Role Model
noun
1. a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.
This post is a continuation of the post section below that talks about #ALSicebucket challenge. It revisits past behaviors that have been discussed here before, with the understanding that these behaviors reflect patterns that continue to surface in Virtue and Moir's interviews, in the reality show, and on social media. It's organized around the idea that, while many of Scott and Tessa's choices in public relations and marketing appear to be calculated based upon what they believe will work on the absolute lowest common denominator (a/k/a "skating fans"), as well as what they believe will most effectively exploit and disparage that segment of the public, these choices are more telling about Scott and Tessa.I believe Virtue and Moir are role models for other elite skaters when it comes to skating and training.They’re role models for how to be polite, low maintenance, considerate and gracious while the center of attention in public.They’re role models for how to be well put together and poised when rubbing elbows with notables.
The thing with Virtue and Moir as role models beyond those areas is they never appear to grasp any larger picture.Tessa, in particular, appears susceptible to imposing thought systems on everything beyond her personal framework. God forbid she take in what's actually out there. She's the original forest for the trees archtype.The woman is always looking for a state of the art filter, the best life edit app.
All of their lives, they’ve been at the center of the frame. It’s been about them.Tessa, in her social media presence, comes across like the stereotype of a sorority girl every parent wishes their daughter would be. Why can’t you be more like that nice Tessa Virtue. As skaters and athletes, they’re role models. Beyond that, there are skaters who are douchier, but also plenty of skaters who do a better job as role models a regular person could look up to. What Patrick Chan, Jeremy Abbott and Paul/Islam did with the #ALSicebucket challenge is absolutely effortless, but you never see Scott and Tessa thinking of it. Everything outside a universe that has the two of them as its focal point is just a metric.
It’s a bit ironic that the post below looks at the merits of raising “awareness”, when Scott and Tessa’s apparent lack of awareness around some basic issues of empathy, common sense and how "A" connects to "B" has been so marked during their time in the public eye.There are few supposedly intelligent public figures who are more obtuse.
I guess what they do works, if the goal was to turn many of their fans into eager, panting puppies, desperate to appease and please.What it looks like to me is a lot of fans are behaving that way in order to encourage Virtue and Moir to stick around. Fan dynamics tend to be the same no matter what fandom we’re talking about, but as far as I’m aware, this particular aspect seems particular to Scott and Tessa fans.This worry that if fans do something wrong, Scott and Tessa will cut off the supply of Scott and Tessa. I don’t see other fans worrying like that. Even Meryl Davis fans who respond angrily when her looks or skating are criticized don’t appear to worry that criticism will drive Meryl out of the public eye.
IMO there’s a failure on Scott and Tessa’s part to ever really consider what’s outside the frame. What’s outside is other people. Fans have another existence apart from their fandom.They’re human beings. In their public behavior, Scott and Tessa only consider fans as fans.That’s fine most of the time, but there are times it’s helpful to remember, before you open your mouth, that they’re also people. The beaten puppy syndrome described in the above paragraph is a consequence of Scott and Tessa’s manipulations over the past seven years. Fans know there's something elusive and shifty about Scott and Tessa's public personas, and many fans seem to believe that if they modulate their behavior, and control the behavior of other fans, Scott and Tessa will allow themselves to come more clearly into focus.That's the game. Scott and Tessa's appearance on twitter and instagram is just the most current iteration of this dynamic, a dynamic driven by Scott and Tessa's constant public relations mind fuckery.
Scott and Tessa don’t appear to make very obvious connections, of the sort that require empathy and a grasp of basic context. As many blog participants know, a few years ago Scott made a rare appearance on his facebook page, requesting suggestions for a profile picture. Until that point, his profile pictures had been of him alone, all of them as interesting as if someone had pressed the shutter by mistake.The only thing missing was a blurred thumb across the lens.* His request made it appear as if he were finally willing to have a "real" profile picture. As he's not an utter moron, he knew fans would suggest an appropriate photo of himself and his skating partner.
After entertaining earnest suggestions from fans over the course of a few days, his request turned out to be a fake-out. He left all of those fans with egg on their faces. Imagine the fans who took some time and thought, fans who sat at their computer looking at a few pictures before deciding on the one to suggest to Scott.Their suggestions and links were posted on his fan facebook wall for everyone to see. Some fans spent time trying to choose not just a picture they liked, but one they hoped might appeal to Scott. Everyone was trying to respond in a way that would encourage Scott to interact more on facebook.There’s a vulnerability in that.They trusted his request. How the hell does he miss that? If you’re only thinking about yourself and your clever gimmick, if you’re not considering that the other side are people with feelings and lives apart from the fact that they’re “fans”, that’s how you miss it. If you lack respect, you miss it.
After entertaining earnest suggestions from fans over the course of a few days, his request turned out to be a fake-out. He left all of those fans with egg on their faces. Imagine the fans who took some time and thought, fans who sat at their computer looking at a few pictures before deciding on the one to suggest to Scott.Their suggestions and links were posted on his fan facebook wall for everyone to see. Some fans spent time trying to choose not just a picture they liked, but one they hoped might appeal to Scott. Everyone was trying to respond in a way that would encourage Scott to interact more on facebook.There’s a vulnerability in that.They trusted his request. How the hell does he miss that? If you’re only thinking about yourself and your clever gimmick, if you’re not considering that the other side are people with feelings and lives apart from the fact that they’re “fans”, that’s how you miss it. If you lack respect, you miss it.
If you’re unusually stupid, you miss it.There’s that, too. It’s not the fake-out itself that’s problematic, but Scott’s failure to make the basic connections that would let him know that what he planned was mean before he even did it.That’s why I say they’re up their own ass. Sure, he hadn’t shown up on his facebook in forever and day. Of course, when he does at last pay a visit, requesting input from fans to boot, fans are going to be extra excited – but also extra polite and cautious, so he’ll be encouraged to reach out more. Naturally, when it turns out to be a “gotcha”, he’ll look like a dick.
Think of those fans realizing he probably never even looked at their suggestions.Then falling over themselves to excuse him.
I’m pretty comfortable saying that just about nobody but Scott Moir, Tessa Virtue, some of Skate Canada's directors, and Moirville would do something like that in the context Scott did it.The mean of it would be obvious. No matter how douchey people are in private, most people don’t want to show their ass in public.
Flew right over Scott’s head.That’s the kindest, most benefit-of-the-doubt interpretation.
That’s them all over.Virtue and Moir have information.The public/internet fans, officially at least, don’t.The person who knows stuff someone else doesn’t is the person with power. Scott and Tessa use that power to humiliate fans all the time. But does it count if fans don’t realize they’re being humiliated? I think what possibly embarrassed Scott about the facebook trick was he was caught. Fans saw what he did. I don’t think the actual concept of humiliating fans bothers him much, as long as it can’t officially be traced back to him.
A large component of the sham is creating and repeating a narrative that will later be deployed to leave the fans to blame for all the lying and manipulation Scott and Tessa have done.The general lack of decency in this agenda isn’t a consideration. For Scott and Tessa, it’s all about appearances, all about lack of accountability. It’s all narrative. Actual decency, actual integrity, actual empathy is irrelevant. It really is exactly the mirror of the Davis White trajectory to the gold medal.The exact same damn thing. Both things occurred within North American figure skating culture, a culture which is a piece of fucking work, going by the two teams at the top.
The failure to connect "A" and "B" also showed up in Scott's infamous “I’d trade places with my brother because then I’d have a beautiful daughter” remark.What human being would think of something like that and not hear alarm bells before putting it out to the world? Scott. He was too distracted by the triple twist, back somersault clever of it all. Up his own ass.
