Paul Ayer
| Paul Ayer | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Fabbri/Ayer at the 2023 Skate Canada International | |||||||||
| Born | April 6, 1998 Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||||||||
| Hometown | Brossard, Quebec | ||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||
| Figure skating career | |||||||||
| Country |  Canada | ||||||||
| Partner | Alicia Fabbri | ||||||||
| Coach | Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis | ||||||||
| Skating club | Calalta FSC | ||||||||
| Began skating | 2009 | ||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||
Paul Ayer (born April 6, 1998) is a Canadian ice dancer. With his skating partner, Alicia Fabbri, he is the 2024 Canadian national bronze medalist. At the junior level, he is the 2019 Canadian national junior silver medalist and the 2019 Bavarian Open junior silver medalist. They placed in the top nine at the 2019 World Junior Championships.
Personal life[edit]
Ayer was born on April 6, 1998, in Calgary, Alberta. He is half Mexican-Canadian and speaks Spanish, French and English fluently. He has a younger brother named Alex. Ayer's father, who was a lawyer in Calgary, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.[1] He has taken online courses and plans to enroll in a university in Montreal in the future.[1] Ayer hopes to practice his French in Montreal.
Ayer enjoys playing other sports with friends like football and hockey on outdoor rinks or lakes during the winter.[1] He also enjoys travelling.
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Ayer began skating around 2007. He competed in only domestic events with his first three partners: Taylor Yanke, Nicola Salimova, and Jolie Che. Ayer and Che split at the end of the summer in 2017, and he spent about a year trying out with various partners before teaming up with Fabbri. He relocated from Calgary to Montreal to train full-time with Fabbri.[1]
2018–2019 season: New partnership[edit]
Fabbri/Ayer were assigned to two Junior Grand Prix events in their first season together. They placed fourth at 2018 JGP Slovakia and seventh at 2018 JGP Slovenia.
Fabbri/Ayer placed second at the 2019 Canadian Championships behind Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha. Together, they were named to the Canadian team for the 2019 World Junior Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.[2] At a tune-up event, the 2019 Bavarian Open, Fabbri/Ayer again won silver behind Lajoie/Lagha.[3]
Fabbri/Ayer were thirteenth after the rhythm dance segment at the 2019 World Junior Championships but rallied with an eighth-place showing in the free dance to place ninth overall. Combined with Lajoie/Lagha's placement (first place), their rank qualified three ice dance spots for Canada at the 2020 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.
2019–2020 season: New coaches[edit]
In July 2019, Fabbri/Ayer left coach Julien Lalonde to train with Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal.[4] They made their senior international debut at the 2019 CS Warsaw Cup, where they placed sixth with personal bests in all segments.
2020–2021 season[edit]
Fabbri/Ayer were assigned to make their Grand Prix debut at the 2020 Skate Canada International, but the event was cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.[5]
With the pandemic continuing to make it difficult to hold in-person events, Fabbri/Ayer competed at virtual domestic competitions, placing fifth at the 2021 Skate Canada Challenge. This result would have qualified them for the 2021 Canadian Championships, but they were cancelled due to the pandemic.[6][7]
2021–2022 season[edit]
Fabbri/Ayer returned to international competition after almost two years at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy, placing twelfth.[8] Given a second Challenger assignment, they were fifth at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria.[9]
At the 2022 Canadian Championships, held in a bubble in Ottawa due to Omicron variant restrictions, Fabbri/Ayer finished in seventh place overall after being hampered by a fall in the closing seconds of their rhythm dance.[9]
2022–2023 season[edit]
