Scott: I feel the pressure, that has maybe been the struggle, but I also find it very rewarding. I’m very, very fortunate to have the students and have the team that I work with at I.AM and I.AM Ontario and uh, so to be part of that it feels very natural, and we have fun every day.
My challenge is to try and bring the expertise that I have from my career but custom fit it to the athlete, and every athlete I believe there’s a different solution and a different way to bring the best out of them, and uh you know, it’s been, I haven’t been a coach for very long, I have a lot more work to do, so I think that’s the challenge.
What I like about ice dance is that it’s more of a sport than it’s ever been, and I mean that in the way that it’s evolving. Every year people are, skaters are upping the bar, and you have to stay on your toes and respond and make sure that you’re pushing the envelope so- that’s what I think is great for ice dance. We’re looking down the pipe at what is sure to be a great Olympics for the sport of ice dance, and I can’t wait to see the skaters get rewarded for that.
Kirsten Moore-Towers on lifting up the people around you and on meeting Scott Moir for the first time
Skate Ontario presents 3 turn 3 with PJ Kwong
Charlene Bailey: It's so evident that the two of you are just beautiful people, and not only are you trying to, you know, excel in your own rights and together, but you lift the people around you and that has been so, so evident, especially over the past week, and I'm just wondering if the two of you could speak to that community and that sense of of giving back already that you both are committed to.
Kirsten: Thanks, Charlene, that's so super nice. Um, I remember as a kid meeting - uh as I mentioned I am a, you know, skating fan still, but as a kid, very much so, and I remember going to competitions and meeting famous athletes- people who were extremely successful, and I remember the ones who gave me the time of day, and I remember the ones who didn't, and of course there are a variety of factors that goes into this, right? It's not, you know, someone could be having an extremely tough day. There are so many things that go into this, but I think because of how impressionable I was and how much that really stuck with me, I just I feel it's so important for me to to try to- like I said earlier- try to make everybody feel like somebody.
As training mates I believe if I can say that we really we try to be that for our training mates and for everyone around us, and now that we're getting a little bit older, we're a little bit like mom and dad at the rink, and um I treasure this role. I love all of my training mates, so many people that I've had the pleasure of training with over the years, and skating is really hard, so if we can make the ins and outs of training a little bit easier for everyone around us, I think that everybody benefits, even us. We learn from everybody at the rink, novice team to senior, we can take something from anybody to try to make ourselves better.
And I remember meeting Scott Moir for the first time at Junior Worlds in Kitchener-Waterloo. Gosh when would that have been? 2006 maybe 200?somewhere around there -
PJ: yeah, it was around then
Kirsten: - and Scott and Tessa were obviously competing for the Junior World title, and I saw him sitting alone or with a couple other people in the stands kind of isolated, and so I ran over to see him to get an autograph in between when his rival competitors were about to get their mark.
So you imagine this: he's sitting in the stands, and he's in first place, and he's waiting to hear if he has won the Junior World championships, or if he is second place which is like a tense moment for people, right? And I have a very small grasp on how tense that moment might be for him, and so I run up to him, and like semi-respectfully I'm like, “excuse me, Scott, do you mind? I'm so sorry, can you please sign this for me really really quickly?” and he looked at me super calm, and he said, “Sure, I can sign it slowly for you too,” and it was just like really like Scott hey it was just this like little tidbit or this little quip that he made that just made me feel so much like I was important to him in that moment, which of course I wasn't, and that really stuck with me, and so we tried no matter what kind of day we're having, and I am not perfect, Mike's pretty close to perfect. I am not perfect- we try, whatever kind of day we're having, to make other people feel important like Scott Moir made me feel so many years ago.
Vanessa James and Eric Radford are on an ego trip to Beijing. Skate Canada has buffed that conceit.
The veteran pairs team — though not with each other — was named to Canada’s figure skating squad for the Olympics despite not skating a long program on Saturday at the national championships in Ottawa, after placing fourth in Friday’s short program.
Both had tested positive for COVID over Christmas and had only four days of training for the event.
Stiffed by the decision to include James and Radford on the Olympic team are Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud, the young pair that claimed silver.
James had entered the women’s dressing room after a sketchy short program and proclaimed, “Our spot is secured,” Walsh recalled.
It sounded like it was all in the bag for James and Radford, and James knew it, regardless of whether they earned a medal or even skated in the long program.
“It was not directed at me,’’ Walsh told the Star about James’ declaration. “But it was quite loud. Loud enough that my coach overheard it from the corridor.”
Walsh was dismayed. “We’d been on such a high after the short.” They were sitting second, with impressive execution, behind Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro, who would cop their third national title. “Suddenly it was, like, what are we even skating for if the decision has already been made? It was extremely disheartening. That closed doors we didn’t know existed.
“We’re feeling lost and disappointed with how things worked out. I cried on the drive all the way home.”
James and Radford also were nominated to the team for the world championships in March. Walsh and Michaud were not, although they made their worlds debut in Stockholm last spring and finished 12th. Moore-Towers and Marinaro were sixth. That outcome locked in two spots for Canada in Beijing. Instead, Walsh and Michaud were assigned to a Four Continents event later this month, which is basically consolation for skaters who aren’t Olympics bound.
“That was just another disappointment,” Walsh said.
The team’s coach, Alison Purkiss, is discouraged that her skaters didn’t make the worlds cut. “It would have been much fairer if the two had been split, so they could go to worlds.”
The exchange in the dressing room — it really was only a one-way conversation — was reported to Skate Canada. At least one person who sits on the board of directors was told about it. Two people with knowledge of the incident have described it to the Star as “bullying.” Moore-Towers, who is the Safe Sport representative, was aware of the incident.
The incident might not rise to the level of bullying. It could just be part and parcel of the sometimes toxic environment that hangs over an intensely competitive — and, frankly, bitchy — sport, behind the facade of glitter and rictus smiles.
“I think it was said in frustration,” Purkiss said of the James outburst. “Those things have to be put into context.”
As of Monday, Walsh and Michaud had yet to be contacted by Skate Canada. They discovered their exclusion from the Olympics and world championships on Twitter.
“Nobody has taken the opportunity to explain to them, ‘Look, this is why we made the decision,’ ” Purkiss said. “So they’re questioning everything they know and had been told throughout the season about the criteria for the Olympics.”
That criteria, circulated to skaters last spring, stated the final determination would be based on results from the Grand Prix circuit, potential performance as indicated by international scores, previous world placement and nationals.
