Tuesday, June 9, 2015

T'was not the Season(s)

This gif-fest reacts to a small segment of the Virtue Moir fandom who criticized VM's choice to skate a debacle like Seasons at the Olympics instead of something mesmerizingly awesome such as Papadakis Cizeron's 2014-2015 free dance.

There are about 12 VM gifs and a few more PC gifs than that, so I'll get started now and finish up later.

When I made the gifs for these two programs, obviously I muted the music, and then we had two programs in the lyrical-romantic vein, so it was hard to decide where to be mesmerized, until you looked at skating content. Among other things.

Notes: Tessa Virtue straightens her legs rather more than Gabrielle Papadakis, who never straightens hers ever, while possessing hips nearly tighter than Meryl Davis's. I don't think either Virtue and Moir's skating, nor their choreography in Seasons suffers much in comparison to Papadakis/Cizeron's performance, despite Seasons's deficiency of drooping-flower-in-the-meadow body language or dramatic head rolls. And despite Tessa's failure to use fluttery fabric on her skirt. And despite Tessa and Scott neglecting to acquire matching light tans. Tessa does her own, interdependent skating while in and out of connection with Scott, rather than relying upon him to steer and turn her around the ice, but OTOH there's a clearly insufficient number of fluttery pirouettes performed in place as Scott gesticulates emotively while gliding, and yes, possibly Virtue and Moir could have raised their arms and eyes to the arena ceiling more frequently.

Yet, while I could see these choreographic omissions being perceived as less romantic, I don't get why some think it lesser skating. Or even less "impactful" skating, the most important category, usurping all others.

I think the main reason some may have preferred Papadakis/Cizeron to Virtue/Moir is they think the music is prettier. The clothes are prettier, the hair is styled more romantically, and the emoting gives more feels.

But the skating - it's not better. Or even in the same universe. I think lifts were mentioned, so I can't wait to get to those.

Here are the gifs (there will be some commentary):








Maybe Virtue and Moir's skating is too big?
The enormous run of blade/ice coverage thwarts
intimacy?


Though Papadakis Cizeron work to convey otherwise, a strong 
skating program is performed more with the blades than by
swinging the arms. Kudos for their arms remaining attached
to their shoulders after this performance; that took some doing.
One of VM's tired, easy lifts.




I'm not convinced all of ^  is what the figure skating
glossary means by "knee action".


My gifing slowed down a bunch at this point,
because the whole program looks like this.^
I kept thinking I was stuck at the same place, and
had to double check.
These guys could be the 2015 World Champions.


I wonder if Virtue and Moir would have lost half their fans if some of these fans had only found Meryl Davis to be a prettier looking woman. Or if Meryl Davis had a longer leg to torso ratio.

To be continued, but until then, jumping ahead to this:

So VM fans can gnash their teeth over how Tessa and
Scott's lackluster 2014 Olympic program didn't have this move
featuring a Weaver & Poje circa 2009 hydroblade
with an easier entrance, and Gabrielle using a full Meryl Davis
back-hooked arm around Guillame's neck coming out.



This is glacial. So were Davis White often as not,
but they were touted as fast.  Churn those arms.



I can't be the only one who gets seasick
watching these two.


If we can see this is spectacular, the judges can see.
I love how it was Meryl Davis who "floated" into the backpack
lift where Charlie White hauled her up like a sack of laundry.
If you want to see a floating effect created by actual immaculate
bladework by both skaters, and an athlete's seamless control 

of her body in space, look at the entrance to the lift up there.


Of note is how each team manages contact and hold. Tessa manages her own balance, generates her own power, while in and out of contact with Scott. Gabrielle is hitched to her partner like a sidecar as he steers her, generates her momentum for her with pushing and pulling, and compensates for her lack of power and security.


There's juniorish performance/content apparent in this comparison, but it's backwards to the impression some observers have expressed. Looking at the two programs together, it's also difficult to see why anyone would believe Virtue Moir's program was "abstract" and Papadakis Cizeron compelling (I know those two labels aren't opposites). Even if one sets aside the obvious, which
is that to any reasonably skating-aware observer, skating skills at this level of superiority are inherently mesmerizing.

Oh, come on.



Oh, come on.
So we're back to a whole bunch of crap that, miraculously,
adds up to the opposite. It's a strategy that works.


Aaand ... scene.
I'm verklempt, but pretty sure for the wrong reasons.

154 comments:

  1. I'm not sure which VM fans you're referring to (tumblr, fsu, gs, etc?) but in general, fans criticized Seasons way before PC's mediocre program came along. And I don't think any VM fan has criticized the way VM skate Seasons (their technique is always almost flawless and VM fans believe they should have won GPF and the Olympics), just the construction of the program itself including some of the juniorish lifts, and its abstract concept.

    Besides the idiots at fsu (and some on tumblr), no one has tried to say PC are better skaters or dancers than VM. And if someone tries to say that PC are, they should watch some footage from Art on Ice where both teams are doing the same choreography. I don't think Gabriella finishes one move before going to the next, she's so sloppy. She must idolize Meryl.

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    1. "just the construction of the program itself including some of the juniorish lifts, and its abstract concept. "

      I've seen mulitple V/M fans at tumblr, fsu, gs and twitter who thought P/C's FD was a *great program*. No, except for FSU they didn't claim that P/C were a superior team, but the truth is that P/C's program content was pathetic.

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    2. *sigh*

      There is nothing "juniorish" about anything in Seasons, including the lifts.

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    3. I wonder how much of that comes from the one lift that H/B were also doing during the season, which has then moprhed into "the lifts" were juniorish. The fact that H/B are an *incredibly talented* team seems to escape people, as does the fact that V/M's execution was on another level.

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    4. See, "some of the juniorish lifts". There are no juniorish lifts in Seasons.

      Without guessing the aspects of the lifts you found juniorish, how can a fan of VM not understand that skating uses movement vocabulary and a vocabulary of steps, turns, spins, etc. and, just as VM can do the same step as a junior team (say, a mohawk), and be on a completely different skating planet than that junior team, a lift is more than the pose and the transition in and out, although "contortions" doesn't equal complexity or difficulty. The edge depth, purity and security, speed, efficiency (no wasted or redundant moves/points of contact) all contribute to making a lift a high level lift, as well as the attributes determined by the rule book as highest level, all of which VM fulfilled. VM have never pandered to the apparent need by some of the public to have difficulty telegraphed. They want it to look easy. This is something the judges are supposed to reward, not exploit. Most of the time telegraphing that something is difficult is a tip off that it's not.

      I think a lot of of people were surprised at the massive gap between W&P and V&M when they saw the two perform the same stuff in Art on Ice at the same time, and as much as I respect Hubbel Donohue, I think people would be similarly stunned at the difference between Scott and Tessa's execution of the "HB lift" and HB's, particularly as to how much ice surface his arc covers, how deep his edge lean, his speed, how seamless the transition into it, her balance and control of her body in space, while in the lift and transitioning in and out. Different worlds.

      But mostly, when you turn the music off, how the hell is it possible to tell VM's lyrical romantic program was "abstract" while PC's was "accessible" and romantic? Speaking in very very broad strokes, it's the same damn thing, stylistically. One's cheesy with a lot of extranea, the other is clean and based on pure movement. Both are lyrical. Conceptually, both teams skate as a man and a woman in relation to each other, not as concepts, symbols, or something from the non-human animal kingdom. It's the musical selection that "cues" people, IMO - oh, THIS is romantic. And the cosmetics - and Gabrielle's hair is partially french-braided - like a romantic heroine in a novel! Throw in I don't like VM's music. I can't connect. Nothing to do with the skating or actual program content/choreography.

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  2. Can't wait for u to finish this post plus commentary under the gifs. Want to see how they all fit together!!!

