I don't have a "dog ate my homework" excuse. I was "helping" with something and it turned out to be so unexpectedly intensive, I couldn't muster the mental energy to keep up with anything else. Not just skating - nothing. Not politics, not gossip, not sports. It was purely computer-related brain fry - I could read a paper, read a book, watch a movie, but I couldn't read shit on the computer.
While catching up tonight, I have read this about Ayn Rand (author of Tessa's favorite book):
13 year old girls absolutely love her because the idea of doing exactly what you want, and not compromising nor putting anyone else’s needs before your own, is the fantasy of every teenager in the world.
Prior to being away from the blog, I'd understood that some of the VM facebook crowd were hoping that Scott and Tessa would be appropriately rewarded at the Olympics, as they had not been at the GPF. But Scott and Tessa were appropriately awarded at the GPF; it is Meryl and Charlie who were scored inappropriately. Even Cassandra's mother charged the judges with injustice to Scott and Tessa - which implies underscoring. Nobody is going after the Emperor's New Clothes of Meryl and Charlie's scoring, which is the core issue. Not even Tessa and Scott's non-Arctic Edge community.
OTOH, there's no problem with Meryl and Charlie using Scott and Tessa's reality show to polish their halo, as we see in this old trick from Lynn Rutherford:
Lynn Rutherford: For those who wondered: Davis&White say with so much media around this season, they're not distracted by Virtue&Moir's reality show filming.
The trick part is where you pretend to have received a lot of emails/inquiries about something so you can speak to a topic you're dying to address but don't want it to seem as if you're bringing it up yourself. Scott and Tessa use this ALL the time when they want to lay something off on fans, but of course, DW's partisans are using it where it counts.
Duly noted Rutherford declines to call it a documentary.
Congratulations to Piper Gilles for getting her citizenship - it's a good precedent that a skater in competition for the third slot on an Olympic team against teams that are already Canadian qualifies as contributing enough special services to Canada to be expressed to the front of the line. And congratulations to the MP who, without really explaining why, made her his special cause.
It's good to see you posting, OC. I was starting to wonder if either Moirville, for calling out the sham, or DW's team, for calling out the skating, had put a hit out on you.
ReplyDeleteMy absence from the blog went on about a week and a half more than I thought it would take, so it tipped over into looking abandoned versus temporarily AWOL.
DeleteHowever, as I said in the post, when you step back and it's off the table for awhile, it becomes even clearer how both stupid and small time the entire thing actually is. Moirville is certainly not something to worry about.
OC, it's great to hear from you again.
DeleteVery interesting to hear your impressions of the sham after taking a break. You're back just in time for much more second-hand embarrassment with the debut of VM's reality show in a few days. Small chance of VM coming to their senses and realizing how stupid and small time all of it is.
I know and I definitely wanted to be back up and running for the reality show.
DeleteWhen I was away from following VM and skating, and then geared up to come back, I was curious if anything had happened (not much). And I thought - okay, you've been doing something else completely and not the blog at all, what does the sham actually look like from a civilian perspective, while you HAVE a civilian perspective, and before getting back into it. I thought it was interesting to road test it from the outside versus while actively blogging, and, as I said, it's even stupider. Inside, we have the armchair analysis, the investigation/speculation of Moirville dynamics, we look at other athletes and celebrity, and actually, while the blog definitely takes down the conduct of the sham, I think the blog at times has been sympathetic to the concept of denying/protecting the relationship.
But all that crap falls away when you're on the outside. It really made me understand why anyone "outside" I've described this situation to has always reacted as if I'm telling tales from the funny farm. I had the exact same response once I had stepped back for awhile. The small time of it all really stands out, that's the major thing. So you've got a basically small time situation with a grandiose strategy for managing it and it highlights not just the self-importance of Scott and Tessa, but the immense self-importance of their community.
Welcome back, OC. Good to see you back in time for the reality show trainwreck.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone here been chosen for one of the coveted spots amongst Cassandra's Instagram followers? I'm curious as to what she could is posting there.
Do we know the name of her account?
Deleteinstagram.com/cassandrahilborn She showed up exactly a week before the air date of the reality show.
DeleteOh and she also now has Skate Canada on her public "likes" on Facebook. It's almost as if she knows people will soon be searching for her on social media...
DeleteThanks.
DeleteWell, the timeline is a given. I automatically figured it was set up to counterprogram this reality show, which is going to be watched primarily by the same people who are already overly familiar with Scott and Tessa's sham strategems on the internet. The rest of the people who see the show aren't going to go hunting for Cassandra Hilborn and Scott's social media girlfriend, so, as usual, this is a Moirville circle jerk.
"as if she knows people will soon be searching for her on social media"
DeleteExactly. Use of her full name for instagram and couple-photo as profile photo both facebook and instagram. Dead give-away of expectation of attention going into a season of intense VM scrutiny.
It always looks as if Moirville is intentionally pitting Scott's "gf" against Tessa. What do they hope to gain by doing that.
Assuming that they don't name her in the show. I think that if Cassandra Hilborn is named, even the unfamiliar ones will seek her out. If she's just in the background with the rest of "Scott's hometown friends" then yeah, it's the usual circle jerk.
DeleteIf she's not named in the show and someone from the public decides to google "Scott Moir girlfriend", the first results that come up will be here on the blog.
DeleteIf she is named and someone googles her, again, some of the first results will lead to here.
I'm sure some people will buy what they're saying at face value, but I'm also guessing that more than a few will view the show, find this blog when they start searching, and either put it together or find their own sources to consult.
Either way, V-M end up looking like colossal assholes and the Hilborns get exactly what they want - more attention for both Cassandra and Connor. All it takes is that one person recognizing how special they both are, right guys?!
DeleteHer full name for her instagram account? There you go. People don't need access - the profile shot does it.
DeleteIt ALWAYS looks as if the girlfriend is pitting herself against Tessa. ALWAYS. That's because the girlfriend's one and only message is "I'm the girlfriend." That's why everyone paid attention when her mother actually acknowledged that Scott skates with a partner and they both got screwed at the GPF. That kind of acknowledgement never happens otherwise. Scott and Tessa are in the public eye, their chemistry is highlighted on and off the ice, and over here, the "gf" is on social media screaming "I'm the girlfriend! I'm the girlfriend!" That's all they've got to say, so it looks incredibly insecure/immature/competitive/threatened. With Jessica and now with Cassandra. It's also a tell, because a real girlfriend would have something else to say about her relationship other than that she's in one, and other than dropping reminders that he's her bf. Look at any other public figure on the web with a legitimate relationship that is public in some way. People post about experiences with their SO - we did this, we did that. Past a certain (very young age) there's shared humor, shorthand, references to what each of them are doing in terms of their separate jobs and recreational pursuits, interests and family, and accomplishments, commenting on each other's separate stuff as well as joint stuff. Here it's like a thirteen year old running screaming to her social media accounts to announce she/he's in a relationship. That's all the content ever is, and that's why it reads as it does.
oc
This time the message is not only "I'm the girlfriend" but also "Scott prefers vacation in Florida with ME rather than training for the Olympics" and this is really stupid for me...Probably Charlie and Tanith were somewhere on vacations but did you see pic of them ? No...he is always training...
DeleteReal girlfriend with brain versus sham girlfriend with no brain...Just my opinion
Of course, 12:53. Cassandra doesn't want us to think that it's Olympics= 1 and Cass= 0.
DeleteNot to mention, do not judges take this shit into account? We've seen how the rulebook is only a suggestion, at least from reports from low level judges telling us what's filtering down from on high. Judges gossip about Tessa's legs? DW give 110% and are tight with their music?
DeleteDo judges also wonder if "idols" Tessa and Scott are too busy playing celebrity and living the good life during training season to give the 110% we see from Charlie and Meryl? Never mind the skating - the judges don't seem to mind the skating.
