in Finland.
00:13:52I'm so sorry.
00:13:53Do you want to go to the exterior?
00:13:55Oh, yes.
00:13:57I'm so sorry.
00:13:58I'm so sorry.
00:13:59I'm so sorry.
00:14:00I'm so sorry.
00:14:00I'm so sorry.
00:14:01I'm so sorry.
00:14:03I'm so sorry.
00:14:06I've never done that.
00:14:20It's hard to compare
00:14:22really the effort
00:14:22of biking
00:14:23versus skating.
00:14:24The biking helps us
00:14:26with our overall endurance,
00:14:28but what we do on the ice is much harder.
00:14:35It's hard to replicate off the ice because you would have to use
00:14:38your legs and your arms and your core at the same time.
00:14:46Here we don't have to make it look like it's easy,
00:14:49like it's a repetitive movement and we're kind of doing our thing.
00:14:51On the ice we have to look like everything is easy.
00:15:01There is also that human aspect that when you find your partner's eyes,
00:15:07it's like an exchange of energy that even when you're tired,
00:15:10you're kind of like going through the same motion and you want the same goal
00:15:14and you're just kind of like putting more fuel on the fire.
00:15:18There is that exchange and connection aspect that is hard to find in another sport.
00:15:30Ice dancing is being a princess on the ice and you're actually skating with a partner,
00:15:39so it's like you're skating with a prince.
00:15:41It's like a fairy tale kind of.
00:15:47But with that, your appearance matters.
00:15:53When I was around 15, I started comparing myself to other girls,
00:15:59envying other girls because I was always a very athletic girl.
00:16:02And at the time, you had to be a ballerina on skates.
00:16:06You had to be very elongated and have very nice lines.
00:16:12In my mindset, the muscle was breaking the lines.
00:16:18So I had a period of my life where I was going through phases of anaeroxia and bulimia.
00:16:27I think the one word that I can remember feeling at that moment is really feeling alone.
00:16:36I could not say that to anyone because I knew it was not something healthy.
00:16:41But then at the same time, it's like I felt like there was no other option.
00:16:47I remember being young and just being like,
00:16:49well, in order for you to be better than the next girl, you need to figure out how to stand
00:16:54out.
00:16:56Like, we are seen as the perfect doll.
00:17:01We can't just be athletic.
00:17:04We also have to be creative.
00:17:06We also have to be beautiful.
00:17:08When you step out onto the ice, you're not just being judged for what you do on the ice,
00:17:13but how you do it, how you look while you're doing it.
00:17:16We don't like her because her costumes were ugly.
00:17:18About hair. About makeup.
00:17:19Did she wear too much makeup? Too little makeup. About weight.
00:17:22Your facial expressions. How you're emoting on the ice.
00:17:25You're too young. You're too immature.
00:17:27Too muscular or not muscular enough.
00:17:29Do I like that color? Is that dress pretty?
00:17:32About everything.
00:17:35And then you're trying to please nine judges on today's panel,
00:17:39but then another nine on tomorrow's panel.
00:17:45What helped me the most was to open up with the people closest to me.
00:17:53And I think there was a lot of healing done through years.
00:17:58You know, through years.
00:18:00And just thinking that if I had to do this to somebody else, I wouldn't.
00:18:04So then I thought, why do they do this to me?
00:18:08Hello!
00:18:11I just thought about, like, if that was my little girl.
00:18:16Like, how would I react?
00:18:19Hello everyone!
00:18:21Is it okay?
00:18:23Yes?
00:18:25It's not something that you fix in one day.
00:18:27It's not something that, uh, you can just snap your finger and it goes away.
00:18:33I bring my fingers together!
00:18:35Bring the fingers together!
00:18:37The hardest thing is to find what's unique for you and let go of that self-criticism
00:18:45and use the tools and the community and the team that you have around you to help you.
00:18:51The movements, but the movements, it comes from.
00:18:56It comes from your heart.
00:18:58If there's something I always want to share, it's that I want them to remember that they are unique.