So many other skaters would make those connections automatically. Geez, I haven’t been on facebook in a long time, if I show up and pretend to care about their opinion and it turns out joke’s on them, I’ll be a dick. Automatically, they’d know it. Scott and Tessa don’t. They’re used to being the best on the ice; somehow that appears to have convinced them they’re also the smartest two people in any room. But it doesn’t look like smart. It looks like mean. I wonder if they think there's any difference._______________
*Facebook is free, so it stands to reason.
Sham, shit PR, etc. What else is new with VM?
ReplyDeleteOT, but it's a bit annoying that a lot of my ice dance costume-related image searches are turning up a lot of Davis' pics which show her utter lack of line (and grace. and good posture etc etc). The mainstream media are really peddling her least-common-denominator narrative.
Speaking of inappropriate things, Scott has a new niece/nephew. Chances this little one makes his or her social media debut courtesy of Kaitlyn Lawes? There is a family traditional to uphold after all.
ReplyDeleteHmmm not sure - it appears that Lawes is at a curling camp this week in Kitchener-Waterloo for kids/teenagers. Already she has tweeted about her chocolate milk sponsor being the drink of choice for the campers. But because she will be interacting with her grass root fans / future curlers, parents etc - I don't think she will go introduce new baby moir. If I had to guess - Lawes is totally booked for the rest of the summer with engagements - while Tessa has mucho free time on her hands to have fun with twitter.
DeleteAnon here again at 2:58 pm - well it seems Ms. Lawes just got ice-challenged...but she was very smart in her reply indicating that she can't do it within 24 hours but in the meantime will make a donation to the charity...
DeleteIt seems like people in that group (skaters/friends) have been paying attention, because the past few days the trend has definitely shifted towards donation and actual awareness of causes, as opposed to only the challenge it stands for... wait, what does it stand for... oh, yes, ALS.
DeleteI'm not sure what curling camp looks like, but if it is like my skating camp was, she's probably not going to be able to venture away much. However, I would be very much surprised if Scott doesn't perhaps make a "special guest" appearance. It's just too close. And/or maybe she'll just come to hang with her "bf" in good ol' Ilderton at the end of the week.
Whenever they're in the media, they lay more narrative about "intense, international fan interest" in their personal lives. This fan interest is generated by Scott and Tessa themselves. They're always toying with fans, rattling their cages, always laying bait. In no way do they behave how a couple who doesn't welcome "intense fan interest" in their personal lives would ever behave. When fans are talking about other stuff, such as skating, here come Scott and Tessa to tell us what we should really be talking about - their relationship.
ReplyDeleteWhen Davis White won gold, and people questioned their levels and pcs (and questioned Virtue and Moir's levels and pcs) there were past protocols to "justify" present protocols. Why look at the actual skating?
Over the past x number of years Virtue and Moir have hammered home the narrative that their fans won't get their noses out of Scott and Tessa's bedrooms. Meantime, and from the very beginning, it's been Virtue and Moir themselves inviting this, baiting this, egging fans on, constantly chumming the waters whenever it appears fan interest in whether or not they're fucking, or who they're fucking, might be waning. That's the great ignored fact of Scott and Tessa's story. What they do. The story is only what they say WE do.
You know how all of us complain that with Davis White, all that mattered was the narrative. The skating didn't matter at all.
The sham is the same thing. We are being set up to hold the bag for this. It's wrong. It's indecent. Scott and Tessa don't limit themselves, don't exercise maturity, don't accept responsibility, and God knows they have no intention of ever being accountable. This means skating fans will yet again be condescended to, patronized, diminished and stereotyped. I hope they're not lying awake much over what happened in Sochi because they are big contributors to the culture that helped pull that off. They exploit, cheapen and diminish their sport and the supporters of their skating every bit as much as the forces that pulled off Davis White's gold medal heist.
My only hope is that someday when (if) they decide to finally come clean, it's because they've had a re-direction or realization of conscience, and therefore with that, sincerely apologize. I know they don't see it that way and have justified it to themselves in whatever way they have to get to where they are now. I've always suspected it wasn't their original idea, and they were convinced by people they respected/feared when it started. Then, at some point, they believed whatever they were being told so much and had lived by it for long enough that they took it over for themselves, and it just became a part of their identity.
DeleteI know it's not likely, and I'm certainly not holding my breath, but I still hold out that (extremely) slim sliver of hope that one day they'll somehow be able to see this from outside of themselves and be convicted and do what's right.
Well, I think that's a pretty futile hope.
DeleteOne of the things that pisses me off about all of this is knowing the demographic of skating fans is mostly women. I mean if that's not enough to be embarrassed about. How can you be a real sport? When Skate Canada did its "tough" campaign, it was of course trying to say "Figure skating isn't gay!" but it was also desperately trying to get some of the hockey audience, and the hockey audience is mostly dudes, I guess, although hockey surely has a huge female following.
I think a lot of what Scott and Tessa do (and what figure skating does) would never EVER be tried in a sport where the fans were men and not women.
Just to add - I'm still dumbfounded that the overriding message of the reality show "Tessa and Scott" was that Scott is heterosexual. That message even superseded "Tessa and Scott are platonic."
Delete"Hey, did you know Scott is HETEROSEXUAL? He has sex with FEMALES."
Yes, yes, we did know Scott was heterosexual.
Why did Moirville - and Scott and Tessa - want to club that home? Make an issue out of something that's not an issue?
Because they live up their own asses, and it's a narrow, insular, self-referential, stifling area code. They project their own issues onto the public. Therefore, I don't care if Moirville has been promoting figure skating since the paleolithic era - MOIRVILLE thinks figure skating is gay. MOIRVILLE (and Scott and Tessa) are obsessed with Scott and Tessa's relationship. They won't deal with themselves, so they project it onto us and of course the media plays along.
^I wonder how this attitude impacts any gay skaters at the ISC. It makes me suspect the ISC has some enthusiastic gay skaters competing, and as happy as the ISC is to promote its skaters, it is somewhat shamefaced that it has young male skaters who are gay, and, in absolutely classic Moirville tradition, sets about overcompensating to the point of insanity. Of course, not everybody would think you need to "overcompensate" for gay, but Moirville sure does.
DeleteIf they had never shammed to this level, maybe they wouldn't have developed this weird lack of sensitivity? Shamming from such a young age had to distort their frame of reference--of themselves, the fans, their own importance. Instead of being themselves, with a focus (in their public personas) on skating, it all got turned upside down. Relating to the public became about hiding, lying, games, manipulations. I can see how the objects towards whom they were directing the manipulations and lies (fans, or the public) would have to become "less-than" in order for it to be okay to treat them that way. So many things needed to be rationalized, it's not surprising Tessa, in all sincerity, can look straight at a camera and spin a little story that to *her* sounds logical. Cluelessly patronizing (both of them). They have OTT grandiose views of themselves, believing they cannot function publicly without all the barriers of make-believe between them and the "fans" (that abstract group of people who aren't really real people).
ReplyDeleteI used to look at a lot of skater facebooks. I have never ever EVER seen the sort of insensitivity displayed by Scott and Tessa, not anywhere. I've seen some really stupid, tacky stuff. Some elitist stuff. But not such a cheerful, robotic, polished disconnect from the basics of empathy. Scott and Tessa display a complete inability to understand fans outside their position as "fans". They have no concept of these people outside how they "relate" to Scott and Tessa. As the post says, most of the time, that's not a problem. However, with some of their gambits, it's important to remember we're talking about actual people. Never ever have Scott and Tessa demonstrated that they understand this. When one considers the demographic of the skating public, it gets even uglier.
DeleteI don't know about Tessa's sincerity. Everything she does reads as one-upmanship/control freakish/competitive to me. Also, extraordinarily determined to tune out anything she's decided she doesn't want to know about. In some respects, she's a warrier (her ability to compete despite screaming pain in her legs that would make Grimm's Little Mermaid look like a wimp. Her talent, her bravery, her competitive will and heart, her willingness to lay it out there). In other respects, she's a fucking hothouse flower. Don't disturb the artist!
