Sunday, November 23, 2014

Everything old is new again

Beverly Smith - Ilushechkina and moscovitch second chances

Wanted to share the above. It's a typically terrific piece from Smith, profiling two appealing, easy-to-root-for figure skaters, and it's worthwhile also for what it says about this team's funding situation.Without revealing numbers, Smith's article reinforces how expensive it is to train for elite competition.Thank heaven Tessa and Scott gave up the funding they were entitled to receive for not training and competing this year, or even more figure skaters would have found themselves up a financial creek this season.

Trophee Eric Bompard 2014 Short Dance Results:


Trophee Eric Bompard 2014 Free Dance Results


Look at that lockstep.

It's fascinating how dance has regressed to the old model on the heels of Davis White's results in Sochi. The legacy of that team is the garbaging of entire sport. It's also notable how the conversation has switched off. Back in 2010, there was nothing the figure skating media liked better than to sit back, wax morally superior, while breaking their arms patting the sport on the back about how really really real ice dance had finally become now that North America had produced a team that couldn't be denied. Officials and coaches from both the USFSA and Skate Canada were liberally quoted. Fake drama was amped up about Domnina and Shabalin - would the Evil Russians steal the gold in Vancouver as they'd been allowed to do at Worlds 2009?

In the olden days, everybody pretended that scoring corruption existed only on the eastern side of where the iron curtain used to be, and the English-language-speaking "experts" in the broadcast booths would hold their noses when the scores came up. We can hear the pickle juice in their tone of voice. Now that the Western side of the sport has corrupted ice dance beyond what any Russian or Eastern bloc Federation ever dreamed about (I don't think those Feds ever elevated absolute crap non-dancing, non-skating teams to the top of the international podiums as the Western side of the sport prefers), it's gotten so the comment booth simply instructs us to ignore what's happening directly in front of our eyes on the ice, and listen to what they tell us instead. Even fans who purport to have followed figure skating for years examine the protocols instead of the skating, and that's precisely how the sport wants it. The sport wants to and has succeeded in taking the skating out of the equation, literally.

On the figure skating, if not ice dance, bright side, for me anyway, there's this:

Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA/ Dylan MOSCOVITCH WARSAW CUP short program:



Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA/ Dylan MOSCOVITCH WARSAW CUP long program:



Dylan Moscovitch was dumped by his partner for somebody younger, because Kirsten Moore-Towers couldn't have continued on to 2018 with Dylan, and after that switched to a new partner to work towards 2022. Pairs skaters can't switch partners after one Olympics and expect to get anywhere by the next Olympics. Just ask Maxim Trankov. It takes at least eight years to get yourselves together.

I used to get put out when partners would split, if my favorite member of the pair was the one who got dumped. That reaction wasn't and isn't compatible with my overall perspective, which is that ambition will trump friendship/history just about every time (taking married couples out of the picture), and that's okay, because it's supposed to be a sport, and that's what elite athletes do. So I get it. There's also the reality that an individual skater's judgment isn't infallible, and that judgment is up for scrutiny.

I can't help but root Dylan and Lubov on, and hope when they meet MTM V.2, they defeat MTM V.2.

At the Warsaw competition, Lubov struggled with her salchow, but remember, she and Dylan are working with Bryce Davison. You know Davison is simply bursting with all kinds of "how to get the girl to nail her salchow" stuff stored up from years of Jessica Dube deciding that how she did the salchow was just fine.

An additional difference between Lubov and Dube is, when Lubov makes an error, she instantly recommits to the program, while Dube would close up.

At the moment Dylan looks as if he may have possibly come out ahead in the partner shuffle, primarily because his partner is as mature in her skating, and as experienced in competition, as he is, and they skate that way. MTM V.2 are suffering from the puppyish Marinaro's eagerness appearing to outstrip his security on his feet, and from his relative lack of experience in taking adjustments on the fly. He appears to be extremely reliant on Kristen, looking towards her for cues. He had deer-in-the-headlights moments in both programs at TEB. When they're clicking, he's graceful, he's smooth, but I can't tell what kind of consistent depth and power he's got in his blades. He's a little tight. Their split twist is also pretty beat.

I make fun of Kirsten's thinking re the split - or at least her reasons as she expressed them - but it's true that the girl is usually considered the indispensable component of a pairs team. That's why Maxim Trankov said a "thousand hands" reached for Volosozhar when her first partner retired. It was considered that she'd take whatever skater she chose as her new partner straight to the top.

It appears as if, after her results with Dylan Moscovitch, Kirsten rated herself a top pairs girl, which she is, but Volosozhar said she chose Trankov because she felt "safest" in his hands, and Lubov certainly appears to completely trust Dylan in lifts, throws and everything else. I'm not the biggest Duhamel/Radford fan in the world, but I don't think Meagan has any worries out there about Eric. (He might worry about HER, as she has a track record of bloodying up her partners, but world medals can sooth a lot of aches and pains.)

Despite some creditable attributes in his singles skating, Jessica Dube never appeared to trust Sebastien Wolfe 100% out there, and Kristen appears to have some of the same issues with Marinaro, and for good reason. He's not yet able to support her at the level she herself can execute. An issue like that not only brings down the team's overall level of execution, it's a distraction for the woman, which further impacts execution. It suggests to me that a first attribute a pairs girl might consider looking for in a new partner is security, and never mind how young he is, how graceful, or how malleable he may be if that's not there from the start. As pairs is a discipline where it's still permissible to notice what's being done on the ice, you want a partner who facilitates your best, not just a partner who can physically last to 2022.

This post was brought to you by this Tessa:


Who seems to have borrowed someone else's smile, but okay. Duly noted: Tessa has always advocated fresh-scrubbed, un-made-up, all-natural beauty when it comes to her instagram output, disdaining sliced and diced, hyper-feminized, anime-style photo trends. This face doesn't even come off looking much like Tessa, but the important point is there's no false eyelashes, and her cheeks are round. I wonder how she got her freckles to disappear.

And these Tessas, too:



Sam Chouin is so flexible he can
change his height and proportions when he dances.

Tessa sure has stuff wrapped around her midsection.
I wanna see that wasp waist.
It's also brought to you by this particular workout Tessa:


and by Party Tessa, her robot:

How much do these things cost?
Do you think the event organizers ever
get confused when the Tessa who shows up
is a completely different size than the
Tessa they know in the daytime?
ETA, this is how PJ Kwong previewed TEB:
Canadian ice dancers looking sharp
In ice dance, I like what both Canadian teams have to offer. Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam exemplify perseverance and dedication. They're a beautiful match and make the most of their outstanding chemistry. Fellow Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are able to push themselves and get noticed artistically.
That's very informative, P.J. The winners get a tiara and sash when done, am I right?

It's like when she distinguished Tessa's Latin from Meryl's Latin by saying only Tessa could move her hips. The people who work in figure skating are intentionally throwing trash at the public. As the blog and many others have always said, the best way for a sport to be perceived as legitimate is to BE legitimate. Figure skating thinks the best way is to hide the corruption with narrative smoke and mirrors.

197 comments:

  1. The ice dance judging and results at TEB makes me sick, as does the unprecedented levels of corruption that has made all of this possible. What is extra special about the North American corruption of ice dance is that North America's very best and most promising teams are the teams being most hurt by this. Hubbell and Donohue were robbed of a GPF spot. GP will be there instead. IMO, HuDo were also robbed of their first GP win. They weren't perfect and the programs still need miles, although both show growth from SC that was not reflected in their scores. They are better skaters and dancers than PC and certainly GP. They have more difficult programs. Instead of getting what they deserved based on their skating, their left with a bronze medal, no trip to the GPF, and Madison sounding desperate in press conference quotes. Paul and Islam were buried with scores that are incomprehensibly low for the performances they have.

    French judge and friend of DL, David Molina, was the technical controller. He's been on the judging panel or technical panel of all of PC's events this year. In the SD, the only two teams not to have their TES downgraded on post-skate review were the two European teams that DL coach. I'm not sure if the situation was the same in the FD. The mismatch between PC's scores and their skating continues to grow larger. HD, PI, and Shibs cannot get anything to go their way, and WP are going to have to skate perfectly the rest of the year to have a chance at the world title that they should run away with this year if it was just based on skating.

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    1. I've been a fan of PC since their early junior days and I love their programs this year. That said, even I can see they are being hugely overscored. At this point in their development, scores like these are telling them they're nearly perfect already when they still have a lot to work on.

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    2. This tumblr has made some interesting discoveries including the TES review mentioned by 1:39.
      http://isufamily.tumblr.com/

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    3. I don't even think it matters, as in the old days, if an egregiously biased-seeming judge is assigned to a particular event. It all goes right up to the top. In this past quad, we're not looking at back room deal making. We're seeing the top echelon of the ISU setting this stuff up.

      There is absolutely nothing fans can do about any of it. Even if the fans of figure skating, the informed fans, become more conspicuous and more vocal, the media remains ignorant, uses the people perpetuating the corruption as sources, and never bothers to educate itself about the sport independent of those already embedded in the sport. For the most part, those who cover hockey, football and baseball all know hockey, football and baseball, and rely on sources for context, and to explain the "whys" but not the whats. Figure skating journalists are completely dependant upon "skating insiders" to tell them what happened on the ice; and what they're told is always independent of the rules, criteria, standards and guidelines that they haven't bothered to read, and the average skating journalist's knowledge of skating, after all these decades, continues to be stuck at who fell and who didn't fall, who appeared more graceful, and who is "said" to have the most speed. Throw in who the audience appeared to like or who the narrative insists the audience preferred, and that's the sum of it.

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    4. One does wonder what the different parties who got on board with the Davis White heist got out of it. Obviously, the ISU is capable of making something happen simply with the implicit threat that bad things will happen if someone doesn't cooperate. But I also believe there has to be a rewards program.

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    5. I do think it's relevant to make note of the "family" connections in the skating world though, as it propbably facilitates skating operating like the mafia.

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  2. I do think Dylan came out ahead. My problem when Dylan and Kristen were together was that even though they had amazing pair components, their programs were always missing something. I hated the cutesy/fun vibe that was going on with the majority of their programs mostly and they couldn't execute it that well either. That same vibe is still apparent in MT/M programs which leads to me to suggest that Kristen is very assertive when it comes to the program theme, which is clearly a bad thing because her partner can't keep up and its probably what held her and Dylan back from achieving greater success in their partnership. Both new teams have been together for the same time, I/M probably for a shorter time and yet its their programs that are winning me over. They're not perfect but they are very promising and their lifts are to die for. I hope they come in second at nationals and eventually over take D/R. I know its just for 4 years but look at what V/T accomplished in that time.