“A lot of people assume that (nationals) is the end-all and be-all in the final determining factor,’’ Michael Slipchuk, high performance director for Skate Canada, told reporters Sunday. “But for us, it’s part of our criteria.”
He pointed out that James and Radford had collected the highest scores among Canadians pairs teams coming into the nationals, in a season that was again severely disrupted by the pandemic. The Grand Prix last month was cancelled.
“We took the body of work of all athletes. We wanted to make the best assessment for the strongest team we feel has the best ability for us at the Games.”
For Skate Canada, it’s always about manipulating for medals.
Slipchuk did not respond to an interview request from the Star. Nor did any other Skate Canada executive. The Star also tried reaching out to James and Radford, through Skate Canada, without success.
Radford and James placed fourth in their three assignments, with a top score at the Internationaux de France of 193.64. Walsh and Michaud were ninth, sixth and eighth, with a top score of 168.87.
James and Radford are 34 and 36 respectively. Walsh and Michaud are 20 and 25. With Moore-Towers and Marinaro indicating they will probably retire after these Games, Walsh and Michaud project as Canada’s top pairs duo for 2026 in Italy. They’ve never been to an Olympics and would certainly benefit from the experience of Beijing.
A two-time world champion and an Olympic bronze medallist with former partner Meagan Duhamel, Radford shocked the figure skating community with his announcement in April that he was coming out of retirement and had paired with James. Duhamel, who had never been asked if she was interested in resuming a competitive career, was “blindsided.”
James, from Scarborough, had spent a decade skating for France with ex-partner Morgan Ciprès, who has been charged — in absentia — by the Florida state attorney’s office for allegedly sending lewd photos of himself to a 13-year-old female skater. This purportedly occurred while Ciprès and James were still skating together. James is adamant she knew nothing about it.
The yoking of Radford and James remains controversial and their selection to the Olympic team has sparked a strong backlash on social media. Duhamel tweeted: “I am disappointed in my sport today.”
Radford, in a virtual session with reporters Sunday, insisted their selection was justified.
“The criteria was stated at the beginning of the season. And so, from the beginning until now, we all have the same opportunities to perform and score. Vanessa and I posted the highest short and free program scores internationally, we had the highest placements.”
Before the comeback, Radford was to have choreographed the long program for Walsh and Michaud. When he became a rival, that plan was ditched.
Their long program was performed to “Dreaming With a Broken Heart.”
Michael Parsons on stepping up this season and on creating this year’s free dance
WIth Tara Nichols on Ice Talk podcast 11//10/21
📷: Danielle Earl
Tara: What are you most proud of in your season so far, and what are you most excited to keep working on?
Michael: Oh, man, I think what I’m most proud of is because we always talk about progression throughout a season, I think we’re really proud of what we’ve done so far, and um like the step up that we’ve taken, especially just this season as a whole, so yeah, I guess what I’m most proud of is just the step up that we’ve taken, and I’ve really loved these programs that we have this year, so it just feels really good to put them out, especially two big competitions back to back [Skate Canada and Gran Premio d’Italia], it’s a lot of emotion, but it feels good.
Tara: Anything specific you’re hoping to continue that progress on, as you go from here into your next event?
Michael: For the rhythm dance, it’s more just really getting those elements, getting the high levels that we’re aiming for, to get that tech score up. I think we’ve made a lot of progress in components. For free dance, I don’t know, it’s kind of a completely different animal, because it’s really the first time that we’ve truly put ourselves into a program. So, um, there’s a lot that I want to see just in terms of evolution of the program, and I think it will continue to evolve this whole season. I think it’s changed a lot since we first made it. So now it’s just continuing that, working on consistency, and really making sure that we’re staying true to ourselves. It’s fun to say, because sometimes I feel like programs aren’t really reflections of you, it’s a character that you’re putting yourself into. But this free dance is definitely special.
Tara: I’m glad you brought that up, because I wanted to talk to you about this free dance. I have to tell you, it’s one of my favorite free dances this season, it really does feel like this beautiful piece of modern art, which is great, but you know of course it is a competition program, so you have to find that balance of the technical side of what you’re doing to get the marks you’re looking for, but also you’ve both talked about- you want it to feel like a piece of art and like it is something that you can pour yourselves into every time you perform it. What’s that process been like, coming up with this concept, taking on a really different modern dance type approach to a free dance, and then like you said, continuing to improve it along the way.
Michael: I think it’s a fine line, because we’re always trying to balance the intention of the movement, the intention of the dance with the technical requirements of the program, so yeah, there’s parts where we’ve gotten feedback-and we’ve gotten a lot of really good feedback from judges and skaters and coaches all year, but the biggest feedback is like, add more power. And we are adding more power, but at the same time, we never want it to look like there’s effort in it because that goes against the whole intention of the movement, so, I don’t want to go into a transition like, push push push push. I want to be able to gain speed but stay very smooth throughout. So it’s a fine line figuring out how to add power and ice coverage while making it look like we’re not really moving.
Tara: That’s the challenge, right? Is making it look easy
Michael: Exactly
Tara: Do you have a favorite part of the program, is there a favorite section or piece of the choreography that you really really enjoy?
Michael: I think it’s the choreo step for sure at the end, because that part we really thought, forget the preconceived notions of like you want to be fast you want to be powerful and strong, let’s just move. Let’s just feel what the music is saying, and that whole combination of steps was just completely organic between Caroline, me and Elena [Novak, their coach/choreographer]. When we created it, it just felt right, and it still feels so good to do.
Tara: That’s awesome it’s a lot of fun to watch. I said last week we were talking about your free dance from Canada, and I was saying on the podcast that I just, I wanted to go back and watch it again, because there’s so much nuance, there’s so much there, that I felt like I missed too much, I needed to see it again, so it was great to see it again
Michael: When I talk about the program as being living, breathing things that there are all these little nuances, but at the same time we’re always thinking about how can we add more. How can we stretch this even further, add more detail, so I think as the season continues, you’ll see even more things like that.
Virtual Therapy with Kids Podcast with therapist Joe Conlon 10/24/21
JC: I want this to be a platform for you to talk about your life and how ADHD has made any impact for sure
Zach: Let's see, I mean, the basic question is like how has ADHD affected my life,and I would say that um, you know from a young age I've always been, well, say slightly more energetic. It took a long time to kind of figure out what exactly it was that I was dealing with. um I can't remember a time where I wasn't aware of being different from an energy standpoint. I did very well in school. um I've always tended a little bit ahead of the crowd and get bored- um fast processing um fast speaking. Generally standing out in most crowds and for um for a long while that kind of stood me apart in a very negative way. Especially when you're in a younger developmental phase, I think that's hard for young kids to kind of compute differences and be like hey it's okay that you're different.