DeleteAny day now she can lose "characters on the ice." Every ice dance team in the game, including brother and sister teams, are portraying characters on the ice.
It's also easy to see that that "unique" thing they harp on incessantly isn't just offensive (as a participant said once, even the hermit-dweller with his Princess Lea action figure is in a "unique" relationship) but it's a fucking excuse. We're so unique. Even at 25 and 26, we've remained totally unique. That means that we're excused from observing the conventions of respect, integrity, and decency. Our "unique" status exempts us.
DeleteWhat kind of "unique" status exempts people from that stuff? It's total bullshit. They're in control. WE'RE not in control. All of this is their choice. There are other choices, intelligent choices. They decided not to make those choices, and it has nothing to do with how "unique" they consider themselves.
who wants to have a laugh? i heard d/w (well particularly meryl) were booed at michigan 400 today. i guess shit happens when you rob a superior team of an olympic gold medal ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ReplyDeleteIn the comments section for the post below this one, one participant suggests that we're not giving DW enough credit; that the narrative and choreography actually fooled the skating world into thinking they were better. This participant is not giving the skating world enough credit. The judges at the level that judge Olympic ice dance know skating and know the rulebook. The bullshit that's built into Davis White's programs is apparent many many levels below that of international judging panels. I understand what this person is saying, but I also think it's just another instance of a fan projecting their understanding/worldview onto an entirely different worldview, and not appreciating that figure skating is not freaking arcane inside the skating community. The skating community knows the difference between skating and choreography.
DeleteAll one has to do is look at the respect garnered by Chan, Kostner, VT, and heck even Tomas Verner who basically pops all his jumps to see that the skating world cares for and understands basics.
DeleteThe mean streets have rejected DW?! *sob*
DeleteI guess this will make DW even GRITTIER now. They persevere through so much!
Someone should've sent them a memo that they weren't going to a yacht club.
I recently looked at google maps to see how far Ann Arbor was from Detroit proper. 40 miles. Boy, the grit has a long way to go to seep into the "atmosphere" over the Ann Arbor golf course and into Davis White's pores. I think my favorite part of Davis White's Detroit C'est Nous attempt was when they acted like Detroit's poverty was CULTURAL. Hey, it's Detroit. This poverty thing - it's cultural! Nobody asks for handouts. I mean, if they did, they'd be on easy street. They PREFER to do it the hard way. Like us!
Deletei heard they had a bodyguard with them i guess ~queen meryl~ was afraid that those big and scary and grubby peasants were going to get rowdy.
Delete9:13. Oh, please with all the mocking of DW/Meryl. They got undeserved medals but that doesn't make it ok to act like they're dirt. How does this make us any better than DW fans and their mockery of VM. Let's be classier.
Delete^ oh please with all the ~holier than thou attitude~ dw are entitled assholes and i aint gonna shy away from saying that. their comments and actions they have made in the past have absolutely shown how privilege and ignorant they are. stop trying to dictate what people say. its hilarious that no one bats an eye when oc and certain ppl in the comment section rips v/m's character and personality or w/e its called to shreds but when it comes to dw? "let us be classier"
Deletebecause calling tessa a psycho is oh so classy.
9:13 - or it's poseur stuff. Plenty of not so famous people use security in order to broadcast how famous they are, how interested other people are in them. It's p.r. like everything else.
Delete^its possible - considering i got the info from twitter. there were dozens of tweets that said "i just saw meryl and charlie!" but only one or two said they were with a bodyguard.
Delete9:46 - "Why are you picking on ME when they do it too" isn't the most mature way to respond to criticism. I also think it's kind of hard to determine if someone's an asshole when we see 0.1% of their lives.
DeleteWhat were DW's agents thinking to send them to a NASCAR race in the first place ? That just shows you how far removed from reality their act has gotten.
DeleteOh, Tessa and Scott get invited to hockey, golf and tennis matches; now we must show them how much more popular we are with the broader audiences.
NASCAR fans really had a go on Meryl on Twitter, Facebook and various comment sections. I expect another big publicity stunt in the near future because her PR has been so eager to show us over and over again just how much better Meryl is in every way that they can't let such a humiliation go unnoticed.
10:02 way to miss the whole point. if you're looking for ~classy comments~ you're in the wrong place. and d/w have shown their ass when they called gay rights "semantics" and said "ethnically ambiguous is in" and basically appropriated the poor from detroit as OC has explained more eloquently in a previous post.
Delete10:57 interestingly enough, dw getting booed reminded me of the time back in march when v/m were at at hockey game with other athletes including klawes and they got the loudest cheers. everyone who has been to a hockey game knows how the audience can get. imo hockey fans are more intense than nascar fans because you dont see nascar fans rioting in the street because their favorite lost (or do they?)
anon 10:02 seems to be forgetting that D/W aren't sacrosanct here. they're not going to get the special treatment for the sake of being classy.
DeleteD/W deserved mockery and worse when these two privileged skaters attempted to appropriate Detroit's struggles for their own personas. That was a sewer-grade maneuver.
DeleteAs to their appearance at NASCAR, NASCAR just signed a mega-deal with IMG. I imagine that's why DW were there. Management companies put together appearance packages like this all the time. That's why I'm curious about all of the golf events Kaitlyn Lawes has attended. She appears to be an experienced golfer, but she's been at a lot of golf stuff this summer. Scott and Tessa's management agency Sport Box represents a lot of golfers and does golf events, among other things (and I'm still curious about why such experienced skaters, long in the public eye, went with such a new shop, and a shop that specializes in golfers)
^They're the only "personalities" under Sport Box's talent category.
Delete"(and I'm still curious about why such experienced skaters, long in the public eye, went with such a new shop, and a shop that specializes in golfers)"
DeleteMaybe when they officially retire they're branching out to a golf career... Tessa's playing today in some event, lol.
Yes, that was tongue in cheek...
What I'm reading on twitter is the NASCAR audience thought Charlie and Meryl's "start your engines" delivery was lazy and don't give a shit.
Delete6:26 a.m. - I plan on reading through the histories of Sports Box's execs/founders etc. later. It really caught my eye that this entity is only a year old (just about exactly). I don't know if Scott and Tessa have previous history with some of the people now involved with this company, as the people involved with Sports Box have previous background in sports management/entertainment, including with IMG. But Scott and Tessa sometimes like to start fresh when they shovel the shit. They get new, green, ignorant reporters/journalists to peddle their version of themselves, people who have no history with Scott and Tessa's past versions and who don't do real research before publishing their interview (remember the "journalist" who told us about the reality show without watching the reality show, working only from what Scott and Tessa told her, and from episode summaries). This is unusual. Many athletes - most - in their position have long relationships with their representation, developed over years.
DeleteScott and Tessa got on board with a brand new, still developing sports management group whose focus is golf. They're "personalities" - meaning, celebrities, names, value adds.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but IMO, it's fair game to call out the fact that Meryl and Charlie were rejected by their beloved home audience, the one whose misery they've coopted. And you might say well maybe they just don't care about ice dance or DWTS, but it's a big contrast to the support Tessa and Scott get at other male-oriented sporting events. Meryl and Charlie are dressed for a day at the country club and look like they don't want to be there and don't give a shit. Tessa and Scott (even if it's acting) generally convey their excitement over being included in these things. They don't act like they should be applauded for deigning to appear for the plebians.
