#meagan loves tessa and scott equally

[virtchandmoir]

cbcolympics: “There would have been a riot”

@brenda.irving.cbcsports recounts what it was like being in Pyeongchang in 2018 when @tessavirtue17 & Scott Moir won their gold medal

And @meaganduhamel has some very kind words about Scott’s leadership in attaining that team gold medal

Watch the latest episode of ‘That Figure Skating Show’ now on our CBC Sports YouTube channel

[lazaruspithottub]

Why I think that the retiring Canadian skaters should start up a multi-discipline school.

Patrick, Meagan, Eric, Tessa, Scott. What a team. Here’s why they would be the best team. A coaching team.

Patrick has already said that he has an interest in opening a school. Scott and Meagan both had short coaching gigs over the summer.

Tessa and Eric are grey areas, however, I know that Tessa has said that she does want to specifically give back to younger skaters and the next generation and Eric has done many camps and seminars with young skaters.

Why is it necessary/a great idea? There are other schools even just in Canada.

There is no major pairs school like for singles and ice dance and Meagan and Eric excel technically and would be invaluable resources to teach that.

Patrick’s fundamentals are a testament to how far good basics can get you and would no doubt understand the importance of that. In his prime he masterfully valanced the technical and artistic like no-one else. This kind of balance and fundamentals is sorely lacking in singles but particularly in men’s.

There are no ice dance schools that offer: high level training, complex choreography, consistent and reliable artistic vision, technical training and a supportive mutually beneficial and equal environment for all. I believe that Tessa and Scott very well have the potential to offer all of that to their students.

Tessa can get her MBA and run the business side of things. It’s perfect

What sorts of problems in training would this fix/address for skaters under their wings?

Body shaming and dysphoria in skating

Tessa has spoken about this countless times. Need I say anything else except that young girls need a coach like her to be telling them to be strong and to not be enforcing bad habits and ancient viewpoints. The fact that Scott is so cognisant of this as well bodes positively.

Meagan seems to have a reasonably healthy perspective on all of this too and has done the rare thing of balancing being vegan with being a high level athlete, which can actually be quite difficult to do and still get the right nutrients to feed your body etc.

Issues of gender and sexuality in skating

Eric being gay means that any young skaters who are struggling know that there is someone right there to talk to who will understand and or relate.

For young boys in particular seeing Scott and Patrick still be skaters, and yes straight, but enjoy all of this and be expressive is really important and shows them that they can be too. No doubt they would create an environment where a kid can just happen to love dance or skating and not feel like that is an invalidation of self or what they’re supposed to be.

For girls to try to aim for the expected very lean aesthetic and fit a mold in skating or any sport can be so damaging. Girls very often are told that they have to be soft and delicate in order to be a figure skater. Tessa and Meagan know better. We been knew. No girl is gonna fit into a box here.

Bad music/program choices

Eric is a musician. He knows music and he knows how it works and what works. Tell me when him and Meagan have made a fatal flaw in program choice. You can’t. The rest of the team usually make top notch decisions too.

Tessa, Scott and Patrick are, furthermore, experts in conquering the warhorse.

Bad choreography

Tessa and Scott are ice dancers. They are also the GOATs and if they aren’t always going to choreo then they could probably get anyone they like to choreograph for their teams.

Bad expression

Look at the list. Now back at me. Now back at the list. Now back at me. Don’t tell me that that’s not gonna be one of the first things these guys would address.

Hard work

Hahahahaha. Meagan would not take no for an answer. Can you imagine letting TS down? Nah man. You work hard.

Mental readiness

Tessa and Scott in particular would no doubt make sure that the young ones are surrounded by the right mental support and set up and for the teams that they focus on and work on their partnership and mutual respect. As Patrick suffered from a lack of mental readiness throughout his career he would no doubt want to change that for his students.

Staying injury free

As injuries threatened to derail both ME and TS’ careers, they would be very aware of the importance of balancing injuries with competing and when to draw the line.

Being successful young

TS and even Patrick were successful young and they know what to do and the advantages and disadvantages that has for a skater as well as the pressures it adds.

Healthy partnerships

TS and ME both have very supportive partnerships whilst both being very different. We can see that through the tough times such as Tessa and Eric’s injuries that the teams have stuck by one another, been unconditionally there and would be instilling the same values into their young skaters.

Why multi-discipline?

Problem with how the ice dancer’s music is structured? Ask Eric.

Need someone to fix the choreography? Tessa

Having problems with the Tango piece that you’ve given your singles skater? Tessa and Scott.