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    1. Theme shouldn't matter a damn. Of course Moore Towers/Marinaro programs look exactly like MTM V.1 programs. The difference is Kirsten is currently skating with an extremely dependent partner. Fine. This isn't unprecedented. It becomes the coach's job and the veteran pairs woman's job to step up. The scenario will NOT work if they create everything just as if the male partner were extremely experienced, and then evaluate him according to what he missed. Marinaro is Kirsten's responsibility. She can't come off the ice all "He forgot to turn!" Jessica Dube, and now, Kirsten Moore Towers, skate with new, neophyte partners as if - oh, geez, poor me. NO. Not "poor you." You're that much of an elite pairs girl, channel your inner Rodina and skate for two. Stop the deer-in-the headlights expression when a lift goes sour or your partner misses a cue. You the boss. You chose this.Skate like it.

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    2. Want to speak further to your point, 5:08pm. While the sport sometimes acts as if the package is judged (theme and music), it's not supposed to be judged. IMO, the importance of theme and music goes to - what package enables the skater(s) to skate their best, to MOVE at their best, with the most freedom and confidence, and to execute at the highest level. Theme and music can also challenge/show off relevant attributes, such as musicality (matched to actual blade work/use of the body).

      So that said, Kirsten appears to have somewhat of a bent towards somewhat whimsical, character-based, theatrical themes that she skates while embodying a somewhat cheeky persona. I find her very musical, she phrases well with her skating, and it suits her. I thought she and Dylan executed these programs well. The problem is she's doing the exact same "style" with Marinaro, and it doesn't appear to be in his comfort zone. He appears to be a naturally more lyrical sort. Point being, you don't want to give a skater (particularly one that is inexperienced with a few persistent deficits) a package that's a strain to "perform". The effort to project that performance might end up undermining the execution of the program elements and linking moves. Nothing wrong with setting a challenge for a skater that addresses stuff the skater needs to develop, but that doesn't appear to be the case with MTM 2. His attributes as an individual performer appear to have been disregarded, and the strain shows.

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    3. From a performance attribute angle - performance rhythm and phrasing - she may as well be on the ice by herself in Cell Block Tango. Marinaro is completely at sea projecting any sort of counterpart to Kirsten - and an obvious characterization - a poor innocent sap led by the nose - doesn't seem to be in his wheelhouse either. As I've said, in themselves these things are irrelevant, but if the whole rhythm/characterization piece of the program creates issues of timing and focus in someone who is already prone to finding new mistakes to make, it might be better to work where he's comfortable.

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    4. Finally, just in terms of impressions, while both Dylan and Lubov have incorporated moves they've done with previous partners into their current programs, the "tone" for want of a better word, has been modulated to take into account their own particular energy, rhythms, and way of moving, individually and as a new unit. I've seen Dylan's lunge lift numerous times, but it's smoother, quieter, more understated in "performance" with Lubov and flows more organically out of the skating that comes before. Overall, there is the impression that they're open to discovery and finding out who they are together, starting with, commendably enough, growing into a team that prioritizes beautiful stroking/bladework. Nothing is forced.

      Kirsten's programs are disappointing, for me, because they don't appear to take her partner into account. It's simply as if the understudy went on. Marinaro isn't Moscovitch. Maybe Moscovitch wasn't Moscovitch, maybe the programs the Wirtzes gave him and Kirsten weren't his natural style, but he and she did work out a rhythmic ying and yang together and managed to be convincing. Cell Block Tango feels like a solo act at the performance level. It just sets me aback - a pairs team is a pairs team. To state the trite - each skater is an individual. Marinaro just comes across like the meat dish of the day out there while Kirsten does what she's done the past four years, the same way. It was similar when Jessida Dube unloaded Bryce in favor of a new partner who had a working knee. Wolfe spent an entire season being the guy who held her hand while she swooned and drooped all over the ice, exactly as she'd done with Bryce. He could have been anybody. Same with Marinaro. He could be anybody. His posture and his movement quality has kind of stiffened up too, at least compared to the programs I've seen of his with Purdy.

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  3. CBC's commentary was a hoot today. Carol argued that P/I make everything look really easy, when in fact, it is very hard.

    So not only is it a liability to skate your programs, it's a liability to be so good as to make it easy.

    This season can't end soon enough.

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  4. Her name is Lubov, not Lubova.

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    1. Thanks. Can't change it in comments but changed it in the post.

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  5. Carrying over some discussion from the previous entry -- OC, do you maybe mean the work from the Ice Dance Analysts blog last season? cuteiceprincess had a couple of good V/M-D/W comparisons from a friend of hers this past summer, but that Tumblr is pretty much just V/M and Team Montreal photos and .gifs.

    I kind of think you're selling the blog itself short, though, however rudimentary your knowledge. It was the first breakdowns here of D/W's skating that started that bigger conversation. And canadablue is now, I think, the major voice for questioning what's still going on between the many video comparisons of the current field and now her own blog.

    It is in a sad state overall, and I think you might even be giving Beverley Smith too much credit. Definitely agree that the Dylan/Lubov article is great and her work with the G&M in the past was solid, but she's written more articles than that which are playing into certain ice dance narratives or tossing off snide, unprofessional asides about skaters like Mervin Tran. Her assessment of the D/W-V/M situation before the Olympics was honestly nothing that hadn't already been detailed thoroughly on this blog, either in an entry or by commenters. More recently, Gilles/Poirier were the ONLY dance team she tweeted about during Skate Canada and she also tweeted this after TEB: https://twitter.com/BevSmithWrites/status/536228571967406080. She's not immune from the consensus.

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    1. Yeah, Bev Smith has ended up being quite a disappointment. I had high hopes for her after her Sochi piece, but I honestly don't think she gets it much more than her groupie colleagues. I mean, look who she just retweeted https://twitter.com/BevSmithWrites There was also this eye roller a while back https://bevsmithwrites.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/south-korea-embraces-anonymous-judging-at-isu-congress/

      The only journalist I'd say who has shown they get it is Jacquelyn Thayer. She's the only one with access that has consistently done serious
      analysis. The only one to do it at all, except for that one article Bev did about D/W's flaws - which I agree with 7:10, sounded basically cut and pasted from here.

      And you do deserve a lot of credit, OC. You clearly know a lot more than most who pretend to be skating fans - basic knowledge shouldn't be rare in a sports fandom, but it is in this one - and what's more, you actually *care* if things are corrupt, and there is hardly anyone who does now that DW aren't winning and VM aren't losing.

      Also, iceprincess's friend that she translated had some interesting observations to be sure, some of the screencaps were great, but the accuracy wasn't always there. I would really hesitate to consider it more reliable than your own comments, OC.

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    2. My impression is Beverly Smith wants to maintain her profile in the sport and get interviews such as the ones she's done with skaters who are currently competing. She had to have known years before Sochi that Davis White were a crock. Perhaps she hoped it wouldn't go as far as actually handing them the gold, and then she, like everyone else who was perhaps outside the actual corruption matrix, realized it was really going to happen once the GPF 2014 happened.

      I go back and forth with her. I found her posts about Sochi completely a day late and a dollar short, but also the tone had a bit of fear in it, and she was the only one who had any information who directly broached the topic that Davis White were receiving scores they didn't earn, and that their mistakes were ignored, and faults in technique disregarded. She was the ONLY one. I'm certainly not painting her as Joan of Arc - she wasn't. I also found it beyond disconcerting that a woman as established in this sport as Smith seemed downright nervous writing about it to the extent she did.

      Furthermore, I got a different perspective on things when I saw the link to her article on Lubov/Dylan on Dylan's facebook, and she was thrilled to have had about 700 hits for the article to date. A writer as excellent, and as informative, as Beverly Smith should be getting more than 700 hits over the course of a few days. So that's my my attitude towards her is measured. I do find her actual writing excellent, and that's rare in figure skating.

      oc

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    3. I think cute ice princess blog had the diagrams showing Scott and Tessa's mechanics/alignment in Carmen vis a vis DW's insanity in whatever program screen caps were used for comparison. I thought that stuff was terrific because a lot of people, including skaters, purport to be impressed by DW's lifts when they're as primitive as it gets. She did side by side comparisons of body line, distance between partners, etc., at various points in the two programs. I think a lot of fans have difficulty seeing skating as movement, and blades as movement, and these isolations were revealing and useful.

      The skating analyst blog, among other things, breaks down technique and then shows different teams as they execute what's just been broken down. Very telling that when ice dance analysts would do this, without commenting or editorializing, DW fans would cry foul.

      I'm not unnecessarily running down my own understanding of ice dance and figure skating, it's just that when someone describes the blog's (i.e., my own) understanding as extraordinary or in-depth, it's simply not. And that's it's own point. It doesn't have to be. An absolutely rudimentary grasp of the basics and an even casual reading of the rules immediately exposes that DW's wins were corrupt. It's not some arcane, unobservable sport that can't be taught. I get so sick of people such as Lynn Rutherford, writing about skating for YEARS, letting themselves off the hook by saying "I'm not a technical expert." You don't need to be a technical expert. You need to a) be able to read and b) be able to see. That she hasn't bothered or pretends not to have bothered is disgusting. I can't stand the entire attitude of "trust the authorities". Not the skating, not your eyes, not the rules, "Trust the authorities." The media lazily goes along with that as well.

      It was ridiculous, but not surprising, that the author of what - EIGHT? books on figure skating going back two decades - Steve Milton - struggled to explain in any specificity at all why Virtue Moir ought to have won in Sochi. The best he was able to do was repeat his imperfect understanding of something Scott had said about the step sequence, and then destroy his entire argument by legitimizing Davis White's technique as "classical." Anybody with eyes, let alone someone watching for two decades, can see that Davis White have a completely bastardized technique.

