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Theirs is a sport of grace in motion, and so even a stroll to a podium in the halls of Parliament is a dance of sorts for Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
And dance they did, with light hearts, to accept the honour of being Canada’s first duo flag-bearers for the opening ceremony at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Some Olympians, from Canada and elsewhere, have viewed the opening flag-bearer duty as a distraction, if not an outright curse for competitors in the five-ring circus. And there have been stories built around those who carried and then faltered.
Virtue and Moir were having none of that talk Tuesday on the Hill. They are genuinely tickled to receive this opportunity and prefer to remember the feats of Rosie MacLennan in Rio 2016 and Hayley Wickenheiser in Sochi 2014, both gold medal winners after leading the Canadian contingent into the Games.
“They kind of crushed that” idea of a curse, Moir said.
Virtue termed the honour the “pinnacle” of their career, which is something to say considering these are three-time world champions and winners of Olympic gold in Vancouver 2010 and silver in Sochi.
To get to do it – how else? – together, makes this flag-bearer moment unique.
“After a 20-year partnership, I can’t think of a better way to culminate a career than celebrating this together,” Virtue said. “It’s incredibly special.”
She is 28, he is 30. Both were born in London, On. and light up every room and rink they enter.
Photos: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir announced as Canada's flag-bearers for 2018 winter Olympics
After delivering a gold-worthy skate performance in Sochi that resulted in silver (welcome to the preordained world of ice dance judging), they had the courage to return to competition following a two-year hiatus.
Winning the 2017 world championships sets them up well for Korea, but Moir admitted the pair will have to change gears quickly, with the ice dance short event coming one day after the Feb. 9 opening ceremony. The free skate is Feb. 11.
“We see this as probably the biggest honour of our career,” Moir said. “And to get to do it before the Olympics, to lead an extremely talented team into the Games, was something we had to do. Team Canada, across the board, is something fierce.
“The challenge will be to refocus for our own events, because it’s going to be an emotional high.”
Isabelle Charest, Canada’s chef de mission and former Olympic short-track speed skater, doesn’t doubt Canadian flag-bearer selectors got it right, despite numerous worthy candidates.
“They’ve had tremendous athletic successes but they also have this huge team spirit,” Charest said. “They interact with the other athletes so well, they are always gracious, even in adversity. They represent exactly the values we want to represent, so they were an obvious choice.”
It doesn’t hurt, Charest, added, that the dance pair bring tremendous experience to a role that calls on the ability to compartmentalize the ceremony and move on to the competition.
How did V & M get the news?
Debra Armstrong, CEO of Skate Canada, and Mike Slipchuk, the high performance director, pulled Moir and Virtue aside after their short program at the recent national championships in Vancouver.
“’We have the opportunity of telling you’ … at this point, we were already in tears,” Virtue said.
“It was unexpected, such an honour and so emotional. We were filled with such pride.”
The pride comes with representing a country that “stands for unity, diversity, fairness and inclusion,” Virtue said.
As for the pressure of wielding the maple leaf and then cutting the finest of edges in the ice dance event, bring it on, say our flag-bearers.
“I think it does add some pressure but we like that,” Moir said. “We see that pressure more as support. We put as much pressure on ourselves as we can and we’re going to be ready for the opportunity.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces Canadian figure skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir as Canada’s flag bearers during an event in Ottawa, Ont., on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. Virtue and Moir will represent Canada during the opening ceremonies of the PyeongChang Olympic Games.
The announcement ceremony had a style of its own. For a photo-op, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accompanied Virtue and Moir through a gauntlet of school-age children, who Trudeau teasingly thanked for making the great sacrifice of skipping school to participate.
Kent Hehr, the minister of sport and persons with disabilities, and Canadian Olympic Committee president Tricia Smith were part of the official announcement in the House of Commons foyer.
Smith introduced Trudeau and made the distinction between Olympic competition with its battle of wills and sacrifice, versus the opening ceremonies, which bring nations together in the spirit of the Games.