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    1. Thanks. I'm currently trying to see if I can do a gif mosaic of gifs from PC's program. I wasn't kidding when I said all of the non-element segments in PC's program repeat, develop nothing, are exactly alike. I did 14 gifs for PC and 12 for VM, gifs that were originally .wmv files. When I began converting, I started getting cross-eyed, thinking I had burned out and was gifing the same .wmv over and over. Turns out not. Whether I can get the mosaic effect or not (I'm still trying at the moment investigating online programs because I understand photoshop uses scripts for it) I'll upload the rest by tomorrow evening.

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  3. This is equal parts awesome and hilarious, keep it coming OC!!!!!

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  4. the only think i will say about seasons is that the lifts as FIRST performed during the season were better than the end, plus adding a lift from Valse Trieste, while squandering the amazing lifts in Carmen, was annoying. I think the lifts were a let down as a whole tho the last and first were amazing in seasons. But the middle two were underwhelming bc of who VM are, for other teams would have been great, but they were beneath VM. Even the spin sequence from Carmen was better. but the rest was phenomenal and still the greatest FD EVER skated.

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    1. The lifts at Finlandia were so much better. And even though they didn't skate that program as cleanly as the one at Sochi, THAT was the program that they should have taken with them to Sochi, big mistake in my opinion. Marina definitely sabotaged them.

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    2. thank you!!! not sure at all why they kept tinkering with it, I think there was a time violation for last lift at finlandia, but I watch the finlandia version OVER and OVER again. still the best version of seasons. they definitely screwed themselves

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    3. They did not screw themselves ! Both VM and Marina stated that people/judges etc came to them and saying that these lifts were "possibly" against the rules and they would be in danger of losing points if they didn't remove them. This is what ISU was doing to them the whole season in order to remove the show stopping moves from their programs and hence help friggen DW get ahead.

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    4. 6:44
      That's correct. It was not VM and/or Marina deciding for no reason to tinker with the original program. As much as possible -- aside from their incompetent pr management -- VM were trying to play by the ISU rules, whereby TPTB have the "right" to tell them in any given competition that something needs to be changed. *In spite* of the fact that "thing" that needs changing was just fine the previous competition. VM know the system is corrupt but it looks like they were trying to go along. They were hoping in the end the skating would speak for itself and the judges would do the right thing.

      Well, the skating DID speak for itself. VM were the clear winners but the judges/ISU never cared about VM. DW were the chosen winnders and screw VM. If they could get VM to water-down their program, so much the better.

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  5. Seasons was very abstract, that may have been one of the reasons many fans had trouble connecting with it. I don't think anyone disputes the quality of the skating. Tessa and Scott are phenomenal and no matter what music or style they choose, they will do it full justice.

    In my personal opinion, it would have been better to shut up about the whole "seasons of our lives" bullshit. They were trying to sell a storyline of loyal, beautiful friendship while at the same time starring in a crap reality show that gave the opposite story.

    There was great dissonance surrounding them that season. On the one hand, the FreeDance was supposed to create these lovely images of love and friendship. On the other hand, there was Scott's OTT annoyance at Tessa and his restlessness to be away from her and in Cassandra's embrace (puke story line, but there you have it). Also, Tessa's whiny attitudes and insecure self-hatred. Ugh.

    Yes, we know the skating is not about storylines or "drama." Yes, they should have been judged strictly on the quality of their skating and nothing else. But because of all this external BS, the public was much less inclined to rise up and condemn the scoring as unjust. They were buying into VM's own screwed-up narratives, that helped blind the public to all the other BS that was happening in the judging. Meryl and Charlie, meanwhile, had a PR continually telling the public how magnificent they were, what super-duper-good-friends they were, blah blah blah... In the public's mind, that was transferred to the skating.

    I'm not saying any of this is okay. It's not okay. None of the judging should include external narratives. But that is the reality of this corrupt sport. And you know what, Tessa and Scott know that and they still chose to shoot themselves in the foot. That's on them and the corrupt, incompetent federation that governs them (Skate Canada).

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    1. 11:26 here and I wanted to add --

      If they had stayed away from "seasons of our lives" (which made it a personal story -- a BS story) and instead sold it as the abstract piece that it was, I think the public would have understood that better. I personally loved Seasons, but not because of anything Tessa and Scott tried to sell me about their "relationship."

      There was so much they could have said about the music, the intricate skating that was needed to do justice to this beautiful music. The work they put in to interpret something abstract on the ice. That would have made much more sense as a story. Not to mention, it would have put the focus on their partnering of skating with music. They could have made the public very interested in their FD project. But they didn't. As usual, the opportunities were squandered to sell their own brand of stupidity. Oh well. And I see they're still at it today.

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    2. You're so right regarding the 2 opposites stories..the skating story line vs reality show. It's truly ridiculous

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    3. Uggh yes. I really hated the "different seasons of a relationship" thing they were trying to sell. It just made it to easy to criticize. It was the wrong program for them to take to the Olympics. If they wanted to stick to their strong suits than fine but they should have been more creative about it and IMO that program didn't have enough fire in it. That is a shitty swan song.

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    4. Ok one thing people need to realize is how badly VM got screwed over on every level. Seasons was far from what you call it. VM did everything that the corrupt organization whispered to them. Carmen and Hip Hip Chin Chin were so dynamic and athletic -they essentially blew DW out of the water in the most glaringly obvious way---they needed to be stopped in order for the OGM heist to happen.. they received word to tone it down -go back to "lyrical"...they nailed it in Seasons...but it supported a narrative "VM haven't grown"...if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....ISU IS CORRUPT SOO CORRUPT IT REEKS.

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    5. Amen, Anon 6:50. However much some fans disliked Seasons, everything about it, especially the skating, BLEW D/W OUT OF THE WATER. D/W's Shez program, especially the skating of that program, was absolute shite and the judges knew it, so much so they had to piggyback their scores off the back of V/M.

      D/W shouldn't have even been top three in the US, that's how crap they are.

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    6. So right, 7:51.
      DW shouldn't have ever been so close to the top, starting from their first year as seniors, where they were scored *just under* VM. The scheming and collusion to get them to the top started years ago. Their scores were always piggybacking VM's scores. Lots and lots of money must have changed hands to make DW gold-medalists. Their skills are not much better than juniors.

      VM are the best. However, I agree they didn't help themselves with the way their people, or SC, managed their image. That crap reality show, plus all the years of shamming, have undermined what should be a narrative of magnificent skaters/skating. All that relationship-crap shouldn't ever be part of their PR. As the best icedancers in the world, perhaps the best ever, that is all that's ever been needed to promote them. It's been reiterated, PR shouldn't factor into the judging. Sadly, it does. VM lose when it comes to PR.

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    7. 8:12 am: it just goes to show that figure skating, specifically ice dance, is not a real sport, if a skater's PR is an influencing factor. We see in other sports, where athlete can commit all kinds of transgressions on the field of play, and it has no outcome on their performance. Case in point: Luis Saurez. He freakin' bit an opponent at the World Cup (and not the first time he's done this, along with hurling racist insults to opponents on other occasions), kicked out of the World Cup, is suspended for the upcoming Copa America, and what happens? He essentially gets a promotion by being transferred to Barcelona, one of the world's most respected football clubs, and goes on to enjoy a fantastic season. However much of an asshole he is, he's an amazing footballer, and that's all his club cares about, and fans, how ever much they hate his disgusting behavior, can't deny his skill.

      As OC has said many times, ice dance and figure skating can get away with this BS because save for a few fans, the general public is dumb as fuck about actual skating.

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    8. "As OC has said many times, ice dance and figure skating can get away with this BS because save for a few fans, the general public is dumb as fuck about actual skating."

      I put it more on the retired skaters who are now the principal commentators. They know skating. They're not idiots, they know the difference between DW and VM and all the other judging shenanigans going on. How hard is it to educate the public while they're in the commentating booth?