      Anyway, I do not count myself an "expert" in any depth, but that simply supports the point that the corruption in the sport is obvious enough for a casual observer to see for themselves if they make even a minimal effort to read the rules and understand technique. It's not rocket science.

      oc

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    4. "I think cute ice princess blog had the diagrams showing Scott and Tessa's mechanics/alignment in Carmen vis a vis DW's insanity in whatever program screen caps were used for comparison. I thought that stuff was terrific because a lot of people, including skaters, purport to be impressed by DW's lifts when they're as primitive as it gets. She did side by side comparisons of body line, distance between partners, etc., at various points in the two programs. I think a lot of fans have difficulty seeing skating as movement, and blades as movement, and these isolations were revealing and useful."

      Yes, the demonstrations of the difference in positions etc. of the two teams were great. There were just some problems when it went beyond the comparison context. The large picture with arrows is not of a key point here like it's claimed to be, for example. http://cuteiceprincesslove.tumblr.com/post/89358444396/virtue-moir-and-davis-white-polka-comparision (Tessa also definitely did deserve a level downgrade on the Twizzles). And there was also some misleading information about mohawks and choctaws, so I just mean I wouldn't take it as a good factual reference. But when it came to the mechanics of good technique, there were some very useful observations.

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  6. Just couldnt restrain yourself. Just have to get your Tessa insults in.

    Makeup = insult
    no makeup = insult
    Professional = insult
    fun and fancy free = insult
    promoting charity = insult
    sharing fav things = insult
    attend ANY event = insult
    etc etc etc

    See a trend?? We do.

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    1. Just couldn't restrain yourself, 9:34 PM, had to once again prove to everyone who reads this blog how awful you are at reading comprehension.

      But by all means, keep it up. Your attempts to criticize this blog always fall laughably short. Or should I say all of you are on a roll and falling short? The "we?" LULZ.

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    2. Ha ha. I love the "couldn't restrain myself." Like the blog is an impulsive exercise of some kind and critiquing the social media output isn't the POINT.

      oc

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    3. So anyone who understands your TV bashing is awful at reading comprehension? Omg that is the funniest respinse from you ever. Nice try. Twisted indeed.....

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  7. That entry into the death spiral is fantastic. I can't wait to see this team get polished up. Poor Dylan looks like he might struggle to keep up with her sometimes. She is such an excellent skater

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    1. I just love them. I agree with some discussion I've seen elsewhere, that it was sort of difficult to picture them together when the pairing was first announced. They do have a wonderful chemistry, which, as I'm using it, isn't subjective. It's connection on the ice, the ability to read and adjust to your partner, the ability to know where they are on the ice without conspicuous re-sets and re-checks, it's sharing the same rhythm in your stroking, it's timing with the music and with elements. She's a little rusty but her fundamentals are so strong you can't imagine that won't go away sooner rather than later. It's completely obvious that she has, as Dylan describes, a "champion's mentality." I think his skating has already improved, matured, refined. They're so balanced out there - she's aware of him, he's aware of her. Wilson's choreo suits them. This might be pretty exciting for the whole team at the Cricket Club, particularly Davison and Wilson (both Wilsons).

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    2. The cricket club group is really coming together. I like that they have skaters in multiple disciplines at the highest level.

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  8. I was considering making this its own post, but as there's plenty of room in this comments section, I'll start with this:

    Look what's been done to Paul Islam this Grand Prix. Remember, people who hated Marina and believe she sold Virtue and Moir out, who believe she ought to have spoken up, are some of the same people who wish Virtue and Moir had relocated to the DSC so they could be somewhere sans conflict of interest, so their coach would be free to call out Davis White score inflation. The blog's point, also made by others, was that conflict of interest had nothing to do with the silence on the situation - it was an ISU chilling factor and everybody knew it. Davis and White's scores and ultimately Davis and White's gold was obviously, no other way, enabled by, proactively, those at the very top of the ISU and those at the very top at Skate Canada. USFSA goes without saying. Every other Federation, every other person, everybody in the sport was made to understand they best play along.

    Paul Islam are being buried. Where's Krylova? Sure, she has the top Canadian ice dance team in her stable, but that shouldn't stop her from pointing out some of the sleight of hand in Gilles Poirier's programs and skating that disguises Piper's limitations vis a vis Paul, that most certainly shouldn't stop Krylova from pointing out that Chock and Bates' scores are ludicrous, and that certainly shouldn't stop her from pointing out that Paul Islam have been stomped in the Grand Prix. Where's her voice?

    IMO the corruption in the sport is both part of the culture and mafia-esque in its implications - i.e., people who buck the party line will find themselves shut out of the sport.

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    1. This is a bit off topic, as I don't think it's particularly relevant to how P/I have been mistreated during the Grand Prix season, but since it was brought up here before, I'm curious where you're at with P/I's FD, OC, relative to them, not other teams.

      I think your theory that they went for something more open to work on
      their particular weaknesses makes a lot of sense. And I understand your concern that it is unlikely for skaters and their team to not realize there's a problem. It's also far better than when they debuted it, and isn't the trainwreck some believe it is.

      But I look at this FD, choreographed by D/L - and I see some structural similarities between it and those of the D/L teams - not artistic similarities, I mean the actual steps involved. And it looks like a somewhat awkward fit on P/I. An example - the circular step sequence. The small steps without change of direction or edge, Mitch doing a bunch of steps while Alex waits for him - very similar in spots to P/C's, but P/I don't need that stuff because they're different skaters. Some of it seems to be literally getting in their way rather than helping them unleash power. They can still grow into some of it, but there are parts that seem clunky where I am having trouble seeing how it is a deficit of their own at this point. I wonder if there was a mismatch between the team and the choreographers in this case.

      So if there is any truth to that, why is it the way it is, why didn't they just fix it when they got back to the DSC? I don't know, and I get that it's a problem with that theory. But during Skate Canada, TSN ran a lovely fluff piece on DSC, which was then immediately followed by a dismissive interview with Slipchuk about how skaters training at home is now the goal. Did SC maybe tell P/I they needed a Canadian choreographer if they wanted to remain competitive and then have pulled the rug out from under them anyways?

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    2. I see what you mean about the concept being sound, but the generic application doing Paul Islam no favors. However, we all know it's the narrative that counts. Why couldn't Paul Islam have modified the program and simply continued to credit it to D/L, if that's how it goes.

      Mike Slipchuk, bringing bad ideas to Canadian skating since 2006. "Dismissive" might as well be his middle name. When is he NOT? This guy was the expert on how to grow the sport's popularity, create stars, and get the money flowing into Canadian Skating. I remember him spouting off routinely from the time this regime assumed their directorships til the last time we heard from him. WHY is the goal to have skaters training at home? Did he say? Marina Zoueva, after all, is a Canadian citizen. Do they think it's cheaper to have skaters train at home? Is it bragging rights? Is it strictly ice dancers they want training at home and singles and pairs can go to the best environment no matter where?

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    3. What ice dance looks like is a hornet's nest of agenda, and if the sport has to sacrifice the actual skating to the agenda, it is happy to do so, and has done so, in pursuit of the larger goal, which is what? One of those destroy something to save it game plans that always works out so well?

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    4. At this point are we also dealing with a bad crop of judges? how can PC score in the same range as carmen or seasons? I get that DW were going to win and judges were pressured to inflate their scores for a while. But, now are we also viewing just bad judging? i.e., not agenda judging?

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    5. Here's the fluff and interview. Isn't it nice that it's all one clip like that?
      http://www.tsn.ca/video/skate-canada-the-detroit-skating-club-1.122018

      I don't think we can rule out SC messing with P/I to the point of pressuring them to stay with a less than ideal program. Maybe they hedged and ran out of time to fix it before the fall season. (And then he also had to recover from the concussion, per a pretty reliable source on FSU.) Who knows, I'm just truly baffled by parts of it... But they have nearly two months now until Nationals. If they do feel like it's a bad fit for them, there's at least plenty of time now for K&C to do an overhaul.

      I don't think there's any reason to think P/C's wins aren't every bit as political as D/W's, 6:18.

      Delete
    6. Isn't Didier running for the ISU presidency? And P/B were thrown under the bus last quad too. And Didier basically dismantled Muriel Boucher-Zazoui's school. I wonder if all these are connected to P/C's sudden rise.

      Delete
    7. I believe that he is running.

      Remember how Didier called Pasquale a worm (or maybe I have that backwards) when PB were pulled out of the DSC and sent to Igor? I wonder if the current scoring problems of the DSC teams could be related to this.

      Delete
    8. Didier was also very involved in moving P/B from the DSC to Igor for their last season
      http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/article-in-lequipe-when-gailhaguet-attacks-the-coaches.87587/

      Delete
    9. I'm just LOLing watching that fluff again - the DSC thinks its strength is in how international it is, followed up by Slipchuk saying Canadian training centres are strong because they're Canadian.

      Delete
    10. i just cannot understand why PI is being treated like this. i cannot get this at all. i understand DW treatment but now that VM and DW are gone and Pechalat, why isnt the sport getting back to some kind of normal.

      Delete
    11. I just think it's the typical case of an institution or officials making themselves right. If they reverted to legitimate scoring (and honestly, when has that ever been the case lower than the top of the podium? The difference now is the top of the fucking OLYMPIC podium is now gamed, without shame) it's like admitting what they did with DW was wrong. I actually thought they'd do that. I thought maybe it would be "nothing to see here" and after DW, they revert to a legitimate scoring of CoP. That guess was wrong. I think the cosa nostra elements of the ISU pretty much want the figure skating to be nothing but a lot of turf, favor swapping and deal making, full stop. They like it that way. They want it that way.

      Delete
  9. Another observation about the ice dance results: In addition to being lockstep, at least the order of the top 3 was set once the FD was over at CoC. No matter how the teams skated, the podium was going to be PC, GP, HD. Everything old really is new again, except worse.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So had they not gotten two deductions, P/C would have gotten 104 in the freedance. Carmen's first outing barely cracked 104.

    This is the continued radioactive fall-out from the last quad of propping up D/W. And sadly, there seems to be no end to the madness in sight.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm fairly sure that PC's scoring trajectory has a growth rate faster than anything we saw with DW. I wonder just where we're headed here.

      There really is no going back from the damage DW's elevation did to ice dance.

      Delete
    2. Nope. It's the old principle of lying to cover previous lies. Ice dance can't suddenly legitimize scoring.

      Delete
    3. And Seasons only got 105 something at the same comp last year! It's criminal. Maybe by Worlds, they can beat V/M's PB! D/W's WR would be too sacred, I'm sure.

