Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Skate Canada's strenuous Piper & Paul push is relevant to the sham because it helps illuminate the mindset behind the sham and the modus operandi of Skate Canadian public relations.

I wanted to at least try and pull together some more of the reasons the sham has been as ridiculous as it is, and continues to be. And to observe that, while the Paul & Piper overkill stands out as bizarre if you look at it from a figure skating perspective, everything about it fits a familiar Skate Canada's pattern when seen from a Skate Canada's Stooges Think It's About Them perspective.

The Stooges look at their positions from a single perspective - Turn That Spotlight On Myself. Everything comes back to that. But, many of the opportunities Skate Canada's personnel used to have to shove themselves into the spotlight are at least temporarily closed off, and that's because of the blog.

It's not because the blog is all that. But the blog is on point, and not only are fans reading it, but so are skaters, parents, media, folks at Skate Canada and others who know that the premise of the blog is true but maybe haven't looked all that closely at other stuff. These people aren't going to go "wow, what a terrific blog!" They were already aware of a lot of the stuff here.

But with the blog being public and anonymous, and showing this stuff off, it
doesn't make Debbi & Co. look very good. It's too obvious that they're shady, that they push themselves forward in mortifying ways. While personal politics are usually something you just have to suck up, having Debbi et al's mortifying, self-serving shenanigans showcased here in front of everyone who knows them, coupled with Debbi & Co. being the taker types versus the giver types (unless the "giving" is personally advantageous to Debbi) has made Debbi & Co. change up how they play the game a little bit. But the game and its goals haven't changed.

What we've learned is this: originally it appeared that Skate Canada was staffed at the highest level with a bunch of self-important clowns who had no idea how to do their job.

Now it seems that Skate Canada is staffed at the highest level with a bunch of narcissistic clowns who were never expected to do the job.

Debbi's director titles are slippery - they've changed and morphed. Because they don't matter. Call her anything.

But for a couple of years now she's been the Director of Business Development who hasn't done any such thing or even tried. She couldn't even prep Scott and Tessa properly to promote London businesses at an appearance set up for that purpose.

So what's she doing?

She's collecting a salary and getting her face on camera, getting her name checked; she's glomming onto skating events with her huge ass microphone so as to hitch a ride on the medalists' spotlight; in the past she used to dig up a bunch of personnel and throw them on camera so Debbi and they could smarm at each other and she could pad out her video presence on Skatebuzz, and also over on Skatebuzz they'd use screen caps of skaters and events to get fans to click on the video only to find out there was no skater and no event, just Debbi talking about it.

So that's why Debbi can't clean up her act. There's no job for her to do. She's only got the act, and that, plus perks (salary, access) are the only things that interest her. That's why they keep doing stupid things, instead of regrouping, improving their job performance, and maybe doing a better job of pr. Better pr would eliminate Debbi. Piper & Paul are willing to be the means for Debbi & Co. to invent pretexts to get Debbi & Co.'s faces and names in the spotlight on twitter, on skatebuzz, on facebooks, on cbc.ca, etc. Debbi can get all dressed up next to Piper & Paul all dressed up to welcome Thomas Sabo to the Skate Canada sponsor family (isn't Thomas Sabo just about an only child at this point?).  I don't remember before that Skate Canada threw "Welcome to Our Family!" sponsor parties. I don't remember a Kozy Shack Shindig.

The flip side is - why were Piper & Paul chosen as the foils? Skate Canada has a lot of figure skaters.

I don't think they just like Piper & Paul so much more. I think the other skaters are keeping Debbi at arms' length, while Piper & Paul rush into her embrace. That's why they're the chosen, because they're useful to her. She can use them as her platform at London Worlds, her little crack in the door. Debbi can't, can't not be in the spotlight at London Worlds. She'll die. That type of spotlight is oxygen to Debbi.

She can pose next to them. Invent outreaches for them that she facilitates. Then once she has that standing, she can look around for further opportunities.

So, while it's disappointing that other ice dance teams (the 800 lbs. gorilla VM aside) are not getting this push, this attention, or perks such as "Here's your bronze medal and trip to worlds, and you don't even have to skate first!", fans of those teams can at least comfort themselves that their favorites have the good sense to keep Debbi at arm's length, whenever it's expedient and possible to do so. The price they pay is - well, they will live in the shadow of Piper & Paul, because Skate Canada has only one publicity/communications department, only one person truly running that show, and that person has a set of requirements that must be met before she'll bestow the spotlight.

There's a corrollary to this that goes to the sham.

