News and updates à la Française, part quatre

That's it.
What a band of leeches, really.
If the FFSG is already there after 4 months, this culture of lies/abuses/protecting abusers has already got back a green light.
The FFSG is rotten to the chore. That's Gailhaguet's ways, make things rotten enough so he can rule and "prosper" on them.
Please, Mrs Oudéa-Castéra, unplug the FFSG. Withdraw the ministerial agreement, place high level figure and speed skating under administrative supervision for 4 years, enough time to create an alternative structure, to rethink its structure and administration, to give it to a newer generation, with ethics values.
There is nothing to be done but that, now (IMHO)

I'm gonna say something terrible but french parents are the worst at protecting their children. It may be true in some places in other countries but it's something I've noticed even in french schools. They are all trying to protect THEIR kid. They put on blinkers to focus on them and forget what happens to others. They are incapable of thinking group protection strategy. It sucks and is supremely ineffective. It also has to do with the local culture where parents aren't empowered or have specific roles within schools or organisations for children. As if "A good parent is parent that doesn't mingle" (with education, sport). I'm still shocked to this day to not have seen strong parental reactions to what happened, rather than individual behavior of evasion.

And beyond Nathalie (whom I think was wrong to think she could take the federation as new rather than a federation to be healed), I'm still shocked that nobody thought about the protection of the children at the election. Sport is nice, healthy and useful. But when a large majority of your members are children, it's around them and their safety that you need to build the frame of your organisation. They are not meant to be an afterthought.
 
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So Patrice Martin has been fired by the executive council he alerted.
He protests about the vote. It took 3h44mn to give him the result of 19 voters.

There IS something weird in the figures.
They are different between l'Equipe and le Parisien.

Mr Gailhaguet has made a response to the AFP.
Which says almost textually. It's not me. I'm not there. I didn't sign Mrs Pulcini's contract. I don't hold any cards within the FFSG. I can give advices with pleasure if the president needs them. I dont have any interest in becoming president again. I'm just the treasurer of Poitiers' skating club.
 
I actually have a second theory about Gailhaguet's plans.

I think he has prepared things through for 2 years and that there may be a more complex plan going on.
I think he may have prepared several steps in avance, like a chess player.

If I were him, I would have played one layer for the show. Supposed to hold the front together for a few months to 2 years. That would be the duo of the last election, coming out if nowhere. Disposable by pieces, at whim.

And then I would have prepared a surprise second line with whom I would block everyone and who would be my definitive ticket back, without even being président in name.

That last detail has been his main talking point for 4 months. I think that's his defense and offense line.
 
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He seems to be the archetypal Machiavellian! It is quite scary to see that nobody is able/willing (?) to counteract his influence! :wall:
 
The journalist of Le Parisien says that the vote came through emails, lasted for hours, without debate.
So, basically, they sent an email and had to wait for people to check their emails and respond/follow the link to vote online. Couldn't they even manage a proper Zoom meeting for this? :rofl:
 
He seems to be the archetypal Machiavellian! It is quite scary to see that nobody is able/willing (?) to counteract his influence! :wall:
Inside the federation, he has professionnally killed or chased or got compromising files about every coach, skaters or club president that had high level, political or even conceptual ambitions.

In the 90s-2000s, he killed the competition of people of his generation in figure skating. French skaters all had their own coach then. He wanted all the french skaters in one place, a place like Champigny, the club he created. And when he became director of the national team, then president, he started to systemize the idea of national center, leaving no room to any coach beyond novice.

I was rereading an 2011 interview of Karine Arribert (when she more or less put any international ambition on pause for a few years) where she explains how, in France, coaches are not allowed to do high level. Only one, chosen by "the fed" (read Gailhaguet) is allowed. How she would never be allowed to get skaters like P/C or Tiffany Zahorski just because they were meant to be for Lyon and would never be allowed to come to her if they were willing to. So that she had "left-aside" dancers that hadn't caught the federation's attention knocking to her door and that she was taking them all in her mountain to do creative stuff and ballet on ice, and to grow them at the maximum of their personal talent.

Consider this with the twisted complimentary information that Gailhaguet would build files on the "chosen coach" about the self-indulgence mistakes you can make when you think you are sooo good and have an untouchable monopoly position, that can only grow with time. Because the day he wants to get rid of you, the files are out by magic and you're professionnally dead.

