Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir #48: Long Time Running

[kittysk8ts]

I have always had a feeling that CSOI was a very positive, bonding experience for those who skate. I remember seeing them on bikes having a blast in Victoria and this past year was so positive and successful for the competing skaters - I bet it will be super fun.

A bunch went skydiving a few years back! I think it was Joannie who posted pics.

 

[muffinplus]

Tessa & Scott are jointly doing Gold Medal Plates (Antwerp, Belgium and Flanders and Reims, France from June 7-14, 2018, which is during a break in their Fantasy on Ice shows in Japan): https://goldmedalplates.com/home/auction-trips/belgium-france/

Stars on Ice rehearsals are underway in Halifax this week (tour kicks off there on Friday).

What exactly is Gold Medal Plates? They won't be doing any skating from what I understand?

 

[kittysk8ts]

What exactly is Gold Medal Plates? They won't be doing any skating from what I understand?

Correct re no skating.

Gold Medal Plates is the ultimate celebration of Canadian excellence in food, wine, beer, athletic achievement and entertainment. Net proceeds from Gold Medal Plates are provided to the Canadian Olympic Foundation which supports Olympic athletes and high performance programs. Since 2004, Gold Medal Plates has generated over $12 million for Canada's Olympic athletes.

For more information, visit the Gold Medal Plates website www.goldmedalplates.com

 

[sap5]

Correct re no skating.

Gold Medal Plates is the ultimate celebration of Canadian excellence in food, wine, beer, athletic achievement and entertainment. Net proceeds from Gold Medal Plates are provided to the Canadian Olympic Foundation which supports Olympic athletes and high performance programs. Since 2004, Gold Medal Plates has generated over $12 million for Canada's Olympic athletes.

For more information, visit the Gold Medal Plates website www.goldmedalplates.com

To add, VM are doing one of the auction trips:

Gold Medal Plates incorporates some very unique travel experiences that are auctioned at every event to raise funds for Canadian Olympic athletes. Guests have the opportunity to travel to desirable national and international destinations, interact with Canadian Olympic athletes, enjoy amazing Canadian entertainment and meet like-minded people who are also keen to celebrate Canadian Excellence.
Each year, over 600 Canadians from across the country embark on travel experiences like they have never experienced before. Gold Medal Plates has gained a reputation of creating week-long adventures that combine great food, wine, entertainment and activity …whether it be cycling in Tuscany, wine tours in Portugal, visiting the filming locations of “The Hobbits” in New Zealand or participating in a unique Gold Medal Plates adventure in Newfoundland. These are once in a life time experiences with Canadian Olympic athletes and Canadian icons in the music industry. In 2018, guests will be going to Big White and the Canadian Culinary Championships – wondrous snow, the best chefs in the country, a hockey game on an outdoor rink and skiing with Ashleigh McIvor, Tuscany (10th anniversary!) – food, wine tours, cycling and hiking with Curt Harnett and Melissa Tancredi, Mallorca – hiking, cycling, wine, amazing food and stories from Marnie McBean and Rosie MacConnell, Morocco – fascinating geography and culture, mountain biking, hiking and time with Adam van Koeverden, Belgium/France – Canadian history, great Belgium pints, French bubbly and lots of laughs with new minted triple gold and double silver medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and Canada – 1001 club – cycling the back route between beautiful Lake Louise and stunning Whistler with drop in celebrities/chefs and athletes.
Guest ratings on Gold Medal Plates trips are a consistent 9 or 10/10.

 

[Sonata]

V/M have been involved with Gold Medal plates for a few years now, both in Canada and internationally. Tessa has pictures of their trip to Scotland on her twitter account. They chose a Miku Graham piece for one of their exhibition numbers after hearing her sing on that trip. Coincidentally, they’re doing their next trip with her and Johnny Reid, who was also in Scotland. (Or maybe it was intentional, because it looks like they all bonded judging from her photos and comments.)

A combo of cooking, music, and sports? Those trips sound amazing.

 

[Twilight1]

I will join your digression to say that I also loved Riverdance and will love it forever despite all the hateration and revisionist history. And if push came to shove and someone forced me to choose my favourite FD of all time (or at least in my many many years as a huge skating fan), I would probably choose B&K's High Society from 97-98, tied with V&M's Mahler. B&K's "Return to Innocence" from 96-97 is also one of my favourite exhibition skates in any discipline of all time and as far as compulsory dances, I thought their Golden Waltz was beautiful. (In case anyone can't tell or wasn't around FSU in the B&K heyday, I was perhaps even more of an uber of B&K than I am of V&M. )

You and me both sister!! V&M got nothing for my uberdom of B&K!!

I also like their '95 Worlds Ex

Elvis Incognito- Time After Time was good too

I saw Riverdance at Nationals and as an ex and loved both.

