If you take one look at Laurent Tobel, you'd think him an unlikely candidate to be a successful figure skater. The Frenchman, who is between the height of 6 foot 2 and 6 foot 4 (my sources vary on this), and whose "personality and body language suggests baffoonery" (From Ice Cream, by Toller Cranston, pg. 254), has made a career out of surprising others with his unorthodox appearance and quirky sense of humor. My favorite part of his skating is his facial expressions. He has this ability to make zany, hilarious faces that say more than words ever could.
While Tobel, the 1999 French national champion from Savigny, never medaled at a major international event, and didn't crack into the top 10 at the World Championships during his amateur career, he made quite a name for himself while performing a variety of crowd-pleasing parodies in exhibition performances, such as an awkward, fumbling, ugly ballerina skating to Swan Lake. I had the pleasure of seeing Tobel skate his Swan Lake parody during a run of Champions on Ice in 2002. The picture below is of Tobel skating a parody of Carmen. The photo says it all!
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During his amateur career, Tobel also skated some memorable character-driven programs. In 1997, he skated to music from The Pink Panther. I don't know for sure, but I'd imagine that he played the role of Inspector Clouseau. Tobel held an imaginary magnifying glass and looked for clues throughout the program. He competed with this routine at the 1997 World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.
In his book Ice Cream, Toller Cranston writes of witnessing Tobel skate his Pink Panther program in the men's qualifying round. He writes:
"Above and beyond phenomenal jumping content (including a triple Axel/triple toe-loop combination), he performed with a comedic sense that enthralled the audience in a way that no competitive skater in the sport's history has ever done. A master comedian, Laurent poked fun at himself (and the judges as well, I thought). The real genius of the routine, choreographed by Allen Schramm, lay in the fact that every member of the audience seemed to comprehend Laurent's thoughts and underlying motivations. When the performance ended, the crowd erupted into a prolonged standing ovation.... Later that evening, he entered the skater's dining room with other members of the French team. All the athletes in the room stood up and offered a second standing ovation. To the best of my knowledge, that had never happened before," (pgs. 255-256).
For the 1999-2000 skating season, Laurent's freeskate was set to music from the Austin Powers soundtrack. Laurent played the part of Austin Powers. You will notice his outfit is iconic Austin Powers. Laurent incorporated many hilarious mannerisms and facial expressions. His best, most memorable performance of this routine was at the 1999 Skate Canada event. From what I remember, the skaters who competed before Laurent, which included three world champions: Elvis Stojko of Canada, Todd Eldredge of the U.S., and Alexei Yagudin of Russia, had not delivered the goods. Instead, it was Laurent who threw down the gauntlet, landing an impressive triple Axel/ triple-toe combination right off the bat (so amazing because of his large frame). He performed with energy, quirk and personality to spare. He fell on his final triple flip jump, but who cares?
What's all the more incredible is that the fire alarm started going off in the middle of his program---someone had pulled it as a prank--and instead of becoming distracted, or stopping his program--Laurent continued reeling off triple jumps like never before. You could even say he was on fire!
Sit back, relax, and prepare to laugh. Laurent is tres unique! Amusez-vous!
(Note: in the beginning of the video, the screen turns blue for a moment. Just wait, the video will resume immediately afterward.)
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