Trudeau, calling Virtue and Moir “Canadians we can all be proud of,” handed Moir a large Canadian flag. In his first official dress rehearsal for Pyeongchang, the 5-8 skater waved the flag with authority, sending a breeze through the foyer as photographers captured images.
“I can just keep waving,” Moir said.
CBC reporter Hannah Thibedeau invited the dance champions for a twirl on the ice rink on the Parliament Hill lawn, but they deferred.
“It might have to wait till after the Games,” Virtue said.
Suddenly, the country can hardly wait for the Games to begin.
wscanlan@postmedia.com
twitter/@hockeyscanner
查看原文...
And dance they did, with light hearts, to accept the honour of being Canada’s first duo flag-bearers for the opening ceremony at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Some Olympians, from Canada and elsewhere, have viewed the opening flag-bearer duty as a distraction, if not an outright curse for competitors in the five-ring circus. And there have been stories built around those who carried and then faltered.
Virtue and Moir were having none of that talk Tuesday on the Hill. They are genuinely tickled to receive this opportunity and prefer to remember the feats of Rosie MacLennan in Rio 2016 and Hayley Wickenheiser in Sochi 2014, both gold medal winners after leading the Canadian contingent into the Games.
“They kind of crushed that” idea of a curse, Moir said.
Virtue termed the honour the “pinnacle” of their career, which is something to say considering these are three-time world champions and winners of Olympic gold in Vancouver 2010 and silver in Sochi.
To get to do it – how else? – together, makes this flag-bearer moment unique.
“After a 20-year partnership, I can’t think of a better way to culminate a career than celebrating this together,” Virtue said. “It’s incredibly special.”
She is 28, he is 30. Both were born in London, On. and light up every room and rink they enter.
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Photos: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir announced as Canada's flag-bearers for 2018 winter Olympics
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Photos: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir announced as Canada's flag-bearers for 2018 winter Olympics
SOCHI: FEBRUARY 17, 2014 -- Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada celebrate their silver medal performance in the Ice Dance Free Dance figure skating event during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, February 17, 2014. Jean Levac/Postmedia
Gold medallists, Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, perform in the Ice Dance Free program at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, during the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 22, 2010. YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images
(FILES) This file photo taken on November 12, 2017 shows winners Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada on the podium during the awards ceremony for the ice dance free dance event of the Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2017/2018 NHK Trophy in Osaka. Three-time world men's champion Patrick Chan and 2010 Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Moir and Scott Virue were among 17 figure skaters named on January 14, 2018 to the Canadian Olympic team. KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images
Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga on Wednesday August 30, 2017. Dave Abel/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network Dave Abel/Postmedia
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir Leah Hennel/Postmedia
Tessa Virtue of London, ON , and Scott Moir of Ilderton, ON at the figure skating exhibition gala at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, on Saturday Feb. 22, 2014. Ben Pelosse/Journal de Montreal
Tessa Virtue of London, ON and Scott Moir of Ilderton, ON during figure skating Ice dance (short dance) at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi Russia, on 16 february 2014. Ben Pelosse/Le Journal de Montre
Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics; figure skating free dance at Pacific coliseum, Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, monday 22, 2010. Daniel Mallard/Postmedia
OLY--Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics; figure skating free dance at Pacific coliseum,Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir ,monday 22, 2010. Daniel Mallard/Postmedia
Canadians Tessa Virtue, left, and Scott Moir react as they receive their silver medals for ice dancing at the medal ceremony during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia on Tuesday, February 18, 2014. Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Ice dance silver medallists Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir sit on the boards as they wait for the start of the flowers ceremony at the Sochi Winter Olympics Monday, February 17, 2014 in Sochi. Paul Chiasson/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada compete in the ice dance free dance figure skating finals at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 17, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. Darron Cummings/AP
SOCHI: FEBRUARY 09, 2014 -- Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada perform in the Team Ice Dance Free Dance during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, February 9, 2014. Jean Levac/Postmedia
SOCHI: FEBRUARY 08, 2014 -- Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada perform in the Team Short Dance event at the Iceberg during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, February 08, 2014. Jean Levac/Postmedia News
Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir display their gold medals on the podium after winning the 2010 Winter Olympics ice dance figure skating competition at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on February 22, 2010. AFP PHOTO/Saeed KHAN VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images
VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 22: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada compete in the free dance portion of the Ice Dance competition on day 11 of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics at Pacific Coliseum on February 22, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
After delivering a gold-worthy skate performance in Sochi that resulted in silver (welcome to the preordained world of ice dance judging), they had the courage to return to competition following a two-year hiatus.