It seems bizarre that Tessa and Scott and their connections have acknowledged that non-skating stuff factors into perception of their performances (this was why, Tessa claims, they kept her pain struggles down low during the last Olympic cycle) and then turn around and give the judges so much grist. It's not just injury that influences judges, OBVIOUSLY, it's so much more. The grist this year is they can come across like celebrities for whom the skating is just a showcase to build their celebrity, and Scott does parade the good life on social media, without making sure he's also claiming Detroit grit and "puttin in the time" on social media as well. Then their connections turn around and complain about unfair scoring, when apparently they know as well as we do that this crap factors into unfair scoring, and keep doing it anyway.
It really is ironic that it is obvious to any true skating fan that VM are one of the hardest working teams out there..they have truly progressed as a team in terms of strength, power stroking, difficulty of step sequences, originality of lifts etc over the last quad....yet somehow in the media and spilling over into the judging - DW get this distinction - why? Because instead of focusing on the skating as their pr and how athletically they have challenged themselves etc - they keep coming back to this personal crap - which is not genuine...don't get me wrong - I admire VM for their skating and work ethic and let's face it the judging has been a HUGE failure but VM's PR have not played their cards right...and here we are 1.5 months away from the Olympics and what are we going to talk about...the skating..hmmm..not so much...but a reality show that is totally scripted and further perpetuates why figure skating is not taken seriously as a sport...and god knows how the editing is going to make everyone look like...so frustrating...again this reality series is not for Tessa and Scott - they don't need memories of how they trained...
DeleteIn 2010 they sold themselves as the hard working team that they are and the judges gratefully awarded it. VM know how it works but have decided that they prefer to play their own game. Either they were told from the start that the gold was DW's or they were so arrogant to believe they could get away with it. They weren't that naive in the beginning, not even during the Jessica hay days.
DeleteWhat would have been a smart pr move this summer - have VM give one or two skating seminars in Russia and Europe. That would have been a no-brainer...but no...there is nothing for Moirville in that...
DeleteSometimes VM's PR reminds me of a US election - basically voters are interested in the economy and you end up talking about everything but the economy (ie. immigration)...it does boggle the mind...
7:21 I agree with the analogy and I also agree that Tessa and Scott have been unable to change or adjust their narrative to this quad. They just keep going on circa 2008. I suspect this is because Moirvile hasn't changed, and to the (large) extent the sham and how Scott and Tessa promote themselves is connected to Moirville's need for the spotlight, Moirville hasn't changed, and so Scott and Tessa keep doing the same thing. They've been tone deaf. It's beyond striking. The reality show is bonehead. I don't think it does them very much good among their supporters. It's a p.r. misfire, IMO, even without the sham. And already they're working far too hard TELLING us how to react to the reality show, forcing our reaction into a mold. They are the king and queen of TELL, don't show. They don't just sham and manipulate, they then come out and instruct us how we're supposed to react.
DeleteWhat they're showing became obsolete a long time ago. Nobody's relationship stays in this kind of bizarre limbo-esque unique zone for seventeen years. You grow as people. They have, for public purposes, forced themselves to stay the same in every respect - rambunctious Scott and crazy family and buddies we've been getting years on end. We've also been hit over the head with college student Tessa, who, by all evidence from Tessa herself, is apparently pursuing a "college" curriculum hallmarked by inane grade school content.
About scoring and politics: you know, in the past, the blog and the comments on the blog have noted that those who comment on skating - Kurt Browning, the Eurosport guys, others - are basically asinine. Kurt, especially, has discussed momentum being important in ice dance as apart from the other disciplines. He's told us ice dancers need to leave judges the impression they're killing themselves out there.
They sound like idiots, and we protest, but maybe we're missing/overlooking that Kurt is "inside" the sport and those who have been taking this angle are letting us know the sport has gone back to that, because it's "filtered" to them that that's exactly what the sport has, unabashedly, decided to do.
What's missing is CRITICISM of the sport going back to that. In the past, when it was non North Americans winning, there was plenty of implied criticism. Now it's supposed to be legitimate that non-skating factors influence the scoring. If we look at it from that perspective, it's possible to suspect that the public has been conditioned for the past two years to understand that the deserving ice dance winner aren't the best skaters but the most conspicuously try hardest, and that this is a GOOD thing.
IOW, maybe there's more intention behind the skew we've been getting from the comment booth.
We're used to politics being framed as a bad thing, but that was when North Americans were left off the podium. And, a lot of us carry the memory of Vancouver, where the spin was that ice dance had legitimized itself as a sport, and what counted was the skating.
That line of commentary has been abandoned in favor of heavily hitting apparent emotion, effort, deserving personalities, eye-of-the-beholder chemistry, and momentum.
Is it just stupidity and laziness in the booth, or is it conditioning the public to accept this? There's so much consistency in the messages we're now getting it's difficult not to wonder if this is a more proactive direction the sport has taken than we realize, and those in the comment booth are encouraged to get the rest of us on board.
I must say that after the GPF Scott's remarks that he and Tessa are DRIVING the roller coaster sound even more blow hard than they did originally. They can skate as beautifully as they do and they're not driving anything. The ISU is and as much as Scott and Tessa try to control their image and control how we respond to their image, that's exactly what the ISU is doing with Scott and Tessa versus DW. The ISU is driving this roller coaster. It's not Scott and Tessa. Moirville doesn't seem to have realized this.
DeleteAnon here at 7:21 am - these last 2 posts from OC basically summarize the frustration with this team and with the current state of ice-dancing.
Delete8:37. Yes. And when you consider it's known two judges mentioned on fsu said similar things - all rooted in how DW are perceived separate from their actual skating - it's more than clear the ISU has been diligently teaching/saying these are the things to watch for. No one seems to have any idea how to objectively apply the ice-dance rulebook nor do they want to. They're happy to focus on subjective intangibles.
DeleteWe've been getting the message loud and clear and up and down that ice dancing is once again subjective, and not only that, that it's OKAY. It might not even be that nobody has any idea how to objectively apply the ice dance rulebook - it may be that, again, the sport has proactively determined to prioritize things other than what's in the rulebook and has let it be known inside the sport without letting US know. We're getting it through the so-called filter - the comment booth. It's not as if people are all over the map with their comments. They're all on message - so that message must be coming from somewhere.
DeleteVM have not adjusted because Moirville won't adjust, it seems. That's the one thing Moirville will NOT do for Scott and Tessa's career - adjust their own entitlements and tack back. They continue to frame their over-involvement and encroachment as "support" - a value add. Never mind that most of the support takes the form of supporting and facilitating the sham - IOW, it is the circle jerk I've described, a circle jerk of Scott and Tessa's community banding together to facilitate a sham that exists to pacify the community itself. They will NEVER remove themselves from the picture, or step back, or recognize that the matrix around Scott and Tessa is a problem - a real one and one of perception. They're command central of pointing fingers somewhere else.
Scott and Tessa have always professed to be reality-based about their sport. In the days when they praised CoP as legitimizing ice dance, they also acknowledged the various things that are in the nature of their sport that have nothing to do with skating. Letting people know you're healthy - even if you're skating healthy - let people KNOW you're healthy - don't give judges ideas. Keep the smile on. Etc. Along with the so-called legitimacy of CoP, they paid attention to the political side.
At the moment, it's convenient for them to deny the political side because the political side, in their case, goes to Moirville, and Moirville puts themselves ahead of Scott and Tessa's career. It's what can Scott and Tessa do for Moirville, not vice versa, because what Moirville IS doing for Scott and Tessa is the sham/cover-up, which is there because Moirville wants a big role. Everything else is the problem, never them.