So I stopped going to school for skating uh to be full-time in my training when I was - I think it was fifth grade was my last year in school. Since then I did homeschooling, and it was just pretty much ice ice ice ice ice, and skating was the first thing that actually allowed me an outlet for my energy, and um it was a really crazy thing to try to get a grasp on because it helped me learn very very quickly the, you know, the rapid fire way that my mind works and just having great enthusiasm and being you know a chameleon of sorts with people helped me get very comfortable, but it wasn't probably until 25 - let's say i'm 30 now- so yeah, about 25 that I started really understanding myself as a person and did a little bit of research into ADHD and some studies on some things I'd struggle with-
We can get into that alittle bit later, but um I'd say as a physical outlet, sport is something that's amazing because when you're really pursuing anything at a high level you don't really have a choice but to focus in, um and so that was kind of the first step of me learning to dial things in was when I started really pursuing some of the higher level jumps at a younger age in skating. It took me a long time to get a lot of the other aspects that I think a lot of elite athletes kind of push for younger and say I was a bit of a late bloomer in the sport, but um yeah. I don't really know how to express necessarily what it was now outside of gratitude for it because I think when I was, you know I mean you know 20-something years ago in elementary school ADHD was kind of like: "oh your kid's an issue, your kid's a problem- put them on medication" and trying to keep them out of the way- to now that being something that I use as kind of a tool in my life.
Nik Sorensen on knifemaking and accidentally stabbing himself
On The Ice Lab Podcast with Trennt Michaud and Michael Marinaro 11/3/21
Trennt: For those who don’t know Nik is a side hustler at making some pretty awesome knives
Nik: Yes, it’s a hobby, it’s an ongoing hobby, I would say
Lolo: He started I would say, 2 years ago?
Nik: No, it’s longer than that -
Lolo: We were living at my parents’s place at the time, and he was looking during the wintertime, he started looking at making knives on youtube videos and over and over
Nik: I started small- sharpening knives. I was living with Laurence’s parents, and none of them had a knife that could cut, and I like to cook, and I like to have sharp cookware, and it’s redundant to have a knife if it’s not sharp, why have a knife-
Trennt: Also safer for the knife to be sharp than it is for it to be dull
Nik: I try to explain this to people, People don’t get it, but yes, just like Trennt said, a sharp knife is a safe tool
Lolo: It depends with what, because- we have to share a story-
Nik: Although I also had my fair share of accidents, so - last- she’s referring to me transporting knives from Laurence’s mom’s house to Laurence’s dad’s house to sharpen knives at Laurence’s dad’s house. Me running out of the door with a knife in a plastic bag and the handle hitting the doorway, and my knee smashing into the part of the knife, or my left thigh, and then thereby stabbing myself pretty deep into the quad and this was like a month, no, ten days before Worlds Championships ‘18 that we weren’t doing because we were switching [which country they represent, from Denmark to Canada] but it was kind of lucky that we weren’t training to go to Worlds because we probably would not have gone with a knife deep in the left quad, so yeah. Interesting accidents have happened but like he mentioned, I dabble in knife making
Lolo: So when people ask him what gives you this passion for knives? And we all say it’s when the knife finally hit him
Laurence Fournier-Beaudry on the start of skating with Nik Sorensen
On The Ice Lab Podcast with Trennt Michaud and Michael Marinaro 11/3/21
Laurence: When we started skating together, I mean, not even- we were not skating together, and we had the first meeting after the first time we stepped on the ice, and he basically texted me saying, “do you want to come skate in Gadbois?” and I didn’t even know- does that mean skating with you, or means just skating in general? He was a different guy back then, not really talkative and really unapproachable, with his uhh Scandinavian face, so- and I was really intimidated, and I found he was pretty cute, so it didn’t help.
So he said in our first meeting together he said “Ok I wanna skate til 2018, we can never go to Olympics that’s the deal with me, I want to be top 10 in the world and then I want to quit skating”
Kaitlyn Weaver interview: “Stepping into the Light: Olympic Ice Dancer comes out”
Anastasia Bucsis for CBC Sports 6/11/21
A: I just want to be self-reflexive for our audience: Kaitlyn and I have been very good friends since 2014. We met in Sochi Olympic games, and I have been a part of this process, so Kaitlyn, thank you so much for joining me. How long have you been thinking about this day?
K: Oh shorter than you might think, to be honest, because i wasn't sure if I'd make it here...You know, accepting... identifying and accepting myself as a queer woman is...has been a long journey that I've known for a long time but was not ready to really step into my identity and, you know, over the last couple years especially after stepping away from sport, I decided to start taking baby steps, and so I just feel very proud that I made it to this day, and you know I feel like it's important for me now just to step up for myself and for my sport and honored to be here.
A: Why now?
K: I feel like there's a lot of different reasons why now is the right time. I think 2020 taught us all a lot about ourselves and about the world, and you know when everything stopped I had nothing else to do but look in the mirror, and this is something that I've been running from for a very long time, and you know I think there was something in me and my knowing that said ok, you have no other choice but to start the work, and so that with a lot of the global events made me feel like, hey, I need to be myself, you know, I need to utilize all of who I am, to stand up for what's right too. Time is of the essence - we're losing- we're losing people. My stepmother passed. You know -It's life is short, life is too short to not be all of who you are. So I started the process seriously trying to take really consistent steps moving forward, and along with the help of some incredible people, I've been able to really... believe that, you know, I deserve to be here and that I- that I deserve to be all of who I am, and you know it's a process that is ongoing, but now is the time- you know, life is too short.
A: Was there an exact moment that made the decision easier for you?
K: I don't know i think it's a series of a lot of little things, you know? Being away from competitive sport made a big difference, and seeing who else I was besides Kaitlyn Weaver of Weaver/Poje, Canadian ice dancer, and you know, I've so often defaulted to that identity that I didn't, I didn't want to look, and I didn't have time to look at any other part of who I was, and that was - and I was ok with it, you know, it made me a really fierce athlete, but then stepping away, it was like, ok, now, now I have some work to do, and I think that coupled with you know, going through the last year and... and just setting the intention I think in 2021 to say Kaitlyn, now's your time, you know, and then those little things step by step kind of brought me here.
A: First olympic female figure skater that's ever publicly come out. What do you feel when you hear that?