 

[dramagrrl]

You and me both sister!! V&M got nothing for my uberdom of B&K!!

I also like their '95 Worlds Ex

Elvis Incognito- Time After Time was good too

I saw Riverdance at Nationals and as an ex and loved both.

I was a teenager in the heyday of B&K, and you know how teenagers are when they get super-obsessed with something. If Tumblr had existed at that time, I would have definitely had a B&K Worship Tumblr the way some of the V&M ubers have these days.

(I'm not using adolescence as an excuse for being a B&K super-uber, though! I will still defend them to the death! )

 

[Judy]

Yup I was there too back in the day ..and here too.

 

[believed]

New-look Virtue, Moir redefine ice dance greatness
Canadian duo attains legendary status after capturing second Olympic gold
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2018/04/25/273777198

Conventional wisdom held that while some judges might prefer the French team's style, Virtue and Moir's technical ability -- particularly in the short dance -- would prevail. It did during the 2016-17 season, when the Canadians won the Grand Prix Final and worlds. In the lead-up to PyeongChang, though, Papadakis and Cizeron upped their game, skating with noticeably greater speed and clarity. They defeated Virtue and Moir for the first time in December 2017 at the Grand Prix Final after the Canadians made what Moir called "a few uncharacteristic glitches."

The loss prompted Virtue and Moir and their coaches to take a fresh look at their programs.

"We went through every element and just thought, 'What could possibly be a reason for a judge not to give a +3 (Grade of Execution)?' We wanted to eliminate those," Virtue said in PyeongChang. "Looking at it that way gave us a different baseline."

Papadakis and Cizeron sat out the team event in PyeongChang, training with longtime coach Romain Haguenauer while Virtue and Moir led Team Canada to gold. The Canadians entered the individual event as slight underdogs but put out what they considered their finest performances of the season to edge the French -- who made obvious errors in their short dance, after Papadakis suffered a costume malfunction -- by 0.79 points to win their second Olympic title.

"We were trying to drive the power and speed more; we knew we would need that against the French," Moir said. "We're in great shape. We feel we have more power in our blades, more power in our knees than we have ever had."

To Belbin White, the Canadians more than achieved their goals: They won, and they were better than ever. "In PyeongChang, it felt more natural, it felt more organic," Belbin White said. "In the past, it was like they were showing you a dream. In PyeongChang, it was, 'This is us, this is what we came to do, and we're going to do it.' It felt like they were putting themselves into the characters on the ice, and when you put yourself out there so honestly, it resonates."

Virtue and Moir own five Olympic medals -- two individual golds (2010 and 2018), an individual silver (2014), a team gold (2018) and a team silver (2014) -- making them the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history. They also won three world titles (2010, 2012 and 2017).

"They've rewritten what an ice dance team can do," said Alex Shibutani, who won ice dance bronze with sister Maia in PyeongChang.

"They were born under good stars, they found each other at a young age -- it's a partnership that kept growing," Dubreuil said. "Twenty years of skating together, eyes closed they know what the other one is doing."

Belbin White doesn't hesitate to call her old Canton training partners the G.O.A.T.s (greatest of all time).

"I use that term in reverence," she said. "The facts are in front of you. What else would you call them?"

 

[professordeb]

I guess some of us are just relics cause we remember the "old days" of dance

 

[RoseRed]

I love Tanith's comments.

 

[dramagrrl]

To Belbin White, the Canadians more than achieved their goals: They won, and they were better than ever. "In PyeongChang, it felt more natural, it felt more organic," Belbin White said. "In the past, it was like they were showing you a dream."

Tanith has put exactly what I feel about V&M pre-comeback and V&M post-comeback into words. Actually, it's more like V&M from their pre-novice days up until the end of the 2009-10 season and then V&M post-comeback. When they were young, from their first competitions up until their win in Vancouver 2010, watching them was like watching a dream. Aside from the season when Tessa first struggled with injury, I could watch them fully without nerves because they hardly ever set a foot wrong. Even after the difficult 2008-09 season, they came back so strongly that when I saw Mahler for the first time at Thornhill Summerskate (which takes place in August, before the real season even begins), I already knew they were going to win the Olympics. I bought my tickets to Vancouver the next day.

From 2010-11 to Sochi, the dreamlike quality of their skating seemed to disappear with more injury, the politics of the rivalry with D/W, and their growing discontent with the training situation in Canton. There seemed to be a lot more pressure on them after Vancouver and it occasionally showed in their skating.

When they came back, I was not expecting the insane confidence of their younger years to return, but by the time they got to the GPF in 2016/17, I felt like they had recaptured the indescribable skill of their younger years, but added a new maturity that, like Tanith said in the quote above, made their skating feel more grounded and real. Their performances in Pyeongchang were like a perfect combination of the dreamlike perfection of their pre-Vancouver skating and the new confidence and grounding of their adult comeback. That is what makes them, for me, GOAT.