You know Charlie White's recent interview where he mentioned the moms go to every single one of their international competitions (there are some very financially fortunate skating teams training in Canton). He said they love having them there, but also "It's a way for them to be part of it." IOW, the parents put in a lot of groundwork, paved the way, made it possible, sacrificed, and this is a way for them to share in the rewards. The figure skating career is a huge part of the parents' lives even though their "kids" are adults. That comes with the territory - a kid in skating is a massive investment in family resources before there's any payback.

(Although I wonder if parents who scrimp and save to put their kid through private school, mortgage the house to put their kid through an elite college, mortgage it again for grad school, then lend them the $$ for a home down payment then want to be part of their kid's medical career. I do think the fact that figure skaters are performers make the parents extra eager to be part of the experience when things start getting good.)

Scott and Tessa hail from a tight knit community. Not only is it a small community Londonwise, over by Ilderton the Moirs are by far the most prominent family and figure skating is an extremely popular pasttime. A lot of the people on Scott's facebook who don't seem like they ever were in figure skating maybe were never part of a Skate Canada national team but they certainly were figure skaters at some point in their young lives. And Scott and Tessa are the ones who hit pay dirt - talent, opportunity, timing, success, gold medals. Everybody feels part of it.

How do they participate now that the home town heroes have hit the big time? All the cousins, the aunts, the family friends, the parents of other skaters not as successful, etc., the ones who pitched in to help in the early days or just showed up in support?

They have to participate! No question about it.

Facebook. Inflate and hype up  a problem (SCOTT AND TESSA NEED PRIVACY), use facebook to solve it, and everybody participates. When the facebook sham is toned down, how do the working stiffs who are Scott's buddies get to participate in their friend's success? How do the rest of their wide circle of acquaintances, friends and family broadcast to the world what great kids and people Scott and Tessa are cause they knew them way back when? And how do they distinguish themselves when there are hometown events or skating competitions close to home? Well, with live action participation, all sham related. To extend the participation, the friends can help set up the bait (drop photos of Scott and Tessa dancing, for instance).

Without a sham, what do we have? We've got a couple of skaters who are financially solid - no fund raisers a la Patrick Chan and Jessica Dube required. We've got a couple of figure skaters who train at an elite, international training center in Detroit, USA, no intention of going anywhere else. We've got a dance team who are in many ways, sufficient unto themselves pyschologically and emotionally, because they're a couple and have been for years and constantly nurture that bond.

Where's the opportunity for participation for all the people who had a part in Scott and Tessa's success when they were coming up? Who want to feel needed and part of it?

I think it's human nature, and I think the sham served that purpose and big time. It maximized the number of people who could be part of it with very little time and attention investment on the part of Scott and Tessa. Throw some photos up and cue the chorus from Scott's hometown and parts beyond jumping on the photos to coo and reinforce the sham for Scott and Tessa. Let them host some photos on THEIR facebooks too, or elsewhere on the web (twitter. Tumblr. etc.).

Look at the enthusiasm over M'ovember. Why is Scott the captain - isn't he a guy too busy to even maintain a sporadic presence on a fan facebook? Why not one of the other guys or girls, and Scott can be on THEIR team (thus using his name to help attract donations, if that's really the goal).
And I think this is another reason the sham ain't ending. There's a second Olympics, and basically a way for Scott and Tessa to pay back their legions of hometown and other supporters, family members and friends is to find a way for them to "help" and participate, and the sham really meets all the requirements.

Just a reminder - Worlds 2013 in London. Scott and Tessa couldn't cough up the names of any businesses to promote when they made that appearance to promote London businesses, but we can bet our asses that Worlds in London will be the opportunity they've waited for to break out side door and back channel set ups and stings the likes of which we haven't seen since Canadian Nationals 2010 and Monaco. Worlds in London, they're from London, a lot of their friends in London will like to share in the experience.

P.S.

I've also reconsidered this:

Tessa's idea of romance is someone who can make her laugh
with whom you can be completely yourself.
Scott's is being with your other half that everyone has in the World.
I thought this was sweet, a little reality-placeholder peeking through the cracks. Now I think it was bullshit, like the "We're staying an extra day in Paris!" video and the slow dance on the SC gala sidelines. It was a way to get fans to relax, be charmed, think these kids were finally chilling out. Oh God forbid. They will never. Not when there's a game to be won.

30 comments:

  1. i dont want to be nit picky..but the caption under the pic...
    Tessa's idea of romance is someone who can make her laugh
    with whom you can be completely yourself.

    Scott's is being with your other half that everyone has in the World.