      Delete
    4. 12:33, D/L teams are really very special that way. Their team Robledo/Fenero just competed in the Open d'Andorra and their total score increased by 40 points since Autumn Classic! They also beat both of P/I's season's bests. Those teams just improve a year's worth every time they practice.

      Check out this 88.10 points worth of FD.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRtCc0z8BLU

      Delete
    5. I don't think they're slow enough. Surely they're capable of performing the entire program standing still. They're so close.

      Delete
    6. LOL, OC. That skate is amazingly special.

      Also special about D/L's teams: entry deadlines seem to be arbitrary. Hurtado/Diaz were not on the entry list for Golden Spin of Zagreb (deadline 11/6) as of Thursday, but have been added today. I guess they could have submitted by 11/6 and decided to hold off on making a decision until TEB could confirm how great their odds at this event might be: http://www.isuresults.com/events/cat00028252.htm

      Delete
    7. DL teams are also very special in that they're added to compete in events well after the entry deadline has passed. Hurtado and Diaz were added for Golden Spin of Zagreb today. The entry deadline was November 6, and the roster of entries with substitutes had been posted online after that date, so they are a new entry.

      Delete
    8. I think I was writing my post at the same time as 6:04. Even if they were holding off on making a decision, isn't it special that their names didn't appear on the entry list beforehand?

      Delete
    9. You guys are really grasping at straws now. Skaters from Mexico, Russian, and Great Britain were also added to the list in that update.

      Delete
    10. No, it would be "grasping at straws" if there wasn't anything else to go on, but there is already a clear pattern of D/L&H favouritism. They were the only dance team to be added, so I don't blame people for initially viewing it as suspicious.

      Delete
  11. Good comments allround regarding the ridiculous scoring going on and the apparent lovefest with DL's teams. With regards to ice dance this year - I am also getting the sense that the majority of the teams are going for "a romantic connection" aspect to their skating etc and to me it comes across as forced. Another trend is obviously that the majority of the teams now ocmpeting - have a stronger male partner than the female partner and somehow the choreography is centred around the male rather than being equal or spotlighting the female. Perhaps for one or two seasons you might be delighted as a fan but then the limitations become obvious. And the last point I wanted to make at least in pairs and ice-dance is the aspect of the male partner being able to showcase his female partner while being a leader is very much underappreciated by fans.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "And the last point I wanted to make at least in pairs and ice-dance is the aspect of the male partner being able to showcase his female partner while being a leader is very much underappreciated by fans"

      Well, what exactly do you mean by "Showcase his female partner while being a leader"? Do you mean "conceal her limitations"? If that's it, I can appreciate it as well as anybody but it doesn't happen to be a component in CoP.

      oc

      Delete
    2. I'm not 5:54, but I think what they mean is the stem/flower, frame/picture type of partnership. For example, Mitch is a stronger pure skater than Alex, but Alex captures most of the attention because of her qualities as a mover and dancer, and because Mitch presents her flawlessly; they match when doing the same work but she's the one taking the beautiful poses in lifts and spins. But because Alex is also a strong skater, and Mitch is not in a position to have to be given a starring role to distract from his partner's weakness (nor is he naturally that type of skater), the perception by many viewers is that Mitch is bland, stiff, and generally sucks. They would far prefer to watch a male they consider a dramatic, dominant, superstar partner with a female whose lesser abilities means she can kind of fade away and be the floaty submissive nymph.

      Delete
    3. 2:26PM - okay, but I was sort of thinking (absent further clarification) that it was a bid to give credit to a male skater such as Poirier, who is the engine hauling the car(s) around the rink. Or a Papadakis/Cizeron deal, which is quite similar, only softer. Both teams are scored to the stronger partner (a team is supposed to be scored to the weakest link), and clearly, even then, the teams are overscored.

      Delete
    4. This part:

      "Another trend is obviously that the majority of the teams now ocmpeting - have a stronger male partner than the female partner and somehow the choreography is centred around the male rather than being equal or spotlighting the female. Perhaps for one or two seasons you might be delighted as a fan but then the limitations become obvious."

      didn't sound like someone excited over the Cizeron and Poirier trend.

      Delete



    5. oycanadaNovember 26, 2014 at 11:06 AM

      No, but it's the credit and appreciation part that I'm questioning - is it simply that fans aren't discerning enough to see when a male partner is doing most of the skating skills work? That does require a man who is a better skater than the female, but it's also choreographic tricks that are easy to spot once you clue yourself in. Of course, credit where it is due, these tricks do require that at least one partner have strong skating skills, versus the Chock & Bates, Davis & White model where they're both deficient/sloppy/bastardized and can't use that type of sleight of hand.

      Delete
    6. But I think it was the P/I model described by 2:26 that 5:54 felt was underappreciated? Not teams where the male does most of the skating - 5:54 noted that that style had obvious limitations and I think was saying it is actually overappreciated right now, whether fans have insight into what's really happening on the ice or not.

      I do think ignorance about Gabriella's skills and the choreography is playing a role in the P/C fandom right now, but there also seems to be a lot of emphasis on just how incredible!!!!! these fans perceive Guillaume to be. So yeah, I do think many fans see it for what it is on some level, but feel that the skating-for-two method is just great and not only worthy of appreciation, but also points (which it clearly isn't under CoP). Similarly, fans of G/P will always resort to glowing praise of Paul's skating, as if that somehow makes up for Piper's huge deficits.

      Delete
  12. This is anon at 5:54 am - just to clarify with regards to the "romantic connection" comment - I realize that the SD is the paso doble this year but I think it goes beyond that...

    ReplyDelete
  13. i have to ask, did tessa do more than a nose job? it's like her whole face changed. I think she did sthg to her cheeks or chin as well.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I've been wondering the same thing. She looks so different these days. I'm curious about whether she's had a boob job too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's photoshop. As long as she had to photoshop, which is basically liquifying, cloning (erasing and adding), and aspect ratio (distorting an image's width/height ratio), you end up with more volume at the top of the image than at the bottom. Tessa appears to have taken this and ran. Big boobs. Ultra slim chin and jawline (her face is proportionate, but not "gamine", with an Audrey-Hepburn-esque teensy jaw/chin and enormous mouth, eyes, forehead and skull - but her instagram favors those proportions). Look at the feet, the floor, the background, not at Tessa.

      Please look at the parking garage (Robot Tessa) image, and how every line of the garage floor bends in and curves towards Tessa. That's because it's been warped (also cloned (erased)), but significantly warped.

      Delete
    2. P.S. - and obviously, Tessa, and whomever does her photoshop, realizes that it's obvious it's photoshop. They just like to demonstrate that it doesn't matter how transparent they are.

      Delete
    3. no i meant when she did the nose job before 2010. her face is sooo diff from 2009 to 2010 and it cant just be nose job. i mean she looks so different.

      Delete
    4. She was extremely, extremely thin. Compare her back and shoulders from 2009/2010 to today. And her arms. She was, of course, fit, but her joints jutted and you could practically count the disks in her spine. It also made her face extremely thin, which made it appear longer.

      Delete
  15. Wow Tessa looks fabulous for being pregnant or just have given birth. Time to admit she was never pregnant yet? I think so. Wrong about that and wrong about the entire premise of this blog. What a joke.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your comment is a joke. There's no way the premise of this blog is wrong. I doubted the second pregnancy too based on recent pictures of her but then I caught myself. I remembered how she looked almost double the size about a month ago. I have no facts but there was seriously something going on with her body and ONLY for pregnancy can someone change their body so quickly. I think OC is correct when she says without VM admitting it, the fans will never either.

      Delete
    2. ^^wow^^
      Thats pretty funny stuff right there

      Ok then

      She gave birth within the last 2-3 weeks and is back in the gym and on the ice and on the road...okee dokee. ? What color is the sky in your world?

      Delete
    3. 8:12
      Right. The women in your world go into hiding after having a baby. They don't get back into the gym for months. They don't go back to work or travel or do any of their regular life routines. Elite athletes who give birth take months and months to get back into shape.

      What color is the sky in your world?

      Delete
    4. Clearly anon@8:12 has never had a child. I have. It's not a disability.

      Delete
    5. There's no way that Tessa has recently given birth. End of story. Yall are crazy. No woman gets her abs back that quickly. Plus they don't have time to look after a newborn with their crazy schedule.

      Delete
    6. @10:44 I'm assuming you've given birth to know for a fact that a woman (especially someone like Tessa Virtue) can't possibly be able to do anything after given birth, especially she is obviously a single parent without family or friends for help.

      Delete
    7. There are certain biological facts that accompany pregnancy. I'm fairly certain that not even Tessa is immune to biology. There is no way that a woman who was pregnant could have abs and a body like Tessa's so soon after giving birth.

      Delete
    8. Maybe I'm missing some picture, but how are people so sure of her abs? From what I've seen, or how little I've seen, it's not so easy to come to that conclusion.

      Delete
    9. At the Raonic event she was wearing her shirt knotted at her waist and sporting some very tight looking abs.

      Delete
    10. Anyone who thinks Tessa's abs are an indication that she hasn't recently given birth need to read this post and take note of the photo at the top: http://dubemoir.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/the-things-we-learn_4.html

      Delete
    11. Not only did Tessa get her abs back after a week but she also doesn't show any sign of stretch marks despite having gained more weight than last time ( and in a shorter span of time ).

      Delete
  16. Skate Canada can't be arsed to write about actual skating, so they write fluff pieces about freaking skating costumes. What a joke.

    http://www.skatecanada.ca/2014/11/kaitlyn-weaver-and-andrew-poje-are-stepping-out-this-year-dressed-to-kill/

    ReplyDelete
  17. So Scott has gone to Atlanta with Kaitlyn Lawes and Team Jones. Do you seriously expect me to believe that he and Tessa have a new baby at home and he just takes off, leaving them behind, to prove to a few people on the internet that he and Tessa aren't married? YOU NEED SERIOUS MENTAL HELP, BLOGGER. PLEASE GET IT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think anyone gives a damn whether you believe it or not. Doesn't change the fact that Kaitlyn Lawes is nothing but a sham girlfriend and V/M are married with kids.

      Delete
    2. Except Scott and Tessa are not married with kids and that is FACT.

      Delete
    3. 2:05 PM, you can deny these things all you want and throw your little shit fits here and elsewhere. It won't change the reality that V/M are in fact married and started a family several years back. So go ahead. Deny it until you're blue in the face. It doesn't matter.