 

[sap5]

Belbin White doesn't hesitate to call her old Canton training partners the G.O.A.T.s (greatest of all time).
"I use that term in reverence," she said. "The facts are in front of you. What else would you call them?"

LOL. Tanith doing more for this fandom than anyone.

 

[dramagrrl]

LOL. Tanith doing more for this fandom than anyone.

I suddenly foresee a ton of posts from P/C ubers about how Tanith is a terrible and biased commentator with no real knowledge of what constitutes great ice dancing. I mean, she never won a world title herself, so what would she know??

 

[ximianKernel]

I suddenly foresee a ton of posts from P/C ubers about how Tanith is a terrible and biased commentator with no real knowledge of what constitutes great ice dancing. I mean, she never won a world title herself, so what would she know??

I see more those who will raise a hackle are those that think it is between T/D and G/P

 

[Emdee]

Tanith is just being fair. History should not be coloured with personal bias and the facts speak for themselves.

 

[Judy]

I guess some of us are just relics cause we remember the "old days" of dance

Ha you aren’t alone.

 

[Wyliefan]

I suddenly foresee a ton of posts from P/C ubers about how Tanith is a terrible and biased commentator with no real knowledge of what constitutes great ice dancing. I mean, she never won a world title herself, so what would she know??

Nah. I may not agree with her, but she's a terrific commentator and she certainly has a right to her own opinion.

 

[Golden1]

Well, Tanith is just telling it as it is. I miss them already and the new season hasn't even begun.

 

[dramagrrl]

I see more those who will raise a hackle are those that think it is between T/D and G/P

There are already a few salty posts from P/C ubers on the "Are VM GOAT?" thread. Nothing from G/P or T/D defenders.

 

[Sylvia]

New article by Ryan Pyette: http://lfpress.com/sports/local-sports/virtue-and-moirs-post-olympic-party-still-going-strong

The skaters are going to throw a bash for fans. The early target is the August long weekend in Ilderton, by the arena, right near the Moir clan’s backyard.
“Alma and Joe’s house, it’s a pretty good green room for a party,” Scott said, referring to his parents’ place. “I want to get some good people in there, some bands, and we want to give back and raise some money for charity. We’ve been so blessed. The London and Ilderton community has always given us such great support.”

“I think the neat thing about our partnership is we’re so connected in what we do and the majority of our career has been intertwined,” Virtue said. “That’s been so incredibly special and we’ve talked at length about what that means to us. We’re also such different people pursuing such different things off the ice and it’s been nice to dive into various business opportunities while watching Scott passionately delve into the sport and setting up a competitive school. I’m so proud of him, much the same way I get support from him.
“We still have that touchstone together always with skating. That will and always be the No. 1 priority.”

 

[dramagrrl]

Anyone want to start a betting pool for how long it will take before someone starts harping on Scott for his comment about wanting to "crush the Russians" in the article @Sylvia just posted?

 

[believed]

I loved this bit (and the part about the Russians):

When controversy overtakes the Games, it ruins the stories the athletes want to tell. Virtue and Moir were able to make theirs shine through on their biggest stage.

“Tessa was really mindful of that,” Moir said. “She had that vision. It didn’t feel forced. Maybe when you’re younger, you’re playing the Olympian card, trying to prove yourself and it feels like you have four minutes on the ice to prove it.

“We didn’t feel like we had to do that this time. We just knew that here it is, this is Tessa and Scott, we love what we do, we love each other and it’s a really authentic story.

“People grabbed onto it and that has been fun for us.”

 

[Judy]

That is so cool they are throwing a party! I want to go lol.

 

[Emdee]

If I can get someone to drive me I will go. Will cancel my own cottage plans for this!

 

[Alexandria]

I loved this bit (and the part about the Russians):

This is so lovely. They make me emotional

 

[Golden1]

Thanks for the article. I loved everything they said and would kill for the chance to go to the party . However, did we know already about Scott setting up a competetive school? That's awesome!!

 

[Judy]

Thanks for the article. I loved everything they said and would kill for the chance to go to the party . However, did we know already about Scott setting up a competetive school? That's awesome!!

I found that a bit confusing. Perhaps the intention is to do that.

 

[ximianKernel]

Thanks for the article. I loved everything they said and would kill for the chance to go to the party . However, did we know already about Scott setting up a competetive school? That's awesome!!

I could imagine it being in the London area. Maybe even in Ilderton. Or team up with Patrick Chan who is also planning to setup a skating school.

 

[Vera Costa]

I found that a bit confusing. Perhaps the intention is to do that.

It is probably that. Whatever steps he takes (coaching at Ilderton, working with MF/P and B2Ten, etc) is perhaps with the intention to open his own school one day.