Your ice dance team has a baby twist as an entrance to a lift? Meagan and Eric.

One half of your pairs team can’t jump a jump? Patrick will teach.

Singles skater is struggling to control large jumps? Meagan will teach them how to land it like she lands a throw.

Your pairs team or singles skater has twizzles in their step sequence? Tessa and Scott.

Need a fresh eye from someone who doesn’t know the discipline super well? Sorted.

Skater is in singles but would be better in another discipline or vice versa? Done.

Skater skates multiple disciplines? Everyone!

Skater skates one discipline? Everyone!

Goodness this is the dream.

[thatsamoireh]

Moncton show and meet & greet recap! I put together my thoughts about the show, my meet & greet experience, photos of the things I made them, and their reactions. It got wordy.

Here’s a preview in the form of some bald skater babies pre-hair styling.

Thoughts about the Moncton show:

We were in the third row but I was behind/between two incredibly tall women. I could see if I moved my head a lot and I still ultimately had a fantastic view but it made photos and videos pretty impossible. A couple sort of came out so I’ll post those later.

 I knew I couldn’t keep myself entirely unspoiled but I wanted to enjoy the show in the moment as much as possible. I’d let myself watch videos of VM’s solo things as much as I wanted, the group numbers fully exactly once each, and no one else’s solos at all though I knew what the songs were.

Tessa and Scott skating live in person was still a thing I wasn’t prepared for because can you ever be? They are so in tune with each other. They have to be able to do programs like MR in their sleep at this point but there were little moments and touches and looks that made it seem like a brand new unique experience at both shows I went to. MR was so intense, 4 Minutes was so playful, and Diamonds was so... elegant? Graceful? Regal? Tessa is a queen. Scott knows it, we all know it, and that dance showcases her so breathtakingly. The gasps when she skated out in her diamond bodysuit. I’ll never forget that.

I can’t get over how much FUN Scott was having, particularly during group performances and the moments that he could interact with the audience. That boy is having the time of his life and he deserves it.

I was particularly blown away by two non-VM things that took me by surprise: First, Patrick is unreal on the ice in person. Wow. WOW. Videos don’t do him justice. W O W. Second, I loved Weapo’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody so much. It’s my favorite thing they’ve ever done. More of this from them, please.

One of the best parts was my friend’s reactions during the show since she had no idea at all what was going to happen and was mostly there to humor me. After Moulin Rouge: “...Um. Okay, yeah. I ship it.” After Phantom: “Has Patrick Chan ever fallen once in his life? It feels like he was born ice skating.” After I Weapo’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody: “Okay, so now I’m crying.” After Sweet Dreams: “That was cool. Scott definitely had the best sunglasses.” She was so concerned for Meagan’s safety whenever Eric spun her around that she kept making these little alarmed noises. 

After the dance off as Elvis was talking to the crowd, Scott skated up behind him in the way that I could just tell was going to be a last show prank situation. For a hot second I thought he might pants him which would have been a terrible idea but he either poked his sides or pulled UP on the back Elvis’ pants instead. Elvis startled and turned and shot him a look that meant Scott might pay for that later. I am SO sad that Scott’s back was to me because I would have loved to have seen his face during all that.

The cheering was pretty equal so Meagan said Elvis should break the tie since it was his last show which got Elvis a big cheer too. He couldn’t/wouldn’t declare a winner so Meagan went into Dancing Queen.

Elvis got standing ovations after his skates and he was clearly getting emotional and taking it all in as his last show on the tour. I’m not sure if the crowd even really knew it was his last show after his Dragon skate yet (Meagan said it during the dance off and the crowd reaction kind of implied they maybe didn’t know), which means they all just really appreciated him that much. MR, Patrick’s Phantom, and Eric/Patrick’s Storm all also got standing o’s to my recollection. Plus the finale of course.

During the encore after a moment when they were all grouped together at center ice, Elvis started skating out like they’re supposed to but everyone else stayed put and did some ta-da arms to give him a special little last show send off. He put his hand on his heart and knelt down and it was all so sweet.

There are more things that I’m forgetting right now probably. Oops?

My Moncton meet & greet experience:

Okay. So. I make and sell amigurumi crochet dolls. Here are my Hamilton and Hocus Pocus dolls, to give you an idea of the kinds of things I make.

I decided before the tour that I’d make the nine of them to give the cast at my meet & greet in Moncton. (Thanks to @peacefulboo for the cheerleading along the way!) Here they are done but still hairless, which in my opinion is peak cuteness honestly. Please, please don’t repost any of my doll or m&g photos anywhere, thanks!