      Delete
    4. Yet another fake sighting. Team Jones would never plan a quick trip to another time zone so close to a major competition. Elite athletes know how badly jet leg can affect their performance (just take a look at Rachel Homans team when they went to Latvia for the 2013 Women's Worlds). Scott may have gone to Atlanta, but Kaitlyn and her team defiantly did not. Anyways if they were going one of their social medias would say by now. On top of that Jen and Jill don't go on vacations like that unless they can take their toddlers. Their Newfoudland trip post Sochi was one of the only ones they went on without their kids or spouses. This is so false it's laughable.

      Delete
    5. The person who tweeted the sighting didn't even mention a destination until they were asked by some fans. Why go through all the trouble of setting up a sham tweet and then not providing the most crucial information. And fans do not regularly ask follow up questions regarding twitter sightings, it's not a pattern the sham could rely on.

      Jill Officer recently wrote a blog post with some packing tips and mentioned a quick vacation for the team at the end of November to somewhere warm and to the south. Atlanta's airport is a hub to the Caribbean, Mexico, etc.

      Why can't the team be on vacation with their young children? Who says they aren't there? Why are you assuming this?

      Delete
    6. The narrative has shifted so fast and with so little evidence, it's amazing. Now the set line is "VM are married with KIDS." And no one quotes sources, claims insider knowledge, but still so many just find it so easy to believe. It's almost like fans are wishing it into existence.

      Meryl Davis has put on a noticeable amount of weight since the end of Dancing with the Stars. She still looks in shape. I doubt she's pregnant.

      Too bad photoshop exists or we'd be seeing Tessa's c-section scar in her new photoshoot. Maybe someone will forget to retouch.

      Delete
    7. Plenty of people who have talked about V/M's marriage and family have what you call "insider information" and "sources." That you haven't seen it or refuse to believe it has no bearing on something being true or not.

      "I don't understand how it's possible!" does not equal it's not possible.
      "I refuse to believe you have sources or insider information because I haven't seen it or you won't tell me how you know!" does not equal people don't have sources or insider information.

      I suppose this shouldn't be a surprise. Most of the figure skating fandom operates the same way the sport of ice dance operates. They try to argue results in and out of existence through narrative formation and shaming tactics. That can't work in this case, though. V/M's marriage and family is quite real, and is not going to disappear if some people refuse to believe it's true or insult the people telling the truth about it by calling them names.

      Delete
    8. I was referring to a second pregnancy/child. The kidS part of the narrative is new and no one has claimed sources on that.

      Well, their marriage could disappear. They wouldn't be the first young couple to get a divorce.

      Delete
    9. @ 10:40 There's always a fan that asks follow-up questions if the location isn't clear. And if somehow there wasn't, the person can always add details.

      I'm not saying you have to believe that the relationship is fake or that Tessa was pregnant but there's an awful lot of assumptions being put forward that simply don't hold up.

      Delete
    10. No, questions aren't usually asked but usually there is more context on people's twitters that fans can infer the details. There wasn't this time besides inferring the flight left from Toronto.

      I do think some tweets have been plants. The first sighting of Lawes in Ilderton for one. But not because I believe the relationship is fake but just that maybe they wanted the info out there but didn't want to be the direct source.

      I do have to say it amuses and impresses me how the fandom has come together to completely ignore their significant others. It's actually pretty impressive. If it is all a sham (I use if but I know my belief has no bearing on the truth, I just don't believe based on the evidence available to me) it's pointless. And also supports the idea that if/when they come clean, fans will be all too willing to completely forget the past and will immediately support the new narrative.

      People are also making assumptions about Tessa's pregnancy that don't hold up.

      Delete
  18. It is not a little shit fit, but you're certainly having one 4:30.
    I'm sorry that Tessa and Scott are regularly photographed with their significant others. I'm sorry Tessa and Scott have repeatably stated that they are not in a relationship.
    I'm sorry that Tessa and Scott give no indication that they are a married couple with a child whatsoever.
    I'm sorry that you choose to believe with such vindication and vitriol that you understand exactly what goes on between two peoples private lives
    Because you don't.

    Why go through so much trouble to prove something as fact when it isn't? When the people that you claim are together have already stated numerous time in many different ways, under many different temperaments that they are not a couple; don't you think you should stop and reevaluate your sanity?

    I don't need to deny anything until I'm blue in the face, because there is nothing for me to deny. Tessa and Scott are not a couple, literally everyone knows this as the truth.

    This blog however is the sickest joke in the whole skating fandom.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes you do feel the need to deny it, because here you are. If you really thought this blog is the sickest joke in the whole skating fandom, you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't care what it says. Because if it's a joke, it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't be worth your time. Yet here you are.

      You seem to be under the impression that if you come here and do enough name calling, and talk about questioning people's sanity, and all of the other ways you're seeking to discredit what is said here, that you'll succeed in convincing others that V/M are not a married couple who started a family years ago.

      It doesn't matter. You can convince as many people as you'd like, or try to, anyway. You can call people names, claim this place is a joke, and decide your way of looking at everything said here is the correct way to look at it. It will not change reality. It will not make V/M's marriage or the family they've created together disappear. You cannot argue or try to shame all of it out of existence. So like I said, keep it up until you're blue in the face. Doesn't make a damned difference.

      Delete
    2. I'm not the original poster of the comment but I completely agree with them. The reason why people still come here is because it's like a trainwreck. I can't wait to see how far off the tracks this thing goes. It just completely blows my mind that there are people delusional enough to continue to believe that Tessa and Scott are married and now have TWO children. Two children that they routinely neglect and ignore. What kind of father is Scott to take off on a vacation with another woman while his wife is in Toronto doing sexy photoshoots? Who's watching the children? Tessa's mom? The guy who begs for loose change outside the LCBO?

      This place is in fact the sickest joke around and everyone is so tired of it. I'm just trying to figure out what drives the blogger and her minion of brainwashed clones.

      Delete
    3. "everyone is so tired of it."

      Who are these "everyone", 9:02? You speak for "everyone"? That's a joke.

      This place happens to be the only place that says the truth about Tessa and Scott's personal status--married with children. Many many other "everyones" agree with this blog.

      You haven't read through this blog. Or is it a problem with reading comprehension that you don't understand blogger did not make up these FACTS. Plenty of other people know the same FACTS, nothing to do with blogger and nothing to do with your personal feelings.

      How Tessa and Scott manage their lives (family, children) is a separate issue to the reality of the FACTS of their personal reality. If they're giving the impression of being neglectful parents, that's on them. It's not a comment on what is true about their status. Maybe they are terrible parents. Maybe not. It doesn't change the FACTS that they are married and parents.

      Stop putting words in "everyones" mouths.

      Delete
    4. It's a FACT that they're NOT married and DO NOT have kids. Thanks. I know what I'm talking about. You're crazy, not me.

      Delete
    5. Okay, keep throwing your tantrums and calling people crazy. I guess it should repeated for the one billionth time:

      IT DOES NOT MATTER what you say, claim, or try to argue out of existence. V/M are married and started a family years ago. That is true, it cannot be made untrue, and all of your name-calling posts cannot change it.

      Delete
    6. "This place is in fact the sickest joke around and everyone is so tired of it. I'm just trying to figure out what drives the blogger and her minion of brainwashed clones."

      LULZ. Sure you are. It's not actually that you're obsessed with this place and desperate to shut down what is said here because you don't like it, or because you're upset that people won't "out" their sources to you.

      As was said above, if this place was a joke, you would not give a damn about it or what anyone is saying here. But thanks for the laughs.

      Delete
    7. 211
      Is it as "true" as TV is expecting, as per your numerous claims of fact in recent posts?

      Delete
    8. It boils down to credibility: if they aren't married with kids, everything else the blogger states is probably also false.

      Delete
  19. When was the birth??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tessa was never pregnant. There was no birth. Everyone needs to stop talking about this NOW. It's incredibly rude and disrespectful to her. Everyone needs to understand that she stopped training and her body changed. Maybe she has been struggling with disordered eating. Saying that she looks pregnant implies that she's fat in some way and that probably hasn't helped her.

      Delete
    2. 8:57. What's rude and disrespectful is Tessa and Scott playing a hoax on the public, going on 8 years now.

      Delete
    3. Is it so wrong for someone to want to enjoy good food without having intense workouts every other day, after years of intense training and hard-work? Tessa was clearly enjoying her time off and so what she put on a couple of comfort lbs. I would too, especially if I was in Paris.
      But she's clearly been getting back in shape for her upcoming shows as she's previously stated and that's why her figure looks smaller in her photos. Its not a pregnancy. She most certainly would not have be able to hide a pregnancy like that. And secondly, do people not understand math? This purported timeline is so silly it's unbelievable.

      As 8:57 mention, all of this speculation and the constant insults blogger makes to every part of tessa IS rude and disrespectful. So what she has the courage to go without makeup and posts photos that she knows are probably not the most attractive, name celebrities that would do that too? She's a smart girl with genuine talent and everyone always remarks how nice and personable she is.

      But here you guys are; attacking her, making up vicious lies. You've all got to be jealous of her or something, how else do you explain you're weird fixation on everything that she does? Its like Kim Kardashian (not saying that I would ever compare the two), but you just can't stand her success and the fact that she isn't playing your little game.
      Her and Scott are not together and they most certainly do not have a family that they shove under the radar by fake dating other people.
      I can't even believe that people need to argue about this because we shouldn't even be arguing on what is fact and reality.

      Just do yourself a favor, everyone that believes in this mess; Stop trying to believe in this shit, stop reading this shit , stop commenting on this shit and get off the internet because it clearly isn't the right place for you.

      Oh and if you all have loved ones, families, tell them about your little secret. I'd love to here how they respond to this fucked up obsession.

      Delete
    4. 12:17 how about you quit trying to tell people what to believe. I think it's pretty clear that NOTHING and I mean NOTHING you say or do here is going to change what gets posted and discussed. The blogger has every right speak their mind about anything and everything they want. It's a little something called freedom of speech. If the tumblr blogs can do it, why can't the blogger? If the tumblr blogs can fantasize and analyze every look, touch, sentence, etc, why can't the blogger too be skeptical?

      As everyone had probably told you before, if you don't like what's being said here don't come here. Period. You showing up and writing paragraphs of tantrums, because people who know better don't want to adopt your opinion as their own.