DeleteAs for Sports Box, I've long wondered if really legitimate top tier representation wants nothing to do with the sham, at least the sham as implemented. First of all, I think adequate representation in 2010 would have encouraged them to prepare a classy wedding/pregnancy announcement... but in 2014, it may be too late. I can believe that maybe a reputable organization would enable a sham, but not necessarily, THE sham, in this way, with dumb shit like alpine jackets and French pastries. Perhaps Tessa & Scott resist any representation that wouldn't let them have free reign. I can't imagine any sports agent thinking it's a good idea to call attention to extra weight by saying you haven't gone to the gym (especially if they'd done research about the types of attacks that have been made on Tessa's weight). Maybe Sports Box is something in the middle - a startup that will help them to the extent of hooking them up with other Olympic stars, coaching them on social media, etc, but also doesn't really know or care enough about them to give them REAL guidance.
And if it's the latter, than they for sure aren't going to bother to do any of the research that will help VM promote their skating, and this will be another example of the sham interfering with their career.
Regarding V/M's representation, they were with Danny Fritz when he was still with IMG Canada. (He was the contact person on their 'new' website.) But when Danny left to start Sports Box, they followed him, rather than staying with IMG.
DeleteI've looked Fritz up, and when Danny Fritz was with IMG Canada, he was all about golf and golf events like the Telus Skins game, that he almost single-handedly kept viable until it finally fizzled out. Why did Tessa and Scott use a golf specialist to represent them, when IMG has a huge, dedicated figure skating division? When Fritz left IMG to start his own shop, he also announced it was going to be full spectrum golf. Obviously, since he's using the golfers he represents as "talent", he's going to develop relationships with other sectors, like fashion, entertainment, etc., and the whole gamut of promotional events across industries, but his core speciality is golfing, golf events, and golfers. Then it's Scott and Tessa - two of these things are not like the others. It's "here are our golfers" and btw, we also have these two "personalities" who are ice dancers. Olympic gold medalists, the most popular figure skaters in Canada, and they're sort of tacked onto his golf enterprises.
DeleteBased on how they sometimes select the "journalists" who get extended interviews with them, I wonder if it's Scott and Tessa doing the choosing here, rather than Scott and Tessa being turned away by bigger management concerns. Maybe, as with some of the very green, eager "journalists" whom Scott and Tessa have used to get a specific message out, Scott and Tessa don't want representatives who are plugged into the figure skating world, representatives who might become aware of some of their antics, if they were part of the figure skating community. If Scott and Tessa were repped by a figure skating division that handled other skaters, that team would know how they've handled themselves in the past. If nothing else, the other figure skaters on the roster could via in-house gossip, could provide a fuller picture to the management team of exactly how Tessa and Scott have presented themselves and managed their p.r./marketing in their own time.
Sports Box doesn't seem completely clued in. Their profiles on the Sports Box page describe Tessa as having been accepted to the National Ballet of Canada (she was offered a spot in their school after a stint in their summer program - these spots are competitive, so it was an important opportunity, but it wasn't an offer for nine year old Tessa to join the ballet company, as Sports Box has it), and I never knew Scott liked to spend his spare time with his childhood friends hanging out on his family's farm. I thought the Moir homestead was adjacent to the Ilderton rink, not on a farm.
^IOW, there are times Scott and Tessa seem to want to work/partner with people they can dupe a little bit, people who have no independent familiarity with exactly how Scott and Tessa have presented themselves over the years, people who are outside figure skating and get their spin directly from Scott and Tessa alone.
DeleteWhile as long as IMG's Jay Ogden has been in the game, it's a sure bet he knows everything, all the dirt, all the inside story, about just about every figure skater out there, past and present. You can't smile and be earnest and snow him.
DeleteThis is the division that does NOT represent Scott and Tessa:
http://img.com/services/talent-representation/figure-skating.aspx
This is the entity they work with instead:
http://canadiangolfer.com/g4g/2013/05/03/danny-fritz-agent-to-mike-weir-departs-img/
The above reports his departure and his client roster (no skaters).
Sports Box Group:
http://sportboxgroup.com/
As you can see, thorough background representing figure skaters. By that I mean absolutely no background representing figure skaters or experience in the figure skating "space" as they like to say.
10:33: " Perhaps Tessa & Scott resist any representation that wouldn't let them have free reign."
DeleteThat's what I'm thinking - or they don't want representation that knows the whole story. I don't mean the part about married parents. I mean the part where their behavior patterns show with just how much bad faith they've engaged with the public, where their behavior patterns prove none of this is about privacy. I'd bet good money IMG's figure skating division and the main reps/agents there know all about it, and I'd bet good money that the very busy, go-getter Danny Fritz thinks he's helping to manage a couple of loveable ice dancers who are trying to keep their private life under wraps. How the reality show fits into Fritz's rationale is anybody's guess. Scott and Tessa's manipulative patterns show that they're not exactly Mr. and Mrs. Full Disclosure. They don't give all the information, while swearing to their transparency and candor. I wonder if this extends to their representation. They get people to work with them and these people don't have the full picture.
Back when Paula Deen was inserting her foot into her mouth every 2.3 seconds, I had a conversation with someone knowledgeable about PR regarding Deen's situation. Someone else who was party to the conversation made a remark about Deen needing a better PR person. The person knowledgeable about the PR world immediately replied that a celebrity can have the best PR agent in the world but it does absolutely no good unless the celebrity is willing to listen to their agent and do what they (the agent) tells them (the celebrity) to do. The person said there is a long list of celebrities out there who have ignored their agent at their own peril.
DeleteI feel like the obvious point in this is that there is no way in hell VM would listen to a competent figure skating-dedicated agent. When it comes to PR, my hunch is that any agent VM are going to have is going to have to be a "yes man" to their ridiculous sham. I wouldn't be surprised if part of that involves the agent not being fully aware of all that VM have done. I don't think VM even want to hear good PR advice. Someone like Jay Ogden at IMG or Tara Modlin at Fireworks knows the score in skating land and therefore would be people VM would not bring on board.
David Baden (IMG's Olympic client VP) also knows the score in skating land. Virtue and Moir are at the highest level of figure skating; the highest level of contemporary figure skating celebrity among skaters currently competing. They're with a golf guy, at a golf shop. He was even part of IMG, and they stayed in his freaking golf division instead of working with the Olympic or figure skating division?
DeleteFrom what I remember of Tara Modlin, it seems to me she'd be on board for whatever trashy initiatives Virtue and Moir planned, and would have no problem with anything they've done, but they don't use her either.
Danny Fritz comes across as a dynamo. Sports Box's web bios of Scott and Tessa are a bit fast and loose (the family farm, her getting accepted to the National Ballet of Canada). He doesn't have the awareness somebody dialed in would have. This leaves Tessa and Scott controlling the narrative. He'll believe as they say it is, is how it is.
I really do wonder how they operate. I've said before - did Steve Milton know the score the entire time- IOW, he's a respected, recognized sports journalist who decided it was okay to lie and hoax the public for Scott and Tessa - or did they just not tell him the truth when they were doing their book? I can't imagine he didn't know the truth. They exploit green, eager, wannabe journalists like young freelancers all the time, who will write what VM tell them. Are they making fools of these people as well? That's what I'm curious about. How much integrity do they have when it comes to causing a journalist to sign their names to lies, or any other professional working for them who doesn't know the whole story?
I thought Scott was in Waterloo? God, these people are exhausting. But then I guess they need to get plenty of sightings out there before they go to ground on Oct/Nov.
DeleteThe Saskatoon sighting seems to almost go against the grain.
DeleteAre they eating/meeting with Mike, or do all of them just happen to be in that restaurant at the same time? Ideas?
DeleteI'm guessing they weren't banking on being spotted there... He's supposed to be in Waterloo and she's home, or out with her "bf" somewhere. Be interesting to see if they (or, I guess, she) try to employ some damage control now.