00:19:03Vos entraîneurs vont vous donner une base de mouvement.
00:19:07Mais c'est ce que, comment toi tu vas l'interpréter, comment toi tu vas interpréter le mouvement, comment toi
00:19:12tu vas interpréter le mouvement.
00:19:15So, you're not trying to copy a movement, you're trying to take a movement and make it yours.
00:19:21À votre tour!
00:19:25I really hope that by being able to skate like both me and Guillaume do,
00:19:32we're going to be able to portray that with athletic bodies, you're able to win.
00:19:47Welcome to Helsinki.
00:19:50This is one of the deepest Grand Prix dance fields I have ever seen.
00:19:55Of course, this is the final Grand Prix qualifier in this year's series.
00:20:00Biggest, biggest showdown.
00:20:02Gillis and Poirier versus Fania, Beaudry, and Cizeron.
00:20:05Who's coming out on top?
00:20:06Guillaume and Laurence.
00:20:08Piper and Paul.
00:20:09It's an insane event.
00:20:11It's do or die at these Grand Prix events.
00:20:14If you don't make the podium, you're not going to the Grand Prix final.
00:20:18I want to say it's like the Hunger Games.
00:20:20Gilles and Poirier have had now three weeks to tinker.
00:20:25I think the question is how much will that help them increase their scores?
00:20:42We've just arrived in Finland.
00:20:44We're doing our second Grand Prix of the season.
00:20:47So in order to qualify for the Grand Prix final, we want to win the competition.
00:20:58Every competition is kind of a check mark into the confidence aspect.
00:21:03Right now, I would say I feel pretty chill.
00:21:06Before Angers, it felt okay, but it was like kind of a safety mode.
00:21:12And now we're more like in a more like attack mode.
00:21:15Yeah.
00:21:28It's a very exciting life at competitions.
00:21:30You just kind of spend a lot of time in your room taking care of your body.
00:21:36We did a lot of changes to the program since Skate Canada.
00:21:38And so it felt a little bit chaotic, especially the first week coming back.
00:21:43And my brain felt like I had to do a lot of gymnastics to figure out,
00:21:47to get comfortable with everything again.
00:21:49But I'm feeling really positive about those changes.
00:21:52You're so used to doing it a certain way.
00:21:54You've built that muscle memory.
00:21:56And when you make those changes, even if they are positive changes,
00:22:01it takes time to get used to it.
00:22:06We've probably changed about 25% of this program.
00:22:12In the two weeks that we had.
00:22:16But I think, I mean, it was definitely for the better.
00:22:18I think Paul and I feel way more comfortable with what we've changed this program to.
00:22:27I, I'm more nervous when I'm doing nothing.
00:22:31Um, I think just like the waiting and sitting around is the worst part.
00:22:38I get the most nervous on a bus ride.
00:22:59Piper and Paul's first test to see how do they stack up in that race to the gold medal in
00:23:06Milan,
00:23:07is how will they fare at this Grand Prix in Finland against Guillaume and Laurence.
00:23:13Welcome to Helsinki in Finland for this Finlandia trophy rhythm dance.
00:23:18We have a gold medal favorite who has no world placement from the year before,
00:23:23going head to head with somebody who's seated.
00:23:26This is, like, not a normal circumstance.
00:23:32Helsinki, are you ready?
00:23:36Inshalzakwa, time for shine.
00:23:43We work together, look after each other.
00:23:45That's the way it always works the best, right?
00:23:47We know this.
00:23:49And the pressure has never been so intense.
00:23:53The energetic expectations of these teams heading towards the big one, the Olympic Games.
00:24:09In the ice dance competition, on a technical panel, they will assign a level to the elements the skaters skate.
00:24:15That can be anything from a base level to the maximum level four.
00:24:22The quality of blade control, so, so impressive.
00:24:26And that is clear criteria for the judges.
00:24:29We have come to expect that skaters of the caliber of Laurence Guillaume, Piper and Paul,
00:24:35they'll be pushing level three and level four.