And fully done. Photos never do my dolls’ hair justice, I swear. They’re better in real life I promise. (I’ll put more close ups at the end of the post in case anyone is interested.)

I’d decided to do everyone’s Pyeongchang free skate/free dance costumes but wasn’t sure which to make for Elvis until I saw he was doing Dragon for the tour. So I did his Olympic Dragon costume, complete with his 1994 hairstyle. He was so nice and as he was putting the doll down on the table he noticed the hair and pointed it out, laughing. When he got home, he regrammed his wife’s Instagram post featuring my doll (!!!) and their dog’s reaction made my LIFE. (Screencaps near the end of this post.)

Kaitlyn and Andrew got so excited about the dolls. I told Kaitlyn that her dress ended up being the hardest by far to recreate in doll form and she slapped her hands on the table, leaned in toward me, and said, so earnestly, “IT WAS SO HARD TO MAKE IN REAL LIFE TOO!” Meanwhile Andrew was smiling hugely and moving his doll’s legs to make him dance. I love them both so much.

Meagan wondered at me about how I make things like this (which like, it’s all relative I guess because I wonder at how she can do the things she does on the ice) and Eric got a little grin and told me that he loved that I did his sheer sleeves. (I think Eric’s doll might have secretly been my favorite, or at least tied with Tessa. The stubble really made it.)

Just as we were about to get in Patrick and Kaetlyn’s line Tessa went hurrying past us out of the room with someone in a tour jacket. She was smiling, so my guess is that nature called and she couldn’t wait anymore to answer. (No idea if that’s true, just a guess.) I looked over at Scott and he didn’t look concerned, was just wandering around, joking with Patrick, drinking a smoothie.

As the cast members near the start of the lineup finished up with fans they were leaving. The m&g music was excellent (my friend got confirmation from Scott that it was Andrew’s playlist that night) and Kaitlyn was dancing as she headed for the door just as Tessa was coming back in a few minutes later. They had a little dance party (the song was Hey Ya I’m 98% sure) as they danced toward each other, danced together for few seconds laughing, and then Tessa danced all the way back to her signing table. Scott loudly announced, “MS. VIRTUE HAS RETURNED!”

Before he sat down again, Scott crept silently up behind Patrick and poked him in both of his sides, making him jump mid-sentence while talking to the fan at his table. Scott grinned, so proud of himself, and it was pretty amazing.

I stayed with my friend L in Fredericton during this trip. We’ve known each other for 18 years and she’s in the States a lot so I’ve seen her in real life several times over the years but this is the first time I’ve been able to go visit her. Due to a last minute emergency my other friend that was going to drive up from NY for the shows with me couldn’t come, so L humored me and came along since I had the extra tickets. She remembered Elvis from her childhood skating phase and she knew who VM were in the casual way many Canadians do. So she wanted photos with those three but otherwise was perfectly happy to volunteer to be my mom friend and hold the little gift bags with the dolls and the Orlando postcards I’d made up for them.

I mention this because there was someone working for the venue/tour at the head of each line to use our phones/cameras to take our one photo per person for us in order to keep the lines moving along relatively quickly (note: I never felt the slightest bit rushed and everyone was lovely). When we got to the front of Patrick and Kaetlyn’s line the woman there had apparently seen me give the others their dolls and sort of wink-wink said that if my friend wasn’t getting a photo with Patrick and Kaetlyn she could “donate” it and that I should definitely take a second photo with the two of them and their dolls, too. It was so sweet of her to suggest and the photo came out so cute that I’m gonna share it.

Most of the designated camera people actually did take multiple photos, which was nice. Before my first photo with Patrick and Kaetlyn (before I gave them the dolls) Patrick had looked over at Scott and started laughing at something he must have said that I couldn’t hear. In my couple photos, Patrick went from laughing-at-Scott smiling to normal smiling and it’s quite an adorable progression.

My friend L went up to Tessa and Scott before me. Go Your Own Way was the song currently playing and we had been dancing to it in line. As L went up for her photo she joked to Scott that she should probably stop dancing now. He got this shocked look on his face and said, “NO! Never stop dancing!” She joked that she’d be blurry for the photo if she didn’t and he admitted that she had a point.

Can I just say that Tessa Virtue is radiant in person? Like, I expected it and they are all strikingly attractive humans, but Tessa just… glows or something. And Scott’s eyes are so kind. I can get very awkward turtle meeting people I admire but Scott and Tessa have this warmth that just puts you at ease right away. 

(Please, please don’t repost any of my doll or m&g photos anywhere, thanks!)