"Be interesting to see if they (or, I guess, she) try to employ some damage control now."
DeleteYou can be sure Kaitlyn Lawes has more than a few banked photos at her disposal (beach vacation, Winnipeg weekend, maybe other occasions such as the Calgary Olympic celebration). In case either Tessa or Scott starts feeling nervous about what fans are talking about, KL can put up something on her instagram. There, "problem solved."
Fans have a history of falling for that particular tactic. It would be nice if the fandom finally started making fun anytime VM put out fresh sham material instead of freaking out.
The problem is that most fans myself included don't 100% believe that a sham exists. To us, these pictures represent the truth which is upsetting.
Delete8:38 - if you don't believe the sham exists, why are the photos "upsetting"?
Delete10:33am " First of all, I think adequate representation in 2010 would have encouraged them to prepare a classy wedding/pregnancy announcement... but in 2014, it may be too late" They could have prepared one after the Olympics and not even acknowledged the pregnancy. Sale & Pelletier are repped by IMG; they announced their divorce about a year and a half after they say they actually separated. IMG didn't confirm Katia Gordeeva's pregnancy nor her relationship until she was practically about to be wheeled into the delivery room. And that was all she wrote. S&P haven't discussed their divorce since; Jamie Sale announced her second wedding on twitter. The fact that they've had no further comment hasn't prevented them from engaging on social media, giving interviews, having sponsors, etc., but again, it's all about how you share. You share experiences. You don't share your private life. Tessa and Scott are as fixated on their private life as they claim fans are, or they wouldn't insist on that as their selling point.
DeleteSpeaking of S&P, who is David Pelletier dating? Setting Tessa/Pelletier trolls aside, why hasn't that information become common knowledge among those who are forever sighting and spotting skaters with their SO, but they only do so after the rumor is established, or the sham has launched. Does Pelletier never go out? I can't remember a tweet saying "Sitting right next to Pelletier @restaurant and it looks like his dining companion is a gf!"
Because as with any ship, when the two people aren't together, it sucks. We don't need constant reminders that they aren't together either. That just rubs salt in the wound. Plus, Scott looks noticeably miserable with all of his girlfriends, so one wonders why he continues to date them rather than the person who makes him happy.
DeleteHe looks noticeably miserable with them because he's not really with them. He is with the person that makes him happy (and him, her), which is why they're together and stay together. This should all be a big tip off that things are not as they seem.
DeleteWas my comment deleted? Or is just not showing up...
Delete
Delete8:03, the fact is they were married in 2009, directly after the TEB competition, and have a daughter together. They've always been together.
I'm curious why you are reluctant to believe it. You don't think they'd lie, or you think they'd be caught or ratted out - meaning, caught and ratted out on the public internet? If caught or ratted out, by whom, and how?
The blog put this together a few years ago, just showing some of the Jessica logistics on free dance night in Vancouver 2010 (Olympics). Only thing we don't see, but was part of it, is Bryce was backstage (not in the arena seats) during the event. When all of the skaters are milling about the Kiss'n'Cry at the end, Vaughn Chipeur comes out, but Bryce stays back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kapRTB0aUkU
This is 9:43... not sure what happened to my comment, so reposting.
Delete@ 8:03, He looks noticeably miserable with them because he's not really with them. He is with the person that makes him happy (and him, her), which is why they're together and stay together. This should all be a big tip off that things are not as they seem.
Furthermore, while I understand people not believing it, I understand LESS people who don't believe it because they prefer to believe their won worldview, which consists of things they want to believe instead of things that are. In this worldview, celebrities/public figures are always careful around the media, because the media is always lurking to expose them to the public. The reality is, especially when it comes to personal matters, the media and the celebrities are on the same side. In this worldview, there are no barriers between the public figure and the fans, and public figures are much too busy to remember that people are watching them when they're on camera. In this worldview, public figures aren't constantly monitoring the internet or having people who do it for them.
DeleteFans reject that, and I think a lot of Virtue Moir fans (not all) "suffer" because they don't research for themselves, don't want to learn about anything that disrupts what they believe about the fan/celebrity relationship. By "celebrity" I mean all manner of celebrity, including local.
10:41 - let me look in spam for the original.
DeleteIt may sound brutal, 8:29, but I feel I understand where OC is coming from.
ReplyDeleteI know the truth about VM. I'm also an ardent fan since they were teenagers. I think they're the best the sport of icedance has ever seen. Bar none.
I also see that they're like Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to the way they treat the fans. Super personable and sweet. Also patronizing to such a degree it's insulting. The setups and rug pulling they and Scott's family have done are downright mean. I've seen this going on 8 years now, always hoping VM will finally grow up and stop the manipulations. VM are fortunate that many fans are like me, still in love with their skating in spite of knowing they're lying to me.
Whatever their reasons or motives, apart from the skating, as a fan I'm weary and often disgusted. You know, if they were mostly all about simply being skaters, I don't think I'd mind the occasional lying reference to their personal status. The problem is they've made this sham the centerpiece of their communication to me as a fan. So that their lies are continually in my face, and in such a way it's hard not to feel insulted. I find I can hardly blame OC for going off on them. They've brought it on themselves.
" The problem is they've made this sham the centerpiece of their communication to me as a fan. " Absolutely. Scott and Tessa then reverse engineer fan behavior in order to keep this going. It's happened over and over. Skating fans don't get to talk about skating, not even the fans of the greatest ice dancers that have ever been. Nobody acknowledges that we even care; it doesn't suit anybody's agenda. Somebody in the comments section once proposed that, to Scott and Tessa, their actual skating is as sacred or more as their actual relationship, and fans are not good enough for either one. I've never seen two athletes as eager to redirect fans away from any talk about their actual skating and back onto their personal relationship, and once Scott and Tessa get that done, at least in terms of the media storyline, we get demeaned.
DeleteIs it just me or has Mr. Moir been really quiet lately? Other than his ALS video, he's been fairly mia... I think it makes it even more obvious since he has a Twitter/Instagram now. Even with the publicity stunt at the "beach"/country festival, there were only a few pictures with fans, and I think only one with KL (and the "girlfriend" mention the day before)... no one would have know he even went to Jeff's wedding (which I supposed is still presumed), if he wasn't "spotted" in TO on Twitter...
ReplyDeleteJust seems uncharacteristically quiet. I guess since Tessa seems to have taken the reigns in social media and can perpetuate their narrative all by herself he doesn't need to work so hard. Gives him a little break.
Mr Moir has been very quiet lately but he's apparently caddying for Mrs Moir at the golf tournament today. That should get the fans good and riled up, just in time to dump more Kaitlyn Lawes on them.
Delete6:37 - isn't that par for the course when Scott Moir gets on social media? Big fanfare, then a fizzle. Even his twitter account echoes his facebook account - a profile picture and not bothering with a background picture. This is characteristic of Scott Moir with social media. Social media is nominally unfiltered communication between someone and the public/followers. Moir is more of a hide behind others person. That's his comfort zone.
DeleteI wasn't really talking about his actual presence on social media (it's been pretty much what I expected), just pointing out his absence overall is more noticeable now that he has social media... but yeah, get the fans all excited for him to join and then nothing. Bait. Just like the game today... Guess it had been a little while since she featured him on there. Especially since the last tweet implies they live together. More bait.
Delete^It would be classic VM if Lawes were there and this fact weren't revealed until later.
DeleteIt's terrible that everything VM do/say in public makes us expect some kind of gotcha. I would love to enjoy Tessa and Scott's social media presence in the same way I enjoy any other celebrity I like, simply taking everything they say or do at face value and not wondering about malicious subtexts.
DeleteVM themselves have trained me to expect a sting. We shall see what the outcome is of all Tessa's "nice" and "personal" tweets today. It would be the most wonderful surprise if it's not bait. I'm not counting on wonderful surprises.