00:24:38Their musicality and energy really evident throughout that rhythm dance performance.
00:24:44I hope for a season best. That's the first thing.
00:24:47But to be in first position, they would have to be around 84, 85, 86.
00:24:53Exactly. Any more than that would be a bonus.
00:24:55Any less than that, I'll be a little disappointed.
00:25:00Slight break there for Piper.
00:25:02Lots of ice coverage through the sequential twizzles.
00:25:07Such quality and the body control of these two athletes is really, really crisp.
00:25:18It's been a good skate.
00:25:22Great job, guys.
00:25:23Well done.
00:25:24Well done.
00:25:25Good job, guys.
00:25:27Good job.
00:25:28Good job.
00:25:28Good job.
00:25:29Good job.
00:25:30Laurence and Guillaume, they have three elements under review at present.
00:25:37The nice dance, the technical specialist, the technical controller, they can bury somebody because it is so subjective.
00:25:47And now it's a level one for their pattern dance type step and a level one for both of the
00:25:53skaters.
00:25:54There will be five minutes over these two.
00:25:56I've won't be five minutes, right?
00:25:56The score, please.
00:25:59At least.
00:26:00Good job.
00:26:09Okay.
00:26:21The score, please.
00:26:24only where they have a level one and here just to look at the back bracket
00:26:38no team going above 80 thus far now Piper Gillis and Bob Poirier under review by the panel
00:27:00let's not over analyze and that's some harsh calling by the technical panels
00:27:07you're what happened you got a base on but your arms were identical I couldn't see them
00:27:14it was crazy Piper got bass twizzles I don't think she's had a bass twizzle
00:27:21in her entire life in anything ever
00:27:26I'm kind of surprised about I think all the levels throughout the competition
00:27:31it's unfortunate that like the top athletes in the world are getting level ones it looks
00:27:36like we're almost junior skaters and it's not like no one should be getting bases level ones
00:27:42at this caliber of skating does that make you in the future want to continue to be involved in the
00:27:48sport if it continues like that it's a it's a hard pass we're very well trained to not get carried
00:27:56away with all the judging but in this case it was just so unfair that like we couldn't stay silent
00:28:04thank you for not leaving me by myself no it was so I literally had prepped that in my head
00:28:10then you
00:28:10started I was like yes I can rationally comprehend the levels that were assigned I can understand why
00:28:17those levels were given out the difficulty is that it's a different lens and framework that has been used
00:28:25for the calls here than it has been for so many events previously the ISU said that they are now
00:28:33investigating the dance event at that competition and the way it was judged my hope is just that we
00:28:39can see an effort being made to make sure that teams understand why they are getting these levels yesterday
00:28:48doesn't change anything they'll just come out and skate their program they know what to do they have
00:28:54their plan in their head they know how they need to approach it and that's what they'll do
00:29:03next to skate
00:29:04Piper Gillis
00:29:07Paul Poirier
00:29:10on the ice
00:29:12your last one
00:29:13who will be able to win
00:29:15Guillaume Cicero
00:29:25you
00:29:28you
00:29:28you
00:29:28you
00:29:28you
00:29:28you
00:29:28you
00:29:28you
00:29:28you
00:29:43you
00:29:55you
00:29:57you
00:29:59you
00:29:59what makes our sport so special is the way in which it can move humans and move as emotionally
00:30:08for me as a fan of the sport and a fan of these people
00:30:11that have given so much for so many years
00:30:18I'm most grateful for the way they are most grateful for the way they emolt and express and move us
00:30:46five weeks ago they won the grand prix de France with the highest score of the season
00:30:51they've got me in this with theización of price of the pennil national skating flax and going to be in
00:31:00which they will be the most rewarding things that they match up for the electronics as they objected and they
00:31:09assume that
00:31:21the French. Both teams will be headed to the Grand Prix Final in just two short weeks where
00:31:30they will finally go head to head with the three-time and reigning world champions Madison
00:31:35Chalk and Evan Bates. I think you have to be mindful of how we treat this experience and how
00:31:44we treat this result. It's very easy to get caught up in all of the numbers of everything and to
00:31:49doubt yourself and feel like you're doing everything wrong and that's not something we
00:31:52can afford to do right now. We were able to bring the rhythm dance to another level and bring the
00:31:59free dance to another level and we know how we felt on the ice no matter what the scores were
00:32:05and that's that's what we're going to bring back home.