While Tessa and Scott were signing my flag I told them I’d come up from Florida to see them and how it was the first time I’d been able to visit L in our 18 years of friendship. L and I thanked them for putting together the tour so I had the excuse. Scott perked up and said, “Oh yeah? Where in Florida?” (I’m guessing he was curious if it was near where he’d recently visited so he’d have a frame of reference? Idk.)

I gave them the dolls and they both smiled so big while examining them intensely. I was a little overwhelmed so I can’t remember what Scott said to me exactly but part of it was, “You made this?” Tessa said something about how amazing it was that I could make them and I told her I had a little business, which I thought she would appreciate in a girl power kind of way. I told her that I’d made her doll first since I suspected it would be the most complicated (little did I know how Kaitlyn’s dress would prove me so, so wrong there) and it would make or break if I was going to be able to make the rest. She said she loved the details on the dress a lot and was going to show Mathieu and that he’d love it too. (!!!)

In conclusion they are all lovely, talented angels. I had such an amazing time and the show alone was 110% worth my trip to Canada, plus I still had another show in Saint John on Tuesday and all the adventures/hangouts with L over the long weekend too.

Okay, some closeups of the dolls and progress shots. I didn’t get every angle I’d have liked and photos don’t ever do their hair justice, but in case anyone is curious. Also, pardon my crafting mess in the backgrounds.

Seventeen little ice skates starched (so the blades stay semi-firm) and drying. The eighteenth was already dry and had a leg crocheted to it as a proof of concept that it would work. It would eventually become Tessa’s leg and skate, which seemed fitting.

Details on still-headless Tessa. I used sheer organza ribbon for parts of Tessa, Scott, Eric, and Kaitlyn’s costumes.

Details on still-headless Scott.

Tessa and Scott. Tessa has a bun like Kaetlyn’s but low on the back of her head.

Some screencaps from Elvis’ regram of his wife’s Instagram post. His dog’s reaction made my LIFE.

Kaitlyn and Andrew. Andrew was the easiest doll to make, while Kaitlyn was the hardest. Oh, Weapo.

Kaitlyn’s hair, which I think was my favorite hair.

Meagan and Eric. Meagan’s back was entirely covered in those jewels and I didn’t realize I never got a photo of it.

Kaetlyn. Her dress was fun to do but the embroidery thread stitching took forever.

Kaetlyn from the back. (Her bun looks lopsided from the angle of the photo.)

Patrick. I tried my best to recreate the swoopy neckline from his free skate costume and... sort of succeeded?

If you made it this far, honestly I’m impressed. Possibly some show photos to coming soon, along with my recap/photos from Saint John. (I already posted two videos from that show in case you missed them.)

[brandymuses]

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The video is not awesome because phone and I was looking at THEM not my screen. But this clip got both The Goose™️ and their curve lift. THE SHOW WAS AMAZING. (Mostly because of the Canadians.) I’m going to put up more clips in my stories too. I just wanted something on my TL. Thoughts: *Kaitlyn and Andrew are really great live. They’re just having so much fun. *Meagan and Eric are mesmerizing. Their friendship is great and I loved seeing them interact. *I really hope Kaetlyn’s competitive career isn’t over. She has so much fire and power. *There were a few cute moments between V/M and D/W, and it was great to see them on the ice together again having fun. Team Canton Reunion appeared to be a success. *I see now why people go to multiple shows of a tour. There’s so much happening all at once. Now Tessa and Scott: *Everyone says they’re so much better looking in IRL, but I still wasn’t prepared. It almost hurts to look at them. I don’t know how people who go to M&Gs survive the experience. *Several people in my section gasped when T came out in the Stay dress. (I was one.) It was nice to know there were fellow VM fan veterans of the wars of 2014 there having those stress flashbacks with me. *Scott’s energy is A LOT. Your eyes are drawn to him in all the group numbers because he’s like a magnet. His ice coverage and speed from his edges are even more amazing in person. He’s also the best male dancer on the ice. *Tessa is the best dancer on the ice. She has her own more subtle magnetism too. She has so much grace and power in equal measure. *Scott uses himself to highlight Tessa so well, and their partnership is just a lot to witness in the flesh. (And yes, he was singing to her almost the whole time as per usual.) *It really is hard to focus on anyone but them in the group numbers. They’re just so powerful *I’ve already informed my husband we’re going to Canada next year for the new show T&S have hinted is happening because I’m a lot addicted now. What an adrenaline rush! If you made it to the end of this, good for you. This was for me to vomit our all my thoughts before I forgot something. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqWHV-hAjgv/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9vguvnqd1fxt