      They don't educate the public and they also don't point out what is *really* going on out there on the ice. You know the ISU has an iron-grip control of every level of the sport when commentators like Tracy and Kurt, or Tara and Johnny, toe the line and tell the public DW deserved to win. I've gone back to listen to their Sochi commentating on youtube. It's outrageous. They never tell the truth. What are they so afraid of? That's how corrupt this sport is. It's not that the general public isn't educated. It's the people within the sport who do not allow the general public to see things the way they really are. Or if anyone from the general public attempts an outcry (some rogue journalist, like L'Equipe, or blogs such as this one), they're ignored, bullied or squashed.

      Of course, it doesn't help that skating fans such as you find at FSU or Goldenskate align themselves with the ISU's corruption and do everything they can to prevent accountability. But that's another piece of the puzzle. This post was about the general public and their knowledge, or lack thereof, of skating.

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    9. 10:08: I agree with you, but it all goes back to the ISU. The ISU controls the narrative. The ISU wants an uninformed public, and the commentators have to follow suit, or else they will be out of jobs.

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  6. totally agree 8:12 AM. i think that's what frustrates people. that regardless of VM's inevitable screwing for shitty DW, VM also screwed themselves and helped. commentators are told waht to say, tara lipinsky and kurt browning will not, and shouldnt be expected to go off the script that feeds them.

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  7. 11:32
    Right?
    Like this latest event for VM, the Scotland Gold Medal Plates. It was touted, and it should have been - "Fabulous Ice Dance Olympians at Gold Medal Plates...." yadda yadda.....
    Oh no, VM and their incredible fantastical agents managed to convert this into - "See Scott Moir and his girlfriend Kaitlyn Lawes...." Oh, and Tessa is probably around somewhere too.

    How is this promoting their brand? Or promoting their chemistry? Did I not hear them say that is what their public personas are about? Oh wait - they actually didn't mean what they said. Oh look - their actions are contradicting their words. Look at VM being incompetent.

    *Rolleyes*

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    1. I have to laugh at Tessa tagging Lawes and not Scott. It's clear the message we're meant to take away is look! Lawes is here! she couldn't possibly be a fake gf! And she's friends with Tessa, more proof that this relationship is legit!

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    2. It looks like VM are responding to the blog comments. People here pointed out how bizarre and PR-incompetent this situation turned out to be. Then Tessa goes and posts a photo/tags that imply she and KL are besties and Scott isn't around. Yeah right. *Snicker*

      Try as they might, they will never manage to make their little schemes sound/look genuine.

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    3. The problem is they're trying too hard. Less is more guys. The fans will get the message with a simple picture, no need to hit them over the head with it.

      Tessa's sham is actually a lot more believable because it doesn't come across as relentless promotion of a significant other you refuse to officially acknowledge as such. Post some pics of yourself in Ottawa once in a while - the fans assume you're there to see your bf - goal achieved. I'll never understand why Scott's shams, no matter who the woman is, are always such weirdly elaborate affairs. The more they reach, the more the seams show and the more fake it looks to the dozen or so people who even bother to pay attention. The whole thing is nuts.

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  8. Maybe Klawes is Tessa's girlfriend and Scott's girlfriend.

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    1. lol. They're overcompensating as usual. People pointed out how weird it was that Scott's gf ignored Tessa and so they go overboard in the other direction. They are incapable of presenting a remotely believable relationship.

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    2. "The more they reach, the more the seams show and the more fake it looks to the dozen or so people who even bother to pay attention. The whole thing is nuts."

      Yes^^ And Yes to 12:42.

      They are not believable. Yet, how can they be? It's a hoax from top to bottom, it will inevitably be surrounded by weirdness.

      Something that caught my attention in the part I quoted above was, "the dozen or so people..."

      That's so true. How many fans care about all this and actually follow the details? About a dozen or so on tumbler and twitter who ship VM and agonize at every SO appearance. Then those who come here who don't believe anything VM put out regarding SO's - about another dozen or so?

      How utterly ridiculous is it for VM to be invested in these narratives that are aimed at such a small public. On top of that, they take the time to stage responses to the comments made by this VERY SMALL GROUP of people. Talk about nuts. These people are morons. Their agents and management teams must be equally stupid.

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  9. This tumbler is hysterical. For months now, this person answers all questions as if they're inside VM's lives. They know what their desires post-skating are, what they wish they could do, their goals, their feelings toward each other and towards the alleged SO's. All sorts of gems. The funniest part is they don't bother calling it fan fiction. They think this is for reals. Bwahahahahaha

    http://this-is-an-open-letter.tumblr.com/

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  10. What the hell is up with Scott. Dude looks like he's gained 20 lbs since CSOI ended. That can't be healthy?

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  11. Anon at 10:20 pm - if that's the case - well to me it signals that Scott in not in a good place mentally and usually that type of weight gain is mostly alcohol. In the end - Scott is ultimately responsible for taking care of himself and respecting his body. But at the same time the curling crowd can't be a great influence in the drinking department. Also I get the impression that KLawes ego has grown a bit since last summer. According to the one of the participants in Scotland - KLawes posed with her gold medal with this couple. I don't see pictures of VM with their medals with this couple. I've said this before - I am hoping that Scott defines himself as an individual and finds an outlet for his positive attributes. Christine Nesbitt recently retired - perhaps Scott should give her a ring.

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    1. He's barely recognizable as Olympic medallist Scott Moir these days. https://instagram.com/p/3-OEkNnCUV/

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    2. What are you talking about. Scott looks just fine. He's grown up now, he's not going to look like a boy anymore, but he's still in great shape and in shape to skate if that's what he and Tessa want to do.

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    3. He doesn't look fine for me either. Lawes' sucked all the life out of him

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    4. Scott has gained an alarming amount of weight. Seriously, he was an elite athlete for how many years? He knows better than most the importance of healthy eating and exercise and within just a couple of months he's put on so much weight and he doesn't care.

      https://instagram.com/p/4CTOiBHCRQ/?taken-by=missmiku

      LOOK at the difference!!! Tessa is in crazy shape and Scott is just wasting away. . . I don't think Tessa would allow Scott to let go like this if he was her husband either. Dude needs some kind of intervention. I wonder if Tessa has said anything.

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    5. "I wonder if Tessa has said anything."

      I bet she hasn't said anything because she wants him dead. That way she can get out of the marriage cleanly and won't be obligated to skate ever again. Maybe she's hoping she can turn it into a Gordeeva type thing where she can mourn the loss of her "best friend" and then cash it in by writing books, selling jewelry, and launching a fashion line that allows her to focus her grieving energy into something "positive" and "empowering."

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    6. i wonder if his bloat is the reason he's not in any of the scotland bff pics

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  12. Alcohol abuse is basically the only thing that can explain the changes in Scott's appearance. To my eyes, it also appears that his demeanour has changed as well. Depression is a nasty beast.

    It doesn't really matter if Tessa is his wife or not, I just hope she doesn't give up on him.

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    1. He has not gained an "alarming" amount of weight (12:37). Yes, he probably has gained a few pounds. His face looks fuller, but it's not "alarming." We don't know that alcohol is to blame. He has basically been away from home, having fun for over 2 months - SOI, Mexico, Scotland. If I was lucky enough to have those opportunities, I would gain weight too.

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    2. Agreed with 1:46. He does not look out of shape either.

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    3. @1.46 fuller? he doesn't look like the person from his own twitter cover pic

      When Tessa gained a bit of weight there was a hysteria on the blog. Scott gains much more, constantly looks depressed and people find billion exuses.

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    4. Maybe it's because we know that Scott isn't hiding a pregnancy, unlike Tessa.

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    5. "It doesn't really matter if Tessa is his wife or not, I just hope she doesn't give up on him"

      Give up on him?! Literally laughing out loud!! Tessa's the one that's causing all the problems in the first place. If she just admitted that they're a married couple, none of this crap would need to happen and Scott could be a happy guy, proud to be married to Tessa and coaching skating in Canada. But Tessa had other ideas...and now you see the result.

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  13. Scott has shown considerable weight gain in his abdominal area as well, evident even in January from the pictures at the Art on Ice shows which could be considered similar to a "beer gut".

    He also does not look happy in many of the recent photos especially ones with KLawes.