    Scott is is? should it be Scotts' is or Scott is?

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    1. Scott's (idea of romance) is....

      I don't know if it's proper grammar, but it's common phrasing.

      Delete
    2. It's proper grammar. The apostrophe "s" in "Scott's" is a possessive. I.e., his idea of romance. What's Scott's idea of romance? Scott's idea of romance is .....

      The subject "idea of romance" is implicit because it was written out above, in the sentence about Tessa's idea of romance.

      Typos are another story, as is careless punctuation placement.

      Delete
  2. I don't think a blog is the best place to hone your grammar and punctuation skills. The blogger has that particular phrase correct, however I'm sure OC would be the first to admit there are often mistakes. OC has more than once issued a correction notice or mentioned trying to edit something and ending up deleting an entry.

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  3. To be nit-picky, you should have capitalized your I. The paragraph above the PS says , "too promote". This should be, "to promote". Just for example... But I don't think the purpose of the blog is to critique the blogger's grammar or the grammar of the readers who comment.

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  4. Of course, that's just what I did, so I think it's now definetly time to get back on topic and start critiquing the bizarre behavior of our favorite ice dance team and their incompetent handlers.

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  5. If everyone is done nit-picking the grammar, I just want to say the following paragraph is depressing. I wish I didn't agree but by all accounts Team VM intend to keep up their by-now familiar habits of screwing over the fans via social media:

    "Just a reminder - Worlds 2013 in London. Scott and Tessa couldn't cough up the names of any businesses too promote when they made that appearance to promote London businesses, but we can bet our asses that Worlds in London will be the opportunity they've waited for to break out side door and back channel set ups and stings the likes of which we haven't seen since Canadian Nationals 2010 and Monaco. Worlds in London, they're from London, a lot of their friends in London will like to share in the experience."

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  6. They are a joke even in their HomeTown.No one really recognizes them. They are not as big as they think they are. Everyone is fet-up with their Sham. Not that they are couple... tHE sAM IS sCOTT PRETENDING TOBE WHO HE IS not. Anyone with a BRAIN can see what I'l talking about... It's Laughable

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    1. So then, you do not buy this blogger's claims that they are secretly married with a small child?

      Delete
  7. " tHE sAM IS sCOTT PRETENDING TOBE WHO HE IS not. Anyone with a BRAIN can see what I'l talking about... It's Laughable"

    Oh for God's sake. Shut up. As if.

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  8. " Although I do wonder if parents who scrimp and save to put their kid through private school, mortgage the house to put their kid through an elite college, mortgage it again for grad school, then lend them the $$ for a home down payment then want to be part of their kid's medical career. I do think the fact that figure skaters are performers make the parents extra eager to be part of the experience when things start getting good. "

    I wonder if any of these hypothetical medical students needs their mom to live with them so they can make it through medical school or because they've moved so far away from home they cannot possibly make it on their own. I'm guessing not.

    I also do not believe Tessa at 23 is living with her mom just because she happens to train a couple hours away from home. Tessa made a point of sliding this in during that interview with the Russian fans. Please. As if it's credible this adult athlete lives with her mom. Even if Tessa and Scott feel the need to not disclose their true circumstances I wish they wouldn't feel they also had to insult our intelligence with these ludicrous falsehoods.

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    1. It's possible Kate is with them to help out with their child. But Tessa is being misleading on purpose because she's living with SCOTT.

      When these fans said "Can we ask you a personal question" (it was about Igor) Scott said something like "You can and we won't answer if we don't want to."

      How hard is that? That's too simple of a privacy protection strategy - to simply say there's aspects of their lives they don't discuss, so move on. Much better to erect a massive edifice of lies upon lies, shore it up, expand it.

      Kate did not move to Michigan when Scott and Tessa began training there (I didn't say living there). That was something they had the media saying after the Olympics. Before the avalanche of rewrites we got after the Olympics, the story was consistent - they moved to Kitchener-Waterloo and were with host families there. Scott said he and Tessa were family to each other and had only each other in many ways. Then they moved training to Michigan and it was the same. In her interview with Russian fans at TEB 2009, Tessa mentioned that where they train is not far from home and they visit frequently. She never mentioned that she's been living with mama the entire time and so didn't have need to miss her - because she wasn't living with Mama. Kate became go to cock blocker for fan speculation (two young, single, bff ice dancers living on their own away from home!) afterwards, and she still has that role.

      I think it does make people start speculating about the marriage of Tessa's parents. Possibly it makes people think that Kate sacrificed her marriage to live with her baby girl to make sure the partner never got into her tights. Any other guy - fine. Scott - no.

