Figure Skating: 10 Skaters to Watch for the Upcoming Season

10. Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (CAN), Ice Dance

Sometimes it seems the best thing a Canadian ice dance team can do for themselves is just miss the first Olympics they try to qualify for. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir just missed in 2006, and then climbed to expected greatness. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Pojé were driven to unexpected greatness after they just missed in 2010. Now, two years after Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier just missed, they’ve upped their technical skill to combine with their unique Christopher Dean-choreographed programs to be one of the most memorable dance teams on the scene right now.  Last year, their Beatles-themed short dance won everyone’s hearts. And their free dance pushed the limits and impressed everyone in the audience. But not, it seems, the judges at Worlds, where there was much dismay to see them only finish eighth.

The Canadian ice dance field is about to get overstuffed indeed, with the impending return of Virtue and Moir. One would expect this would push Gilles and Poirier down to the position of Canada’s Number 3, and leave them unable to go up, only down. But they’ve shown already that being knocked down only makes them come back stronger. They may well never get quite good enough to pass the other two top Canadian ice dance teams. But, through their effort, they can still become a team that can top most of the rest of the world!  In any case, they’ll certainly be turning heads on whatever ice they make it to.

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Agree with our rankings? Which skaters are you watching this season? Sound off in the comments!