Scott and Tessa can talk reality into the shape they want it to take, or think they can, it seems. This year, they're saying the reality show is a distraction that helps. Four years ago, they wanted no distractions. But as Moirville is all over the reality show, now distractions one month out from the Olympics are a plus. Having lots of other stuff to think about is a good thing. This is Tessa's argument when promoting the reality show, and it's the exact opposite of her argument at the last Olympics. When people think Scott and Tessa are self-serving, this sort of thing is why. What they say never means anything.
Great post anon at 10:47 am. I think the one difference also with Vancouver is that both Zoueva and Shpilband wanted that gold medal badly. There was genuine excitement from both. Hence as a coaching team being from the former Soviet Union - they knew what was important in terms of politicking. I also think that Scott looked up to Sphilband and there was a good balance between the coaches.
DeleteFast forward a couple of years - and Moirville has gotten out of control and really has sucked the life out of VM...instead of actual support and backing off and letting VM skate their last seasons in relative peace - its we got to show off the community...no wonder these guys haven't cracked...we might complain about DWs moms taking pictures with ISU officials...but Moirville has more than taken a pound of flesh from their own...take about being used by your own family...
11:39, although I don't buy into it as a conscious decision, seeing that Virtue and Moir's actual skating is sublime, in many respects this quad comes off as their sacrificial pound (or many pounds) of flesh to Moirville, number one, and if they can be superhuman, maybe they can win gold, but gold isn't the priority, Moirville is. Last quad, it was winning home gold (which of course, ALSO benefitted Moirville). THIS quad, it's Moirville first - "give back" (IOW, Moirville keeps grasping) and then, because they're superhuman Scott and Tessa, they might win gold too.
DeleteTheir last attempt at being superhuman - having a baby (there's a distraction for you!) and coming back in the same season to try and win World's gold, didn't work out. They persist in seeming to believe they're superhuman, but the ISU is VERY human, and the ISU is running this show, not them. I don't think that's penetrated, and I don't think Scott and Tessa's choices off ice really help change the ISU's mind about how they think this show should end.
" must say that after the GPF Scott's remarks that he and Tessa are DRIVING the roller coaster sound even more blow hard than they did originally. They can skate as beautifully as they do and they're not driving anything. The ISU is and as much as Scott and Tessa try to control their image and control how we respond to their image, that's exactly what the ISU is doing with Scott and Tessa versus DW. The ISU is driving this roller coaster. It's not Scott and Tessa. Moirville doesn't seem to have realized this."
DeleteIt all depends on which rollercoaster you think they're driving.
If the rollercoaster is the one that leads to Sochi gold, they never got on that one.
I think the rollercoaster they're driving is the one that will give Tessa some media opportunities/connections for her future non-skating life.
People like to make like this reality show is stupid, but how stupid is it? If they've known from the start they aren't going to win, then they need to set themselves up for a life after they retire. Tessa already has made clear she ain't skating after this. So what if she wants to do some sort of media behind the scenes work or something? This show might be the way in.
There's been a lot of money spent on this show, and some big names in Canada are putting that money in. Connections from that might prove to be worth more than a gold medal from the Olympics.
It's nice to have gold, but that doesn't alone put food on the table. Meryl and Charlie never have to work a day in their lives because they're from families that are loaded beyond belief. Tessa and Scott -- they're better off than most, but not in the same league as D/W. If they've got a kid to pay for (and maybe more in the future?), they better look to making some money if they want to maintain a high standard of living. Maybe the plan is to make Tessa the breadwinner? Scott can do some coaching, but he'll mainly be a stay at home dad? Who knows?
I don't agree that Tessa has made it clear she ain't skating after this. Any woman who decides to compete at Worlds basically weeks after she had a baby is blowing bullshit when she acts like skating isn't her heart and soul. She's as ferocious a competitor as Scott, and at times I think has less perspective when it comes to winning being an all or nothing. Tessa often comes across as a woman who wants to be Miss Balance, but is not Miss Balance. Yes, she has non-skating interests that she likes to highlight to sell the ying yang between her and Scott, but so does Scott, he just keeps his under wraps. So does every skater. Meryl Davis likes languages and has her own interests. Charlie White plays the violin and has his own interests. Tessa's emphasis on her non-skating interests is part of their p.r., not a genuine portrait of a woman who "aint' skating after this."
DeletePeople need to actually read what she says and the context in which she says it.
Furthermore, we don't know how well off the Virtues are. As comfortable a lifestyle as a litigation partner may provide, clearly there is money on Kate's end. Tessa is a woman who, while training for one of the most expensive eligible sports around, wears high end, at times couture, clothing and accessories. She had an apartment in London when Patrick Chan was still living with his parents and her own parents still lived in London. She and Scott spare no expense for their training - choreography and an entire fleet of outside experts. She and Scott are already thoroughly connected. She and Scott are already set up for a post-Olympic career. This woman has also talked about wanting to get her masters in psychology and possibly attending law school some day, not getting into broadcasting. If she wants to do that after skating she can without this reality show.
You put the Moirs and the Virtues on the same plane financially. They're not.
Anon at 7:50 pm - you bring up some interesting points. Yes - Tessa may be interested in media etc. Alexandre Despatie is now a co-host here in Montreal for Breakfast Television. I can see Joannie Rochette doing something in the media in Quebec once her skating is done. In general, it's easier in Quebec for an athlete to get opportunities in media because there is no competition. Ontario (specifically Toronto) is a tough market. It's already saturated. .but who knows? I don't think that Tessa is done with skating per se, the woman clearly loves to choreograph and to be able to collaborate with the likes of Marina Zoueva, Jennifer Swan, Jeffrey Buttle etc. and she does enjoy performing.
DeleteAt this point - who knows what's in VMs future - but I think that both Scott and Tessa are hard working individuals that will be successful in whatever they chose to do - whether its in the public eye or not.
OC - I agree that the Moirs and the Virtues are not in the same plane financially. I do wonder how well off the Hilborns are...
Anon here at 8:12 am - just wanted to clarify that money itself does not bring happiness..it buys you opportunities...
DeleteThey don't need this reality show to bring them opportunities their personalities and their Olympic gold medal and their skating don't already present.
DeleteFurthermore, if they were seriously in need of post-eligible opportunities, they'd be with IMG, not lying their asses off on the W network and pretending it's still 2008 while promoting the population of media whores and hangers on among their family and friends. They way their media functions now, they're in charge of it because they're the subjects of most of the media that involves them. If Tessa actually is employed by a media entity, then she's no longer the subject, she's the one bringing the information to us, or functioning as the point of access. It's best in those situations if you're not a known scam artist, somebody who can cry on cue while lying through her teeth while professing sincerity.
If I wanted a post-Olympic broadcast career, I might not make my last great media initiative a huge hoax on a low rent broadcast network, as that might put me on the public hot seat when my real situation was made public. Does Tessa want to have an obligation to the public and an obligation as a media personality under contract when it comes out she and Scott have lied their asses off and hoaxed the public for the better part of a decade? Skating is a small world but if she really had a high media profile where she was some sort of conduit of information to the public at large (that's what commentating is) it might be better if she wasn't a professional liar who has spent her entire Olympic career promoting a scam. It might reflect poorly on her employer.
Although they've been enabled every step of the way, my strong suspicion is that the Roots deal went away because Roots was unwilling to enable them, and once Roots understood the scam was going to stay in place, the deal was terminated by mutual agreement.
We saw those Roots guys talking about their Canadian "roots", how home grown, how small bore their focus remained despite running a large brand. They're not fucking around - they're a huge brand in Canada and Scott and Tessa were going to be one of its faces. If Scott and Tessa's situation had blown up it would have blown up right in the face of the Roots brand as well.