00:32:30Evan's mom is our Olympic historian. This is from Sochi.
00:32:38She's got it all organized. She labels our costumes for us.
00:32:42So you can see my mom catalogs everything with great care.
00:32:50These are the opening ceremony glows. She like keeps it in these nice plastic bins so it's
00:32:57preserved for when we hopefully one day pass it down to our family.
00:33:02We would definitely like to have kids. If it's in our future we would be very happy.
00:33:07But that's been been on hold and we understand that's just part of the business.
00:33:12My costume from PyeongChang has not come out of that box for seven years.
00:33:30Madison Chalk and Evan Bates have been among the best in the world for the last several years.
00:33:36Look at that lift perfectly done. This is make or break for them if they want to climb to the
00:33:42podium.
00:33:44Oh no.
00:33:48And that is a disaster in Ice Dance.
00:33:53Just looked like she wasn't ahead of him enough on the circle
00:33:57and with them both going down that's a two-point deduction.
00:34:02Before the music was even over I could see Maddie was already crying.
00:34:09Very upset. That's...
00:34:11I hate to see that for anybody.
00:34:20Sorry. It's kind of hard to look back on those games.
00:34:25Because it... it's just like... it was over before it started.
00:34:37This sweater's from Beijing.
00:34:39This team does lifts like no one else in the world. Such trust and beauty.
00:34:45We felt like we actually delivered a great skate.
00:34:50Chalk and Bates with a chance to make it on the podium for the first time.
00:34:54And finished in fourth place just off the podium.
00:34:57The margin for error is just so small to be in Ice Dance.
00:35:03After we had the kind of Olympic heartbreak we packed all that stuff away and we like
00:35:08didn't want to like even wear the gear.
00:35:16Just that the reminder I think was really like difficult.
00:35:27So it was hard in that moment to commit to another four years after that Olympics.
00:35:35You didn't do coffee to go?
00:35:37Yeah.
00:35:37But in my heart I think I knew we weren't done.
00:35:55A few years ago I started kind of feeling ill.
00:36:00Just nauseous and like period like pains specifically on the left side.
00:36:06And I always had bad periods but I was like I'm not having my period right now.
00:36:10But something's happening.
00:36:12And then eventually got in contact with my current doctor.
00:36:17My point's at 3.45 right?
00:36:20Uh, yeah.
00:36:21That's what I thought.
00:36:22And then on my birthday, January 16th, 2023, the results came in.
00:36:28And of course I opened it and I was like, oh, cancer.
00:36:32Crap.
00:36:36I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer stage one.
00:36:41It was so, so scary.
00:36:44It's like, am I going to have to stop skating?
00:36:47Am I going to have to like go through chemo?
00:36:49There was so much unknown.
00:36:52I was lucky enough to just have surgery.
00:36:56Like we didn't know how bad it was because it was a nine centimeter cyst, um, with the tumor
00:37:02bleeped attached to it.
00:37:04But I got really lucky to not have to do like any other treatment, um, just follow-ups.
00:37:11Hello.
00:37:12Hello.
00:37:12Hi.
00:37:12How are you?
00:37:13Good.
00:37:14How are you?
00:37:14Long time no see.
00:37:15I know.
00:37:16Um, anything new since your last visit?
00:37:19Pretty much everything's been similar.
00:37:22Yeah.
00:37:22Okay, perfect.
00:37:23Yeah.
00:37:23And no aches or pains?
00:37:24Any changes in periods or anything like that?
00:37:28Everything's good?
00:37:29Everything's totally normal.
00:37:30Okay, perfect.
00:37:30Yeah.
00:37:30I'm doing well.