I'm actually very scared in ice dance that coach Barbara Piton, who is raising locally-grown little champions (and I mean future stars of ice-dance) and has done an incredible job in ice dance in the last 7 years in lower level, might be in trouble. Her brother Alexandre (who has a very interesting professional resume) violently challenged Gailhaguet for the presidency quite a few years ago (and got smeared and beaten by a landslide by Gailhaguet). Nathalie gave her the mission to direct a newly created FFSG development pole in her region. And now i haven't seen any of her couples at the Masters where at least one was scheduled, at the Coupe d'Automne, at the Tournoi de rentrée, at the Mezzaluna Cup ... I've actually seen one of her dancers ... announced in a new partnership in Villard. I still hope to see them pop up somewhere but I'm really worried.
 
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Inside the federation, he has professionnally killed or chased or got compromising files about every coach, skaters or club president that had high level, political or even conceptual ambitions.

In the 90s-2000s, he killed the competition of people of his generation in figure skating. French skaters all had their own coach then. He wanted all the french skaters in one place, a place like Champigny, the club he created. And when he became director of the national team, then president, he started to systemize the idea of national center, leaving no room to any coach beyond novice.

I was rereading an 2011 interview of Karine Arribert (when she more or less put any international ambition on pause for a few years) where she explains how, in France, coaches are not allowed to do high level. Only one, chosen by "the fed" (read Gailhaguet) is allowed. How she would never be allowed to get skaters like P/C or Tiffany Zahorski just because they were meant to be for Lyon and would never be allowed to come to her if they were willing to. So that she had "left-aside" dancers that hadn't caught the federation's attention knocking to her door and that she was taking them all in her mountain to do creative stuff and ballet on ice, and to grow them at the maximum of their personal talent.

Consider this with the twisted complimentary information that Gailhaguet would build files on the "chosen coach" about the self-indulgence mistakes you can make when you think you are sooo good and have an untouchable monopoly position, that can only grow with time. Because the day he wants to get rid of you, the files are out by magic and you're professionnally dead.

I'm actually very scared in ice dance that coach Barbara Piton, who is raising locally-grown little champions (and I mean future stars of ice-dance) and has done an incredible job in ice dance in the last 7 years in lower level, might be in trouble. Her brother Alexandre (who has a very interesting professional resume) violently challenged Gailhaguet for the presidency quite a few years ago (and got smeared and beaten by a landslide by Gailhaguet). Nathalie gave her the mission to direct a newly created FFSG development pole in her region. And now i haven't seen any of her couples at the Masters where at least one was scheduled, at the Coupe d'Automne, at the Tournoi de rentrée, at the Mezzaluna Cup ... I've actually seen one of her dancers ... announced in a new partnership in Villard. I still hope to see them pop up somewhere but I'm really wor
What a sad situation ... does the corruption go so deep that he has leverage over everyone? I wondered why people didn't rally around Péchalat and her attempt at transparency!
 
First, it's not simply a matter of coruption.
The people he killed professionnally in the 90's-2000's were his training mates in the Boulogne-Billancourt rink in the 60s with Jacqueline Vaudecrane. He knew them since childhood. He killed them all to be the only keeper of the small house that used to be french figure skating, almost family-size.
And the persons he has killed since are all the heirs of the heirs, or his own heirs (figure skating-wise)
Gailhaguet has personally coached a large part of nowadays coaches aged 40 to 60.
And he started to be president 24 years ago. People under 35 have barely known anyone else.
He doesn't have to do anything extraordinary to have a natural ascendant on many.
But he may have to twist arms to force them to do what he wants but he and they are used to.


And why didn't people follow Nathalie ?
Because while proposing more a modern notion than "patrimonial inheritance right",
  • Nathalie should have purged the past by getting rid of all Gailhaguet's people entirely within the FFSG. They were telling Gailhaguet everything about the fed the last two years.
  • Nathalie should have acknowleged the older heirs (the skaters from the 90s) and their legitimate frustration and how that could be transformed in productive projects in a modernized federation.
  • she should have learned basics of sport associations : association of clubs and chose every opportunity to make those clubs feel existing and respected. Like meeting club presidents at events. Presidency is not just management and business. It means human contact.
 