    Scott seems to be suffering like some do when they retire from sports or work and are not able to adjust to the change in lifestyle. Some athletes especially, do not handle the lack of structure and training well and the result is unhealthy in many respects. There are counseling programs available for recently retired athletes who are having trouble coping and Scott would be well advised to seek this help regardless of whether they have "officially" retired or not.

    The Ice Dance team of Virtue and Moir no longer exists.. Tessa is off doing her own glamor thing and Scott is floundering

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    1. Um, I went to SOI in May and most of what u said isn't true. He's very much in shape

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    2. I was also at SOI in May and there was nothing similar to a "beer gut" on Scott. What is with this ridiculous hysteria? He gained some weight after last year, but it lost most of it by the time SOI started, and he made comments himself that he didn't want to be out of shape. Yet the way posters on here are talking, he's an obese alcoholic loser who needs to attend rehab. Can we stop with the fan fiction please?

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  14. Lol at the 2 gifs where u wrote "oh come on". I found watching that program INCREDIBLY boring and unrefined .

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  15. Who is "Miku Graham"? Tessa's new agent? Why else is she the one tweeting all the pictures?

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  16. You know, every time OC used to say that V/M hate their fans, I used to think she was crazy. After this Scotland escapade, I think she is right.

    Tessa and Scott were invited as a team to this GMP Scotland event. The event is supposed to raise money for Canadian athletes. That means this is a *job* for them. They are supposed to be tweeting/posting, as a team, to raise awareness of GMP, to encourage people to donate to support Canadian Olympians, etc. Instead Scott has disappeared and Tessa is using this as an opportunity to tell everyone how much she likes Klawes??? Oh, and to remind everyone of a bursary event for the Ilderton Skating Club that isn't happening for months. Stupid.

    Unfortunately, this isn't the first time such bullshit has happened. Rather, this is in line with all the other times there was so much weirdness -- the "documentary" in which Tessa and Scott pretended to live lives that weren't their own (and then tried to blame the editing for why the show looked so fake), the time Tessa disappeared from a shuttle bus in Korea, the way Jessica Dube was featured prominently in a carriage ride around Ilderton, but then wasn't even seated in the same row during the speeches....the constant fakery is unbelievable. It screws with fans who are trying to make logical sense of actions, and trying to believe that their heroes aren't lying at every turn. At some point though, even the most loyal fan will just give up.

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  17. 8:14. Who knows who is to blame for their constant bullshit, as exhibited prominently in this latest publicity fiasco. What is intended as promotion and fundraising for Canadian athletes, VM have used to simply make new bff's and showcase kaitlyn lawes. Really, who gives a rip about their precious bffs and traveling groupie. You'd think they were invited to high school summer camp and the objective is relationship building. The public needed to be alerted about this spectacular VM event? WHY?

    Then, when their public obediently pays attention and looks for posts or photos (they did promote this event, practically telling the listeners to please take notice), we have the present bullshit.

    I can't bring myself to say they hate their fans. I will say this. Many many fans have left this fandom. I've been around since VM's junior years, when the buzz surrounding them was exciting and happy. Who could have foreseen such major screw-up's in their PR. I personally know so many fans who have left in disgust.

    VM may be terribly wonderful and darling to those who meet them in person. They are not that way towards that abstract fandom out there. Towards them they are continually throwing crap. Who can blame the fans who leave.

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    Replies
    1. they really do suck at PR and doing their jobs as spokespeople. I look at meryl who is just such a PRO when it comes to her professional PR and spokesperson obligations. she SUCKS as a skater, but is wonderful at the other stuff. unreal really how entitled spoiled and straight up stupid virtue and moir are.

      Delete
  18. Agree with the above 8:14 and 10.02 posts. The GMP paying tourists really got taken if they expected as promoted, that Virtue and Moir would be the attending Celebrity Olympic Athletes. Instead of meeting what should have been their obligations, VM brought along KLawes and her gold medal for photo ops and celebrity perceived opportunities for her, even though she was not part of the original cast.

    Tessa and Scott do not deserve to have any more Gold Medal Plate opportunities or to reap some of the athlete benefits from these programs. Their behavior and publicity stunts as shown in limited photos posted by others with this Scotland fiasco shows how inept they are at public appearances and responsibilities. Great examples of horrible public relations though.

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  19. Agreed with 11:02.

    While motives and reasoning are unknown, such as whether they hate their fans, the actions should effect outcomes. I agree VM do not deserve any further benefits from GMP.

    These behaviours are patterns they have engaged in since I've known who VM are--going on 8 yrs now. They use expected pr events and appearances to piss all over the most loyal fan-following. So what if those fans ship them and act silly on social media. It's not VM's job to concern themselves with fan-think. VM should be building endorsement-pr empires instead of turning these opportunities into sham opportunities. The fans end up confused, resulting in a continual revolving door of people who are leaving the fandom and new ones coming in (many of who will also end up leaving due to these bullshit behaviours).

    If the results are more limited pr opportunities for VM, I cannot feel sorry for them.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The few photos focusing on the new bff's and /or traveling groupie wouldn't be a problem if VM were doing their job of promoting both the event (charity or fundraiser) and VM.

    They aren't stupid. VM, the fans and the sponsor event all understand that the draw is *Virtue and Moir the Olympic Champions and Canada Sweethearts.* It's disingenuous for VM to turn it around to be gf/bf-focused, or focused on Tessa with bff or Scott with bff. Heck, as per their usual, they are putting out minimal effort and leaving the promotion up to others' photos. These antics are the actions that show the seams of the fakery and piss-on-fans attitudes.

    I've never understood how a team that should be the most easily marketable commodity in Canada has managers that allow these kinds of stunts.

    Agreed that they don't deserve to be associated with gold medal plates. For that matter, these actions don't deserve any major sponsorship.

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  21. With regards to GMP in Tuscany - Helen Upperton and Jesse Lumsden did a decent job on social media. Marnie McBean went on a trip earlier this year. I am disappointed in VM's non-efforts especially since GMP raises funds for athletes a la CanFund. If anyone should appreciate this - it's Scott and his financial background. I have to agree with one of the poster's above that indicated that KLawes has sucked the life out of Scott. What happened to the Scott that in 2009 wore a t-shirt and the word enthusiasm to describe his feelings towards his skating. In general what has happened to this happy go lucky guy - besides getting screwed by the ISU and Skate Canada....
    And if Scott is interested in sports-casting or future charity events - he needs to get more involved on social media. If Roger Federer can do it - Scott should be able to. Its not about volume - its about awareness. And I am not a huge advocate of social media but it does have its place.
    Tessa didn't exactly do much better - especially considering her new management group specializes in Canadian Olympic athletes.
    As for KLawes - well let's just say - curling is not exactly an expensive sport and there is no comparison in the sacrifices that VM made over their 17 years of skating. KLawes was lucky in that she came into an already strong team of curlers - especially Dawn McEwan and Jennifer Jones. Here's to team Homan or team Sweeting getting better.

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  22. VM have such an ingrained, automatic knee-jerk response to publicity. They hide the real VM, pretend off ice lack of friendship, pose with pseudo intimacy with everyone while acting like they forgot the other one is around. Their behaviour says they consider the fans the enemy.

    They've never grown out of the teen years' way of presenting themselves. All these new friendships have benefited their personal publicity, claiming VM as their new besties, including Klawes. It's nothing but self promotion. VM simply let it happen, they themselves giving no more than perfunctory publicity to the event. As for publicity for whatever they call their personal brand, what a joke.