00:37:32Like I'm currently cancer-free.
00:37:33It took about two and a half years for me to like feel like myself.
00:37:37What I've learned was like, I just had to be a little bit more patient with myself.
00:37:41Like I couldn't expect myself to be 100% Piper, because that 100% Piper isn't there
00:37:48anymore.
00:37:49So all good news from the ultrasound point of view.
00:37:53Okay.
00:37:53So that's awesome.
00:37:53Okay.
00:37:54All right.
00:37:55So we'll see you in six months.
00:37:56Yeah.
00:37:56Any problems?
00:37:57You know where to find me?
00:37:58Yep.
00:38:01Having to experience my mom's cancer battle and my cancer battle, I think I fought, um,
00:38:11for her, you know?
00:38:12I fought to just live the life that she couldn't see, you know?
00:38:16And if she could see me and like what I'm up to, she'd be proud.
00:38:26It's just made me appreciate every moment in life.
00:38:30It's like every day I get to wake up and go to the rink, it's a blessing.
00:38:42Even if it's hard.
00:38:47Ah, you're waiting too long.
00:38:51You're waiting too long.
00:38:53You know, I'm glad I get to go through the hard stuff, because the alternative is way worse.
00:38:59Ah, that felt good.
00:39:25Last week, I've received the message with the confirmation that I had obtained
00:39:30my French citizenship.
00:39:43So I'm at the consulate of France in Montreal
00:39:47for the actual physical passport.
00:40:00This is a very special moment.
00:40:10It's very special also to me because I have family and friends.
00:40:14So it's more than just for skating.
00:40:20I'm extremely grateful to have that opportunity.
00:40:25It's very exciting.
00:40:48I feel like it'd be fun to open a tea shop.
00:40:51Yeah.
00:40:53That would be fun.
00:40:54Matcha, so candles and incense.
00:40:56Maybe more incense than candles.
00:40:59Mm.
00:40:59I feel like it'd be fun to open a tea shop.
00:41:00I know what I want to do once I retire.
00:41:02I'll be a librarian at your shop.
00:41:04I like this life for us.
00:41:06I'm excited about it, actually.
00:41:08It's my favorite yogurt from Japan.
00:41:11So there's something really special about the yogurt lids in Japan.
00:41:15If you drop yogurt on them,
00:41:19none of the yogurt stays on the lid.
00:41:22It just rolls right off.
00:41:27It's magical.
00:41:28This society is superior.
00:41:30They are living in the future.
00:41:33I'm so grateful to be here,
00:41:35because there was a moment there where I thought,
00:41:37I might not see you in Japan.
00:41:39Skate America was not fun.
00:41:41I was just having a flare-up with my back,
00:41:43and so I just took time off after Lake Placid.
00:41:46And I felt so much better.
00:41:47I think we both needed a little break.
00:41:49And when we got back on the ice,
00:41:51it was...
00:41:52We were just all systems go for Japan.
00:42:02Let's talk about the Grand Prix Final.
00:42:04It is the Grand Prix Final.
00:42:05It is the best of the best going head-to-head.
00:42:08This is like the final frontier.
00:42:10This is what we've kind of all been waiting for.
00:42:13For this Olympic season, it's the first confrontation
00:42:17of the six contenders for the Olympic podium.
00:42:21I expect for the top three to be some combination of
00:42:26Fournette Baudry-Cizzeron,
00:42:29Chalk and Bates,
00:42:32Gillis and Poirier.
00:42:33I've got to give my vote of confidence to Piper and Paul.
00:42:38I feel like you have the gold medal favorites of Chalk and Bates.
00:42:42I just really cannot see anybody beating Mulan and Guillaume.
00:42:46I think it can be very close.
00:42:48Honestly, I cannot tell who is going to win in this case equally.
00:42:56Watch me do it like this, this, this, this, this, this.
00:43:07I'm so conscious of the cleanliness, the crispness and the match stylistically in this team.
00:43:23It's very hard to debate the quality of this team,
00:43:26no matter who your favorite team is.