      NOTHING you say will change anything, so please, PLEASE, stop wasting precious internet bandwidth and people's precious time.

      Delete
    5. 12:41: Can you?

      Delete
    6. 12:17. THANK YOU!!

      Delete
  20. It is VERY hypocritical to say - if you dont like what you read here dont follow

    If you dont like what Tessa does, DONT follow?? Dont bash. Dont comment. Dont stalk. Dont criticize...relentlessly.

    Hypocrit. Google it ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your definition of the word "stalk" in reference to this blog is incorrect and a clear indication you don't have a fucking clue what it actually means.

      I imagine when V/M stop targeting the public and skating fans with their bullshit, the public and skating fans criticizing them for it will stop doing so. Until then, calling V/M on their bullshit is fair game.

      Oh, and thanks for misspelling hypocrit in yet another failed attempt to criticize this blog. That was good for a laugh.

      Delete
  21. So, has anybody managed it to come up with a decent timeline for Tessa's pregnancy yet ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well she was very pregnant in early October so the birth happened sometime after that. It's hard to tell exactly because she and her friends love to manipulate photos but I'd say mid/late October, certainly before the presentation at Western University. And yes, this would mean that she was quite far along during the China shows but a) she did the same thing last time with ATS b) she used some clever costuming and c) it appears she showed signs of pregnancy early on (at SOI) but didn't get much bigger until late in the pregnancy. Despite popular conceptions it is definitely possible and does happen.

      Delete
    2. @ 12:16 That would mean she was pregnant in Sochi ?

      Delete
    3. @ 2:10 Most likely yes.

      Of course this is just my theory and I could be wrong on the dates but I'm absolutely sure she was pregnant

      Delete
    4. 5:21, was she pregnant at the Fashion Rocks event in Toronto?

      Delete
    5. I'm sure she was pregnant as well although I believe that she got pregnant slightly after sochi. Russian tour event maybe? Personally I don't think she would have wanted to be pregnant when she needed to have the performances of her life.

      Delete
    6. 12:16
      I think Tessa looked very pregnant at Skate Canada. I don't know how that fits into any timeline but she looked pregnant. It was also after the presentation at Ivey Business School and their first Gold Medal Plates in Victoria. The outfits she wore for those occasions must be especially suitable for her figure because it's true at those events it didn't look like she was showing much. However, it's impossible to be "thin" one day and practically the next (SC) look as big as she did at SC.

      Delete
    7. I'm 12:16 and I actually agree with you about Skate Canada, I think I've changed my mind. In any case, it doesn't really matter. Tessa will continue to do everything she can to prove she wasn't pregnant, many will believe her, some won't. I hope she's having fun.

      Delete
    8. You are all dumb and full of shit. Even if she gave birth in October: you can't just work out right after giving birth. You need to wait for your body to heal and for the doctors consent and even then its hard!!! Don't tell me she was able to get in shape with abs just a little over a month after this proposed birth especially taking into account her travel/ event commitments and school.

      These timelines and people's so called "knowledge" is just embarrassingly stupid. You are all reaching way too far. Please just stop.

      Delete
    9. @8:49 : THIS!

      Thank you for stating the flaws in these person's reasoning. You have people here stating that they've been pregnant before but yet they don't seem to know the basics about after birth.

      Tessa could have never been pregnant and given birth in October and have abs. She would have to wait to heal and then start working out gradually. The intense workouts needed to get your body into top shape are too much for someone that just gave birth, travels the country doing speaking engagements and goes to school while taking care of a child, or 2 as this blog loves to mention.

      Delete
    10. Source? (both for your pregnancy claims and a clear view of Tessa's abs)

      Delete
    11. It's important to remember that Tessa is not your average woman and was incredibly fit throughout her pregnancy.

      Delete
    12. @11:56. I'm sorry but is your version of what it means to be pregnant, (and I'm assuming you've been pregnant before to be so sure), the ONLY and CORRECT way to be pregnant?

      Delete
    13. Tesss Virtue is not so incredibly elite and fit that she would not only gain no noticeable weight, but also recover both from the pregnancy itself but also to elite level in 2-4 weeks. Stop kidding yourselves. It doesnt happen and miss tessa is no exception. Shes not THAT elite. Shes a skater for christ sake whi last competed almost a year ago.

      Delete
  22. Carolina Kostner got a 4 year ban for her involvment in her boyfriend's doping case.

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2014/11/28/carolina-kostner-alex-schwazer-doping/19615169/

    I think this is extremely harsh. She deserved to be punished but it seems ridiculous when athletes who actively use doping only face bans between 6 months and 2 years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Her boyfriend, who actually did the doping, only got banned 3.5 years! This is ridiculous. Although Caro's ban is only a proposal and not the final sentence, which is yet to be determined. She's being punished for lying which is right, but in no way should she be banned for that long. Does a ban only extend to competition or could it affect her pro career?

      Delete
    2. I believe she'd be banned from all ISU related shows and unrelated shows and tours might follow if they are afraid of concequences for being associated with her.

      The Italian legal system and their national anti doping federation is a joke, they hardly get done anything and now it looks like they're trying to make an example. Carolina is a big name in Italian sports, much more so than her boyfriend, and punishing her so strictly would send a strong signal.
      Unfortunately they chose the wrong strawman imo.

      Delete
  23. I should have some new proper comparisons out before long (I've found it saves significant time to do certain steps in batches, hence the delay), but I'll be uploading more feet-only videos this weekend.

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHHPzj0Ja-Ven6k7_yFq5kg

    -canadablue

    ReplyDelete
  24. Looks to me as if OC is forgetting that she writes most of the anonymous posts on this blog and is slipping up by writing under her own style but pretending she is one of a number of anonymous guests. I just have to drop by occasionally...it's a trainwreck for sure. Articulate, knowledgeable blogger, probably middle aged, with a
    pretty serious obsession. Or could be a big joke and the blogger gets her laughs (power?) Nevertheless, has lots of time to pursue this, so definitely an obsession. I hope it's a big joke, but there's not a big enough audience to make that worthwhile, so
    afraid it might be real in the blogger's mind. There are no other people agreeing with the premise. It's all the same one person. But it must gratify the sad soul to see the
    odd one of us drop by and get our pants in a knot to the point of replying. More power
    I guess. The thought of giving up the obsession must be terrifying. There would be
    such a void, and real grief too. I'm sorry for you but I just can't stop watching the accident. Go ahead and attack me now, it's ok.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're full of it, 7:31.
      You have no way of knowing who the anonymous commenters are. It's a tried and true strategy of dismissing the blog and/or attempting to get it shut down by making the claim that the blogger is the also writing all the comments.

      There are no other people agreeing with it? Joke is on you.

      I happen to know at least three people (I know who these people are and I can assure none of them is the blogger and none of them knows the other two) who have told me definitively they know the premise of this blog is true. They have no idea who is blogging. All they know is the blogger is the only one who's had the guts to say it on a public platform.

      The true trainwreck is the mountain of lies Tessa and Scott continue to indulge. The people calling them out aren't the ones with a problem, except having the *problem* of refusing to be treated like credulous morons.

      Delete
    2. @8:45
      The rest of us? Who is that exactly?

      Delete
    3. 9:10: oh you know, THE WHOLE WORLD INCLUDING TESSA AND SCOTT.

      Delete
    4. If the discussion bothers you so much you're probably better off avoiding it.

      Delete
    5. How come nobody has any recent information ? Apparently there is a whole army out there who know every single detail about Tessa's pregnancy in 2010 but now they've all suddenly lost their sources.

      Delete
    6. My guess is that the creation of this blog led to the VM camp tightening up the information that gets out. In the past they didn't seem to care what people said as long as it wasn't done publicly but now it risks ending up on here and that changes things.

      Delete
    7. @10:34 But the blog keeps insisting that V/M don't hide it, that they are very open about it and that the entire skating world, including sponsors and TV networks , knows about it.
      Doesn't sound to me like they tightened up.

      Delete
    8. I've been told that literally "everyone" in the skating world, the media, and anyone who lives in London and has any sort of connection to them knows this supposed truth. I personally don't believe they're married or have children, but if that's the case, I'm surprised that the internet isn't fairly bursting at the seams with congratulatory messages to Tessa. I guess the birth of his second child was too much for Scott, as he's been on vacation for the last week.

      Delete
    9. 10:34: Wrong. If they wanted to tightened the information that gets out then V/M would have never done all those speaking engagements and photo shoots. You can't hide a pregnancy by wearing a dress or a top and pants. There was no pregnancy. People would notice, people that have absolutely no ties to them or the skating world.

      Delete
    10. @11:22 It's obvious the blogger hasn't had any new information in a long time.

      @ 9:55 Of course there's people who know, just not as many, and the people who know may be reluctant to talk. Also seeing Tessa at an event looking maybe-pregnant doesn't mean you know anything, it's speculation thatTessa has worked very hard to counter and make people second-guess themselves. That's my view of things in any case.

      Delete
    11. ^^149
      That was a lame response to 955 lol. Nice try^^

      Delete
    12. 1034
      Your probably dead wrong. Pretty sure they -- whoever "they" are - dont give a shit about this blg lol

      You are giving wayy to much credit to a blogger with NO credability whatsoever. If you want credability....you are not ANON.

      Delete
    13. 731
      Now THAT was awesome

      Delete
    14. 7:31. Perfect except I think of the blogger as an overweight 20 something that was rejected by scot. And yes, I think she responds to her own posts.

      Delete
    15. I am not the blogger and I respond ..OC when signed in as anon always signs. If u look at the early days of the blog there was little to no comments...if OC cared so much about needing comments why wasn't it faked then? Some posts still don't draw a lot of comments. No one is beefing up the comment section.

      Sometimes a little logic goes a long way.

      Why don't u guys check out some kissy posts on tumblr and exercise logic there?

      Delete
    16. Those closed mouth, closed lip kisses all on ice are supposed to convince someone of the truth?? I didn't think they were that odd until I saw some on ice pics of Tati and Max kissing on the lips. The difference in those pics and VM's was so apparent.

      Delete
    17. So you've seen T/M kiss as much as T/S on ice. Right. I've seen Scott open mouth kiss Tessa's knee during competition never mind the lips. If that's not lust what is? Also, how the hell do u explain someone congratulating them on their new baby after a competition and Scott replying "thank you" ---let's see what your latest fan fic produces....one night of passion resulting in an oops?