    It's also apparent the new besties are now on board with VM's sham. I'll not be able to see any future public association with these people without suspicion. That's what VM do. They get other public figures and agencies to work it for them (TSN, WNetwork, etc.). Roots has been the only company that has shown integrity when it came to dealing with VM.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Is this coincidence?
    Up thread it's been said VM's terrible PR does not deserve the Gold Medal Plates sponsorship. Lo and behold, GMP posts a photo of Scott with fake girlfriend. It's been pointed out VM have multiple entities assisting their web of lies. GMP is officially part of this hoax.
    I have no respect.
    https://twitter.com/GoldMedalPlates/status/611557845692104704

    ReplyDelete
  24. After all !!! Tessa and Scott are married? are boyfriends? or Scott is boyfriend of Kaitlyn Lawes? now became very confused. After seeing old posts that talk about T & S are married, other site T&S has a platonic love. And on another website something about Scott wanting to devote to relationship with Kaitlyn Lawes?

    ReplyDelete
  25. 12:16
    Take the time to read the blog.
    The premise here is not based on speculations, wishes, fantasies nor fanfiction. OC has said, and others have corroborated, that they have first-hand knowledge of Tessa and Scott's true personal status.

    Due to the real *facts* it is easy enough to see the holes in their fake narratives. KL and all other supposed SO's are for the sake of publicity to hide the real facts. The question of why they do this is up for debate and speculation but the *fact* that they're married and have children is not.

    There are many examples of this same type of course of action in the entertainment industry, this is not VM's brainchild. Again, the speculations revolve around the reasons why VM or their handlers thought their star of fame reached such a stratospheric level as to think this was needed.

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  26. I have thought for a while now that I really wished V/M would get more invovled in causes for charity. They're some of the most high profile athletes in Cananda and a lot of athletes are involved in causes like Right to Play and mental health awareness and many have been involved for several years. Scott always talks about wanting to give back, especially to young athletes, but we haven't seen much evidence of that. And while it's fun to love fashion and photo shoots, all the stuff Tessa does on her own time is self-serving and superficial (I feel like that jewellery company just pays lip service to wanting to "empower" women. How exactly are they doing that? They never say.) Although, as we've seen with GMP, they're not professional enough to remove their private lives from their work, so maybe it's for the best that they're not involved in a high profile causes - those charities deserve better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's also entirely possible that charities are less willing to work with people who are shamming.

      Delete
    2. I happen to know that Scott gives back a lot to various charities around Canada. He especially likes to work on charities/events focused on children. The problem is, he never advertises it. Sometimes, the charity will tweet or post a picture, but many times, it goes completely under the radar. That's something that won't change though -- Scott doesn't care if no one knows what he's doing charity-wise.

      Delete
    3. Even Davis and White have been involved in that Classroom Champs program for a few years. V/M have never done anything like that.

      Delete
    4. Even if Scott doesn't care about whether others know about his charity work, doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose having a public figure involved with a cause? I imagine most places would like to have their cause/event publicized for visibility and awareness. Now that he has twitter, it wouldn't take that long for him to send out a short message.

      Delete
    5. They have been involved in stuff like that -- they just don't milk every PR drop out of it the way D/W do. They don't milk any PR drops at all.

      Delete
    6. Possibly a result of her coming from money, but Tessa's public persona is incredibly vapid. She comes across as an out-of-touch rich girl who prefers glitz and glam over activities of substance. Also seems to fish for compliments by releasing picture over picture from those random photoshoots she's done - the pics are never attached to a magazine or event, just shoots that are done for vanity's sake.

      Delete
    7. 6:33
      Agreed Tessa comes across as vapid. I don't think it's because of her family background. It's because she does not share the real Tessa, wife and mommy. Since she refuses to be real, she's relegated to oohing and aahing over high-heels and fashion. Too bad. the real Tessa would be a much better role model than Miss Fashionista.

      Delete
    8. 12:28 -- What makes you think the "real Tessa" is different from the one that appears on social media?

      Delete
  27. 3:49. I was hoping to see a big push in charity work. The Ilderton golf fundraiser doesn't count. I'm very happy for Tessa and her fashion gigs, but yeah, more charity work from them as a team would be the right direction.

    It doesn't look like GMP is professional enough to stay out of VM's hoax. They obviously don't care if VM themselves are behaving professionally.

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  28. For all their talk (esp from Tessa) about loving the business side of sport, V/M manage to fail spectacularly time and time again in their branding and visibility. They don't seem to realize that they're getting in their own way by using the same juvenile tactics they've used since becoming seniors. Or maybe they do know, but just don't care...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They do know, and they are doing what they want to do. It looks crazy to you and me, but their PR is exactly how they want it.

      Delete
    2. It's all fine and good that they prefer a quiet pr and little or no publicity about their charity involvements. However, to blow off responsible and professional promotion of big events like GMP only shows the general inept pr that characterizes so much of their public personas. They themselves talked up this event. It is very unprofessional to have used it instead to promote a fake gf, a fake narrative. This was very badly done. It was also spitting in fans' faces.

      Like it was said before. In private VM seem to be all that is sweet and nice. Towards fans that are not in peson, they lie and mock.

      Delete
    3. It's very unprofessional even if the girlfriend and narrative were true...
      maybe they can change the name of the golf tournament...Virtue-Lawes-Moir or simply Lawes-Moir at this point.

      Delete
    4. You know it's bad when all of the tumblr girls are wondering what has gone wrong and why there's been nary a peep from V/M for almost 2 weeks now. Great way to promote GMP and encourage donations, guys.

      Delete
    5. Great way to promote themselves! This is what I mean by being unkind to fans. V/M as "brand" depend on fans. Tessa as a businesswoman selling jewelry and fashion depends on fans. Their entire lives, they've never really had to work at having fans, because their skating drew fans to them. Most people would kill to have fans such as V/M have -- fans who will defend their idols no matter what weirdness or inconsistencies arise. All these fans want is a crumb from their favorites -- a photo, a message, something. How long does it take to snap a photo and post it on twitter/instagram? Seconds. What would the payoff of be? Fans deliriously happy, ready to do whatever their idols tell them to do. Like buy whatever jewelry they're hawking. Or buy tickets to their shows. I would think the payoff is worth the seconds it takes, but of course, I'm not V or M.

      Delete
    6. I know, the way these two have behaved in Scotland is so utterly unprofessional it's mind boggling. Neither promoted anything about GMP or about supporting Canadian athletes. This was not a vacation! They were there to work as a team, but that concept seems to have been lost on them. When one of them managed to tweet, it was as if the other partner had disappeared; they also tweeted things promoting other upcoming events, but not about the event they were currently a part of. WTF??! If I were another charity, this performance wouldn't make me want to sign them on. V/M obviously derive some kind of pleasure from jerking fans around b/c they've been playing the same stupid games for so many at this point - they get the fans excited about something and then go and do the opposite.

      Delete
  29. This fandom is a piece of art. Their newest kink is to shout " sexism ! " whenever criticizes Tessa. She's a sacred cow that mustn't be questioned and if you do you're anti-feminism. Smdh.

    ReplyDelete
  30. 9:48. Sweetie, you must be in the wrong place. I think you were looking for the tumbler fans. This place has no sacred cows nor the fanfiction views of Tessa and Scott so prevalent over there.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I read an essay by Sean Avery on life after hockey and he said some very interesting things that made me think about Scott.

    "Some guys can’t handle this dramatic change right away. Most take a year to relax and “figure things out,” which in some ways is the worst thing you can do, because the the most jarring thing about the real world is the lack of structure. After having your meals, workouts, sleep and travel completely regimented for an entire career, suddenly you have all this free time and it becomes incredibly unnerving"

    "A lot of guys wish they could get back to where they were but that’s the first thing that has to stop. And once you realize that all the things that allowed you to play your sport at the highest level — all the discipline and commitment and perseverance and talent will serve you well after you retire — you’re ready to start training for the new season. It’s the one called “the rest of your life.”

    I think its the lack of structure that's really messed with Scott. He doesn't look healthy, whereas Tessa does and she has many things going for her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Scott looks fine, 11:48. Your whole post is built on the premise that something is wrong with Scott. Based on what? The public sees at most 1% of their lives, how can you know what's going on?

      It's a fanfic idea that Scott has nothing to do and Tessa has things going on. From there, fans imagine that Scott doesn't look good and they start building all sorts of scenarios to support their own fabricated stories.