00:43:29Laurence and Guillaume just move with such quality.
00:43:47Madison and Evan, they can do stuff that Laurence and Guillaume couldn't do
00:43:52in their very early stages of their partnership.
00:43:58.
00:44:03Watch me do it like this.
00:44:05.
00:44:06.
00:44:07.
00:44:36Madison and Evan will take first
00:44:38place with Laurence and Guillaume close behind them in second.
00:44:41Piper and Paul are in third place, frustratingly further back, as they head into the Freedance
00:44:47to determine who will stand at the podium here at the Grand Prix Final.
00:45:07Let it glide, don't force anything.
00:45:33So in practice today, my skirt got caught under his foot in the slide.
00:45:39I felt like I had the skirt in my hand.
00:45:41And then when we released to go for the exit, I had a big chunk of it and I just
00:45:46let it go.
00:45:47It kind of slipped underneath my blade and then at that point, like, you can't skate on fabric.
00:45:55Maddie's the most classy, stylish, well-dressed woman and it's like she's the victim of her
00:46:03own brilliance when it comes to costume making.
00:46:05And now that dress, it's making me nervous, so I don't know how she's going.
00:46:12It's a feeling like with anything, I think any skirt, like, the other girls also have long skirts.
00:46:18So it's just being aware and, like, finding that sense of awareness while you're out there skating.
00:46:34Final day of competition for the Grand Prix.
00:46:38After the first group of skaters, the British team temporarily hold the lead.
00:46:42That certainly places pressure on Piper and Paul, who will open the next group.
00:46:48On the line, representing Zawa.
00:46:50That is particularly exhilarating and exciting, of course, because it is the Olympic season.
00:46:56We see the real battle for the podium start to shake out now.
00:47:00Very close at the top between Shock and Bates and Fournier, Beaudry and Cizeron.
00:47:06We're also close for that third place podium spot.
00:47:10Every single move will be important.
00:47:15It would be understandable that the couples would be cautious and want to play it safe and skate cleanly.
00:47:22But unfortunately, the battle is so intense that they can't have a cautious performance.
00:47:28It has to be an aggressive attacking performance.
00:47:32Getting to that mindset, OK?
00:47:36No distractions, just another day in the office.
00:47:40OK.
00:47:40OK?
00:47:41Take one step at a time.
00:47:43Yeah.
00:47:43You got this?
00:47:44Yeah, we got this.
00:47:46All right.
00:47:48I'll get it then.
00:47:52See you after.
00:47:53Yep.
00:47:54Piper Gillis and Paul Poirier of Canada, they need to score 125.93 points
00:48:00to guarantee a podium spot.
00:48:024th, Piper Gillis and Paul Poirier of Canada.
00:48:08I wonder that.
00:48:09I know that.
00:48:20Sorry, story night.
00:48:25Paint your palette blue and grey.
00:48:30Look out on a summer's day.
00:48:33With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
00:48:37It's been really special to come here at this event
00:48:41and it's just crazy to think about all the years we've skated together
00:48:48all the things that we've been able to live through together
00:49:00On this 15 year journey of ours
00:49:02Paul, like he is my stable, loyal, friend, partner
00:49:08I wouldn't be where I am without him
00:49:14I'm just so struck by how unique the lives that we've been able to live are
00:49:20Those experiences, those stories, those relationships
00:49:24Those are the things I'm going to cherish the most
00:49:31You just take this leap of faith that you found the right partner
00:49:34And I know I definitely did
00:49:42The way in which each element is interwoven
00:49:45And the way in which this is constructed
00:49:47You don't want to interject with words
00:49:49I love it
00:49:52Beautiful
00:49:53Oh my goodness
00:49:54I'm all so good
00:50:01They need 125.92 points to tie for third
00:50:070.93 would guarantee them a top three spot
00:50:10Going to be very close between them and Lila Fear and Lewis Gibson
00:50:14As they wait for their scores
00:50:18125.86
00:50:20The total competition score of 208.75
00:50:26Most likely move them off the podium
00:50:29Six one hundredths, separate
00:50:31Six one hundredths
00:50:33Very close
00:50:34Wow
00:50:35Goodness gracious, that is so close
00:50:38All good
00:50:39You've seen the best
00:50:40You've seen the best
00:50:41That's a bit of a shocking result for me
00:50:45Despite skating well, Piper and Paul find themselves out of the conversation for gold
00:50:50There are a host of questions now for Piper, Paul and their team
00:50:54As to how they can get back in favour with the judges
00:50:58What can be done moving toward the Olympic Games
00:51:05I don't want to go into the rest of the year having to like skate amazing like that and have
00:51:09no supporters
00:51:15We've put so much energy into this and like
00:51:18Of course we have
00:51:19We've put in everything we can
00:51:22We can go home and put in work
00:51:24But
00:51:27It's one of those moments where we have to appear strong
00:51:29Even if we're pissed off
00:51:31We can have all of our feelings, okay?