Skate Canada named Fabbri and Ayer to the senior national team for the first time in the lead-up to the new season.[10] They ventured out internationally for the first time at the 2022 CS Budapest Trophy, where they finished in fourth place, 11.60 points behind bronze medalists Wolfkostin/Chen of the United States. Ayer assessed that they had given a "really strong performance in the rhythm dance and connected with the crowd," though faulting themselves for a free dance error.[11] They were then invited to finally make the Grand Prix debut and came eighth at the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy.[12] Ayer dislocated his shoulder in the practice sessions at the Wilson Trophy and, while they were able to finish the event by making modifications to their program, it was subsequently determined that he required surgery. As a result, they withdrew from the 2023 Canadian Championships.[13]
2023–2024 season[edit]
Following Ayer's recovery, Fabbri/Ayer started the season at the 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, coming ninth.[14] They were given one Grand Prix assignment, the 2023 Skate Canada International, where they placed seventh.[15]
Fabbri/Ayer won the silver medal at the Skate Canada Challenge, the final qualifier to the 2024 Canadian Championships.[16] In advance of the championships, defending silver medalists Lajoie/Lagha withdrew due to Lajoie entering concussion protocol, whilst reigning champions Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen withdrew after the latter was revealed to be under investigation for sexual assault. The ice dance podium was thus considered more open than in recent years.[17] Fabbri/Ayer won the bronze medal, reaching the senior national podium for the first time.[18]
Programs[edit]
With Fabbri[edit]
| Season | Rhythm dance | Free dance | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–2024 [19] |
|
|
Show Me How You Burlesque
|
| 2022–2023 [20] |
|
|
|
| 2021–2022 [21] |
|
|
|
| 2020–2021 [22] |
|
|
|
| 2019–2020 [23] |
|
|
|
| 2018–2019 [24] |
|
|
Competitive highlights[edit]
GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
With Fabbri[edit]
| International[9] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 18–19 | 19–20 | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 |
| GP Skate Canada | C | 7th | ||||
| GP Wilson Trophy | 8th | |||||
| CS Cup of Austria | 5th | |||||
| CS Budapest Trophy | 4th | |||||
| CS Lombardia Trophy | 12th | |||||
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 9th | |||||
| CS Warsaw Cup | 6th | |||||
| Challenge Cup | 3rd | |||||
| International: Junior[9] | ||||||
| Junior Worlds | 9th | |||||
| JGP Slovakia | 4th | |||||
| JGP Slovenia | 7th | |||||
| Bavarian Open | 2nd | |||||
| National | ||||||
| Canadian Champ. | 2nd J | 6th | C | 7th | WD | 3rd |
| SC Challenge | 1st J | 2nd | 5th | 1st | 2nd | |
| TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Cancelled J = Junior level | ||||||
Detailed results[edit]
ISU personal bests highlighted in bold. Small medals for rhythm and free dances awarded at ISU Championships only.
With Fabbri[edit]
Senior results[edit]
| 2023–2024 season | ||||
| Date | Event | RD | FD | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 22-25, 2024 | 2024 Challenge Cup | 3 70.98 |
3 104.90 |
3 175.88 |
| January 8–14, 2024 | 2024 Canadian Championships | 3 77.75 |
3 117.86 |
3 195.61 |
| Nov. 30 – Dec. 3, 2023 | 2023 Skate Canada Challenge | 2 70.99 |
1 111.65 |
2 182.64 |
| October 27–29, 2023 | 2023 Skate Canada International | 7 68.31 |
8 105.03 |
7 173.34 |
| September 20–23, 2023 | 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 7 63.84 |
9 103.30 |
9 167.14 |
| 2022–2023 season | ||||
| Date | Event | RD | FD | Total |
| November 11–13, 2022 | 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy | 8 67.45 |
9 98.33 |
8 165.78 |
| October 13–16, 2022 | 2022 CS Budapest Trophy | 4 70.48 |
5 98.38 |
4 168.86 |
| 2021–2022 season | ||||
| Date | Event | RD | FD | Total |
| January 6–12, 2022 | 2022 Canadian Championships | 8 66.43 |
6 104.72 |
7 171.15 |
| November 11–14, 2021 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria | 6 68.24 |
