Some thoughts: I don't think Scott and Tessa see Worlds in London as such a wonderful plus. They'll say so, and as far as skating goes, the audience is great, but again they have the friends - the old school friends who appreciate reassurance that their old buddy is still one of them - right there. Expecting to be part of the mix. Scott remains their biggest credential.
It's so convenient that Scott and Jessica, after lasting through that infamous bar fight/hockey venue fight/skating rink fight between Bryce and Scott, through Scott and Tessa winning the Olympics and Bryce and Jessica crashing, through Scott and Tessa winning Worlds and Bryce and Jessica -and Jessica and Sebastien - sucking, through Tessa's shins and Bryce's knee - we're talking years of devotion - that Scott and Jessica "split up" the second her skating career ends - the one that takes her to the same competitions as Scott and Tessa, not that Scott didn't just love his periodic trips to Quebec for apple picking and wedding attending, and not that Ilderton isn't always thrilled to receive Jessica.
And what happens but almost immediately Scott acquires a London-based girlfriend who is part of the crowd of his old school friends, just in time for London Worlds. Here is a way all of his old buddies can get right in there and be somebodies. Bust Scott's chops, joke about fans and the burdens of fame, get busy tagging stuff on facebook, feel like Scott may be a big deal, to the outside world but to them he's still just Scotty. And show off their photos of themselves with him to their current set of pals without looking try hard - cause they're helping him. They're involved.
It's not just London, and a London girl - it brings in all the friends who otherwise might want to, you know, hang out with Scott and Tessa both somehow. And of course, it's a way to stockpile eighty gazillion photos with built-in buffers. The families who spent years buffering Scott and Jessica both for real and in photos, the skating teammates who might be slightly over all the crap - are released from their duties.
They always like killing more than one bird with one stone, sham-speaking. This new sham is convenient, photo-wise, because the girl lives in London. It's convenient event-wise because WORLDS is in London and we know Scott and Tessa always like to do it up big, for the home folks. Let them know the public is still "them" and the old crowd is still "us".
And it helps Scott pander to his old buddies, pacify some egos, be one of them - and get business done at the same time (sham). It's efficient. Give the face time to his pals, make then feel like nobody can take their place, but not have to carve out separate time for both shamming or hanging with old school pals.
He can do both at once, and it creates something in common - and you know that's gotta be something of a strain after awhile when they're all sober.
I think fans are secondary to this one. This is to keep his pals feeling important and carves out their role while Scott and Tessa are in London or close to what they advertise as home.
And Scott and Tessa do very much enjoy making a display of martyring themselves, whether for their sport, their fans, or their hometown friends and family.
The gang's all here
_________________________
*Still no full length photo of the lovebirds. Seeing how tall Cassandra is in photos without Scott, vis a vis some of the old Medway/Fanshawe crowd, she's abruptly shrunk. A whole lot. So Scott's standing on a box? He's wearing lifts (Scott? Never!)? She's crouching?