Winning the 2017 world championships sets them up well for Korea, but Moir admitted the pair will have to change gears quickly, with the ice dance short event coming one day after the Feb. 9 opening ceremony. The free skate is Feb. 11.
“We see this as probably the biggest honour of our career,” Moir said. “And to get to do it before the Olympics, to lead an extremely talented team into the Games, was something we had to do. Team Canada, across the board, is something fierce.
“The challenge will be to refocus for our own events, because it’s going to be an emotional high.”
Isabelle Charest, Canada’s chef de mission and former Olympic short-track speed skater, doesn’t doubt Canadian flag-bearer selectors got it right, despite numerous worthy candidates.
“They’ve had tremendous athletic successes but they also have this huge team spirit,” Charest said. “They interact with the other athletes so well, they are always gracious, even in adversity. They represent exactly the values we want to represent, so they were an obvious choice.”
It doesn’t hurt, Charest, added, that the dance pair bring tremendous experience to a role that calls on the ability to compartmentalize the ceremony and move on to the competition.
How did V & M get the news?
Debra Armstrong, CEO of Skate Canada, and Mike Slipchuk, the high performance director, pulled Moir and Virtue aside after their short program at the recent national championships in Vancouver.
“’We have the opportunity of telling you’ … at this point, we were already in tears,” Virtue said.
“It was unexpected, such an honour and so emotional. We were filled with such pride.”
The pride comes with representing a country that “stands for unity, diversity, fairness and inclusion,” Virtue said.
As for the pressure of wielding the maple leaf and then cutting the finest of edges in the ice dance event, bring it on, say our flag-bearers.
“I think it does add some pressure but we like that,” Moir said. “We see that pressure more as support. We put as much pressure on ourselves as we can and we’re going to be ready for the opportunity.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces Canadian figure skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir as Canada’s flag bearers during an event in Ottawa, Ont., on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. Virtue and Moir will represent Canada during the opening ceremonies of the PyeongChang Olympic Games.
The announcement ceremony had a style of its own. For a photo-op, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accompanied Virtue and Moir through a gauntlet of school-age children, who Trudeau teasingly thanked for making the great sacrifice of skipping school to participate.
Kent Hehr, the minister of sport and persons with disabilities, and Canadian Olympic Committee president Tricia Smith were part of the official announcement in the House of Commons foyer.
Smith introduced Trudeau and made the distinction between Olympic competition with its battle of wills and sacrifice, versus the opening ceremonies, which bring nations together in the spirit of the Games.
Trudeau, calling Virtue and Moir “Canadians we can all be proud of,” handed Moir a large Canadian flag. In his first official dress rehearsal for Pyeongchang, the 5-8 skater waved the flag with authority, sending a breeze through the foyer as photographers captured images.
“I can just keep waving,” Moir said.
CBC reporter Hannah Thibedeau invited the dance champions for a twirl on the ice rink on the Parliament Hill lawn, but they deferred.
“It might have to wait till after the Games,” Virtue said.
Suddenly, the country can hardly wait for the Games to begin.
wscanlan@postmedia.com
twitter/@hockeyscanner
查看原文...