5 103.39 |
5 171.63 |
| September 10–12, 2021 | 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy | 9 64.77 |
14 87.72 |
12 152.49 |
| 2020–2021 season | ||||
| Date | Event | RD | FD | Total |
| January 8–17, 2021 | 2021 Skate Canada Challenge | 4 75.00 |
5 109.29 |
5 184.29 |
| 2019–2020 season | ||||
| Date | Event | RD | FD | Total |
| January 13–19, 2020 | 2020 Canadian Championships | 4 68.26 |
6 97.15 |
6 165.41 |
| November 14–17, 2019 | 2019 CS Warsaw Cup | 6 62.14 |
6 93.63 |
6 155.77 |
Junior results[edit]
| 2018–2019 season | ||||
| Date | Event | RD | FD | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 4–10, 2019 | 2019 World Junior Championships | 13 55.58 |
8 87.46 |
9 143.04 |
| February 5–10, 2019 | 2019 Bavarian Open | 2 58.54 |
3 86.10 |
2 144.64 |
| January 14–20, 2019 | 2019 Canadian Junior Championships | 2 62.20 |
3 96.37 |
2 158.57 |
| October 3–6, 2018 | 2018 JGP Slovenia | 6 53.20 |
8 78.21 |
7 131.41 |
| August 22–25, 2018 | 2018 JGP Slovakia | 4 58.53 |
6 77.13 |
4 135.66 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Jackson Ultima (October 17, 2018). "#JacksonFamily Interviews with Paul Ayer (CAN)". Medium.
- ^ "Canadian junior skaters in Croatia for the 2019 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships" (Press release). Skate Canada. March 4, 2019.
- ^ "Lajoie and Lagha lead Canada to 1-2 finish at Bavarian Open" (Press release). Skate Canada. February 9, 2019.
- ^ Cournoyer, Ginette (July 21, 2019). "Welcome in the Team Montreal Family Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer" (Instagram). Archived from the original on 2021-12-26.
- ^ "Skate Canada International in Ottawa cancelled as COVID-19 cases rise". CBC Sports. October 14, 2020.
- ^ Ewing, Lori (January 16, 2021). "Madeline Schizas moves up 3 spots to win virtual Skate Canada Challenge". CBC Sports.
- ^ "2021 Skate Canada Challenge – Results". Skate Canada.
- ^ "Lombardia Trophy 2021". Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio.
- ^ a b c d "Alicia FABBRI / Paul AYER: Competition Results". International Skating Union.
- ^ "Skate Canada announces 2022-2023 national team". Skate Canada. July 25, 2022.
- ^ "Lajoie and Lagha earn second gold this season on ISU Challenger Series". Skate Canada. October 16, 2022.
- ^ "Lajoie win second Grand Prix medal this season". Skate Canada. November 13, 2022.
- ^ Fabbri, Alicia (December 13, 2022). "Hello everyone! As many of you know, the week before Sheffield, Paul dislocated his shoulder in practice. We managed to modify few things in our programs and pushed through the week to compete, and we are really proud of us for doing that! Unfortunately, Paul needs another surgery for his shoulder" (Instagram). Archived from the original on September 30, 2023.
- ^ "Pair skaters Pereira & Michaud narrowly miss podium at Nebelhorn Trophy event". Skate Canada. September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ^ "Gold for Canadian pair and ice dance team at Skate Canada International". Skate Canada. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "New faces shine at 2023-2024 Skate Canada Challenge - Junior/Senior in Winnipeg". Skate Canada. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ Brodie, Robert (January 11, 2024). "Canadian Championships: Welcome to the deep freeze". R.W. Brodie Writes. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024.
- ^ Spencer, Donna (January 13, 2024). "Ruiter halts Schizas's 3-peat bid in women's program at Canadian figure skating championships". CBC Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "Alicia FABBRI / Paul AYER: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Alicia FABBRI / Paul AYER: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023.
- ^ "Alicia FABBRI / Paul AYER: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022.
- ^ "Alicia FABBRI / Paul AYER: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020.
- ^ "Profile – Alicia Fabbri & Paul Ayer". ice-dance.com. September 5, 2018.
- ^ "Alicia FABBRI / Paul AYER: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019.
External links[edit]
Media related to Paul Ayer at Wikimedia Commons