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I hear you but let's not forget that it is a steep learning curve and that she just had only two years (and a pandemic on top of it) to do it. Did you expect miracles?
 
I hear you but let's not forget that it is a steep learning curve and that she just had only two years (and a pandemic on top of it) to do it. Did you expect miracles?
Me from Nathalie? Nothing. I'm just a skating fan watching the many dramas of the FFSG.

But my opinion in 2020 was that Gailhaguet would 100% try to come back at the next election and that Nathalie could have some chance, if she was smart enough , if she :
  • could gather all the old "names" around her
  • if she could clean the FFSG staff of any trace of Gailhaguet's influence
  • if she worked to soothe 30 years of Gailhaguet's human wrongdoings
  • if she changed the FFSG's rules that Gailhaguet created to lock the federation
Maybe, just maybe she could hold him off, with the support of the ministry.

She did not work on any of those points, except changing the rules.
She even managed to hurt Sarah Abitbol who created her association against violences in sport by refusing to work with her or to meet her, "because that was the past" and that she had brought in another association. How insensitive and obnoxious that was ! How hurtful to her. And to many who were individually feeling guilty to not have "seen" and protect her and others.

I didn't know yet how Nathalie was bossing the FFSG, rather than presiding it and how little care she took about human relationships with clubs. And that she would become obnoxious with them when she freaked out at Gailhaguet's signs of return.

Of course she has a lot of excuses, but she didn't help herself and some people sat on their hands when the election time came. She unwillingly contributed to the return of Gailhaguet.

I think killing the FFSG was the only way to get rid of Gailhaguet in 2020 and that Nathalie's move was presomptuous and opportunistic. It might have worked and all those things would be reduced to afterthoughts. It failed and this is the reality.
Philippe Pélissier, old coach, said it in 2020. They had a one time window to kill the beast.
She missed it. They all did.
 
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Me from Nathalie? Nothing. I'm just a skating fan watching the many dramas of the FFSG.

But my opinion in 2020 was that Gailhaguet would 100% try to come back at the next election and that Nathalie could have some chance, if she was smart enough , if she :
  • could gather all the old "names" around her
  • if she could clean the FFSG staff of any trace of Gailhaguet's influence
  • if she worked to soothe 30 years of Gailhaguet's human wrongdoings
  • if she changed the FFSG's rules that Gailhaguet created to lock the federation
Maybe, just maybe she could hold him off, with the support of the ministry.

She did not work on any of those points, except changing the rules.
She even managed to hurt Sarah Abitbol who created her association against violences in sport by refusing to work with her or to meet her, "because that was the past" and that she had brought in another association. How insensitive and obnoxious that was ! How hurtful to her. And to many who were individually feeling guilty to not have "seen" and protect her and others.

I didn't know yet how Nathalie was bossing the FFSG, rather than presiding it and how little care she took about human relationships with clubs. And that she would become obnoxious with them when she freaked out at Gailhaguet's signs of return.

Of course she has a lot of excuses, but she didn't help herself and some people sat on their hands when the election time came. She unwillingly contributed to the return of Gailhaguet.

I think killing the FFSG was the only way to get rid of Gailhaguet in 2020 and that Nathalie's move was presomptuous and opportunistic. It might have worked and all those things would be reduced to afterthoughts. It failed and this is the reality.
Philippe Pélissier, old coach, said it in 2020. They had a one time window to kill the beast.
She missed it. They all did.

Sorry, I did not mean you personally but "people" in general! And yes, it is never simple with that amount of resentment and bruised egos... . What is the saying? "Cut your nose to spite your face?" (no disrespect intended).
 
