Post by usaapfan on Apr 19, 2009 21:35:51 GMT 1
For those of you who watched the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships on Eurosport, you no doubt noticed that Gwendal did not participate in the broadcast.
You may have speculated that one half of our beloved ice dance team just couldn’t handle the warm, sunny weather of Los Angeles. Maybe he heard about the draconian camera and lens policy at the Staples Center? Or could it be that he thought I would come up with another 183 questions for the GQL?
It’s none of the above.
Gwendal was accepted into an advanced management program at EM Lyon and classes began March 26th.
“It’s been seven years since I’ve been in school and I haven’t improved my knowledge.”
This is an international degree, famous in France and recognized by businessmen. Gwendal thought that it would be a good idea for him to earn the degree. The will be approximately 16-20 people in the program. Gwendal said that most of the students are 45-50 years old. The professors are businessmen who have been through the program before. Gwendal said that one of the first tasks in the program is an English test. The program lasts one year.
Gwendal explained that currently, there are five people at Soléus that make decisions. What happens if one or two of them leave? The information learned in the program is a way to make people working with him trust his decisions and rely on him more. He wants to work on his ability to make strategic decisions.
He compared it to the later part of his competitive skating career. Gwendal explained that at the beginning, Muriel made most of the decisions for the team but towards the end, both he and Marina made decisions.
The program includes two field trips arranged through the school. Gwendal will spend one week in Turkey June 2-6 and two weeks in Shanghai November 8-22.
If you thought Gwendal’s schedule last year, when he was shooting the Russian TV show “Star Ice”, was hectic; this is just as bad. He will work at Soléus on Monday through Thursday and go to school Friday and Saturday from 08:30-20:30.
I asked if he thought his fellow students would treat him differently. He said that he couldn’t say. Normally, people that meet him for the first time don’t react but a short time later; they will come up and ask him for an autograph for their sister or friend.
“Do you always carries a Sharpie marker; just in case?”
“Yes.”
I asked if he would be able to take a vacation. He was planning a trip to Laponie (Lapland), May 18-27 to ski with his aunt and uncle.
“May???”
“Yes, it’s in the north of Sweden and its light all day long so there’s a lot of time for skiing.”
Given that this conversation took place shortly after the death of actress Natasha Richardson from a head injury sustained while skiing, I asked if he was going to wear a helmet.
Gwendal sounded as if he was a bit insulted by the question.
“Michele, you never asked me to wear a helmet while I was skating and ice is harder than snow.”
“That’s because I was confident in your abilities on skates. You spun and changed edges while carrying Marina; why would I worry about you falling?”
“I’ve been skiing longer than I’ve been skating. I began skiing at age one. Don’t worry. I ski with an ABS avalanche airbag backpack.”
I don’t know about you but I wasn’t reassured by that comment. I still had mental images of Gwendal tumbling down the side of the mountain with a few pine trees, a reindeer and a lot of snow.
Deviating sharply…Gwendal is enjoying his new home, affectionately referred to as “Chateau Peizerat” by moi. He reports that he has used the kitchen. In case you are wondering what happened to the “Urban Bachelor Pad’ in Lyon; that is currently being remodeled.
Gwendal shared a few photos with us. For those of you reading on Yahoo A & P, I have uploaded them to the Files area.
sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/anissina-peizerat/files/08-09%20Gwendal/Chateau%20Peizerat/
For those reading on PoI, here are the photos:
The Kitchen:
The living room at Christmas complete with Peizerat family:
Alternate view of living room (Doesn’t that look cozy on a cold winter’s evening?):
The shower for visiting American friends who never mastered showering in a Euro-tub without flooding the entire bathroom.
The bath area of Gwendal’s bedroom:
The bedroom area as viewed from the bath area:
April 19, 2009 Update
I phoned Gwendal to sing “Happy Birthday” a few days early. I joked that I’m phoning today because if I phone you at work Tuesday, it would be at least a minus 10 point deduction. Gwendal laughed and asked if he should sing “Happy Birthday Early” to me. He proceeded to sing a few choruses.
No need for me to worry. The skiing trip to Laponie has been cancelled.
I asked Gwendal how class was going. How are his classmates treating him?
“They treat me OK. I think they are finally used to having me in class. I’m known as the big mouth who keeps asking a lot of questions.”
“You’re paying enough for the program; you should ask a lot of questions!”
“Michele, here’s something funny that you’ll enjoy. I received a call from the mayor of my village. He invited me to come to the market where they sell fruits and vegetables (e.g. in the USA, we’d call this a “farmer’s market”) to sign and sell my book. That’s how I spent my Sunday morning.”
My initial reaction was how on earth did he find time to write a book but it immediately occurred to me that he meant “D’or et de Feu”.
“You still have some copies?”
“Yes.”
I told him that a few months ago; some of the fans were trying to find copies of the book but having a difficult time locating a copy. (Didn’t we find a copy selling on Amazon for $124 dollars? Ouch!)
Gwendal said that if any of you want a copy of the book, contact me, and he’ll give us a bulk discount. If you’re interested, send me an E-Mail off list and let me know how many copies you want.
“A friend of mine is visiting and has just discovered the book.”
“There are some beautiful photos in the book.”
I was about to add that he should point out the nice photo in the “Bonus Privé” section towards the end of the book but I kept my mouth shut. Let his friend discover the photos on his/her own.
