Nice to go to Nice

Thanks for the timely share, Dube sibs.

Concurrent with a profile picture switch back to sham in time for Worlds reinforcing that yes indeed, Scott and Jessica are still a couple, Jessica's brother announces he is along for the ride in Nice.* The sham giveth (profile pic) and the sham taketh away - nice as Nice is, the brother is sort of a buzz kill/buffer for a romantic long distance couple. Gosh darn how these things work out. First sibs in the Caribbean, then both sets of parents in romantic Paris, now the brother in Nice.

(It's the south of France - come on. We already know we'll get some hot stuff that will surface from somewhere in the Caribbean this May while Tessa makes it known she's going solo to Capri/Barcelona/Paris but that's getting old hat. Nice is romantic. Let's see Jessica and Scott pose and behave romantically in Nice. Hold hands in public kids. Watch events together. Bring it up in interviews. It's just amazing how never the subject of your SO in the same competition comes up in interviews. Don't hide your love away from the mainstream media anymore.)

Many skaters wait years to bring a relative along to a foreign competition. It's very expensive and figure skating is already a finance-busting sport. Meagan Duhamel spoke of buying a ticket for one of her parents to Russia as a big big first time deal after years of competitions without them. It was clear she viewed the purchase as an accomplishment. Finally - sharing this with a parent. Asher Hill celebrated having a parent at one of HIS competitions overseas - his dad's first time ever in Europe, I think. It's exciting, unusual, for many.

When Jessica went to Paris with her friend Sarah Bisjoil outside the SC/Moir frame, she celebrated very very loudly on her facebook. First class en route (let's guess an upgrade thanks to ff miles). A train from airport to the hotel, not a taxi. The simple pleasures - walking in the park, shopping at Galleries Lafayette, taking photographs, a budget hotel a few grades down from the Novitel (which is not itself what one would call high end). This is how Jessica Dube travels on her own dime.

Not all skaters come from families who are comfortable enough financially to make family attendance at foreign competitions routine. Most skaters don't. Unlike the top three skating teams from Canton, MI, Jessica doesn't come from that type of family either, yet having her family with her occurs more frequently than it does for teammates in similar financial circumstances. The difference for her is Scott and Tessa's resources.

Jessica had both her parents with her in Paris in 2009, both her siblings with her on her romantic training break vacation in the Dominican in 2009 (someone really broke open the wallets Dube-wise in 2009) and now Jonathan and "Jess" conduct a conspicuous public celebration of his going to Nice with her for Worlds.

Jessica, even in a new partnership where she's not raking in the prize money, is taking her brother to the south of France.

Yes, in 2009's Menage a Trois sur La Glace, Jessica broadcast that she and Scott have jobs to do at competitions and so will not be (necessarily) seen in each other's company. Of course in the same video Bryce whinged that it's hard to see her and her "bf" together. As idiocy is the hallmark of this mess, the Menage takeaway wasn't what was intended. Menage's intended agenda was to reinforce that yes, Scott/Jessica were a couple, but nosy fans probably wouldn't see them act lovey dovey at competitions as competitions are all business. But they ARE a couple. You just won't see them act like it. Figure skating is a job, you know.

Because Menage was pure what the fuckery start to finish, fans instead took away the natural impression that Scott and Jessica were a couple of the tackiest bitches ever to lace up figure skates in Canada, a pair of assholes flinging it in Bryce's face for sport (why else would Bryce mention it's hard to see them together? They must be making a spectacle of themselves in front of him constantly.). The subsequent facebook displays only validated that viewpoint, and gave rise to a message board cottage industry of fans claiming to have seen Scott and Jessica kiss (on the lips!!) in front of God, Bryce and fans all over the place from security check-ins at airports to baseball stadiums to figure skating rinks. The more witnesses the better, and better still, the more teammates in front of which to rub Bryce's face in it, the more fun. That's what Menage actually accomplished and it resonates in the fandom today.

I believe Bryce saying "it's hard to see them together" was intended to reinforce that Jessica and Scott would be extra discreet seeing as Bryce had to partner Jessica at these competitions.** Sure, why wouldn't we understand that? That's the first thought that springs to mind when contemplating Scott and Jessica and their love story. Discretion. Taste. Consideration. Thoughtfulness. That's what they're about.

And of course, what long distance couple such as Scott and Jessica would enjoy time without their relatives in a place such as the south of France after a long winter? Maybe for slackers like Gordeeva & Grinkov combining romance with competition is okay, but we're talking dedicated, uber-focused Canadian skaters like VM and especially Jessica Dube. We've been hearing a lot about Jessica's dedication and unusually staunch work ethic from competition commentators this season. She's going to be famous for that in Canadian skating. Hard work and focus. Such a turnaround from Jessica themes in days of yore, when commentators loved to talk about the effect pressure can have on figure skaters, her history struggling with motivation, her caution when mistakes would happen on the ice. She's been transformed. Thematically-speaking.

G&G were a romantic couple at Worlds 1989 and in My Sergei Gordeeva spoke of the incredibly romantic time she and Sergei spent in Paris during that competition, always locked up in their room or walking the streets canoodling, when she and Sergei weren't actually at the competition (which they won). So, romance can be done, off ice, even when one has a job to do. Well, for some people.

Katia rejoiced in not having parents around in such a wonderful location. I'm sure though, she and Sergei would have felt their work/romantic getaway only enhanced if her sister were tagging along supportively.

Why is Jonathan going? Why are they letting us know Jonathan's going? It's the south of France. It's very romantic. One would expect a ton of visible hand holding, strolling and kissing and who cares who sees us. Sightings at restaurants! Watching events together side by side. It's Nice! Afterwards they could even break away to Monaco, say hi to Cousin Heather and refresh the Monaco profile pictures. Monaco is such a significant location for Scott and Jessica.

But bro is along. Jessica needs to spend quality time with the fam. It's so exciting for him, it's thrilling; it wouldn't be fair to be selfish and caught up in each other when there's Jonathan. What are they - immature? Scott and Jessica are generous and selfless like that. They'll put their own desire for quality romantic time aside because bro is there. Maybe they'll scrape together the funds to take him to Monaco.

Scott and Jessica being considerate of Jonathan is the only reason we won't see a lot of pda and romance in Nice. Just so you know.***

With the way this crowd is bent on saving face, Jessica will be in the front row when it's time for family funerals. I wouldn't put it past them.
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*Jonathan and Veronique did not fb broadcast their trip to Dominican - in fact Veronique bon voyaged her sister on fb for a trip she herself was joining.

**Don't all skaters who date other skaters commonly end up in a tabloid video feature where they address the camera directly and bellow out their romantic status while their skating partner and "ex"  faces the camera to air dirty laundry, and then the happy ex-couple cavort together for some filler footage? Sure. Doesn't raise the flag of wtf at all. Cady and John - let's go.

***But what if - as with Paris and the Dominican - a big splashy photo and public showing IS planned? Who will babysit Jessica when the cameras are off? That was the sib job in Punta Cana.

There should be a cyber betting pool.