Team France for 2023 Europeans, Jan. 23-29 in Espoo, was tweeted today (Dec. 22): https://twitter.com/paul_peret/status/1606010552777465856
@ffsportsdeglace announced today officially the ?? entries for 2023 #EuroFigure @ISU_Figure
Pairs : Kovalev-Kovalev
Men : Aymoz and [first-time national champ] Siao Him Fa
Ice Dance : Demougeot/Le Mercier and [first-time national champ] Lopareva/Brissaud
Ladies : Serna

@Karen-W saw Landry Le May's IG story yesterday re. his selection for the Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, NY (competition is Jan. 13-15, 2023). The 2 French ice dance teams posted about their participation today:
Natacha Lagouge/Arnaud Caffa: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cme4aJPKHBy/
Marie Dupayage/Thomas Nabais: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmeslk4I3bg/
 
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FFSG's Instagram post 4 days ago: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmg8RGsol57/

La liste de nos français titulaires pour les Championnats d’Europe ?
Danse ⛸️
Evgeniia Lopareva & Geoffrey Brissaud
Loicia Demougeot & Théo Le Mercier

Dames ⛸️
Léa Serna

Messieurs ⛸️
Adam Siao Him Fa
Kévin Aymoz

Couples ⛸️
Camille Kovalev & Pavel Kovalev

The Dec. 19th Vaujany gala « les étoiles de la glace » will be broadcast on France 3 on Sunday, 1 January 2023 at 15:35: https://www.instagram.com/p/CmpK2yZIyuF/
Papadakis/Cizeron were the guest stars: https://www.vaujany.com/en/news/skating-gala-2022-les-etoiles-de-la-glace/
 
Gilles Beyer, former French coach and former Gailhaguet's right hand man, who was accused of rape by Sarah Abitbol and of sexual harassment by other female skaters, and who was under investigation, has died last Thursday. He managed to survive kidney cancer and cirrhosis for years although he never stopped drinking (and he was a mean drunk). All in all, he was way luckier than his victims who will never see him prosecuted. Rest NOT in peace.
 
First, apology if this has already been posted but I didn't see it. Dupayage/Nabais and Demougeot/Lemercier are going to Worlds (along Lopareva/Brissaud). It was officially announced by Villard de Lans skating club. FFSG would of course not bother to publish anything on the subject and on skaters who qualified in other disciplines. Communication is back to its non-existence.
 
First, apology if this has already been posted but I didn't see it. Dupayage/Nabais and Demougeot/Lemercier are going to Worlds (along Lopareva/Brissaud). It was officially announced by Villard de Lans skating club. FFSG would of course not bother to publish anything on the subject and on skaters who qualified in other disciplines. Communication is back to its non-existence.
Of course, FFSG won’t publish yet. They still haven’t decided which woman is going. Seems they still want to give one more chance to Lea Serna.
 
Of course, FFSG won’t publish yet. They still haven’t decided which woman is going. Seems they still want to give one more chance to Lea Serna.
There's nothing stopping them from announcing Ice Dance contenders separately, and indeed every category, independently from the others.

Re: Serna, I have no knowledge of her or her circumstances, but at every appearance she looks like she'd rather be elsewhere, with results to match that vibe. I wonder what's the story. She doesn't seem to even enjoy skating.
 
Of course, FFSG won’t publish yet. They still haven’t decided which woman is going. Seems they still want to give one more chance to Lea Serna.
Or wait to see if any of the other women, aside from Lorine Schild who is doing Jr Worlds, can manage to get the TES mins. Mae Berenice WD from Tallink Hotels Cup, so it would appear that the only two options the FFSG has are Serna and Schild. Serna has Challenge Cup next weekend and I suppose if she doesn't stink up the place, they'll name her to the Worlds team, but they might very well replace her if Schild does better at Jr Worlds.
 
First, apology if this has already been posted but I didn't see it. Dupayage/Nabais and Demougeot/Lemercier are going to Worlds (along Lopareva/Brissaud). It was officially announced by Villard de Lans skating club. FFSG would of course not bother to publish anything on the subject and on skaters who qualified in other disciplines. Communication is back to its non-existence.
There was a bit of discussion of this in the Dance Hall thread, but it definitely belongs here too, so thanks for posting it!
 
Aymoz is strangely underrated in PCS. I'd have thought he'd receive much more, but the gaps are so small compared to some others.
He is truly talented and takes big risks that can pay off with regards to the PCS, but sometimes I think he chases his choreography as opposed to demonstrating command. From my humble perspective it is because his programs are so packed full of moves on the verge that if he gets behind the music for even one second (for a fall, etc), he can get sloppy trying to catch up. Having said that, when he is on, he deserves 9s, IMHO.
 

Corentin Rahier has returned to competitive skating and is looking for a partner to represent France.
 

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