      It's a fake narrative that they lead separate lives. It's a fake narrative that Scott has nothing to do but hang out at curling events. Klawes is a beard "girlfriend" to hide and protect Scott's real relationship with Tessa.

      Another comment in here mentioned all the work Scott does behind the scenes with children's charities. Scott is fine. It's the fanfic fans who are full of BS.

      Delete
    2. 12.20 you don't see how much he's changed because you are clinged to the idea that he is Tessa's husband which means he has no choice but to be happy

      The public sees 1% of their lives and it's in pictures. His face is bloated. His eyes don't have the usual sparkle. He looks awkward with and without Lawes.It's really hard not to notice that. But keep ignoring the change if it doesn't suit your storyline

      Delete
    3. 12:46. No one said he had to be happy just because he's married to Tessa. None of the things you think you are seeing in him need to be related to Tessa nor KL nor whether he's married or not.

      You think his eyes look different. Whatever, but stop with all the assertions you know why.

      Delete
    4. I have to agree that Scott does not look like his former self. When you compare him with Charlie White and Fabian Bourzat, who retired at the same time as him, you see a huge difference. Charlie is doing choreo and helping with the teams at Canton as well as touring while Fabian is coaching and advising skaters. It seems to me that Scott was unprepared for life after skating and that harkens back to what Mr. Avery said in his piece that athletes cut their education short and they don't normally think about a life after their skating career. Charity work, while admirable, is not a full time career. He let his health go and he doesn't seem to have any aim in life other than travel the world with his buddies and gain weight. Scott is such an incredibly talented skater and performer its kind of sad to see how things are shaping up for him. And I am not making generalizations here, anyone with eyes and access to social media can chart Scott's weight gain and lack of work obligations in the year since his retirement. I hope he finds his way soon.

      Delete
  32. So I am curious what are you going to say to explain the future engagement of Scott and Kaitlyn?

    ReplyDelete
  33. To anon at 7:03 pm - one thing that has crossed my mind in terms of Scott and coaching is perhaps he is being black-listed at least in North America. We know the judging is corrupt, USFSA is not a fan of VM and I can assume that Jacqui White would not want Scott coaching at Canton or anywhere in Detroit. And honestly who knows what Skate Canada thinks of Scott or VM. And we know that IMG is not VM friendly. Also I think we tend to forget that the number of ice shows has decreased even since 2010 - where by far Yuna's shows must have been the most successful. I mean you look at DW - there schedule was busy due to DWTS - not necessarily skating. I think we underestimate how close Scott was probably to the coaching staff at Canton - whether it was Igor, Marina or Johnny Johns. And then to see Marina cut off Igor and then see your situation within a rink deteriorate etc., well perhaps the "ugly" side of skating and its politics would make you think twice whether this is what you want to do. As for preparing for life after skating - can we say that Eric Radford, Dylan Moscovitch, Rudi Sweigers, Patrick Chan - all of whom are returning to competition are better prepared than Scott?
    But like most posters here - I also wish the best for Scott.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think he's being backlisted in terms of coaching. I think the problem is that he can't really sign up to be a coach of an elite team if he thinks he will be competing in this same cycle. If they're still waffling about that, it's a hard place to be in.

      He could perhaps consider developmental coaching, but I wonder if what he'd really like to do is elite coaching ... in which case, he needs to be sure he's retired.

      Delete
  34. Anon here at 9:27 pm - just wanted to add that unless you followed hockey closely, Sean Avery is not what I would label a great role model in sports. Guy was a goon, dirty player and made derogatory comments off the ice that the NHL suspended him on a handful of occasions. Interestingly enough, Sean Avery is an ex of Elisha Cuthbert - one of Tessa's supposedly besties.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I don't know about the rest of y'all but if Tessa and Scott are married, I'm pretty sure they're headed for divorce as we speak. These past few months have sure been icy between them.

    ReplyDelete
  36. To the anon at June 18 at 6:33 pm - I agree that Tessa's media presence does come off as vapid. She is going to milk this jewelry line through the summer and naturally be at the Toronto Film Festival. I have no problem with her pursuing business opportunites and wanting to be part of the fashion world or be a celebrity. More power to her. Both Scott and her are individuals. And as long as they respect each other on a professional level - I am good with it. But if I suspect that VM are retired from competition - then just announce it and let everyone get on with their lives.
    As for Scott - again speculating - this guy is low key and doesn't need to be in the spotlight. I also get the impression that Kate Virtue hasn't exactly been his biggest fan. Lastly - I get the impression that Scott looks for someone who has a healthy relationship with their parents. We know that Tessa adores her mom. Mr. Virtue - not so sure.
    I just hope they do continue to skate professionally together for the forseeable future.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Here's a sane explanation of weirdness for you. Tessa sacrificed their brand so Scott could be happy and Lawes could feel safe in a relationship. Real people feelings >>> fans' feelings

    ReplyDelete
  38. 6:37 - agreed. I have no problem with her pursuing these projects, especially as there is such a small window to capitalize on them in such a niche sport and it seems to be a passion of hers. I just wish that she had other projects/causes to balance those activities out, so that she doesn't come across so spoiled and vapid; to do things that expose her to other classes of people. All her charity work is fashion related with rich donors...people who went on the GMP trip had to spend thousands to go on it; even their golf tournament requires a lot of money to participate. We've seen unpublicized pics of Scott visiting and skating with athletes from the Special Olympics - I really don't get the sense that Tessa does anything like that, which is a shame.

    Re: Scott and Kate Virtue - people always say its fan fiction Kate doesn't like Scott and perhaps it is, but I've also gotten the same impression from her over the years and even on that awful show they did. She seems snobby and like she looks down on Scott and his familly. And, yeah, Jim Virtue seems very reserved, but Tessa never ever mentions him, he's like a ghost.

    ReplyDelete
  39. If she did sacrifice their brand, it was a highly stupid decision. I don't care one way or the other whether Tessa and Scott are together/will get together. But this wasn't some kind of personal trip, they should have been professional enough to separate their personal lives and work responsibilites. They were booked as a team, not as individuals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe it is, maybe it's not but she values his happiness and wants Scott and Kaitlyn's relationship to work

      Delete
    2. 10:24. Please. Stop it with the fanfiction.

      Delete
    3. @10.24 Now Tessa will continue her European vacation (presumably in Turkey) as confirmed by multiple sources and Scott&Kaitlyn will show up somewhere in Canada. Such a perfect marriage VM have. Never a moment together

      Delete
    4. 10.52 Oh look, Canadian #1 couple has already been spotted on home soil. Next step - finding out Tessa's in Europe

      Delete
    5. And right on cue, Tessa's in London. God, they are so hilariously predictable.

      Delete
    6. 8.30 They're not predictable, they just aren't a couple.

      Tessa waved goodbye to her business partner and his girlfriend and finally went on her own vacation.

      Delete
    7. Predictable in the sense that Scott and Lawes are a real couple so it's not odd at all that they are traveling home together. And VM don't have skating obligations for more than a week so it's not odd Tessa would add a little vacation of her own. All things predictable in it's how normal couples behave and how a young woman who enjoys traveling would behave.

      Delete
    8. 10:16
      Predictably normal IF the scenarios of these separate lives and separate SO's were true . The problem here is there's a married couple (confirmed by credible sources and no I'm not sharing who those sources are) pretending to have SO's and pretending to lead separate lives.

      Before you throw a fit stay with me here for a moment. WHAT IF Scott and Tessa are married and you know that for a solid fact. Absolutely rock-solid. So then, where does that lead you when you see all this other stuff they're doing? Say you know they're not separated as a couple, not divorced. We're left with trying to figure out What The Hell they're doing. This is not hate and not fanfiction. We really want them to quit the bullshit and be the lovely people we know them to be. Without all this bullshit.

      Delete
    9. They are obviously in a polyamorous relationship with Kaitlyn Lawes.

      And I really don't care who your "credible sources" are because I don't believe they are married and still wouldn't even if I knew who was spreading that info.