      L.O.G.I.C.

      Common sense is not so common. Also let's not forget heavily prego Tessa at all that skate with AW.

      Anyways, VM do one thing right---they reach their target market with their friggen crap

      Delete
    18. Not as many photos no, and they were at shows, but the kisses were open mouth, open lip. Not the weird thing they always do with their lips. Doesn't the blog always say they don't act on the ice? Those are some weird kisses for a married couple.

      Weren't there two rubber duckies or whatever it was? Why two for one baby? Could've been for Scott's nieces.

      Tessa gained weight, yes. She was also about to have surgery. Maybe she was on meds that messed with her weight, it happens.

      I'm not saying I believe everything this blog says is crap or delusional. But for someone without sources it's difficult to believe and thus alternate but plausible theories exist.

      Delete
  25. It's looking like Chock/Bates as world champions is a real possibility this year. Weaver/Poje still have a shot but they'll have to be completely on, no cushion at all.

    Sometimes I wonder why I even follow this sport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. W/P have a lower FD score than that French team too.

      Skate Canada probably tries to get D/R a world title now that V/T probably won't compete.

      Delete
    2. Relax. Its just the first year of the quad. I don't see C/B dominating for four years especially if they keep putting out snooze fests.

      Delete
    3. Did you miss how things worked in the last quad, 11:47?

      Delete
  26. @7:29 Didn't your mother ever teach you not to believe everything you hear on TV?

    ReplyDelete
  27. I believe that she's dating Ryan. They went to France together and then rented a house in Vermont. For those who are so certain that she's with Scott, your information is 5 years old. Have you heard of divorce?

    ReplyDelete
  28. I can't even with this. Seriously? I know others have commented on this before, but come on. All the uber shippers would rather believe that Tessa and Scott got divorced - that their relationship died - or that they are dating other people than believe that they lie about their relationship status. You'd rather spend your time writing fan fiction and dreaming about them falling in love but resign yourselves to the "belief" that they got DIVORCED, or that their chemistry only exists "on ice", or that they just don't "feel that way about each other" than accept the fact that they might not want you to know the truth. Really? Isn't the truth about Tessa and Scott (that they are married) what you all want for them, ultimately? Do you really think that if Tessa and Scott finally "gave in" to their up-until-now-unrequited love that you'd be the first to know about it? I just don't get it. Really. Tessa and Scott getting a divorce is a better option for you than that they are really together but don't want you to know about it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those of us who live in reality can see that it's plainly obvious that Scott and Tessa are not hiding some 5 year old long marriage and two children. I'm just trying to offer up some explanation for those who insist on clinging to the belief that Scott and Tessa got married in 2009.

      Delete
    2. This blog is for those who "insist on clinging to the belief that Scott and Tessa got married in 2009". You do get it that that's the point of this blog and the discussion here, right? You have lots of places where you can discuss the fact that Tessa and Scott are not married; where you can share your shipper dreams and talk about how much you don't like Kaitlyn Lawes and think that Ryan Semple is a bad match for Tessa, but, oh well, as long as she's happy. There is a place for you to do that. This place is for all of us who, as you'd like to put it, don't live in reality and believe that Tessa and Scott are together. I'm frustrated at myself for even responding to you, because generally I just think it's futile to do so... it doesn't matter that you don't believe it and spending time here trying to convince us to also come to the realization that Tessa and Scott are NOT hiding something is a ridiculous waste of your time. Again, this place is for those of us who believe that they are married. If you don't believe it, don't waste your time here. I don't get it.

      Delete
    3. Since nobody seems to have any recent info speculations about a divorce are as valid as the claim that they're happily married. Nobody knows.

      Delete
    4. Nobody knows 100% but there are plenty of signs that point to them still being together, like the obviously fake SOs for example.

      Delete
  29. Well perhaps I am in the minority but to me its becoming clear that Tessa Virtue cares about Tessa Virtue. The self promotion on her twitter and the content of that real style network article does kind of reinforce that high maintenance and social status girl stereotype...just my opinion - I mean really saying that if her and Scott were in a relationship it would be boring....nice...hmmm...perhaps after you get past her looks and initial charm perhaps there isn't much to Tessa Virtue...talented yes...no doubt about it...smart..yes...does she go after business opportunities and uses her connections...yes...genuinely nice good-hearted person....not sure...oh well..let's see if we get any news out of that skate show in Saskatchewan this Wednesday night...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree Tessa come across as incredibly self-centered these days.

      Delete
    2. Agreed Tessa comes across shallow and self-absorbed. Think about it though. If she is indeed busy as wife, mother, student and elite athlete -- as I believe she is -- but all those topics are off limits, what else is there to talk about? Shoes. Clothes. Pretending to be seeking some (very shallow) meaning to life? When she mentions school or skating it's only in the most casual, superficial ways.

      She has no intention of sharing anything real or of substance, regardless how charming and pretty her words are. It's air. Nothing. Of course it will all come across as an extremely vapid and self-centered person.

      It's incomprehensible that she (and Scott) prefer this image instead of the beauty and strength of their true lives. That's their choice, no one made them choose that ridiculous persona.

      Delete
    3. You look at it that way and I see something different. Scott doesn't want the same kind of lifestyle that Tessa wants. He's country. She's city. They would never work out because it would be boring to be with someone that wants different things than you. They already know everything about each other. Where else can they go? They have a future and chemistry on the ice because they believe in the same things but off the ice they clearly differ and thats why they aren't married.

      Delete
    4. 8:34. That's fan fiction.

      Delete
    5. You realise these people are strangers, right? Even with people I know it's hard to predict which couples will last and which ones won't, and, despite what you may think, we don't know these people at all. The image they put out is carefully crafted an also very superficial, we don't and will never know the "real" them.

      Delete
    6. 844
      Says who? Backed up by what?

      Delete
    7. Why would it be self centered????

      A single woman with no kids instagramming???? Such a crime..

      Delete
  30. Anon at 8:49 pm - this is anon at 7:42 pm - you bring up a good point but I would have to disagree with you to a certain extent. Do we really know VM - no - but I think the way you interact or decide what to put on twitter/facebook/instagram does tell you something about a person. Human resource departments will look into facebook profiles before hiring, or even when I am meeting a new client - I will google them to see what pops up...in my opinion image WAS carefully crafted and superficial...nowadays because the life cycle of negative publicity is so short - I think people don't care as much...it's like email...if you take a look at work email in any industry as compared to even 10 years ago...etiquette and professionalism is not regarded in the same manner...Sometimes I get the impression that Tessa "big city girl" is bored and hence needs to tweet and have fans respond to make her day...

    ReplyDelete
  31. Last post of the evening for me...in the end I believe that VM are both going through transitions and trying to figure out what the future holds...and they may not be on the same page...but that's okay...I can understand if Tessa perhaps wants to go into media or acting or whatever and that's her perogative...but I do think it would be naive of anyone to think that it wasn't her idea to do the reality show...and perhaps this real style network article is a way for her and her mom to gage and how to market Tessa Virtue without Scott Moir...again not surprising as we saw the same trend with Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto...lastly popularity and $$$ doesn't necessarily equal success and happiness...let the good times roll...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 10:01
      I don't think anyone here believes Tessa was a reluctant participant in the VM reality-show trainwreck. The script faithfully followed her own fanfic public persona. Just like the newest article today. Tessa's version of the genuine, sincere Tessa Virtue created for public consumption. Full of lies and b*******.

      Delete
    2. Boom. That's it right there. Tessa is working out how to be Tessa Virtue without Scott Moir. Does she have enough appeal on her own? It's pretty clear that Scott has little interest in the media but Tessa is promoting herself until she's blue in the face. I feel like she must get annoyed when Scott is brought up so often by fans when she posts anything.

      Delete
  32. Anon at 9:17 am - well said. And if that's what Tessa wants - ie. be a media personality that's fine but I think its easier said than done. Is she milking her connections - to be out there - yes. Can she cross-over onto a talk-show in Toronto like Alexandre Despatie in Montreal - I don't know...Tessa Bonhomme, Cassie Campbell, Jennifer Botterill have had success in commentating on hockey.....entertainment like eTalk and ET Canada is brutal work...where people blow you off all the time...forget the US...I can see her being involved next summer in Toronto promoting the PanAm games, the female world cup of soccer but then again I don't think she stands out...John Montgomery as a host has had success on the Amazing race...I can't see either the CBC or CTV or Global picking up a Battle of the Blades...I have no idea what their PR firm - sportsbox has done for either Tessa or Scott but I think that Marnie McBean has probably been more involved in getting them media appearances...
    I think Scott is a natural for an organization like the Special Olympics or Right to Play..
    And I had to do a hmmm at the Strong fitness magazine shoot etc - don't get me wrong Tessa Virtue has every right to pose and represent a strong female athlete...but she totally got that gig due to her best friend Midori Rutledge who is also a fitness model who has done a similar cover shoot in the past for the same magazine...
    My two cents..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I doubt Tessa would make it as a TV host, she's a painful public speaker and comes across forced and unlikable. And this isn't something one can just learn in no time, it takes a certain natural talent that she lacks. Scott could probably learn it but Tessa can't.
      I'm not sure how far Tessa will make it as a model for magazines once the Olympics are forgotten. She's pretty but she doesn't really have the look of the other models. Her facial features are too prominent and her shoulders are too broad. For one of the recent shoots they completely photoshopped everything natural out of her. Suddenly her chin was small, her cheeks slim and her face wasn't that long anymore. Why would magazines continue to hire her if they find all of her features so undesireable that they need to make Tessa look like somebody else before they want to print her pictures ?

      Delete
    2. I agree. She's terrible at public speaking. She has a nice voice but she can't seem to not sound fake and insincere. She's visibly nervous and I doubt she'll ever get over that. Her looks are fine but I think she's insecure there as well and being heavily photoshopped isn't a good thing.

      Delete
    3. She does have charisma and nice vocal quality. The problem is all the lies and fake personas. That's what makes her come across robotic and insincere. Whenever she decides to stop lying and creating false scenarios, I think she has the potential to be a great public speaker.

      Delete
  33. Public speaking is an art onto itself. Its oral practice, being able to connect with the audience, with the interviewer if applicable etc. And coming across as sincere is not easy. Yes you can be coached - but I think experience and confidence is key. VM have had some public speaking experience and I think you learn from each occasion. There's potential for both...