K: Oh, it's absolutely surreal. My mind just went like, wait a second, wait wait wait really? like it's surreal to think that it's me, and it makes me, it makes my heart heavy to feel like it's taken this long. I think that says a lot about our sport... that you know surely there were other women in the LGBTQ+ community that have passed through Olympic figure skating but didn't feel safe to be all of who they are, and so I was able to kind of understand hey, you know, what, Kaitlyn if this is you, it's gotta be you- like come on- like, let's step up for you and others, and it's - I think we've got a lot of work to do for our sport, and you know, here we are, let's do it, I'm here, I'm ready, let's start.
A: When did you first know or first start to think "I might be queer"?
K: I didn't know until a little bit later. I was probably 21 when I started to feel emotions that I didn't quite understand which also made it confusing because stories that I had read or you know, people that I've known later on in life kind of like tell a story about knowing early, and so that and a few other reasons of like you know, not having skaters and not having queer women in skating, you know, feeling like it was wrong. I - I was not ready to think that this was a valid part of myself, but like any queer person knows, you know it doesn't go away, and um, over the years and as I started to grow- grow up a little bit and understand like wait a second this is- this is real, and you know, this is not some part of me that I have to hate. That's when I started just to secretly say ok, is this who I am? you know and be ok with it.
A: In my journey. I mean I recognized it, but there was a long time before I accepted it. What did that journey look like for you?
K: That journey is still going on.
A: Yeah
K: Yeah. It's been slow going for me, and I have to know that that's ok. Everyone's journey is different, but it's been a long road, and I still have a lot of work to do, but i feel like I'm at a place now where I can stand on my own two feet and take pride and confidence in my story and know that it's valid and real and that maybe, just maybe, there's someone else that has felt like how i felt growing up.
Yeah it's- it's not easy you know, it's not easy, and I think that being in a sport too that is so hyper-feminine for women and puts a lot of pressure on women to play a role - that's my comfort zone, you know, and understand that I could be that and more you know. I didn't understand in our little world that I could- you know, be a pretty princess who also likes women, and that's something I think like stereotypes in our society that aren't right, and that's what I want to change too, you know. But it took kind of meeting new people, um opening myself up to a beautiful community, beautiful supportive LGBTQ+ community to say, hey, you can be that and more. You can be anything that you want to be. And being queer is something to be really proud of, so um yeah. Still on the road, but definitely proud to be here.
A: Thank you for being here. You said it, I mean, figure skating has certain pressures: you have to be hyper feminine, it's hyper-heteronormative how did you maneuver uh your queerness with your competitive skating career?
K: It was so deep. Anastasia, you know, so deep and so buried for a long time, and it was something that was my deep dark secret, and just even that phrase shows you how I felt about it, you know. It was- it was my most vulnerable piece of myself, and you know, we live our lives out loud in ice dance, you know, We have to be out for in the audience and be, you know- the most genuine performances usually are the ones that are the best, and so I had to really bury that very deep, and I just want to say though, that even being a queer person, relationships and sexuality, and, you know people are complex and layered and beautiful, and navigating that as well in as an ice dance couple was something that was very difficult for me because I love and always will love my partner Andrew so deeply, and so it was- it was hard to kind of accept both of these things as true, and so I did it, you know, I just kept my eyes on the prize and and just kept focused on on doing what's best for the team and what's best for our success, and in my mind, being queer did not belong in the formula. So I just didn't, you know, and that's a privilege that not many people have, you know. I feel like I tried to shut it off, but it doesn't really work like that. So you know, it took a long time to let it kind of come up and and become really a part of who I am.
A: How much pressure did you put on yourself to keep that hidden?
K: All of it -
A: The waterworks are already going by the way, just so you know.
K: Yeah um all of it. I - you know, when it, when it felt like just a mistake, it was something that i could like shame myself into knowing- you know that was a mistake, that's not who I am, but as time went on you know, and I started to accept that this is part of my identity, I really judged myself so much - over what type of clothes I wear, what if- whether I wear makeup or not, how I present, um, how I move, how I speak, how I- because I every every- you know in my brain it was like, is this gonna look gay, is this gonna look straight, is this gonna, is this gonna pass, is this gonna not pass, are people gonna be suspicious, what if I am too close to this person, what if I'm not close enough to this person? you know, and and that type of analyzing is really hard on somebody. Especially you know, a teenager, early 20s, like growing up, it was you know, it was tough. a lot of pressure.
But my comfort zone was always nestled with my partner, Andrew, and doing what we love to do. So um that was always where I - where I found myself going back to and not really taking steps moving forward in my personal life.
A: We're gonna get to Andrew, but let's dive into ice dance. I mean it is so theatrical. There has to be a connection between ice dancers, ice partners. What about that environment made you feel like you had to hide parts of yourself?
K: I never felt like I have, I never feel like I have to act when I'm on the ice with Andrew. We have a really beautiful natural connection, and that's one of our trademarks you know, um, and it's important to me to know that none of that was ever fake, you know. Which I I really want to stress that it's, you know, we don't need to think on the binary. It's not in or out, yes or no, it's layered and complex and beautiful, and people in our lives, you know, are layered and complex and beautiful, and so um you know my partnership with Andrew has never been, has never been anything but real and authentic. It was more the fact that I felt like that was the only way to be as Kaitlyn, you know. That that was the most valuable person that I could be. If I varied from that, um I wouldn't be as successful, you know, I wouldn't be as valued. We- ice dance, as beautiful as it is, is a judged sport. We're judged every single day of our lives, um and um I think it says something about figure skating that that people um on in any LGBTQ+ or any type of minority, invisible minority in particular, um don't feel safe to be who they are necessarily, because they're afraid of being judged, and um you know being queer is still illegal in some parts of the world, and so who’s to say that there's a judge on your panel that might not support that, and um you know, it's it's tough when your livelihood depends on that being accepted, and especially when you're successful at it, you know. I was good at playing that role, and so being anybody else besides her didn't feel worthy.
A: What do you think could have been different with your figure skating career if being queer wasn't so taboo in figure skating?
K: I think that we would have a really beautiful variety of diverse people in our sport. Our sport- it's my belief that art is the underlying um, you know, it's the basis of figure skating. Yes, it's a sport, but it's an art, and what brings artists, you know, its expression, its freedom, its movement, its creativity, and I think if figure skating was more inclusive, we would see a lot of varied and beautiful and diverse art. I don't know how that's going to happen. I don't know especially in in couples, you know, how that's gonna happen. But i think just even accepting that we're here: that queer women exist is part of the process moving forward. You know when people think of figure skating they think it's gay, and what do you think of gay, you think of gay men. You know, women aren't even on the radar, and they're, they're, we're here, you know. And i think that just even having that idea of inclusivity is a way that we can start to really open this up because it's too beautiful of an experience of a sport to be so narrow.