Tessa isn't just someone who likes to choreograph. I ask - have you seen her SKATE? Did we see Carmen? We are aware of the risks involved in skating Carmen - the athletic risks, not just the skating risks. She is a high performance athlete. She is DRIVEN as an athlete. She executes so impeccably, with such little apparent effort, it looks "natural" and we may insufficently appreciate what it means to develop your athletic talent to that degree, and what it means to execute at that level - dangerous, blade-dependent, interdependant - without hesitation in competition. Some of what Tessa does on the ice is scary shit. She has a tremendous appetite for risk, challenge. As a personality she may not be the adrenalin junkie Scott describes himself as being, but what she does on the ice creates an adrenalin rush for sure, and she keeps doing it. I wouldn't buy into how she wants to be seen. I'd just look at her actions and her choices, and ignore what she says. Look at what she does. On and off the ice.
Someone above asked what do they have to gain by pitting Tessa against Cassandra? It makes Scott look more virile when two women are vying for his attention. Apparently there's a thing in their community about proving you're not gay, if you're a male. Tessa probably doesn't feel that same pressure so she doesn't have to constantly shove a fake boyfriend on us. Her attempts at that have been halfhearted, at best.
DeleteI am glad you are healthy and back, OC. We couldn't make it through the reality show without you :)
ReplyDeleteRe Chandra's lips : maybe the picture really is from last summer and Scott had enough sense to train instead of traveling with Cass over the holidays. Why they are always so eager to prove that Scott doesn't train is beyond me. Just like Tessa's broken record statement that skating doesn't define her and that she'd rather be doing something else. This is not what the judges want to hear. They want winners who promote the sport and clean the image up so parents send their kids to the rink. Tessa's endless blabbering about how much better she is than the sport is dumb and counter productive ( though this attitude goes perfectly hand in hand with her Ayn Rand adoration and the quote OC posted above ). DW have their hobbies and college activities but keep making sure that everybody knows how serious they are about the Olympics. Tessa on the other hand is still going to school this year ( or at least she says she is ).
"maybe the picture really is from last summer and Scott had enough sense to train instead of traveling with Cass over the holidays. Why they are always so eager to prove that Scott doesn't train is beyond me. "
DeleteWhenever that latest profile picture was taken, I think it has to be after a time of not being much in the sun, since neither Scott or Cassandra look tanned yet. Even after SOI,Scott and Tessa both start to look more tanned and by the end of the summer they're very tanned.
I doubt they give any thought to how things are perceived as far as working hard. Their #1 priority for public perceptions is the sham. For years now, it's been essential to show Scott during the Winter Holidays (Christmas or New Years) with the GF. This year their time is crunched because of earlier Nationals and the Olympics so what does Scott do? Immediately after the GPF he takes care of sham business so his time is freed up for training the rest of December. Meanwhile, Miss Cass probably has an album of photos to rotate and continually give that impression of Scott traveling around the world having a good time (training? Tessa? what's that?)
You can see a Christmas wreath in the photo. Unless they hung it there themselves, I'd say the photo was shot sometime after Thanksgiving.
Delete7:43
DeleteIt's an easy assumption that after Thanksgiving VM were focused on training for the GPF. Then it means Scott did indeed go to wherever this picture was taken (somewhere with palm tress and mild weather) right after the GPF. Apparently it was most important to have some photos ready for the Christmas-New Years' season. Still, it's important to remember we see nothing outside of the photo frame. Tessa, child, and a whole lot of other people could also be around.
Is it possible that there was a side trip to Monaco after TEB? It's not a stretch to assume Cassandra would have accompanied them there. Which is beyond sad to me because if they did go, it was most likely a sort of anniversary thing for Scott and Tessa. Nothing for them isn't tainted by the presence of a fake girlfriend.
DeleteThe picture was taken in Florida, I recognize the site from another pic of Connor...I can't believe that Scott this year found the time to go on vacation...maybe he is not interested in Sochi ? And he always say in interviews that his entire life is about the olympics now...
DeleteTime for reality...time for vacations...where do they find time for training? Maybe they have 48 hours days...
That photo was not made recently. OC has pointed out Cassandra's lips and Scott's teeth are more yellow in the pic than they are now.
Delete10:15 -- I thought of that as well but the gpf was only 2 weeks after TEB. Could they afford any time off at all in-between? Tessa and Scott skated so brilliantly at gpf. It looked like they had been training to the max after TEB.
DeleteHowever -- I agree anything is possible. VM history shows they will include sham anywhere and everywhere.
"That photo was not made recently. OC has pointed out Cassandra's lips and Scott's teeth are more yellow in the pic than they are now."
DeleteThere are some other photos of Cassandra sitting on a bed where her lips look very full and those photos are from Fall 2012. Who knows how she gets her lips to appear full/not full but that's probably not a good clue as to the date of this profile photo.
I tend to agree with the speculations it's right after the GPF. Someone mentioned Scott's face breakouts as a possible clue plus they aren't yet tanned (so it's not during the summer) and last December when the Hilborns were in Florida Cassandra's hair had blond streaks.
I am not concerned about when this picture was taken - but you have to wonder how much time off does Cassandra get off work and whether Connor actually has a job or goes to school...can you say mouching off the parents...
Delete"can you say mouching off the parents..."
DeleteIKR. But the parents don't seem to mind. Anything for their darlings, even if it means hoaxing their fellow Canadians.
CP: What do we learn about your lives off-the-ice?
ReplyDeleteSM: Some of the parts I'm most proud of is just following me home to see how I act with my family and to see my crazy buddies.
TV: We're quite different, Scott and I, when we're off the ice... so I think it's neat to see the contrast between who Scott is when he goes home and who I am when I go home.
SM: And you'll also see us interact with our friends that are in the sport. You'll see us with Patrick Chan and Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje and some of the different events.
CP: Do we see any of those uglier moments between you two?
SM: We're not really fighters, between the two of us, but yeah, you'll see some moments when maybe we don't agree on something.
This is from a new article...and there are 7 episodes, not six
I wonder what's going to masquerade as "home" for both of them. He's proud of the parts of the movie that are the biggest lies - both of them are. That would be typical of how they present, and he's proud of the most dysfunctional part of his entire experience as an elite figure skater - the encroachment of his family/friends and how they all want a piece of him and Tessa.
Deleteoc
oc
I imagine that Scott's "home" will be his parents house in Ilderton. They made quite the point of letting us know that Tessa owns her own home in London, so that will be where she goes. Unless they forget that's what they told us and she ends up crashing at mom and dad's too (except mom lives in Canton...so, is it just dad's place?)
Deleteoc 7:38
ReplyDeleteIn those little Q&A video promos, they're each shown in opposite-type settings. Tessa in a beautiful living-room and Scott looks like he's supposed to be in a guy's room (like his bedroom at the parents' house or something like that). Oh yeah, they're laying it on thick with the separate lives. They don't have to say a word. The settings and activities imply everything they want.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fqXNh8wTYY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzaxLSbMuhg
Obviously the Virtues have to be involved and in agreement with the sham in spite of very little public participation (who knows if their reality show changes that). Tessa's father being a lawyer, do you think VM actually draw up contracts with the fake gf's and their families? Both shams have been conducted identically and to achieve the same outcome. Could it be a legal contract?
DeleteIt wouldn't surprise me in the least if there were an actual legal contract drawn up between the involved parties. Quite frankly, if they're planning on involving Cassandra to the degree that it appears they are, they'd be fools not to have some kind of contract in place. (Not that they're not already fools...even bigger fools)
Delete8:53, as a follow-up question, could those legal contracts between Scott and fake GF be made public some day?
DeleteI have no idea, sorry. Maybe there is someone who is better versed in Canadian law than I am out there. I imagine that if it ever came down to a court case, they might be released to the public but other than that?
DeleteIf one of the parties sues the other claiming breach of the agreement, then they would be open to public scrutiny through the court system. Otherwise, no.
DeleteThe thing is, if such an agreement existed, it's an agreement to serve as the fake girlfriend in a hoax perpetuated upon the public, and I wonder if something like that can actually be framed in a legal document. There are rumored marriage contracts between celebrities that are entered into for publicity, spelling out length of commitment and renumeration and different financial triggers, but those, presumably, hardly look any different, if at all, than a "normal" pre-nup between high profile or moneyed participants, and adhere to the letter of the law.