    ReplyDelete
  34. That's exactly it - there is always this veneer of hypercontrol that makes her come across as insincere and shallow when dealing with the media. It's a mask that can't seem to come off - one never gets a sense of what she's truly like or what she really thinks. But, maybe, like someone said above...there isn't much else to her besides the superficial and high-maintenance lifestyle she seems intent on peddling.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Just to point out - can Tessa be marketed as an independent entity. Sure she can - look at Heather Moyse and Marnie McBean both athletes won their gold medals with teammates...but at the same time the difference also with VM is that the longevity that they have had...17 years...I don't think people realize that Heather Moyse and Kallie Humphries weren't competing together until the season before the olympics...they are not joined at the hip... actually if you wouldn't know any better I don't think you would call them best buds...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tessa and Scott have talked in public, too much, about the idea of using their "chemistry" as a marketing tool. First of all, it's unprofessional of them to say that, since in fact it's calling the fans morons who can be manipulated by this couple's chemistry, and oh well, since that's the way it is, our PR might as well use that to manipulate them. I mean really, what celebrity spells out their manipulative strategies to rope in the public? PR fail.

      Second, after continually putting their foot in their mouths, PR-wise, in mentioning their manipulative use of their "chemistry," they then turn around and kill their very own strategy. How does using their "chemistry" work when both Scott and Tessa take such great pains to give out a platonic narrative and the separate lives and separate SO's? When they do everything possible, and more, to deliberately give the impression they hardly spend time together, that in fact they're so different they can't enjoy spending time together? That they run away to the bf/gf at every opportunity? When the majority of social media is photos with supposed SO's instead of with each other? Another PR-fail in terms of VM as a skating team with wonderful "chemistry." Their public, social media actions contradict any idea of "chemistry."

      It's always said - look at a person's actions, not their words. In fact, Tessa and Scott don't care about good PR that revolves around their skating. What they care about most in the world, PR-wise, is the platonic narrative, along with the gf/bf narrative du jour. As long as people do not believe they're a couple and buy into the gf/bf narratives, they're happy.

      Along with this, Tessa has made it abundantly clear since she got herself on social media that her priorities are promoting herself and showing she is *in* with the latest in shallow and self-centered pop culture. By the way so many silly fans respond to her social media, falling over themselves to praise as perfection every thing she does or says (GAG), why take the trouble to portray any of the real values that got her where she is? (Such as strong work ethic, self-discipline, great teamwork skills, etc.) She's getting plenty of attention as it is. It's not a great cultural commentary that this is all she needs for the attention and/or endorsements she wants.

      As a mother, I'm disappointed. I used to feel Tessa and Scott were great role models. At the moment that is no longer true. I have no desire for my daughter to follow in this Tessa's footsteps - idolizing fashion, celebrities, skimpy photoshoots, giving the appearance (although I don't think it's true, that's what young girls are seeing) of not focusing on training or school (they're just side-show activities) but on this celebrity-circuit. Thanks but no thanks.

      And oh, btw - in spite of their hard work promoting the platonic narrative, I don't believe it. I believe the gf/bf are fake. Yet another reason why VM: are not presently good role models. They're liars.

      Delete
  36. This comment section reads like a bunch of brats. Look at yourselves. As far as I know Tessa is a 25 year old woman that has had major success in her career. She's fought for everything with grace and athlete's determination. She is an excellent example of women empowerment. Now you people just want to tear her down because you don't like the way that she conducts herself. Listen imbeciles, it could be much worse. She could be involved with some drug scandal. She could have a reputation for being a bitch, for being slutty, for being stupid. Lest I need to remind you, she is a student, a motivational speaker, someone involved with charitable causes, a friendly person who takes the time to respond to her fans on Twitter far more often than most figure skaters. You refuse to give her any such credit for her achievements, and you refuse to respect her private life. There are boundaries people, of course Tessa isn't going to spell our her every move and motivation behind it for you. Get over yourselves. She doesn't owe you, or the public anything. How she conducts her life behind closed doors is not any of our business. You can speculate all you want and make up as many lies as you like but you will never know what her life away from the spotlight looks like, nor do you need to. Stop attacking her and calling her credibility into question. She doesn't deserve this and its disgusting. Let her be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Closed doors privacy is all good and well -- as long as she doesn't promote a bunch of lies that I as a fan am supposed to buy into.

      Stop telling me I'm supposed to be quite about all the lies.

      Delete
    2. 11:49
      An example of woman empowerment?Not according to VM's own TV show, portraying, per their own words, the most real, sincere, genuine VM.

      What a joke. Tessa was shown as the most pathetic insecure woman ever. Pining away in solitary splendor for her douchebag angry jerk of a skating partner.

      You don't think she's all lies and superficial self-centeredness? Fine. You're entitled to your made-up version of Tessa Virtue. Her own reality show and social media output says otherwise. I'm entitled to see it that way based on what she herself is saying and doing.

      Delete
    3. Why would Tessa and Scott be promoting a fake relationship? It makes no sense and every attempt I've read here to make it plausible is just as ridiculous and self serving as the "sham". I get that you don't like her persona or that she doesn't act like you think she should but those things aren't reasons that support your theory. It's just who they are and your stubborness. Anyone who still thinks they are together with a family is sipping on some crazy juice and needs to get off it ASAP.

      They're no lies. Lies suggest that they want to deceive the public. But lets be honest. Why would anyone want to actively deceive the public about their marriage? You can keep it private; ie not confirm anything, but why concoct fake relationships to throw people off your trail, when no one even knows your together? IT MAKES NO SENSE. I could understand if someone, ANYONE, spotted T/S together sharing a private moment with their family, but no one has, after all these damn years.

      Delete
    4. 12:55: Reality TV shows are scripted to the 9th degree, this isn't HBO where you're getting a documentary show. I understand why they had to do that because people want drama, they want to believe in their relationship, chemistry bla bla. To be fair to Tessa it was an Olympic Year with lots of stress and tension between your partner, even space sometimes is hard to deal with. Its business and they know it too. Why do you think they haven't watched it yet, because they're probably cringing inside.

      Delete
    5. 1:00. Stop making excuses for them. It's pathetic.

      Delete
    6. @11:49 What makes Tessa an example of woman empowerment ? Being a woman and being successful in your field does not make her a great role model for women.
      Figure skating in general is the polar opposite of it. They only promote one very old fashioned type of woman and Tessa surely loved to play the part.

      And I think it's hilarious that women empowement is so important to you yet in your next sentence you say Tessa could be worse if she were a bitch or slutty. There goes your women empowerment ...

      Delete
    7. @1:00 pm Then it doesn't bother you at all that Tessa readily sold her fans a fake tv show all the while she's promising them that it's all 100% real ? I thought she's so nice and loves her fans but as soon as she gets paid she forgets about all of them.
      It shows what lovely people VM are for selling their fans a show even VM themselves can't bother to watch. Just classy !

      Nobody forced them to do this show. Nobody forced them to lie to their fans about it either. If they didn't want it they could have simply said no.

      Delete
  37. When the backlash gets this strong and hysterical, when the the shamming goes into (for the version of it anyway) overdrive, all I think is: Blog. Hitting. Nail. Head.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol. I've never seen so many livid die hard Tessa believers on here before. What I don't understand if they look at clear verifiable evidence that they lie all the time to the public, it stands to reason they would lie about almost anything

      Case in point--the stupid ass reality show. Everybody and I mean even the die hards know that was a gross misrepresentation of reality. It was filled with lies. I dare one if these die hard name callers stalking here to sign their name to the fact that they think it was anything short of a fabrication.

      Ok--here they come--"it's not a documentary"--ok fine. Then that means the other side of the coin is a huge lie. VM REGULARLY and I mean all.the.time said how it's the real them ..a fly on the wall type look at their lives.

      Which is true---?? Neither. Which means they lie to the public --it is not far fetched once you've settled that

      Delete
    2. Exactly, 5:47
      Tessa and Scott continue lying about that show to this day. Whenever they're asked about it their narrative continues to be that they were, oh, *so happy* to share their real, behind-the-scenes journey to the Olympics. They talk about it as if it were a documentary, not fabrication.

      That's just the lies about the show. There's a heap of other documented lies. How can anyone think they're not capable of lying about being a real couple?

      Delete
  38. Has anyone read his interview?

    http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/News/Local/2014-12-03/article-3960966/Canadas-sweethearts-skating-into-town/1

    What is with all the emphasis on romance, and man and a woman????????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 6:40
      It's called baiting. Gaslighting.

      Delete
    2. I wonder what Dubriel and Lauzon have been saying to them.

      Delete
  39. http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/News/Local/2014-12-03/article-3960966/Canadas-sweethearts-skating-into-town/1

    "It’s going to be a very personal show," added Moir. "We really wanted to do a Christmas show in Canada because we never had the
    opportunity to do so before."

    What about this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=044flu52rHY

    Are we going to pretend Winter Dreams on Ice 2010 didn't happen? That VM didn't skate in it?



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @ 6:44. They're also pretending Holiday Festival on Ice (2006) didn't happen.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWC835a12cA

      They're lying their faces off about something that doesn't matter! It's inconsequential. But all for the sake of a dramatic sound-bite, eh Scott and Tessa?

      Unbelievable.

      But don't you know. They're really the most genuine people.
      Bwahahahaaha.

      Delete
  40. Is it true that Marina spends her time working with S/K in Russia and a Russian tech specialist while she hasn't seen the Shibs in about a month ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SK held an open practice in Russia before CoR and they did stay there until NHK. Not sure if Marina was with them... I guess?

      Actually though that might benefit the Shibs, working with the people in Canton who have a clue about the rules.

      Delete
    2. Nikita didn't comment specifically and say that Mariana was with them so I'm going to go ahead and say no. There's no way that she could spend weeks in Russia ahead of NHK when she also has other teams back in Canton that were going to the same comp as well. That would be irresponsible and its goes against her job.

      Delete
  41. This fandom surprises me every day. I got used to the Tumblrinas being in denial about KLawes and Semple but FSU takes the cake. They haven't even heard of them before.

    In other news : Eric Radford game out as gay and now everybody who hazed his skating feels obligated to root for him.

    ReplyDelete
  42. It is so entertaining when the blogger posts as anon to defend and support her own insane posts.....pretty sure there is one believer here...no two....the blogger....and the blogger as anon....lol

    ReplyDelete