A: When you were in the closet competing how do you think that that affected your mental health?
K: Oh, it weighed a lot, you know. Anybody who's had to hide something whatever that is knows that it's an absolute stressor, and unfortunately for me it just was permanent, you know. But when i was performing, you know, I just - that was the thing that always took front seat you know, so I'm really really really really good at not paying attention to that other side of myself, you know. Not anymore, but then I was, and I think i've had to kind of pay the price for that when I came out of competition, to really go through what we, you know, what we have figure skaters have experienced. It's a lot, and it is beautiful, and it's a gift and it's a privilege to be an Olympic ice dancer representing Canada, and I will never go against that um, but it- it's not for free, you know, and um anybody that comes out of sport knows it's, it's a big- it's a big shift, and it's a big thing that you really have to take your time in processing, and so that, on top of understanding who I am, and being able to accept all of who I am was an extra layer of stuff I had to deal with and go through and process and accept, and I'm still doing that work, but absolutely, you know, mental health needs to be number one, and I didn't really make that so much of a priority.
A: Do you think your mental health has shifted after accepting and moving forward coming out now?
K: Undoubtedly my mental health has improved. That's for sure, um but first there's the there was the denial that I didn't, you know, that I had an issue. I'm always the eternal optimist. A lot of people that know me, you know. I always find the bright side, and there's good and bad to that. You have to also see both sides of the coin, you know. Being able to take care of your mental health, have a community that supports you, work with a professional, you know. Good or bad, everybody should have someone that they can talk to and feel safe. That make, that, you know, makes such a huge difference, and sometimes for most and for me- just even taking that step to say, “ok, I'm gonna talk to someone about this,” that's the one of the biggest first steps, and so, you know, if you're thinking about it, if you're listening and you're in trouble and you're thinking about it, make the first step i promise you you won't regret it.
A: Preach- preach! Can we talk about Andrew?
K: Ugh always-
A: Andrew Poje- uh best friend, partner in crime of course on the ice.How did he help you maneuver, you know, your struggles to find your identity?
K: Andrew- he's the pillar in my life, always has been, and I think coming out to him was the hardest... and he was just right there, strong and steady like always, and so his support through this means the world to me, and I know that in him I have a partner and best friend for life, and I love him so dearly, and so I just feel so grateful to have had him as a professional, you know, figure skater, but as a person, he... everybody should have an Andrew in their life, you know, and so just being able to accept me for who I am and move forward and still do what we love to do just means the world to me.
A: How has he helped you?
K: He just says- he allows me to see what he sees in me. He's -you know- he says - I remember when actually in the message that he wrote to me he said, "I want you to see the magic in you, you know, the beauty in you,” so he just reminds me that I deserve to be making these steps, but aaaah he's- he's just there, you know, just having some- just having a hand to hold, just like your go-to, your home base, that's him for me.
A: I reached out to Andrew, and I'm gonna read a little statement that he would like you to know:
“Thank you Kaitlyn for being brave enough to share this vulnerable moment with the grander audience. We have always leaned on one another throughout our partnership because each see each other at our core. I am proud of your strength and vulnerability to share your story as you become the best version of Kaitlyn Weaver. I will be here and support you however I can because you share an important message. As humans we need to lean more into who we truly are. I cannot wait to continue our journey as partners as you step into this new chapter of your life. Our partnership has been filled with its ups and downs that have created many many proud moments, but the most proud and the most proud moment is right now. Thank you from me and on behalf of those that need the strength and inspiration.”
K: I just feel so lucky you know to have him that will see me and love me for who I am, and who i will always be. I think it's easy to put people in boxes, but people grow and evolve and change, and you know, to have someone that will stand by your side through all of that is a gift, and you know he's- he's that pillar. You can hear it in his words.
A: What are you hoping that this does to change the conversation within figure skating?
K: I hope that, you know, it gives everybody a little hope that there's someone like them. That they're not alone. That, you know, it's okay to be different and usually the thing that makes us most different is our greatest gift. I think it's really important for figure skating to take a look around, especially its elite athletes and see who we're missing - visible and invisible minorities. You know, skating has has always been a pretty white, heterosexual elite sport, and I don't think that's the best route for any sport, and I think it's important for us to take a critical look at - at ourselves and say “why don't- why don't we have any queer women here, you know? Because we're here, and I just I want to start the conversation, and and you know, I want skating to be inclusive and diverse, and I want everybody to experience what we love so much about it, and skating deserves that, you know?
A: Yeah
K: But most importantly I want people to not feel alone.
A: I can promise that you're doing that with this announcement. When you think to the future, what inspires you, you know? What makes you think we can get there, especially in figure skating?
K: To know that I'm not the first, and I won't be the last, you know. That the conversations that we're having regarding race, regarding gender, regarding sexual orientation, you know, these are all the right ones to be having. I think that we just need to keep taking baby steps forward, and Canada in particular is a leader in that, and I think that we can continue being that for the rest of the figure skating world.
A: So what's next?
K: Oh Open Ice Two: Visionaries, premiering July 3rd
A: very smooth!
K: What's next for me, you know, I wanted to do this for my sport, but I needed to do this for myself, so I just, you know, I feel like what's next for me is to just sit back and kind of let it all soak in that I've made it this far, and you know, in my spare time, I'm working on the Open Ice Collective. It's my charity initiative to help skating become more inclusive, and we're doing that in a lot of different ways, and so I have a new project coming up in July which is very exciting, but it's really a special feeling to feel like i'm merging now all of who I am into one.
A: Kaitlyn, it means the world to me that you have trusted me with this, and that you connected, and I would like to just give you the microphone. Is there anything that I've missed or overlooked?
K: I think I would be remiss without saying that being here today and having this conversation with you is a privilege, and we're here doing this because of generations of LGBTQ, in particular, trans women of color that have fought for the right for us to even have this conversation safely, and if I could say one thing to those in my sport and out of it that are considering this, or feeling different, it's that don't come out until you feel safe emotionally and physically, and when you do, we're here, and we're fighting for you, and that there's always going to be someone waiting on the other side with open arms.
Myth: “They don’t have time to take care of their mental health”
Simone: For me, I go to therapy. And I think it should be talked about a lot more because it’s not something to be ashamed or afraid of. Everybody has something different that works for them, and that’s what I just found works for me.