DeleteLord knows fake girlfriends (and boyfriends) have existed before, with the fake getting some kind of benefit, but I definitely wonder how an agreement like that one is executed under the law. Presumably the incentive for the person needing the fake isn't the contract, but the possibility they'll be exposed if they don't keep their end of the bargain.
OTOH, if there was an actual legal contract Cassandra's role can be described as something like "public relations assistant" where her responsibilities include engaging jointly with Scott on social media, and the entire agreement, if it was in writing, would look not much different than Kelloggs' agreement with DW, where they get paid per tweet or flight of tweets. It's all in the language.
DeleteBased on where Scott puts his emphasis, this reality show absolutely confirms suspicion that they agreed to do it to once again let Moirville gorge itself on Scott and Tessa's reflected glory. He's promoting the buddies. On the surface it's "this is us at home" but the real emphasis is "home", not us, and "home" is Moirville. I don't know how offended any of us should be that a community that treats the fans with such malicious contempt is simultaneously falling all over itself to get attention from the fans.
DeleteRelationship shit aside, their promotional emphasis is please look at all the people around us. My buddies are the best part! And my brothers and family!
And then they insist how very much this reality show does NOT take away from their focus on the Olympics, an insistence which, based on Scott and Tessa's history, merely confirms that it very much does take away from their focus.
http://www.953freshfm.com/2013/12/30/colleen-interviews-tessa-scott/
ReplyDeleteThis is particularly painful to get through thanks to the whole-body cringing.
10:15
DeleteEh, they always have so much body-cringing since they don't ever take that relationship question off the table. They know it's coming and they start body-cringing in expectation. Lol.
But it's been worse ever since they're talking about how perfectly comfortable they were with the TV crew and how perfectly genuine and sincere everything is.
They know what we'll be seeing. The lying must be off the charts, the way they're cringing in all these interviews. Trainwreck for sure.
I was actually referring to my own whole-body cringing and pain while watching.
DeleteThe lying is going to be epic.
As a fan, I'm disappointed in them. As a human, my heart breaks for their daughter.
Eh, they're honoring her and protecting her by leaving her out. She, also, is unique, because everyone else in her family is falling over themselves to get their asses on camera. Why doesn't the rest of LM's family/community (LM = Toddler Moir - is one still a toddler at 3?) value privacy, protection and run fleeing from the camera? It's only important for her? For everyone else it's the exact opposite? They certainly are giving new meaning to do as I say, not as I do.
DeleteNo, kids are no longer considered toddlers when they turn 3. Little Moir (or Little Miss Moir) it is then.
DeleteI'm sure that's how VM have rationalized it, but who knows if she'll feel the same way down the line. Kids have a way of not viewing things as their parents do or thinking what their parents want them to think.
They'll just need LM to be as unique as they are, then. Nobody I've spoken with, including people who are more than familiar with public relations, think this is a good idea, most specifically not the internet litter with the gf. The reality show is a whole other level of insult that the child will be made to accept as a favor they did her. Which is just wrong.
DeleteWhere Moirville is concerned, let's consider this: denying LM's existence means the general public won't know about her, and that means the general public might feign some interest in the ISC, Moirville, fake girlfriends and the buddies. If the public knew about her, even if they didn't see her, they wouldn't give a shit about the ISC, Moirville, fake girlfriends and buddies. Certainly the W network wouldn't approach Scott and Tessa and say - we know you're parents, but what we really want to show is your brothers, your fake girlfriend, and the folks at home, including your pals, and let's use the homes and property of your friends as some of our shooting locations.
Just the knowledge that the child existed would pretty much erase any interest (dim as it already is) people had in watching the Moirville boors sit in the spotlight and then act like somebody shoved them into it at the point of a gun (isn't that how they always act? Put themselves on camera and then have nothing to say, or get choked up, or look embarrased? They want the spotlight on them, but then act like slugs.)
But I'm sure only the little one's best interests, and not anything as crass as not wishing the existence of a small child to steal focus from their own need for the spotlight, is the driving force behind the decision to deny her existence by refusing to acknowledge it.
After seeing the show a lot of people who had never bothered before will probably want to google/investigate Tessa and Scott further. No matter how they type in the search, this blog will be prominent. I suspect the blog will prompt even further investigation. It's certain many more people will in fact learn the truth instead of believing whatever crap the show intended to feed them.
DeleteThings could get very interesting.
Just want to mention, re: comment 12:53, that its' not girlfriend with a brain versus girlfriend with no brain. Cassandra doesn't control the timing of the sham, not the reactionary and wannabe proactive patterns, not the locale. It's not her. The sham has always looked like this. Do she and her brother look pathetic - yes. But as the face of the sham, is she directing it? NO. Moirville is. They're the ones with the brain challenges.
Delete"but what we really want to show is your brothers, your fake girlfriend, and the folks at home, including your pals, and let's use the homes and property of your friends as some of our shooting locations."
DeleteLol, NO ONE is interested in any of that.
If Cassandra is identified as Scott's girlfriend she will be universally hated. Not a single person will want to see more of her nor know more about her except as it relates to getting her out of the picture. If the W network did their homework, they are aware of this.
Of course, Moirville is intensely interested in seeing themselves on this show. They will all tune in and the ratings might skew as if there's interest in them. There isn't. The general public will tune in to see VM they won't care at all about the side stuff and I guarantee it makes none of them a celebrity except among their own self-absorbed cliques.
Anon at 11:58 am. I am hoping that you are right - but I can't help thinking that Scott will get the douche/asshole edit and Tessa will come out smelling like a rose.
DeleteTessa tends to come out canned, although she's surprised me before (the London promotion where her promo for The Bungalow crushed his for Shoeless Joes). It's unfortunate that in the promos for this "reality" show, Tessa is once again positioning herself as Scott's opposite in a way that diminishes Scott. It has always come across that way whenever she emphasizes how she loves school, or needs balance in her life. Since ying and yang is the elementary dynamic they present, it comes off as Tessa is all that, a refined, intelligent person - unlike SCOTT, who reads while moving his lips, has no interests, only cares about skating, and pounds beer with the pals that stayed and graduated from the high school where Scott himself dropped out. That's how it comes across when she presents like that - that he's diminished. Not good enough for her off the ice. Nothing in common with her. She's a full personality, he's pathetic. And yet they keep doing it.
DeleteWhat I've noticed of Moirville is they put themselves in the spotlight and have nothing to say for themselves. The Shoeless Joes promotion was sort of passive aggressive or passive resistent, just the thing to say "come to this restaurant where we'll pretend to ignore you and then smirk!" The various Moirville "interviews" from Vancouver 2010 were pitiful - basically a bunch of mutterings and grunts. Then there's the golf event where they made sure we knew about it but the photos they finally put up said fuck you.
But re Little Moir, it can't help but be noticed that denying her existence creates spotlight opportunities for Moirville that wouldn't be there if her mere existence were acknowledged. Not LM in the spotlight, not reality cameras in her face, not images on social media. Just if they acknowledged her existence, the spotlight opportunities for Scott's family and friends would evaporate. NOBODY would be interested. One wants to believe that the decision to deny her is for her benefit, but Moirville really isn't a "beyond self" sort of town, and it seems the reverse. The decision to deny her is to hog the spotlight for themselves, and Scott, being the man he is, co-signs. Tessa, not wanting to force the issue with Moirville, and always having that veil of piety to hide behind, also co-signs.
11:37, I've had the same thoughts. If anyone unfamiliar with VM sees the show and googles them, this blog is going to turn up in the results. Like you, I think some of these people will start doing their own investigating. I agree that more people are going to learn the truth about VM because of thise show.
Deletethis not thise.