      Delete
    10. 11:52
      You would treat other information in this same manner? Ignore facts and/or credible sources if it disagrees with your personal opinions? Please.

      Delete
    11. If an anonymous person on the internet posted "hey kate virtue told me that vm are married with kids," shockingly I still would not believe that anonymous internet person.

      Delete
    12. 3:05
      I wouldn't believe that either.
      Your mistake is believing that people who say they *know* got their information from some anonymous internet source.

      Delete
    13. I never said that. I was responding to "(confirmed by credible sources and no I'm not sharing who those sources are)." No one is asking for your sources boo.

      Delete
    14. Ok, we all know who the main source is. It's a credible yet an internet person. And, no, I still don't believe them even though they are the reason a lot of people joined the dark side

      A person who, you think, knows the truth and is credible to you could have been fooled as well. Nobody's sources have any real connection to the Virtue/Moir's families

      Delete
    15. 3:39. You see all and you know all.
      (*rolleyes*)

      Delete
  40. Anon at 9:49 am - anon at 6:37 am here. Do I think that Tessa and her mom are status- oriented - yes. I mean you look at Tessa's fascination with British royalty and how impressed she is by them and as you indicated she loves to mingle/connect with the well to do and that's fine - but I don't think she has a desire to go blue collar. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the finer things in life and I appreciate them but they don't define me. Jewelry is not empowering women neither does fashion. You want real role models - how about the parents of mentally or physically disabled children/adults, single parents of either gender, caregivers, big brother volunteers, teachers, nurses etc.
    I think both Tessa and Scott as individuals have great potential to succeed and grow as people. Oddly enough there are times when I think Scott should be more selfish and think of himself, how to better himself and try things that he wasn't allowed to do before (like learning to surf etc).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tessa's image as fashion-lover and lover of high-class pursuits is carefully cultivated. Not that it is not her at all, it probably is to a certain degree. She's clearly comfortable in that environment. But the excessive PR in that direction, and that direction exclusively, is deliberate.

      She is not a one-dimensional person, as this PR suggests. An elite athlete who has learned to partner successfully with another person (more difficult than it appears), who is also a successful student and obviously loved by her family and friends, is not going to be a shallow, vapid person, in spite of a vapid PR.

      Scott enjoys the finer things of life just as much (his love of golf, his ease in the same high-class pursuits as Tessa), he just doesn't have a PR that is pushing that aspect of his life. Maybe they just haven't decided how to market him. For now, I agree with all the comments that point out his PR, such as it is, portrays him as beer-guzzling redneck. I doubt that's the image they're going for, that's why I think it looks like his "image" is still being decided. It looks like they've been concentrating only on Tessa's PR. It will be interesting to see if they try to market Scott in a particular kind of image, as they have done with Tessa.

      Really, what sells the most is Tessa-Scott as one unit but they don't seem to be interested in that kind of PR for themselves. They've talked big about their "brand" but that's obviously bullshit. They aren't interested in their "brand." Evidenced in the Scotland trip where they allowed all the "promotion" to be about the curler groupie that accompanied them. For all practical purposes, there was no such thing as a "VM" at this event. Shrug. That's what they want? Fine. Destroy the VM fandom. I'm sure there are plenty fans who are happy to be only a fan of "Tessa Virtue" or only of "Scott Moir."

      Now Tessa can go back to her fashionista PR (deliberately cultivated image) and Scott to his whatever-PR that is really a nothing. This is what they want.

      Delete
  41. 2:00 pm -- you obviously haven't been following VM for long. The "beer-guzzling redneck" image has been as carefully cultivated for Scott as "fashionista" was for Tessa. That's exactly how his PR wants to market him. Stupid, because that really isn't him at all. Fear of appearing gay or as a lightweight made the pendulum swing ridiculously far in the other direction. Ultimately, Scott bears the blame for not standing up for himself and being proud of who his is. Unfortunate.

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    Replies
    1. 2:00 pm also has it wrong with the "what sells the most is Tessa-Scott as one unit but they don't seem to be interested in that kind of PR for themselves." What a laugh. That's the only PR they are interested in! They love setting people up to obsess about their relationship/togetherness, only to pull the rug out from under them. They've done this same thing a countless number of times. Watch -- within a few short weeks, they'll start putting out tweets and pics that suggest they are closer than ever once again. Fans will get all excited, and then this same crap will happen all over again, and fans will kill themselves in sadness. It would be amusing to watch, if it weren't so pathetic.

      Delete
  42. I'm not sure who started these bits of fan fiction where Kate hates Scott and Tessa isn't close to her dad. Both are completely untrue. The Virtue and Moir families are extremely close. Much of the PR idiocy surrounding Tessa and Scott happens because of this closeness -- no one is left with a clear eye as to how stupid it all is, so no one stops it.

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  43. Are Tessa and Klawes dating each other?

    ReplyDelete
  44. "She is not a one-dimensional person, as this PR suggests. An elite athlete who has learned to partner successfully with another person (more difficult than it appears), who is also a successful student and obviously loved by her family and friends, is not going to be a shallow, vapid person, in spite of a vapid PR. "

    There are plenty of successful, well loved people who are as shallow and dumb as it can get. The things you've listed say nothing about a person's personaluty.

    If Tessa wanted to empower women she'd actually support women but instead she keeps telling women that fashion is the only way for a woman to make a statement.
    And who can say this isn't what Tessa truly believes ? Because you believe her PR is fake doesn't mean that the " real " Tessa isn't shallow.

    Rich, privileged Tessa chose this path instead of actually helping women in need - that makes the REAL Tessa incredible selfish, vain and shallow, just like the Tessa her PR is selling us. In fact, it makes the real Tessa even worse than her public persona.

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    Replies
    1. Tessa probably think that she empower women because she "the goddess" "her royal highness" tells them that they are beautiful, talented etc etc....
      She is so full of herself...and sooooo insecure

      Delete
    2. Hmm, so Tessa's in London on another vacation and what does she post? Herself swooning over the shoes at Harrod's. Nice...hope the pretty, spoiled princess enjoys herself. Excuse me while I barf.

      Delete
    3. @12:48. It's a way to post something on SM while avoiding anything real about her life. Vapid, but effective. It keeps her fans swooning and she doesn't have to do a thing that has substance--such as give a glimpse of her real life.

      The fans falling over themselves to praise and adore Tessa for being shallow are hysterically ridiculous.

      Delete
    4. I like how her mom shot the "Shoe Heaven" pic so that you can't see the stroller.

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    5. Yeah, I know it's probably a way to avoid sharing anything real, but my god, enough with the shoes and clothes already! Does she do anything else but shop? You can get those same designer brands in Canada and the US - why not take a pic in front of a landmark and maybe some of the thousands of other things London has to offer. What a waste.

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  45. https://mobile.twitter.com/beard_club

    I'm trying to educate myself

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    1. Some are realistic, some are not... Tho the only reason for hiring a beard they list is a celeb being gay

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    2. I noticed that too-that is perhaps the thrust of that Twitter -but I think it's good to look at the pictures with the beards to see the "distance" and also noting some stories show people who have been beards and then later the ex "comes out". Just proving its soooo not uncommon

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  46. What nobody seems to be talking about are the two children VM allegedly have, one of them still a baby. Where are they ? Tessa couldn't have brought them to Scotland, high rollers usually don't appreciate crying babies at their cocktail parties. And now Tessa is in England while Scott is flying back to Canada.
    Would Tessa abandon a 6 months old baby just to entertain the handful of people on this blog ?

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    1. 1:19.
      Assumption: that she "couldn't have" taken children to Scotland (why not? we have no idea when/if she takes her children any and/or all places she goes).

      Assumption: Tessa's actions are directed to entertaining this blog. Oh come on. I believe she's hoaxing the public but to think it's to get back at a handful of fans isn't rational. Even if that might be the case, it's speculation only (highly doubtful).