She should still be at the Trillium curling camp, however. I think it's time Kaitlyn just put herself in a pbchocolate milk mascot/character costume and got it over with.
DeleteI know she's not the first athlete to get themselves in bed with a product that doesn't seem compatible with a healthy lifestyle but my goodness...enough with the chocolate milk!!!
DeleteI think these athletes/celebs must get locked into some type of agreement where they have to tweet x number of times over x period of time, but Lawes plugs for pbchocolate milk have reached the STFU MY GOD ALREADY! stage. I don't recall the Shibs being this bad with yogurt. Maybe Lawes's style is overobvious and that's why it's gotten unbearable. She doesn't slide it in; it's rammed down your throat. By slide it in, I don't mean in a ridiculous way either, the way Meryl Davis did it with her Sunday sail with Kelloggs. But dear lord, try to use at least a little finesse, and the more you try to pretend it's just your ENTHUSIASM for the product, the worse it is. Relax already, you're a shill, just do a plain shill. Don't work so hard. I've seen a few twitter plug sponsor deals that got unbearable very fast and Lawes is now in the top five.
Deletehttps://twitter.com/SeanTurriff/status/501699404688924672
DeleteAh, since the mountain couldn't come to Muhammed .... Scott shows up in Waterloo and the first person to tweet is a curling coach at Trillium. You knew they wouldn't waste his caddy outing; everybody paying attention, and it's bait. That's how they always do it.
Well doesn't Lawes still have to do the ice challenge...you really have to wonder once the summer is over and Lawes is full time in Winnipeg and curling on the weekends, what is Scott going to do - does he go back to school, coach etc...Lawes career is totally in upswing and she will probably be curling for at least another 10 years and will probably want to skip a team...
DeleteGood point about the challenge. He probably went out to "help" her with it. What a sweet boyfriend. Gag.
DeleteThe fact that Lawes wants to keep curling is a GOOD thing. You know how the experts tell us skaters don't get married and have children until after they're retired. How can Scott marry and have children until Lawes' curling career is done. It was a bit different with Cassandra - I remember how some people trolled with engagement rumors. It made sense - he and Tessa were presumably retiring, Cassandra career was basically being SM's "gf" and looking for some sort of stardom. Why wouldn't they.
DeleteGF #3 has a packed schedule, isn't London based, is traveling constantly and training when she's not, and retirement is likely not until another decade. She's perfect.
Maybe not marriage but if the relationship were real you'd expect Scott to move out to Winnipeg at some point.
Delete11:12. Yes to the business partners. OC said it right in another comment. Things look exactly like appearances that are arranged by someone else (see? they do too have some professional management). Then the fake lovebirds show up and voila. Photos. Twitter reports. Then they go back to their real lives. You can see these set ups from space.
DeleteBut tumbler fans are all over it, making a big fuss. In that respect, there's success. This is success for VM, to disappoint the niche of shipper fans and have a good laugh at their expense.
Well, first they get shipper fans whipped up, as they did with golf. Then they drop the other shoe. They've been doing it for years and years.
DeleteI wouldn't bet the farm on Kevin Stanfield (Global Saskatoon's weather/traffic guy) tweeting about VM and Babcock on his own. VM like to play. It's been a little whiplashy this summer. Tessa lets us know she's at Rogers Cup, but doesn't let on Scott's there til some time afterwards - in fact I think the event went first, then she followed. After that Scott shows up at the @prairiejam/adjacent to Lawes, and boy, do the pics get tweeted.
Then Tessa does give us the heads up that she's golfing and Scott is her caddy, which of course, gets everybody front row at her twitter. No tweets from Scott, but as soon as the golf event is done we get a tweet from the Trilium curling camp where Lawes is participating all week. Followed by a media guy sighting Virtue Moir with Babcock in Saskatoon.
https://33.media.tumblr.com/70fe0c874621170549ff6f0569bed101/tumblr_naiwt2NbEt1suoewho3_400.jpg
ReplyDeleteI see we've started on the high-waisted skirts with belts.
Yep, she's case in point of how one can look "normal" from the front and then when she turns, you can see there's more going on. (Funny how few pictures there are of her from the side lately...) Her "normal" from the front is still not her normal. I think it helps that she stays in a category of slim pregnant women. I've definitely seen others like her, but they're not as common.
ReplyDeleteMeaning, if you just look at her in isolated incidents, she looks normal and still skinny compared to the majority of the population. It's when you compare her to herself that the difference is apparent. Again... revisit Shall We Dance. Although, I suppose if you don't believe she was pregnant before, it won't help now...
Ok, raise your hand if you didn't see that coming...
ReplyDeleteOh I so called that one!
ReplyDelete"However, I would be very much surprised if Scott doesn't perhaps make a "special guest" appearance. It's just too close..."
We all saw it. Scott goes out and caddies for her, fans get excited, maybe this is how it will be going forward, they won't do anything official but they'll just participate in stuff together without making too many excuses ..... that's how fans start thinking, they fall over themselves encouraging Scott and Tessa, and now that they have our attention, the other shoe drops.
ReplyDeleteI wonder when Scott is going to bring himself to tweet again. Nothing from the golf event. Why is he on twitter again? Has he even mentioned Lindt?
Tessa looks wonderful. They are very cool.
ReplyDeleteI'm fine with Scott not tweeting...its fine Tessa and Lawes make up for it...
ReplyDeleteThe question is, why did he get on twitter if he's not tweeting. It's just bizarre that he'd launch a new account, caddy for Tessa in a locally and social media publicized appearance, and not tweet a thing. Well, not bizarre for him. Typical.
ReplyDeleteI must say that, as a figure skating fan, I completely appreciate the hard work Scott and Tessa have done this summer, publicizing curling and golf.
ReplyDeleteTrillium lasts a week. But *of course* it's planned for Scott to make an appearance on a Tuesday, which just happens to be the day after a public day with Tessa. This follows the patterns.
ReplyDeleteAnd it sort of poisons the whole caddy experience, which is nothing new. Virtue and Moir understand the dynamic exactly.
ReplyDeleteFormer Anorexic here....Oh God, please, NO to Meryl being on the cover of a health magazine. In my opinion, she is not healthy. For whatever reason she does it, her eating is disordered. The lollipop head, the premature wrinkling around her mouth....not healthy in the least. It should not be celebrated or given another outlet for display. I remember just a few weeks ago, there was a mini public outcry when Bethany Frankel was able to fit into her daughter's sleepwear, due to her own thinness. Someone called her out for being freakishly skinny, and then said she reminded them of Skeletor. While I wouldn't go quite that far with Ms. Davis, her undernourished body should not be celebrated anywhere, least of which would be the cover of a "health" magazine.
ReplyDeleteWhen exactly is Scott supposed to have been at camp? Yesterday morning? Last night he drove out after the golf thing? I know it's not that far, but questioning whether this even happened at all...Any history of reports of them being reportedly somewhere when they weren't?
ReplyDeleteI think OC has spoken before about made up sightings of Tessa and DP but that was someone with an agenda wasn't it? I don't get this at all - very strange.
ReplyDeleteLast night after the golf thing, while Tessa was seen on her own in London.
ReplyDeleteIf all we get is a tweet, I'm inclined to believe it never happened.
Of course he never mentioned it in his end-of-day tweet, I guess the great honour slipped his mind until the next morning.
ReplyDelete^^^ yeah, and posting it today without specifying certainly leaves it ambiguous enough for future reference and to confuse the situation.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, as I said up above, I'm not sure they expected to be seen today...
For me, it works this way. Absent the golf event, the tweet might have slid by most people. With Tessa amping up Scott as her caddy, with people eager to see if Scott would tweet again, there was more attention paid to #scottmoir on twitter. Then the Trillium curling guy drops his tweet, and many more people pay attention that would have normally.