DeleteI should have included this in my last comment, but I find the theory that LM may not be acknowledged because it would take the spotlight off of Moirville, even if she were kept out of things and all we knew was that VM had a young daughter, to be interesting. Moirville probably would trample all over a young child if the young child was going to get in the way of their spotlight.
Recently, the 1964 Olympic Pairs medalists situation has been in the news. There's one story, I think in the New York Times, where one of the Joseph siblings mentions being at a party and telling someone that the was the 1964 Olympic bronze medalist in Pairs. The person looked this up and found some of the unclear, ambiguous, incorrect records not accurately reflecting 1 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medalist. This person contacted the Joseph sibling and accused them of lying.
Thinking about LM's situation and her future. Running a sham on social media is not the same as putting it on tv the way they're about to. This show is going to premiere just as this child is turning 3-years-old. In the future, when she tells someone who her parents are, they'll look them up, and this show is going to be around on youtube. Will people come across the reality show, see that VM's daughter wasn't in it and that her parents were portrayed as dating others and not being married at the time she was between 2 1/2 and 3 years old and think she's lying about who her parents are? Will she get teased about the fact that she was not included when it appears that a lot of other relatives were, including her cousins who are very close in age? To me, the first scenario is just another case of denying her as their child (if people think she's lying about them being her parents), the second is another hurtful situation for her to have to deal with, probably many times over. It's like they haven't considered the future impact this show is going to have on their child and how hard they're making things for her down the road in interest of making things easier for themselves. That is not good parenting. It's cruel, IMO.
12:25
DeleteSo true about Tessa coming across refined and Scott a moron. It's seen even in the details, like those Q&A videos linked upthread. Tessa comes across refined, sitting in elegant surroundings, while Scott looks like he's sitting in a basement man-cave. It's ridiculous. Those settings are deliberately chosen.
Scott isn't Ilderton any longer, if he ever was after 5th grade. He's traveled the world, learned to talk comfortably with all sorts of people (including Her Majesty, for goodness sake), speak in public, handle media. It's a desperate insistence that he's still one of them (only interested in partying and drinking, no thinking involved) but sorry, no matter how much he presents himself that way it comes across like a caricature, not like a real Scott Moir.
It comes across as weakness on his part; that his community is so afraid he'll get too big for his britches, which would mean their claim on him would weaken, that he panders to their expectations rather than come off as too big for his britches. It's like they define what "still one of us" means and he's the one who has to live up to it. He can't set his own definitions and boundaries or sense of self.
DeleteHe's still Scotty boy. He's only a champion skater, otherwise, just like them.
But of course they don't treat him as just like them either, they are ALL OVER him - everybody wants their piece. The denial in this situation is hair raising, and the enabling appears to be a one way street from Scott to them. Tessa has her own issues, including some of her dubious claims about being private (that contrast with some of her choices), but I can see this being Scott's issue. It's insane.
One can speculate that having a come to Jesus to an entire community, or going the Alex Bilodeau route feels like too monumental a task, but if it IS too monumental a task, that just makes Moirville looks more monstrous. But also, if THAT's too monumental a task, what do you call the reality show when Moirville's entitlements have grown to where you're reality showing them right up until six weeks prior to the freaking Olympic games? That's a better alternative than Bilodeauing the situation? And how much is enough when it comes to giving back?
Like it or not, Scott and Tessa have a clear pattern of claiming the absolute opposite of the truth, and not just when it comes to their private lives. Therefore when they both started talking up Moirville's support, their reliance on their extended community, and when Scott started saying they care about Scott the person and not Scott the skater, we have to read it according to their consistent pattern of saying the opposite of what is true. Moirville are a bunch of leaches.
I guess when it's this dysfunctional - when exploitation can be called support - it's understandable to look at your decisions for your kid and reason that harming her is actually helping her.
:12:25
DeleteSo true about Tessa coming across refined and Scott a moron. It's seen even in the details, like those Q&A videos linked upthread. Tessa comes across refined, sitting in elegant surroundings, while Scott looks like he's sitting in a basement man-cave. It's ridiculous. Those settings are deliberately chosen.
Scott isn't Ilderton any longer, if he ever was after 5th grade. He's traveled the world, learned to talk comfortably with all sorts of people (including Her Majesty, for goodness sake), speak in public, handle media. It's a desperate insistence that he's still one of them (only interested in partying and drinking, no thinking involved) but sorry, no matter how much he presents himself that way it comes across like a caricature, not like a real Scott Moir."
But ultimately, Scott is a moron. He married a woman who doesn't respect him, and sacrifices for a family who doesn't respect him. The moron depiction is dead on accurate as far as I'm concerned.
"But ultimately, Scott is a moron. He married a woman who doesn't respect him, and sacrifices for a family who doesn't respect him. The moron depiction is dead on accurate as far as I'm concerned."
DeleteIn another entry, the blog talked about how respectfully Tessa treats Scott compared to Moirville or the Ilderton buddies. And I think that's true. She never mocks him in any way, he's never "Scotty," she always shows respect toward anything he says or does.
It's strange that she obviously holds him in high regard but cannot bring herself to publicly acknowledge him as her man in every sense of the word. What the **** is she afraid of? I'd say they're both morons for letting themselves get into this situation.
The Ilderton crowd is invested in keeping Scott "Scotty" because they're afraid of losing him to the big wide world out there. Unless he can take them with him. They're going to keep him in line. Somehow this guy who is as big a belly crawler as it gets when it comes to Ilderton, who eats more shit for that town and puts up with unbelievable degradation, has been convinced he needs to be kept in line.
DeleteI'm dreading Nationals, because we can be sure V/M will yet again be thrown under the bus, and that G/P (and not P/I) pretty much have their tickets to Sochi punched.
ReplyDeleteAnother article of lies: http://www.canadianliving.com/life/community/team_canada_ice_dancers_tessa_virtue_and_scott_moir.php#.UsH0elo_tmM.twitter
ReplyDelete"A romantic past?
The result of all this intense training? Two stunning programs: a short, jazzy, lighthearted ice dance, and a sophisticated and graceful long program symbolic of their relationship. Yes, it's true—Tessa and Scott have a romantic history. They dated briefly at the beginning of their skating career, but broke up when they actually had to talk to each other. (They were seven and nine.)"
They left out the part where VM fell in love, married, and had a daughter who is turning 3-years-old.
"A new career path
As if all that weren't enough, Tessa and Scott are the stars of a high-profile P&G "Thank You Mom" campaign as well as a reality TV show. Premiering in early 2014, W Network's Tessa & Scott is a six-part reality series documenting the duo's journey to the Olympics. "We wanted to portray ourselves honestly," says Scott. "Like it or not, you'll see the real Tessa and Scott.""
LOL Scott. You are such an ass.
OTOH, in a way, we are seeing the real Tessa and Scott as they sham in front of a national tv audience.
I think they think there's integrity in going all in on their lying. Some of those ISC bywords got warped along the way (Never quit!).
DeleteI think a lot more than the ISC bywords got warped.
DeleteI know, but whenever I read a profile on Alma - and granted, there's not a ton out there that focuses on her, I keep expecting something we were spun in Vancouver - the whole home grown, do unto others, small town values sensibility. That was my impression of what we were being sold back then, but when you go back and look, it's not an accurate impression. Most of what Alma says when it comes to a philosophy of life has to do with staying the course, knocking down obstacles, and not really looking at what kind of fucking course you're on or asking is it worth staying on. Sticking to it is a value in itself, which is just, again, infantile. When you go back the tone from most in Moirville was we have the answers and now everybody knows we have the answers.
DeleteAnother thing I noticed with Alma, is in that "moms" profile. Look at how it ends. Kate is all "my babies got their dream". And Alma says "it was all worth it". I wouldn't think twice about it except for the other evidence around her. But it just seemed weird. Were your sacrifices worth it for Scott or for you?