      Assumption: High rollers wouldn't appreciate crying babies. We have no idea about this particular group of people and this also assumes the children are whiney and annoying.

      There are hundreds of possibilities when it comes to traveling with children. Arrangements made for their care while at an event; arrangements made for kid-friendly activities; traveling with a nanny or family member who acts as nanny; arranging shifts between Scott and Tessa... who knows. So many scenarios are possible.

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    2. @2:19pm Even if Tessa takes her kids every where with her, it still wouldn't explain why a family guy like Scott would willingly spend so much time far away from his kids when he's travelling to KL's competitions, weddings or concert while Tessa is attending events thousands of miles away from him.

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  47. can someone just post photographic proof of VM together from their hometown and be done with it? how has real evidence never been unearthed?

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  48. Real evidence has been unearthed, so many times. The problem is the fandom never believes it. It's like the bathtub ducks video. Actual video footage of a woman giving Scott and Tessa bathtub toys, telling them they are for the new baby, congratulating them, and Scott and Tessa accepting the congratulations. It's not even like this was grainy iPhone footage with the sound muted. This was hi-def video broadcast on a national network. But yet, the fandom is still like "I need proof!" Who is this random baby Scott and Tessa are accepting bathtub toys for? If you ask the fandom, they'll rationalize it a million different ways without stopping to think for one second how completely weird it is to give Scott and Tessa baby toys for someone else's baby.

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    1. Not @4:57 pm, but there was also that one interview they did with CBC where you can hear a baby or small child crying. I remember some of the ridiculous things fans were coming up with to rationalize that. With all that said I do wish there was more concrete proof even though I do believe VM are shamming.

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    2. @4.57 The woman could have just been one of this' blog fans. Her ability to buy toys doesn't make her credible.

      You think they wouldn't accept the ducks if it was a lie? How completely weird would it be if they didn't accept a gift from a fan? What would it even look like on tv???

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    3. If you watch the clip Tess looks very uncomfortable and Scott appreciative. Also you must find it odd the difference in Tessa's body say from 2010 to that video. Also, OC can chime in here-I think there was a fimiliarity with the person/people who called them over and that's why they went. And ALSO for previous commenter-I'm pretty sure this blog wasn't at its popularity (not sure if it existed??) during that competition. Your theory has so many stretches. If you say VM had a kid (please look at that leopard dress photo with Ashley Wagner!!!!!) and got a present for their new baby, there's really not that many stretches

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    4. could VM hear the woman offering the rubber duckie over thousands of screaming people? video audio is not same. i mean a family pic, them and teh baby, them together for real. i mean enuff already, someone just tail them take some pics and end this nonsense.

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    5. "Someone just tail them" -really? Why don't you and then make sure you come here and post it RIGHT AWAY.

      There are many reasons why you wouldn't do that (such as the fact that it's illegal to stalk people) so don't demand others do it for u.

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    6. @12.39 Stop pretending that the only thing that prevents you from posting picture is ethics. You neither has the pictures nor has a chance to take them. Just like everyone else here

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    7. No one has pictures or video proof because there is nothing.

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    8. You know this how, 10:18?

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    9. 10:18 correct . No proof at all, in the end it is just someone that puts Tessa down at every chance they get. When she wasn't on twitter she was hiding things, now she is on twitter and she is shallow and high maintenance. And Scott , well he doesn't get the hate Tessa gets but at times they are highly critical of him . These two people spend most of their lives practicing, skating and competing, seems no one here wants them to have an actual life and enjoy the things they missed out on.
      And 12:39 it will never happen because you can't prove a negative.
      Stop and think for a minute who benefits when people think V/M are shamming......not V/M,,,,perhaps some other skater....think about it.

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    10. 5:37.. Lovely fanfiction. Point of view of Tessa and Scott's *real* life and *real* feelings, naturally. You also *know* skaters who benefit from this blog. Wow. You are privy to a lot.
      Pfffttt.

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  49. Comment from one of T cousins on instagram:"Can't wait to se you GUYS soon and hear all about the trip!!". Probably RS is not in the past...the perfect boyfriend for a modern independent woman...he really is for "empower women"(for your information he continue to follow on insta almost naked girls etc...)

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  50. Anon at 1:46 am - I don't doubt that RS is in London with T. She gets to go shopping etc and he gets to probably go the Silverstone Grandprix outside of London on july 3-5. He wants the trophy girlfriend and he and his family and connections will fork out the money to make T happy. Its like barbie girl and your typical jock. Just because the guy can speak French and has connections doesn't make him classy. And let's face it it seems that he is perfectly content to play cameraman and be a yes person to T - so naturally T's cousins like him.
    I get the impression that Scott is just more real and although he is a gentleman - I think he wants a real partner in his personal life. Don't get me wrong - I think T has great traits but it appears that she can be high maintenance and she has to be center of attention.
    Just my personal opinion.

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    1. Though she be high maintenance --Scott loves every inch of her and knows her inside and out more than any person in the world. I am not a friend of theirs-this can be easily found out through their own words and actions. Ass grabbing, neck kissing, knee kissing, many caresses and actual kissing. Scott loves Tessa. Scott loves Tessa. He can't hide it. I actually have some level of respect for that. He's been kissing her since they were juniors. He can't help it.

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    2. @6.58 So much fanfiction

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    3. Everything said by 6:58 is verifiable with video evidence. Do you watch anything VM??? Captain Obvious

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    4. @12.42 I hope this video evidence is not your source k. Cough acting cough

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    5. Yep, RS comes across as your typical douchebag trust fund kid, who doesn't have to work...in other words, perfect for Tessa. He and his money can keep her in the lifestyle to which she is accustomed and she can continue being a socialite wannabe, who thinks she's "empowering" women (How? By buying designer clothes and overpriced costume jewellery?). Perfect match.

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  51. As far as Klawes and Tessa's new friendship - I am still not convinced that's its 100 percent genuine. Klawes has a lot of acquaintances on the Canadian Olympic team over the years and appears to desperately want to be friends with everyone judging by her social media account. Sometimes you get the impression that she tries a bit too hard. When they posted that picture about taking a dip in the North Sea and you see both Kaitlyn Weaver and Arianne Jones commenting - its so hmmm oh wow you two are so great blah blah blah. If anything Tessa has to acknowledge KLawes - since KLawes is popular among other athletes. She can't come across as ignoring her.

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  52. A fan reported on facebook that they've seen Tessa in London and she introduced them to her mom...What if Ryan is also there? ugh, awkward

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    1. So--for the highly touted Scotland event, VM could hardly be bothered to post anything on social media. Well, unless it was Tessa promoting her new bestie, KaitlynLawes. As soon as this Lawes-promotion-fest was done, they're suddenly posting stuff again, updating fans on their *separate* lives.

      It all comes across so agenda-driven. How can anyone think their social media is anything but business? It's NOT a report on their real personal lives, as some fans like to think.

      Don't misunderstand. I'm all for the business-driven social media. What I take issue with are all the lies, and the pretense of giving out something "personal" and "real." They should call it what it is and stop all the bullshitting around.

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    2. It cracks me up that they feel the need to prove that they're vacationing on separate continents. Every single year for 7 years without fail! The "sightings" on Twitter weren't enough, they need Scott to come out of Twitter hibernation and Tessa to start tweeting nonstop to prove their utter separateness, as you said.

      But this year they had the "problem" of the fans knowing they would be in the same location for two weeks during vacation time. Now a rational person would understand that it is perfectly natural for two business partners and friends to do this, and that any fangirl daydreaming is not worth their time. But they are so far gone in their delusions that they appear to think they have to work really hard to counterract any thoughts the fans might have.

      Do you think Meryl and Charlie would spend two weeks together on a business trip and not post a single picture together? Of course not, that's really stupid marketing. But for VM the sham appears to be the #1 priority. It's been frustrating to see two people I admire make so many bad decisions...in the name of what, exactly? It's so hard to wrap your head around the utter stupidiy, I can certainly understand why some fans still insist it's impossible. But unfortunately it's true.

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