ReplyDeleteI would never EVER EVER hypothesize that Scott and Tessa were ever taken off guard by anything repeated on social media. Ever.
While I normally tend to agree with you OC, and I've certainly learned to take everything with a grain of salt (in particular when it comes to social media), I'm not entirely sold. While they have become extremely adept at controlling what is put out there regarding them on social media, they are not superhuman, and it's impossible to control everything. I estimate about 90% of the time they're never spotted/recognized/nobody reports, 9% is planned by them and planted by friends and family, and about 1% (or less) they truly are seen and reported by the random fan. Every once in awhile it's going to happen and this, IMO, seems to be a genuine excited, "Oh Shit, guess who I just saw, can't believe it", tweet... Of course, it could all be a plant to throw off and confuse fans. Or they could have known perfectly well that they were going to be spotted by someone and chances are good it may end up on social media, and they didn't care. I'm not saying it's definitely not those things. I'm just saying this feels more legit, especially in comparison to the highly ambiguous tweet today-that was really supposed to be from yesterday-that didn't specify, from a curling coach, at a curling camp, which happens to be featuring KL. That one screams plant to me. Now whether it actually happened or not, I'm not sure, although I would lean more towards the, somebody told me to post this/favor. Either way, it doesn't really matter, just that it seemed very much anticipated and in line with their normal "sightings", while the random dude in SK did not.
ReplyDeleteHe's an ultra-conservative radio talk show host. Anyone who retweets Sun News and Katewerk...good god. I love how Tessa's following Justin Trudeau on Twitter and then has dinner with someone who hates him with a passion.
DeletePoliticians and athletes are always a bad combination irregardless of political beliefs..
Delete6:50 PM
Deletehey at least tessa's not kissing putin
He's not a random dude in Saskatoon. He's the weather/traffic reporter for Global Saskatoon. He tweets to the reporters @global all the time. Babcock is having an event in Saskatoon, correct? Kevin Stanfield is just the weather/traffic guy, and in the tweet where he mentioned Babcock/Virtue/Moir he shouted out @MelissaGlobal. That's Melissa Nakhavoly of Global Saskatoon, the morning news person at Global Saskatoon, who has a background interviewing "notables". Babcock is having an event; I'm sure the station knows about it.
DeleteGormley's helping to promote the Babcock event. Didn't his tweet mention Babcock was also there?
DeleteThe point is to have something out there - report or picture - immediately after an event with news of Tessa and Scott being together.
ReplyDeleteI think it's possible Scott did drive over there right after the golf event. That's how they operate (pictures to follow). What else shows Scott's true love than to leave Tessa's side (publicly) to go to the gf (publicly). This is their MO to prove they're platonic. 100% predictable.
Well I just googled Mike Babcock and golf and low and behold Mike Babcock is hosting an event on August 19th (breakfast) and August 20th (golf) in Saskatoon (his hometown) to raise prostate awareness. Thus it would make sense that VM would be there in support of Mike Babcock and St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon.
ReplyDeleteWas this a previously known connection/friendship?
DeleteAnon at 6:20 pm - this is anon at 6:00 pm - Mike Babcock and VM go back at least until the 2010 Olympics. And Mike Babcock is the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. In 2010, Scott and Tessa visited Mike Babcock with their gold medals at the Joe Louis Arena. Mike Babcock was also the head coach of the men's olympic team in 2010 and 2014. Mike Babcock is one of the few coaches in the NHL that is well respected. My two cents...Besides Maria Mountain, Mary Branigan, Jennifer Swan, I would say that Mike Babcock has definitely been a positive influence on VM...
DeleteThanks 6:00/6:32. I knew he was the Red Wings coach, but wasn't sure of connections with VM.
DeleteSo they've been dining with an interesting list of people as of late...John Gormley, Mike Babcock, Geri McCuish and Catherine Nugent. Do we think these are all related for some function/event, or separate meetings?
They're in Saskatoon for Mike Babcock's charity golf tournament and it looks like they met John Gormley through him. No clue about the others.
Deletehttp://www.mikebabcockgolf.com/media/
DeleteIs this Urology Centre of Health it's benefiting any relation?
Hi Anon at 5:40 am - yes probably. One of the sponsors (Astellas) is a pharmaceutical company that I have worked with in the past that does research in urology...
DeleteTo me its always interesting to see the sponsorship of these golf events...for instance this past golf event with Tessa in London - although she is a hometown girl - one of the sponsors was RBC Wealth Management...also Becky Kellar who was also at the tournament (Olympic gold hockey player) is an RBC Olympian as well. When Scott and Patrick were playing at a charity golf tournament earlier this summer in Ottawa - one of the sponsors was RBC.
DeleteAs for Mike Babcock's charity - I honestly believe it's out of friendship and respect.
Yeah, I think so too, I just wondered if the centre was any relation to Jessica.
DeleteThey not only go back with Babcock, but after 2010 Scott was able to use his Babcock connection to take a whole bunch of his friends to Detroit and go behind the scenes to get their pictures taken with Babcock: http://dubemoir.blogspot.com/2013/03/certainly-there-are-fans-in-other.html
Deletewith players, go into the locker room and take pictures of that, sit on the bench, attend a game, etc. etc. They were so excited! As excited as any figure skating fan, taking pictures of everything but the johns and putting them up on facebook. They were fangirling all over the place. But a) they're guys, and b) it's hockey, two things it's okay to treat with respect. I wonder how Scott would feel if the players and Babcock spent a lot of their spare time treating his "buddies" the way he and Tessa treat their own fans.
Oh look:
Deletehttps://twitter.com/SaskMorningNews/status/501324154088353792
Global Saskatoon morning news covered the Mike Babcock event on its morning news August 18 (Melissa Nakhavoly).
6:30 - if you google Leslie and Irene Dube, there doesn't appear to be any connection.
Delete2:26. You're a troll.
ReplyDeleteI put it in spam, but if it's this link:
Deletehttps://twitter.com/cravensport/status/501916040675471364/photo/1
I hope the person is sure to return the next time Tessa, as Scott does here, poses so that the principles of perspective distortion make her look bigger than everyone else. Instead of Tessa actually standing behind the plane of the other two people in the picture (as she did at Buttle's wedding posing between Rochette and Weaver) and then bending forward into the plane so her head ended up looking almost as big as her hips. Scott is standing in front of the plane where Tessa and the guy are standing, and angling his body to maximize his size. He's closest to the lens. Look at it - it's awkward, because he's in front and has to reach behind to get his arm around the dude in the "middle". She, as is her recent habit, is standing dead square to the camera.
Am I the only that wants to yell: Stand up straight in a mom voice? For a gorgeous ice DANCER that gets praised for her beautiful lines, this showing is pitiful.
DeleteLOL, well she has her reasons... but yes, it's not what she's known for or has been trained, which to me is a another beacon that she is.
DeleteTessa often slouches even when she's not pregnant. I've always wondered why her posture was often so miserable, and it was almost always when she was posing for a photo, particularly with other skaters for some reason. Then I watched a video seminar given by a woman who had studied the impact of media images of women on college students. She pointed out how, no matter who it is, every young woman on social media knows how to do "the pose". She demonstrated, move by move. It's not just angled to the camera, it's lean forward and roll your head up. That's what Tessa tends to do. The classic pose is angle to the camera, fourth position in the legs or feet (or one knee bent), "skinny arm" (hand on hip), but I'd never known about the roll neck forward and then raise head. Tessa has very wide shoulders -when she rolls forward her back goes up and it just looks like terrible posture instead of the "pose". But after I saw this seminar and the woman's demonstration, and then checked photos of Tessa, I don't think there's any question she's hitting the "pose". It just didn't work on her - makes her look like she's going to give herself scoliosis.