Myth: “Physique. They have body image issues”
Simone: I feel like that’s not a misconception about gymnasts, I feel like that’s everybody in general. Everybody struggles with body image issues, wanting to look different, thinking you’re not skinny. I feel like that’s everybody in life.
Myth: “You have to have a certain body type to be a gymnast”
Simone: Back in the day, everybody had a more, like, slim body and was really flexible and skinny. But now, you can be a little bit shorter and more powerful like me. So I definitely think it’s evolved. So I think that’s false as well.
Myth: “You have to be skinny/petite to do gymnastics”
Simone: I feel like whatever your body type is, you just have to be in shape to do gymnastics.
Nathan Chen on how he grounds himself at competitions
for Ravi Walia’s (@rwalia7) students, posted on IG 5/29/21
I think before I even start competing, you know, I’ll look up at the ceiling and just like take in like that moment. I mean that’s so sick - every time that you get to compete, no matter if it’s a small competition or a big competition, like that’s so cool you know. Like that’s what we train for, that’s why we’re doing this every single day. that’s why we go to the rink, that’s why we do all this research and spend so much of our time and energy to get these moments to compete. And so if you’re able to take a step back and just recognize how lucky, how fortunate, how cool it is that you’re there in that moment. Being able to do this. Not many people are able to do what you do. You guys are all exceptional skaters already so like to be able to recognize that and be like I’m really good at what I do I’m very confident and like you know happy that I’m here because my skills have provided me the opportunity to do this. It helps just keep you like you know in a more level playing field rather than being so like “auuggh shoot, what if I make a mistake” you know. And if you make a mistake like who cares, like you know, again, the world will keep moving. So, recognize that you’re just lucky to be in this moment, and if things happen well, then embrace that. And if things don’t happen well, then that’s ok, move on. So that’s kind of how I keep myself grounded.
with Richard Gunther for Microsoft Canada IG live 6/1/21
RG: Would you ever consider coming back to the world of skating?
TV: In a different way, yes. I mean, I’m currently mentoring a team prepping for the Olympics right now, so we have these weekly or bi-weekly meetings, and I’m very much involved in their training regime and connecting the pieces for all of their giant staff and support team. And I feel like that’s the perfect way for me right now for me to be involved and to have impact and to be able to share some of my insights and experiences. But it’s so fun seeing people chase their dream. And especially when I know all the players involved, and I’m intimately and acutely aware of the stress and pressure that is facing them this year in this particular environment. It’s been so fun. It’s kind of made me miss it in a different way. But I also see the grueling hard work they’re doing, and I think I’m all right on this side of things.
RG: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I mean, you’ve been there done that, right? No need to go back and relive it.
TV: I miss it, but i don’t need to do it again. My body doesn’t need to do it again
For Ravi Walia’s (@rwalia7) students, posted on IG 5/29/21
Make friends in the sport you know, make, you know, reach out to people and hear how they’re thinking. Hear how- get advice from other people. And just be open to all your competitors and all your training mates, They’re all working very very hard to achieve basically the same goal, you know. So it’s really important to understand and recognize the amount of work other people are putting in and respect that. And I think that fosters a very healthy training environment. So everyone’s, you know, striving towards goals but not, and being competitive towards one another, we’re trying to push each other forward but we’re not trying to bring each other back, you know. So it’s very important to have that sort of - to foster that sort of environment. And that starts with every single individual. You know, it’s not just a coach that has to foster that. Each skater themselves has to try to avoid the drama and just focus on trying to improve themselves in the sport. Trying to improve- and help other people improve as well, because at the end of the day you guys are all part of like one skating community and that’s really important.
Nathan Chen on developing consistency in components
for Ravi Walia’s (@rwalia7) students posted on IG 5/29/21
Just bottom line, mistakes happen, we’re all humans, and it’s ok if we make mistakes. But then once you are able to use that, I mean for me, once I’m able to calm myself down with that, then it’s like, let’s be very rational. Let’s think about what I need to do to - I know my goal at this competition, so what can I do exactly, to make this, to make each element in this competition successful.
Like for instance, I’m going to lutz, what do I need to do to make that lutz successful? How much speed do I need, what direction do I need to go in, where should I be looking? Where can I keep myself not distracted by like seeing a color, or seeing a light, or seeing a face that I like recognize, that’ll keep me, get me distracted a little bit. So then it’s just like be very specific about like where I want to be mentally in that frame or moment.
Now I know what to do in the lutz. Now let’s move to the flip. What do I need to do for a flip? Where do I need to set my pattern? And then be very technical. And I find that generally speaking within the competition if I can focus on 2 to 3 things per jump like for instance lutz: direction, timing, you know, pulling through with my left shoulder. Something like that. Like that was very arbitrary, so like that’s specific to the jump. think about 3 things, it’ll keep your mind locked.
So, consistency is difficult, even now, you know, I know myself and all the skaters that I’ve competed against that are top level skaters still struggle with consistency. So it’s not something that you’ll magically become super consistent.
I think there’s two components to consistency. One is like in training how you utilize your reps. I think that’s extremely important. For me like obviously i’m working on quads. I’m working on you know making my quads consistent. But the amount of times that I spend on doubles and triples even now is like well more than I even attempt quads. So it’s I think it’s really important especially as you start improving and you start doing you know bigger and bigger jumps like, one, keep in mind that big jumps do take a lot out of your body. You know, the amount of torque, rotation, power that you need to generate to do a bigger jump, even triple-triples, even you know just triples in general, from doubles to triples is significantly more than from doubles, from doing doubles. So just keep that in mind and slowly progress it to how many repetitions you do.
My rule of thumb with increases in volume is that you can never max over 20% of what you did the previous week. So for instance let’s say you did 10 jumps the previous week, don’t do more than 12 the next week. Always do 20% increments, because if you do more than that, it’s really easy for your body to get hurt basically.
So as for consistency, you know, make sure that you really emphasize getting very consistent with the jumps before, so, if you’re doing triples, make sure doubles are super super solid. Every single double that you attempt. Because it’s something that’s easier, something you’ve done more often. Know that you have to do specific things and achieve that every single time you do that double. You know for me, I want to work on let’s say triple sal. Like every single triple sal that I do I have to make sure my arms are in the right position, body is in the right position. And it’s still a trial and error thing too. So like obviously you’re like trying to recreate the same thing. But at the same time if you know something’s not working, do a minor adjustment, see if that works, change one variable at a time, see what works, see what doesn’t work. And then repeat that, repeat that repeat that repeat that, until you get so comfortable with it knowing that no matter what I do, no matter how much speed no matter who’s in my way, no matter what the music is telling me, no matter if I’m stressed, I know I can do this specific action. And then once that happens then you can start moving it to triples- and moving it, or, from singles to doubles, doubles to triples, triples to quads. And then that consistency will remain. So it’s a lot of like, just constant reps within the lesser category of jump.