00:51:34I understand how you feel
00:51:35Yeah
00:51:35I'm just like
00:51:38There's
00:51:39There's just so much work
00:51:40Yeah
00:51:42It feels like it's for nothing this year
00:51:45It's gonna be for something
00:51:46I know
00:51:47It's gonna be for something, okay?
00:51:49It's gonna be for something, okay?
00:51:49It's gonna be for something when people actually say something to me
00:51:51Yeah
00:51:55Yeah
00:52:23I understand
00:52:30I know
00:52:30I know
00:52:30I know
00:52:30I know
00:52:30I know
00:52:30I actually see
00:52:30Madison Chalk and Evan Bates have accomplished so much.
00:52:33They are the three-time reigning world champions,
00:52:36and they feel like it is their time to grab that Olympic gold medal.
00:52:42And for sure, no one can make a mistake here.
00:52:49I raise my glass, I'm a winner.
00:52:54And I'm seeing clearer.
00:52:58But I'm done with waiting for greatness.
00:53:05I can feel it in my blood.
00:53:14Qualifying for the Grand Prix Final was already a big milestone for us.
00:53:20It's so crazy, like, coming into this with Laurence
00:53:24and having this history together, like, being such close friends
00:53:27for so many years.
00:53:33This might be our final Grand Prix Final,
00:53:37so I know it's going to be special just in that regard.
00:53:42This year in particular has presented some new challenges for us.
00:53:48All the goals that we've set for ourselves are right in front of us.
00:53:52This team will draw blood, sweat, and tears to get themselves to be the Olympic champions in Milan.
00:53:59I'm so happy that I found the courage to ask Laurence to skate with me.
00:54:03It's important to pause, look back how far we've come, and how much we've grown together.
00:54:11This is the first time that they've really felt the heat of another team kind of nipping at their heels.
00:54:20All the years of hard work, we left no stone unturned, and we did it together.
00:54:26This has been the problem element earlier in practice.
00:54:36We don't know how long it's going to last.
00:54:39We don't know if we'll keep going, or if it's just for this one year.
00:54:44So we try to grasp every moment of it.
00:54:49Lil and Gyeong showcasing something incomprehensibly spellbinding.
00:54:56Oh my goodness, absolute nightmare.
00:55:00And the final element incurs a fall.
00:55:03So that mistake will cost them.
00:55:08They had a chance to make a big statement against Chalk and Bates in this competition,
00:55:12and it was their opportunity to win over this team ahead of the Olympics.
00:55:18Wow, the plot absolutely thickens.
00:55:25But despite all the pressure placed upon them by the French team,
00:55:29Madison and Evan stepped up and delivered.
00:55:33Ice dance this season has been dramatic.
00:55:54The margin was 1.18 points between this team and the team of Chalk and Bates.
00:56:02The mistakes certainly seem like they'll loom costly here,
00:56:06as the judges put the finishing touches on the score.
00:56:09Don't you want it, we didn't want it.
00:56:10Because it was amazing.
00:56:11Like that, it's the shot.