DeleteI wonder if Tessa's daughter will ever do a thank you mom campaign for Tessa ;-)
DeleteYou know that kid was fitted for skates and on ISC ice before she rolled over on her own. The ISC is like Scientology.
DeleteSpeaking of Moir offspring and skates, there are a few pics of Quinn watching Skate with Santa. 3/4's of the pictures were captioned "where are her skates, grandma???" Charlie was there with Quinn. Was he punished for the horrible and tragic offense of bringing the child to the rink without skates? Was Alma punished?
DeleteThat's nice. Jesus. About five years ago I read an interview with then-sixteen year old Daria Grinkova (G&G's daughter). She'd quit skating at that point and was in school and on the lacrosse team. She didn't complain, but she mentioned that growing up all she ever heard was that she was going to be an Olympic champion like her parents. Clearly this came from inside her world, not outside, because she's not somebody fans would recognize. I remember thinking that's incredibly unfair and it's also dumb ass. Find something else to say to the girl. That sort of comment made no sense either because her parents were champion pairs skaters who couldn't jump, and she wasn't small enough for a pairs skater and didn't have the jumps of a singles skater (taking after her dad).
DeleteI don't know - just hearing about that makes me cringe. It's so small-minded, but that's Moirville all over.
I remember either Zhulin or Navka saying something similar about their daughter Sasha - she started with skating, but switched to tennis instead.
DeleteIt's so unfair to the kid. If a child is going to be a skater, or a great skater, that will happen without the pressure from the people around him or her. But to put that on a little kid who comes from a high achieving skating family is wrong.
Delete"Like it or not, you'll see the real Tessa and Scott"...god help us...so basically everything up to this point Scott - has been fake...and really who needs to know the real you....again it should have been the skating stupid...the skating and the respect you have for one another should have been the story...not who your family and friends are...and enough about the moms...yes they are important but hello would it kill you guys to say - Dads are cool people as well...
ReplyDeleteI know - that one hit me too. "Like it or not". Jesus, you're the one lying - DEAL WITH IT. Sell the fucking thing and stop the passive aggressive adversarial bullshit. "Like it or not." What person in something as benign as figure skating would go "Like it or not". How would that tone even come up?
DeleteIt's inside HIM. I wish he'd keep it there.
It's just amazing how often these two re-set. THAT wasn't the truth. THIS is the truth. THAT's not how we felt - THIS is how we really feel. It's all situational. Nothing they say means anything and yet no matter how often they re-set and are like - this time we really mean it (our program, her pain, our expectations, our degree of confidence, our preparedness) we always end up in the same spot. But it's really remarkable how belligerent they get about their current spin on reality when we remember how cavalier they are about disavowing it the second they've moved on to the next thing.
DeleteI just re-read your comment "and really, who needs to know the real you" and it made me laugh.
DeleteExactly.
All of this comes across as kind of pitiful turning it around on the fans. The premise seems to be we're sort of vultures who are looking to pick their bones on a personal level and here are Scott and Tessa delivering what the public wants.
It's not true. Most of the talk about Scott and Tessa is a direct reaction to the confusion created by their lying habits. That's where the dissection comes from. That and Scott and Tessa's own manipulation. Instead they act like everyone's peering in their window and Scott and Tessa have decided to crack it open so we can get a better look. On the blog at least people are looking past the lies to try and figure out what kind of crackheads would perpetuate something like this. I don't really need to know the real them in any way that doesn't relate to how they're jerking the public around. It's the skating. For God's sake, a blog that is premised on talking about the sham and Scott and Tessa's real relationship has, in the comments section, become consumed with the skating.
For a good laugh, listen to D/W pre-nationals press conference. I laughed out loud when they said they have left no stone unturned by working with the best coaches, off-ice dancers, etc, they always feel the hunters, and what they've learned from the Shibs is their amazing work ethic; also, Lynn Rutherford is a total passive-aggressive bitch:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.icenetwork.com/video/topic/59555720/v31283377
And just how long did they work with these off-ice dancers? cuz it sure ain't showing in their performances. Their SD is just plain bad. It is just skate from one end to the other with several hops and skips and some random twirls. no relation to the actual dances themselves. and did i mention you could drive a truck between them? DW are easily the most overscored and held up ice dance team of all time.
DeleteLynn Rutherford is part of the PR machine for DW. USFSA and their media buddies are so desperate to cover up the fact that DW are gifted all these scores and titles that they not only exaggerate DW's talents but also take shots at VM.
Delete@ 10:29:
DeleteThe problem is not just that DW's media machine exaggerates DW's talents. As we've seen, not a single commentator is saying anything differently when DW skate.
I'm shocked when I see the translations of what the Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese (and etc.) commentators have said when DW skate. They praise them to the skies. They say their technique is the best in the world. Many of them even say they prefer DW over VM and they bring in all those subjective things about how DW make them *feel.*
These are supposed to be people who understand the sport. How did it come about they're all suffering from the same blindness when it comes to DW? The video analyses that many fans have been providing unquestionably demonstrate that all the praise for DW is misguided. That in fact, they are not holding edges, their lifts are cheated to look good when they're elementary, they are not skating according to the traditional standards of excellence nor according to the rulebook.
It's absolutely baffling that not a single known skating expert or commentator is pointing that out. They just keep repeating the accepted DW narratives in spite of none of that being true as to what is really going on out there on the ice when DW skate.
It's all good and well that many fans are stirred up and providing great analyses and commentary but as long as these people who are considered "the authority" in skating commentary keep saying DW are the greatest and the best, how can the ISU be made to stop this scoring corruption? They've fed the judges and commentators a cartfull of BS and no one dares deviate from that narrative. I have never seen ice-dance corruption at this level before, and I've been following this sport for more than 30 years. It's disgusting. No wonder the DW media can get away with saying any crap they wish. The judging and the skating commentators aren't saying any differently.
Something that is obvious is that Skate Canada let the ISU corruption get away with this because their priority in ice-dance is to prop up G/P. SC should have been screaming foul years ago and they did nothing.
"Something that is obvious is that Skate Canada let the ISU corruption get away with this because their priority in ice-dance is to prop up G/P. SC should have been screaming foul years ago and they did nothing."
DeleteSC should have been screaming foul. The French fed should have been screaming foul. The Russian fed should have been screaming foul.
VM aren't the only team getting screwed over, they're just the most egregious case of getting screwed over. DW shouldn't even be on the podium at this point.
DW are indeed the outliers. Everyone else has to skate, including other teams from the US that came before and after DW. It's the most absurd thing I've ever seen in this sport.
I'm fairly convinced that the push for DW isn't about beating VM with some sort of club. It's about a push specifically for DW, as we have other teams being screwed over as well. Don't get me wrong, I think the VM are fools for wasting pr capital on the sham when they should have been talking about the skating and mounting a defense against what was happening instead. I don't know if a skating-specific pr push from VM would have helped; the push for DW is very strong and determined, but at least they would have been doing everything in their power to fight back.
You're right 10:43, the other Federations should also have been screaming foul. The egregious scoring for DW is only about DW. It's not about creating close rivalries. Some very rich and powerful people have greased the wheels to get DW to the top.
DeleteIt's so mafia-like the way skating commentators are sticking to the script regardless of reality.
DW are the worst skaters ever to be granted such high status. At least in all the past bitching about ice-dance politiks it still involved the best skaters in the world and the differences between the top 3 could be said to be minor. Not this time. DW should barely be making 5th-6th place at Worlds, if that.
Anon 10:43 AM: totally agree. But I don't get why DW. Why is the ISU bending over backwards for DW? Because they're American? There are so many talented teams in the US, all of whom skate their programs. The Shibs should be the undisputed number #1 team in the US, but they will probably be held down to the third spot.
Delete11:01
DeleteLike you say, there are other deserving American teams. They are also getting screwed in order to keep DW at the top.