      Marianne Strong also mentioned that Scott and Tessa were practicing (and also lodged in, though she didn't say that) in Tessa's London apartment the entire time Tessa was recovering from her original surgery (wouldn't it be difficult to practice while neither seeing nor speaking to the person in the apartment you were practicing with? They were in the middle of their rift at this time!). She didn't say Tessa was there with her mama.

      Lots of skaters are very tight with one or the other parent, because there's usually one parent who was exceptionally behind the figure skating career. How healthy this becomes for the skater's peer-level adult relationships as they mature is questionable. What Tessa describes is herself as a 23 year old who won't make a move without mommy, or listen to anyone but mommy.

      But yes, Tessa is a virgin for Scott. Where Scott is concerned, mommy is always there, so there's no room for Scott. She revirginizes.

      Delete

    2. When I look back at the 4CC's 2011, and what they pulled off there, and the reality that there are fans who, although they think the idea of the sham is nonsense, neverthelessl believe Scott and Tessa planned that withdrawal, we can see that they're not just bold liars, but extremely comfortable and righteous when lying. Tessa was as composed, prepared and articulate lying about that as she is talking about any other topic (which is also often mostly lies). And comfortable. Very comfortable.


      They probably feel they harmed nobody by that gambit. Their agenda was Worlds. They needed 4CCs for the short dance feedback, as it was a new form. They planned to be ready with the long by Worlds. So what's wrong with what they did? They couldn't admit she wasn't ready without everyone thinking it was a legs/shin issue (they weren't about to admit it was a recently post-pregnancy issue).

      I think what's wrong is it was an enormous lie on top of other enormous lies, and they did more than lie on the day and act out a lie, they paved the way. They and friends and families and Skate Canada were out front about 4CCs and skating two programs. Afterwards they made up stories similar to fake gf stories - about how Scott was frustrated that Tessa was withdrawing, and not proud of it, but there you go, and how they were unfazed because it was a spasm, not a shin issue. They weren't thrown at all. The first withdrawal EVER in their first competition of the season and they behaved as if it were no big deal to go all the way to Taipei and Tessa has to stop because of quad pain. Tessa Virtue, who skated with her legs on fire the season before. We all know the champion figure skaters who finish while bleeding, while in spasm, while landing on a compromised leg, and etc. etc. But Tessa Virtue feels a bit of a twinge, is immediately "better safe than sorry", stops, shrugs it off (no pain), smiles, and strokes to the boards. The entire vibe was robotic and hollow.

      We all know that if Tessa were EVER in the kind of pain that made her stop a program, Scott wouldn't be passive/controlled the way he was, mildly rubbing her back, then standing still at the boards while Tessa stood still at the boards, while Marina and Igor were poker-faced. Scott would be every bit as upset as Maia was for Alex.

      Look at the controlled body language, how careful it is, at that event. They're more about not wanting to make a wrong move than they are about a quad spasm.

      I don't know - sometimes I look at that and think anew - man, that is a HUGE lie they're acting out. It's a complete scam - the whole thing. Her stroking away from the lift, her smile, the moment by the boards where barely anyone is speaking, and Scott skating over to the judges. And of course when they come back to center ice and bow. That quad spasm stopped hurting instantaneously!

      They are lucky because they're fabulous ice dancers and nice people (in person), so they are not the targets of resentment and anger as they might be otherwise. In their minds their abilities justify this sort of ploy. They're not wannabes trying to politik where their skating can't deliver. They see this as helping them deliver down the road, and they're the best, so there's no injustice.

      But I do think they are going to experience retroactive resentment and anger from more than one quarter when the present skating generation - and their families - move on. It won't bother them though.

      Delete
    3. "Marianne Strong also mentioned that Scott and Tessa were practicing (and also lodged in, though she didn't say that) in Tessa's London apartment"

      Wait. What? Tessa has a London apartment? So she can live on her own in the same city as her parents but she must have her mother with her if she's several hours away? This sounds absurdly ridiculous. Which also points to the claims of Kate living with Tessa in Detroit as lies.

      The stories become too difficult to maintain. Let's see - Kate is with Tessa in Detroit, thus preventing her and Scott from getting together. However, both Scott and Tessa have said they most definitely (cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die) have absolutely no romantic feelings for each other. In fact, Scott has made sure to parade himself on facebook with other girlfriends. So what does Kate need to protect? It's not as if Scott is hot after Tessa (they've said so therefore it must be true). Tessa has also, without any apparent embarrassment, intimated she's sleeping with whoever the current boyfriend happens to be (Andreev, Semple), also thereby nixing the story of her mother being a roommate. If Tessa can have her own place in her home town it proves she doesn't need nor expect her mother to live with her. If Tessa lives on her own (or with Scott?) in London she most certainly also is on her own (or with Scott?) in Detroit.