00:56:15That, somewhat freakfall by Laurent's at the end of the program,
00:56:18and we'll see that of course in the replays.
00:56:22Oh, it's a dress.
00:56:23Was it the dress?
00:56:24It was the dress.
00:56:25No way.
00:56:26Yes.
00:56:29You fell off.
00:56:30Yes.
00:56:30L'erreur est humaine.
00:56:32Yes.
00:56:32Je ne voulais pas avoir l'A1 et A1.
00:56:42the score 126.69 with a 214.25 even with a fall that is a big score and this begs
00:56:51the question
00:56:52if Laurence and Guillaume had skated cleanly what would they have received from the judges
00:56:59the next team have had dress issues themselves they've been very much the undisputed favorites
00:57:05for that olympic gold medal and i think that they've handled this pressure so beautifully
00:57:11here the final team in the grand prix final in a season of surprising results and surprising
00:57:18scores you can still see that madison and evan are wondering what is going to be rewarded and
00:57:24awarded to them 131.68 season's best first overall with a total competition score of 220.42
00:57:40you are looking at the champions it has to have been a challenging season but by all
00:57:54the pressure placed upon them by the french team they have maintained their status as
00:57:59the front runners i'm happy that we still got second but we're at this point in our career
00:58:08where unfortunately we're not content with a second place it kind of brings up that fire
00:58:17inside towards the olympics i'm proud of you
00:58:24it's hard to be in this position and like have to go home and try to figure out how to
00:58:28be better
00:58:30we have eight weeks until the olympics it's very important to not let the setbacks turn into doubt
00:58:37the path to success will require us to have utmost faith in the decisions that we've made for ourselves
00:59:01oh thank you oh wow chestnuts just nothing beautiful
00:59:12i'm sorry bud mochi is superb
00:59:20splendid succulent
00:59:23you don't like mochi do you yeah i know sorry good sport
00:59:29being here is a win honestly it could have been easy to just not show up
00:59:39just kind of like respectfully bow out but we we didn't
00:59:47we have proven to ourselves what we already know to be true is that like
00:59:51we'll do whatever it takes to take the ice
01:00:00olympic gold was always the goal after this week it has solidified we have the ability to
01:00:09accomplish what we set out to do
01:00:14what if it all works out what if all our dreams come true
01:00:21what if we get exactly what we've been working for
01:00:32rifletto i miei pensieri in uno specchio ma non mi ci rispecchio chiedo chi sei
01:00:39ho già visto quella faccia la prossima domanda so già che non risponderai
01:00:49dimmi dai dove andrai non è tanto dove però porta come porta con te chi c'è chi c'è
01:00:59chi c'è chi c'è chi c'è chi m'è letto ha detto ti rialzerai
01:01:02e allora vedrai se poi ti conviene esser per bene non me la bevo non ti conviene
01:01:11oggi si lo vedrai
01:01:13oggi si lo vedrai
01:01:14mi impegnerò a volermi più bene scioglierò capelli e catene
01:01:20perché sono libera di portare il mio tempo dire quello che sento sono più libera
01:01:26se a volte un po' spanno se lascio il comando il cuore si libera non ha più l'affanno era
01:01:32solo un inganno perché
01:01:33sono libera
01:01:41riporto i miei pensieri sui miei passi se sono un po' distratti le sgriderò
01:01:48scappo via ma sono a caccia do fuoco a questa miccia più tardi poi mi scuserò
01:01:56ho vestiti ancora dei tuoi sbagli guardati non vorrai rifarli
01:02:16e allora vedrai se poi ti conviene esser per bene non me la bevo non ti conviene
01:02:24oggi si lo vedrai mi impegnerò a volermi più bene scioglierò capelli e catene
01:02:33perché sono libera di portare il mio tempo dire quello che sento sono più libera
01:02:39se a volte un po' spanno se lascio il comando il cuore si libera
01:02:43non ha più l'affanno era solo un inganno perché
01:02:46sono libera
01:03:02sono libera
01:03:06perché sono libera
01:03:08Yeah
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