Let me know if you want to purchase a copy of the book. I assume that the price will be dependent on how many copies we request.
Michele
You may have speculated that one half of our beloved ice dance team just couldn’t handle the warm, sunny weather of Los Angeles. Maybe he heard about the draconian camera and lens policy at the Staples Center? Or could it be that he thought I would come up with another 183 questions for the GQL?
It’s none of the above.
Gwendal was accepted into an advanced management program at EM Lyon and classes began March 26th.
“It’s been seven years since I’ve been in school and I haven’t improved my knowledge.”
This is an international degree, famous in France and recognized by businessmen. Gwendal thought that it would be a good idea for him to earn the degree. The will be approximately 16-20 people in the program. Gwendal said that most of the students are 45-50 years old. The professors are businessmen who have been through the program before. Gwendal said that one of the first tasks in the program is an English test. The program lasts one year.
Gwendal explained that currently, there are five people at Soléus that make decisions. What happens if one or two of them leave? The information learned in the program is a way to make people working with him trust his decisions and rely on him more. He wants to work on his ability to make strategic decisions.
He compared it to the later part of his competitive skating career. Gwendal explained that at the beginning, Muriel made most of the decisions for the team but towards the end, both he and Marina made decisions.
The program includes two field trips arranged through the school. Gwendal will spend one week in Turkey June 2-6 and two weeks in Shanghai November 8-22.
If you thought Gwendal’s schedule last year, when he was shooting the Russian TV show “Star Ice”, was hectic; this is just as bad. He will work at Soléus on Monday through Thursday and go to school Friday and Saturday from 08:30-20:30.
I asked if he thought his fellow students would treat him differently. He said that he couldn’t say. Normally, people that meet him for the first time don’t react but a short time later; they will come up and ask him for an autograph for their sister or friend.
“Do you always carries a Sharpie marker; just in case?”
“Yes.”
I asked if he would be able to take a vacation. He was planning a trip to Laponie (Lapland), May 18-27 to ski with his aunt and uncle.
“May???”
“Yes, it’s in the north of Sweden and its light all day long so there’s a lot of time for skiing.”
Given that this conversation took place shortly after the death of actress Natasha Richardson from a head injury sustained while skiing, I asked if he was going to wear a helmet.
Gwendal sounded as if he was a bit insulted by the question.
“Michele, you never asked me to wear a helmet while I was skating and ice is harder than snow.”
“That’s because I was confident in your abilities on skates. You spun and changed edges while carrying Marina; why would I worry about you falling?”
“I’ve been skiing longer than I’ve been skating. I began skiing at age one. Don’t worry. I ski with an ABS avalanche airbag backpack.”
I don’t know about you but I wasn’t reassured by that comment. I still had mental images of Gwendal tumbling down the side of the mountain with a few pine trees, a reindeer and a lot of snow.
Deviating sharply…Gwendal is enjoying his new home, affectionately referred to as “Chateau Peizerat” by moi. He reports that he has used the kitchen. In case you are wondering what happened to the “Urban Bachelor Pad’ in Lyon; that is currently being remodeled.
Gwendal shared a few photos with us. For those of you reading on Yahoo A & P, I have uploaded them to the Files area.
sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/anissina-peizerat/files/08-09%20Gwendal/Chateau%20Peizerat/
For those reading on PoI, here are the photos:
The Kitchen:
The living room at Christmas complete with Peizerat family:
Alternate view of living room (Doesn’t that look cozy on a cold winter’s evening?):
The shower for visiting American friends who never mastered showering in a Euro-tub without flooding the entire bathroom.
The bath area of Gwendal’s bedroom:
The bedroom area as viewed from the bath area:
April 19, 2009 Update
I phoned Gwendal to sing “Happy Birthday” a few days early. I joked that I’m phoning today because if I phone you at work Tuesday, it would be at least a minus 10 point deduction. Gwendal laughed and asked if he should sing “Happy Birthday Early” to me. He proceeded to sing a few choruses.
No need for me to worry. The skiing trip to Laponie has been cancelled.
I asked Gwendal how class was going. How are his classmates treating him?
“They treat me OK. I think they are finally used to having me in class. I’m known as the big mouth who keeps asking a lot of questions.”
“You’re paying enough for the program; you should ask a lot of questions!”
“Michele, here’s something funny that you’ll enjoy. I received a call from the mayor of my village. He invited me to come to the market where they sell fruits and vegetables (e.g. in the USA, we’d call this a “farmer’s market”) to sign and sell my book. That’s how I spent my Sunday morning.”
My initial reaction was how on earth did he find time to write a book but it immediately occurred to me that he meant “D’or et de Feu”.
“You still have some copies?”
“Yes.”
I told him that a few months ago; some of the fans were trying to find copies of the book but having a difficult time locating a copy. (Didn’t we find a copy selling on Amazon for $124 dollars? Ouch!)
Gwendal said that if any of you want a copy of the book, contact me, and he’ll give us a bulk discount. If you’re interested, send me an E-Mail off list and let me know how many copies you want.
“A friend of mine is visiting and has just discovered the book.”
“There are some beautiful photos in the book.”
I was about to add that he should point out the nice photo in the “Bonus Privé” section towards the end of the book but I kept my mouth shut. Let his friend discover the photos on his/her own.
Let me know if you want to purchase a copy of the book. I assume that the price will be dependent on how many copies we request.
Michele