At this point - I think DW's parents have bought off the USFSA and the ISU...
Delete11:36, I have considered the possibility of actual, old-fashioned bribery with money being the reason for the big push for DW.
DeleteNoone is paying the commentators to say anything, they are simply going along with the current narrative. Commentators are fans as well and DW have an exciting, crowd-pleasing style and skate with lots of attack. They also rarely make any obvious mistakes and come out of the gate very prepared every year. Combine all that with a very well-executed PR campaign that redefines DW's style as the ultimate in ice dance (it should look hard! it should be Energiser-bunny style! Otherwise it isn't a real sport!) and you get the current situation.
DeleteWhere does the current narrative come from, that is the question. I think some of it has to come from inside skating - the ISU - and filter to the commentators.
DeleteI agree that the commentators aren't being bribed. They're parroting the narrative that's coming from elsewhere.
DeleteI was thinking that the palms of some USFSA officials get greased. The USFSA has someone on the ice dance technical committee right now; Canada does not. Maybe a little more palm greasing at the ISU level, but maybe the USFSA representative is just pushing an agenda they were influenced to push.
There are teams representing the US who can really dance and skate, the Shibutanis notably. Why aren't they the team being pushed? Why aren't they about to win the national title when they'll outskate and outdance DW? There has to be a reason why the US is pushing DW when they have better and have had better teams than them in the past, going back to the 09-10 season.
I also believe "exciting, crowd pleasing style" was true for the Bollywood program and Die Fleudermaus, and that's about it. It's actually VM who have the crowd-pleasing style. Giving that tag to DW is just one of the go tos because the content is so lacking when it comes to actual quality skating. That's always the go to for deficient skaters who are being promoted. SC did that go to for Gilles/Poirier when Piper could barely hold an edge.
DeleteAgreed that DW's style is not crowd pleasing... their music is, sometimes.
DeleteThe commentators say that because what are they going to say? The team has won everything for the past two years, so the purpose of the commentator is to "explain" to the audience why the result is that way. Commentators also used to say in Kwan and Plushenko's heyday that they had the most sophisticated choreography - because they won all the time, even after reverting to empty programs. Sometimes you will get a Tracy Wilson who picked on Grishuk Platov endlessly (usually this is a combination of North American commentator/Russian skater; the British and Australian commentators are generally nice to everyone, can't speak for those in foreign languages though). Usually, though, the commentator is trying to get the audience to keep from changing the channel, and the way to do that is to make them thing what they're watching is great.
Like someone posted before, notice how someone like Zhulin or Ksenia Monko gives very detailed reasons why VM are better, while positive comments about DW are usually the same couple of key points: athletic, hard workers, fast, exciting (not coincidentally, the same points that DW and IN put out).
Also, notice that positive comments about DW are usually made by people who have been asked about them, are commentating on them, or are commenting on Virtue Moir and say "and DW too!" (how many times did I see this on FSU... VM are legends... oh and DW are also!). Takahashi's fandom is an exception and it's not like he's ever said anything about their skating either. VM are more likely to be named out of the blue, or where a skater is asked for their favorites or who they believe changed the sport, or when discussing technique.
Commentators also buy into the hype about "nice people" - and why not, apparently the Chinese judge does. British eurosport used to go on about Drobiazko Vanagas and Kevin Van der Perren... such nice people and so robbed.
As to why the Shibs aren't winning, there was some talk that they might pass DW, as DW passed BA, and boy, was that killed by the next season.
DeleteI wonder if there's two layers - USFS is pushing for an American team to win internationally, and DW are pushing themselves nationally. IOW, USFS doesn't care who wins, as long as it's an American team, and DW are bribing the USFS. I find it hard to believe that any two families, no matter how wealthy, could truly be able to bribe all of those international judges, referees, technical specialists, committee members, officials, with actual money.
It's too deep... DW have been favored at every level. In the calling, in the GOE, in the PCS, in the choice of the last two pattern dances, the elimination of the CDs, the way their twizzles are still level 4, the seminars... USFS pulled that off, not them.
I guess it makes sense that USFS pushed DW over BA, but didn't let another team pass DW. Agosto had an injury. BA were erratic, constantly skipping competitions to save face. Tanith had personal issues, hell maybe they wanted to punish her because she stopped bearding Lysacek. DW in 2010 were healthy, compliant, and part of a Marina/Igor narrative that allowed them to piggyback on VM's scores.
So in 2010 they could keep going with this still healthy, newly popular team for the next four years or sell them out for a brother sister (always a hard sell) who could skate better... there seems to be no discernible reason why they would do that. With Tessa getting pregnant in 2010, USFS knew then that DW were guaranteed to win Worlds, so it made sense to stay the course.
I'm 12:41
DeleteDW get great audience response no matter where they skate. They got a better response than V/M at the GPF despite their poor performances, they got a standing ovation at London worlds, and so on. Of course, much of it has to do with their choice of music and how their programs are choreographed. In 2011, when they tried more subtle music, the audience didn't go for it. They're "smart" enough now to stick what works.
4:00 p.m., we'll agree to disagree, because other people who've attended those competitions simply don't agree that their response in London was heartfelt (Notre Dame was an ass program, please), or a better response at the GPF. This isn't something we can really debate because we're talking a subjective interpretation of the response. I've heard plenty that it's not all that. I personally think the Shibs get a more organic, enthusiastic response than DW, let alone VM. That's my takeaway. This isn't something that can be argued because it's about an individual's read on a group dynamic.
Delete4:00 and 4:34
DeleteThe perceived crowd reaction also depends so much on the people sitting around you. Besides, that's not supposed to have anything to do with the judging. A skating competition is not a popularity contest.
While I think more than bribery has to account for what's going on (if ANY bribery accounts for what's going on), Maya Usova did note how little judges are paid. :)
Delete"it is Meryl and Charlie who were scored inappropriately"
ReplyDeletethank you.
i wish more people would talk openly about this. There are several teams who should be beating DW or at least be in the same range as them score-wise. I looked at all the top teams carefully and not one of them is doing as much hopping and non-skating as DW. It is a distinction DW hold, and one taht will likely win them an OGM. pathetic.
Agreed. V/M's scores at GPF were totally fair (well, except for niggly levels here and there and not getting full GOE, which is BS, because they executed flawlessly) and earned on the basis of their skating. What did D/W do to deserve such over-inflated marks, world records at that? It was insulting.
DeleteIsn't that odd, though? WHY aren't the other teams hopping and skipping? Not to mention lunging and two-footing? Marina Zoueva is a very savvy choreographer in terms of timing and tricking the eye, but I think there are other decent choreographers out there who can get the idea and copycat. They don't. How come? Instead almost all of the teams are going in the direction of actually doing it. Gilles & Poirier were seeming to ape DW tricks and suddenly this year they went the other way? How come?
DeleteAll of these skaters get feedback, all of them hear from the ISU directly or indirectly. These program decisions aren't made in a vacuum. ALL of the skaters but DW were instructed or heard they needed to skate their programs. DW apparently were told how they needed to position themselves politically. DW are the outliers. They are the ones being gifted. They're the hustle of ice dance. It's all about them. What's happened in ice dance scoring is DW-centric. Everybody else skates their programs, DW two-foots and do primitive elements with tons of clutching and pasting together their centers of balance, and then are leapfrogged to the front of the line. It's about them.
I always find it telling when somebody like a Zhulin can barely muster praise to D/W; he just gives them the courtesy few words, but you can tell he could talk all day about V/M. I'm sure he instructs his junior dancers to look at tape of V/M; heck, one of his junior teams ( a Ukrainian team) did a not-bad version of the goose at junior GPF.
DeleteInteresting...International Figure Skating's FB page had a link to V/M's radio interview "...about their upcoming documentary". I guess that's better than being referred to a reality show.
ReplyDelete