And then the second part is to obviously to just, mental training you know, there’s a lot of components to being consistent in competition, and I think being consistent in competition is more related to like how you’re able to mentally prepare yourself, how you can make yourself calm, how you can make yourself to not, you know, work through your mind so quickly like slow your body down slow your mind down. But that just takes time and practice to you know figure out, learn- I would highly recommend working with a sports psych -they give you a lot of techniques to breathe, to keep yourself calm, to keep yourself motivated as well. So a lot of that stuff comes down to your mind when it comes to competition.
Asher Hill on racism and the situation that led to him calling out Skate Canada
Nam Kiwanuka for Breaking Barriers on the Ice part 2
Nam: Well, what would you hear? what were the comments that you would hear?
Asher: So, one that was very popular that I - sometimes the power would go off at the rink, and the first thing I would always hear would- “oh no, smile Asher so we can see you, and open your eyes” you know. And I never ever found that funny.
Nam: Meaning that you were too dark. You were dark and they needed, right-
Asher: I was dark, and when the lights came off I disappeared unless I showed the whiter part of my body, which were my eyes and my teeth. And you know, a defense mechanism you have as a person of color in a room or arena that doesn’t always represent you, you laugh it off, you roll your eyes, you just kind of keep going, you let it roll off your back, and you internalize it which can cause a lot of you know, other issues, but that’s kind of how you survive and stuff.
Nam: Well, you know, I’ve had friends asking me how I am doing right now because of the global movement for Black Lives Matter. How are you doing?
Asher: ...Ok, I’m doing ok. I think we’re always doing ok, because to us, this has been going on for decades, years and years. You know about it. Like, when I was a kid, my biggest fear was that the KKK would come and might kill my family. So I was aware of racial prejudice as a child. And you know when you keep seeing these scenes of black men and women being murdered and hearing about these stories,, and then you know movements rise up and then they kind of die down, and I only say die down from you know people who are so-called allies. They’ll come with you for a bit, and then retreat back because it’s uncomfortable.
We forget that Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have a job because he took a knee and Black Lives Matters used to be so incendiary it could mean you losing friends and your job, and it was immediately met with other retorts like All Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, which are just veiled racism, because it was only in reference to when people were talking about how, you know Black people aren’t being valued as other people in this country and in this world, you know.
Nam: Well you brought up the NFL. The NFL and - is one of the organizations along with Skate Canada and a whole other, so many other organizations who’ve tweeted posts of support with the Black community in addressing anti-Black racism. Part of - so Skate Canada had a tweet- part of that tweet said, Skate Canada supports a safe, open and inclusive environment for everyone,
and you responded, so we have part of the tweet that you sent: it said
What did what Skate Canada tweet, upset you? What did they tweet that upset you?
Asher: So pretty much like the first sentence in that whole post. Because during this whole year of 2019 til now, I had been dealing with a racist, homophobic, misogynistic colleague at the Club I used to work at, Skate Canada Brampton-Chinguacousy. And in June I had finally had had enough, there were other factors, like my sister, who also worked at the Club being - you know- I had my own personal experiences with the coach, and then my sister was also having a lot of issues with the Club and the Board.
And so, I was just like, ok I need to finally come forward, and so, the Club said they would do their own investigation with a third party. Because the Club was favorable to the coach in question, I contacted Skate Canada, and I told them please do your own investigation into all these allegations, because I do not trust the Club. I do not think it’s going to be objective, I don’t think- the coaches there are also really good friends with the person I’m making the complaints about. And they always have his back, and he’s been getting away with murder. And they haven’t done anything, so please do your own investigation. They did not.
I felt the investigation was not done properly. They had investigated like 4 witnesses when I had given them well over 8, more than double that, and the investigation also happened once I left the Club. And Skate Canada you know abdicated their duties. They piggy-backed directly off of the findings of that investigation. And even when I brought in new information after I appealed the decision to hold me in contempt of bullying and harassing and all that stuff, they didn’t you know seem to read the new evidence, didn’t interview any of the other coaches, didn’t interview any of the parents who made the same complaints about the coach and, yeah.
So to be found to be the bully and harasser after blowing the whistle on somebody who you know would say things like, “that’s why I don’t coach Black kids” or calling all Filipinos lazy, or referring to Black people with the n-word. And then for me to like come forward with my experience, which was so hard, and to be turned around and be like, you’re actually the problem, and now you’re going to- we’re going to reprimand you and put a letter on your file, where if you step out of line again you can lose your license. And that is a -
Nam: Well, Skate Canada has reached out to you, and they said that they hired a third party investigator who concluded the allegations were unsubstantiated. We only have a minute left. What are some concrete changes you’d like to see implemented in skating moving forward?
Asher: Ok, well first they didn’t actually hire the third party, the Club did. So things that we’re working to do, and I’m saying we because we have started a coalition of skaters from US, Canada, and France and around the world, and we are working with other alliances, such as the Diversify Ice with Joel Savary, and we’re coming up with concrete plans and a list of calls to action that we’re going to be sending out to Skate Canada, the government, on how to make it better for athletes, coaches, and volunteers of color in the sport.
We’re having lots of great conversations, and I think through Covid, we would never be able to think about reaching out to each other, but now with Covid we’re having Skype meetings, Zoom meetings, we have a lot of things in the work. And I think that the onus is often put on athletes of color because we can’t wait for them to make any changes, because they won’t. If they did, they would have done it by now. And so we’re really working to come up with this alliance that I think, the name is a working name but it’s Figure Skaters for Diversity and Inclusion Alliance, and we’re just working towards making it better for people coming after us, because we realize the importance of role models, and we realize the importance of making this sport safer and inclusive for everybody, and everyone should feel welcome and able to achieve their goals no matter what color they are.
Nam: And you had mentioned in the tweet that you recently lost your grandmother, and we are sorry for your loss, and we appreciate you taking the time out to speak to us about some of the solutions you’re coming up with. We appreciate you Asher, and continued success
Jeff Buttle on traits that help him in his work, and on choreographing Stars on Ice group numbers
PJ Kwong @SkatingPJ 4/28/20
PJ: Do you know, it's so interesting because what people don't know is that, or may not know, you were on the path to becoming an engineer before you decided, you were already in university and already studying engineering. So I want to know the three qualities that you think are the best qualities about you that help you in your work. So does the math help at all? Does the linear thinking for engineering- does that help in constructing a program?
