While coaches are involved in many aspects of their skaters preparation, dress design is generally not their area of expertise. Those who are ex-skaters are probably familiar with the fasteners and such that hold costumes together, but I doubt it's routine for them to check these things. I would think it is the dressmaker who is responsible to ensure that clasps and fasteners work as they are supposed to.
Your post is in reply to Alain06's and I am certainly not answering for him, I just want to clarify what I said before. Of course dress design doesn't fall directly within coaches' area of expertise. What I meant in my own post was that, as the team leaders, they are in charge of making sure people working for them are competent enough in their own field. As for the rest, I didn't know Gadbois communication had been questionnable after the incident, I didn't event know there was any specific communication on the subject. I still don't know what was said, but I assume Alain06, as French saying goes, didn't get that randomly "out of his hat". Nowadays, communication is a huge and important part of an athlete's career. So, without crying fool, thinking P/C should leave and asking for heads to roll, it would be better for everyone if it didn't happen again.
If the fastener broke twice before Olympics, I have to wonder why Thomas didn't ensure that the problem was fixed.
I think she did, offering to add another strap or another snap or whatever and Gabriella declined.
The whole situation doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me TBH. I could see the clasp coming undone once as a freak accident, but not more than that.
Same here. That doesn't mean I'm blaming or I want to blame anyone in particular. I just hope this incident will teach everyone a lesson so it won't happen again.
Does anyone know what exactly happened? Did the clasp break off?
When Gabriella was asked, her reply was simply "it came undone" (ça s'est ouvert"). I have no idea what the clasp looks like, you can't see it since both ends of the collar are overlayed. I was standing behind her yesterday night at a gala and I tried to (discreetly !) look, but her pony tail was hiding it
MFD and PL strike me as individuals with a lot of integrity. If they felt there was a conflict of interest in coaching P/C and V/M, I'm sure they would have addressed it.
I think they did, and they did it the best they could although it was a very complicated situation. It was objectively impossible for them to decline coaching V/M, both because their were friends and skaters with a huge prize list, nor would have they dropped P/C who are also the opportunity of a life time in a coach's career. They actually found themselves with 2 opportunities of a lifetime all at once. As much as P/C could have suffered from the situation, it helped them grow and it gave us the unique occasion to see two couples out of this world during a same quad. As far as I remember, it had never happened before. And it might not happen so soon again.
About what's been said in other posts and about the "rehashing" of old stuff, I'm sorry but I'm late to the subject since I seldom venture here, and I had not much time for the forum before the season was over. So I asked a poster to clarify something I didn't quite get and that's how the subject was brought up again. Mea maxima culpa. At least I can't be one of the "same people" since I wasn't there (in TC and this thread) before. I have absolutely no problem getting over anything since for me, there is nothing to get over with. That spares me the effort to build a bridge

As much as I love P/C skating, this is just that : skating. I'm not into worship, I'm not losing sleep over skaters and their results. Then I'm a positive person who always see the glass half full. For me P/C didn't lose gold, they won silver. I'm not bitter about the result since, as an admirer of both couples, the result for me was just fine, and it would have been just as fine had it been the other way round. I can't wait for H/D or any other team to challenge P/C because I like true good and fair competition.
End of the stodgy essay