      Like I've come to expect, what VM say about themselves falls apart on closer examination. Now that these skaters are both way past the teen years, they need to find different explanations for their living situations that don't involve the idea of babysitting - which is patently untrue anyhow.

      Delete
    4. "But yes, Tessa is a virgin for Scott. Where Scott is concerned, mommy is always there, so there's no room for Scott. She revirginizes."

      I'm reminded of the FSU reports of Fedor Andreev and Ryan Semple sitting next to Kate in the stands. Maybe she really is an effective cock-blocker against Scott but gives her approval to these other guys.
      LOL

      Delete
    5. It just creates this weirdness - that Tessa listens to one person only, and it's mommy. She's a grown woman. Minimally, a 23 year old ought to be dating people she chooses, not people her mommy chooses, while declining to date people her mom nixes.

      While Kate is doing nothing of the kind (Tessa is, after all, married to Scott), Tessa continually using mommy as a crutch. Everything she does, she does with mommy. Mommy is #1 and no guy can compete. Mommy's opinion overrules everyone's.


      Add in sham - mommy sitting next to Ryan Semple at Skate Canada, next to Fedor, etc., encourages the idea that it's mommy who does not approve of Scott, and Tessa hasn't an independent idea to bless herself with, nor does she care to have one.

      Delete
  9. Lol. You forgot Fedor Andreev in bed with Tessa. As someone said, Kate had given her express approval of him.

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  10. VM and Team should hire you to maintain their website. You do a lot better job rotating pictures and keeping their name front and center then they ever have. Their website is a pathetic mess of timely and updated PR.

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  11. You know, I was all for changing the layout of the blog post-Halloween, but I must say, the color combination is hurting my eyes...

    Also, I don't know whether to laugh or barf at the Jabba caricature.

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    1. It's slapped together. Later on I'm going to take more time and "refine" the banner layout a bit but I don't know how the color combination will change as well. The neon green for Cass & Scotty at the Jersey shore will stay but I might move things around on it; I'll see if the rest of the blog background can make things easier and still be holiday-appropriate. :)

      Delete
  12. As I've been thinking more on the 4CCs, it's just so striking how there's little difference between the way Scott and Tessa prattle on about an event they faked, than with how they talk about something that's at least somewhat true. They're forthright. Tessa, especially, is quite proactive.

    With her I always wonder if she makes any distinction at all between "business" and "lying". If not, that's unfortunate.

    But more to the point - how often has the 4CC's withdrawal been followed up on with Canadian skating media? How often do we get walked back on other things - how did this feel, that feel, the shins, the Olympics, the relationship estrangement? Here Scott and Tessa had been absent the entire season, fly to Tapei with a flourish, and have to withdraw from the free dance. After a bit of housekeeping by P.J. Kwong and Scott Russell, the event was put to bed and not revisited. How come? Was the withdrawal replayed during any of the Worlds 2011 broadcasts? Was there any suspense about whether or not they'd make it through the first full performance of their free dance at Worlds?

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  13. The new header is brilliant.

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  14. It's kinda ick to see Tessa, Mom, guys in bed like that. Yet, does Tessa realize the way she has presented herself vis a vis SO's and her Mom gives rise to this kind of thing. If they wanted to control fans thoughts they have failed spectacularly.

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  15. Well look at that, "Brooke Cassandra" is back online. Don't you just <3 cowboy boots, Jack finally has his Diane!

    Compliments on the header, it's awesome!

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    1. ahaha upon further research, it's actually a stock photo easily found in an image search, a Chevy ad likely

      Delete
  16. They're also using their new favorite social media platform, tumblr, again for sham purposes.

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    1. Other than Semple, it looks like the other two in the photos could be people from the banquet photo. Does anyone know who they are?

      Yah, but not suspicious at all that this one tumblr has access to all these pictures that no one else can find...

      Delete
  17. Guys, the pics are so easy to find! LOL

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  18. Anon 9:40

    Yes, easy to find.

    I would submit they are INTENDED to be found. Tessa & Scott are deliberately sending a message. And oh look, exactly like in all the years since 2009, social media photos of Scott and/or Tessa with some SO *right before* a competition. Imagine that. What are the odds they're all screwing over their fans with the same sham?

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