Jeff: I think that has made me a lot more methodical, in the way that I know that a lot of choreographers are entirely just- they are just so
PJ: free flowing
Jeff: Yeah, they're very free-flowing. For me when I'm doing a program, I really do like to set the technical elements in place. I like to make sure that we've constructed the program in a way that we have.. managed our time responsibly. Because I have seen choreographers almost finish a program and realize that they now have- they still have three elements and only twenty seconds to get them all done, and knowing that they don't have enough time, then they have to start scrapping things and go back. So I like to know that everything is set in the place where you know we're not gonna have to do that. So yeah, I guess I'm more methodical in that sense.
PJ: And that's one. Yeah- two more- cooking's not one of them apparently?
Jeff: Nah- no, no it is not. So this is- sorry- three ways that my engineering has aided in or has affected my?
PJ: I just was curious to know if because of that linear sort of thinking if that had helped, but what other two qualities do you have that you think help you in your job as a choreographer?
Jeff: I think I'm pretty, pretty easy easygoing. I mean, when I'm doing group work- so preparing for Stars on Ice or something like that, it's it's it becomes a lot more stressful because you're managing a lot of people, and you're managing a lot of very social skaters. And so and I -
PJ: Chatty
Jeff: Exactly- and I'm guilty of this when I'm the skater and not the choreographer. But as hard as - it's sometimes like wrangling cats, because you know this these three are talking over here, and you need one of those people for what section you're doing, and you know, so you're constantly doing that.
So I have my moments where I do have to like put my foot down, but I feel like my easygoingness, this makes me - I'm able to handle stressful situations and let some things just, you know, roll off my back, and I think often times you have to be able to just go with the flow.
PJ: And the third quality you thought I wouldn't ask about the third one that's only two, my friend.
Jeff: I guess I would like to think that I am -
PJ: Here, your mom can help you -
Jeff: I thought she was implying like organized in my life in general in which case that that's not always the case, but yes, no, I am - I always come prepared to a choreographic endeavor with everything, well, as much as I can be prepared. I learned a while ago through another Stars on Ice choreographer, Cindy Stewart, the importance of charting. And so, when you're doing especially large group choreography- is sort of every almost five-second segments have a different visual of where - who's on the ice and where- and
PJ: Wow
Jeff: Where they're going on what they're doing, and so usually a group number that is, you know, approximately six minutes long will sometimes be longer than 10 pages of diagrams, and - but it's nice to have that prepared, because when you arrive, you know at a tour like Stars on Ice you sometimes only have about four days to get the whole thing put together. So there's no time to really be thinking and unprepared. You have to have your stuff ready.
Jadene: Someone's asking: you are so stylish - Do you have a favorite store or city to shop in?
MF: Oh my god... no- I'm, I'm actually I think when I go, I'm not a lover, a lover of shopping (laughs). I'm sorry, shopping is not my favorite thing. If I need something I, I plant the seed, then I I have one or two, three stores that I really like. I'm so petite that I don't have a huge range. I do love shopping in Asia- Japan almost everybody is my size, so it makes it much easier to find pants that fit and, and shirts that are my size. But, no I'm, I think i know myself enough now that I'm in my 40s, and I dress to feel confident, to feel good and professional, or I choose what i want to feel like in certain circumstances, and, and i go with my my instinct.
Papadakis and Cizeron on PYC, the SD and the wardrobe malfunction
Radio Canada Interview translated from French
Gui: Tessa and Scott were taking part in the team competition, which was held first. Not us. We arrived much later. I didn't even watch the opening ceremony.
Gabi: I was with my friends that night. Relaxing and in my business in Montreal. We had managed to recreate our little cocoon and it was good for our confidence. We intentionally didn't watch their performance in the team event. But I remember taking a look at their score. It was good, but not impossible to match or beat.
Gui: We arrived in Pyeongchang after the team competition, ready, confident and in good spirits.
Gabi: I remember we were in the hallway with our mental prep coach Steffany Hanlen. She was the one assigned to sew the dress. By the way, we had decided to do that because it had come apart once already a few weeks earlier during practice at the European Championships. Was I afraid it would happen again? Not at all. I was sure sewing it would do the trick.
Let me say right off that we don't blame anyone for what happened. It would be unfair to blame anyone.
Gui: It was everyone's fault and nobody's fault at the same time. So we were confident and ready. We settled in position out on the ice, and the music started. And then, it happened. I felt it come loose in my hand. I quickly checked to see what state of mind Gabriella was in. When I saw that she was continuing, I did the same.
Gabi: You say to yourself, "Come on, let's go!” No matter what, you have to get to the end. And contrary to what was later hammered by all these people and reporters who imagined what I was feeling, it was not being naked that bothered me. I didn't have time to think about it. I just had this costume hanging off my body that was so heavy! It bothered me in my movements.
Gui: At one point, I said to myself: "Maybe I could reattach it in the stopped part," but we were already three quarters through the program and so at that point I thought: "It's no use, we'll just continue." In fact, we didn't think it was that bad until the program ended.
Gabi: That’s when I was like, "Shit! This isn’t real!” It’s not pretty, but it is what came to mind.
Gui: We were quite upset. It was bad luck that struck, and in the short dance to boot, that’s been a bit of a thorn in our side. Fortunately, we had all this preparation before. We could almost do the choreography with our eyes closed. We waited anxiously for our scores to find out if we still had a chance to win. Then the result was displayed. Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir: 83.67 points Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron: 81.93 points
Gabi: Then, we said to ourselves: “Damn! But it wouldn't be the first time we've won a competition with the free. It’s doable. It won't be easy, but we can do it!"
Gui: We kept our hopes up, and we had faith. We really believed in it. Coming off the ice, we had to face the media. It was hard. The questions were painful. Are you sad? What do you think! It was frustrating. But we had to be polite. This is our job.
Gabi: I was like, "Can I just have 5 minutes to cry in my corner?" But no! Not even. I wanted to tell everyone to take a walk. Back in the village, I cried for hours. I had this thing in me that wanted to get out. My phone kept ringing, vibrating, beeping. Even if I had wanted to talk, it would have made me so crazy. I left it behind. Then I wandered around the village. Eyes haggard, like a zombie. I shed more tears. I spoke with a few friends. It felt good. And I went to bed.