DeleteI really have noticed how they play with the depth of field lately. In the photo Tessa tweeted of herself with Joanne and Kaitlyn, her feet and body are actually behind Joanne and Kaitlyn. She leans her head/shoulders into the same frame - the lean/bend is so extreme because she really is standing quite a bit behind them. That makes her head look bigger and her body smaller - in this photo, her body is almost as small as her head.
DeleteLook at Scott's feet in the tweet from Craven Sports - he's standing closer to the lens than Tessa or the guy, and taking a wide angled stance. Makes him look bigger, but because they all have their arms around each other, it superficially registers as if they're posed lined up together. They're not. He's in front.
They know what they're doing.
scott cant line up to tessa and the other guy because something is in back of him hence why he's in a wide angle stance
DeleteYeah I don't think Scott's been doing anything special in the way he poses for pictures.
DeleteMaybe Tessa and Scott just automatically know how certain posing will look on camera. I don't think it's necessary for them to be worrying about minute strategic posing (and I'm not sure they are) because frankly, Tessa isn't showing.
DeleteWe're seeing changes that seem to be significant because of the comparisons to late 2010. Other than that, with the way Tessa knows how to play with clothes, I don't get the impression anyone seeing her live is noticing anything. A cursory view of any photo or video from the last few months won't make anyone think pregnancy. Perhaps (a big perhaps--people don't really pay attention) someone might think she gained some weight. Eh, it'll be brushed off as summer, vacations, etc. No biggie). Compared to what is considered "normal" Tessa does not look pregnant. No need to be overworried about posing for pictures.
Except she knows the pictures will be analyzed on this blog.Tessa strikes me as someone who won't be happy until she's convinced every possible person that she isn't pregnant. Why else would she do the ALS challenge in a sportsbra? Like you said, it's not necessary.
DeleteLol about that sportsbra...her boobs looked much much bigger than her normal size.
DeleteI agree. Tessa's chest in a sports bra/tight work out tank now is not the same as she normally looks.
Delete1:43 - I didn't say they were "worried" about "minute strategic posing." I agree with you that they know how to pose for pictures, and they understand angles. They don't have to sweat it out - the pose to use is basic and they know all of the basics. Tessa is square to the camera for a reason. Tessa had her body behind Kaitlyn and Joannie and her shoulders/head bent forward into their plane for a reason. Virtue and Moir have been posing for photographers and learning all the tricks of the posing trade since they were children. These tricks are now common knowledge among many many people who pose for their social media accounts, even if they're not public figures, and they use them as well. They're easy to recognize because the entire vocabulary of posing for the camera has become so well known.
DeleteHoly chest, Tessa. Maybe it's just the dress, but her hips also look like they're widening out/open.
DeleteThe reason that I brought up Bethany Frankel (who has admitted to having major issues with food in the past, although who knows what is going on with her now) is that her lollipop head and the multitude of wrinkles around her mouth remind me very much of Meryl. Take a look, Ms. Davis, that will be you in twenty years.
ReplyDeleteThe blog as speculated in the past that Meryl's size is a strategic decision.
ReplyDeleteIf that is the case I wonder how Meryl can keep this " habbit " under control. Disordered eating is quite dangerous and can easily end up in a real eating disorder. And seeing for how long Meryl has been doing this now I wonder if she'll be able to stop it or if she already developed a real problem.
8:17 - I do think that, especially when one considers what their moves would look like if she were a normal weight and had any contour. She didn't have that lollipop head when she was a junior, and she wasn't at all heavy as a junior. She did have a muscular lower body, strong looking, when now she's got what looks like almost no body fat, which is not a good thing. Your entire sternum shouldn't be visible.
ReplyDeleteI took someone's comment off and the reply went off as well, but this assumption that anything Scott and Tessa do that hits social media is unconscious IMO just reflects the persistent wish to believe we see the unfiltered them. We don't. If Scott is standing closer to the camera when Tessa and the guy in the "middle" are behind the plane of his body, there's a reason. Same when Tessa uses perspective distortion in her photo with Joanne and Kaitlyn. I love how fans persist in WANTING to believe skaters who have been photographed their entire lives are less conscious of the camera and camera angles than your average non-famous twentysomething on facebook.
ReplyDeleteThey know the photos are going to social media.
DeleteI sometimes think the fans that are "upset" when Scott is photographer with other women are really making themselves upset because they cling to the "access" belief, and don't want to relinquish it. They want to think that at least what they get on social media is "random" and "real" and Scott and Tessa aren't mindful of how they look. It's fan vanity, I believe. To believe the sham, they have to believe certain things about Scott and Tessa and their awareness that they don't want to believe, that is apparently more upsetting than the idea of Scott being in a relationship with someone who isn't Tessa.
I do too, particularly after looking at Lawes' latest tweet.
ReplyDeleteFA here----I totally agree, OC. If "Fitness," or "Shape" magazine puts Ms. Davis on their cover, they would have to do a lot of photoshop work to make her look more....palatable, let's say. (There's nothing healthy about seeing sinews and stick- out bones. Nothing to celebrate about that. Would there be an accompanying photo spread with pictures of her pretending to eat her genetically modified Kellogg cereals?) And if they did photoshop her for the cover, isn't that missing the entire point of a fitness magazine?
ReplyDeleteYou think that's Scott in those pictures? There's a guy, you can only see the shorts/tennis shoes and one where he's touching her face. I bet you're right. If it is, how very typical and predictable. Geez.
ReplyDeletethat arm is too hairy and pale to be scott's
ReplyDeleteAlso to add - Scott does not have dainty ankles....I don't think that's him either..
ReplyDeletedainty ankles lol. yeah scott's legs are obviously more muscular
DeleteNope, Scott does not have muscular calves. Can't do anything about that, as supposedly Tiger Woods once complained. The legs are what made me double take (length and calf shape). If people think it's not, they'll let us know soon enough if it is.
DeleteHi its anon at 5:34 pm - I think there tends to be a misconception between muscle mass and well defined - "ripped" or lean effect. Genetics obviously plays a role but because an athlete has a less ripped look doesn't mean that the muscle mass/strength is not there. God knows I've exercise tested hockey players in the past with ripped legs who do not perform as expected with squats or guys with ripped chests and upper bodies that don't bench press as much as expected. But I get your point OC...that's what made Arnold Mr Terminator such a powerhouse in body-building...(okay obviously the steroids helped, lol) but his genetics and his freakish proportions made him stand out...
DeleteNot only that Scott was there the night after golfing with Tessa. That tweet of a figure skating challenge also implies Scott will be back. The fans have been warned.
DeleteAll these twitter accounts between Lawes, Scott, Tessa, but it takes some unknown camp dude to set up the coming sham (photos) release. The lovers themselves couldn't say something about visiting the gf/bf? Isn't that normally something that would be shared? Just part of their everyday lives, is it not? Especially K Lawes who has been so enthusiastic to share every important event since Sochi.
And apparently there's nothing from today?? Other than saying they were there, now she decides not to post anything? The other two golf events were laden with stories and pictures... but this event, for a legitimate cause, for a good friend, doesn't garner anywhere near the same publicity as the proam, or their annual golf event for the ISC (oh yeah, and that other charity).
DeleteFigured we'd get a few fan, if not one or two "official" event photos. Maybe they're yet to come... And what's the point of her having an Instagram? Is Scott running hers, because that's what it feels like.
8:22 - Nah, they want to keep their relationship "private".
DeleteYeah, he could only go then, cause he HAD to caddy for Tessa the rest of that day, and then he HAD to go with her across the country the next morning (or that night?) for the golf event they both HAD to do, together, that wasn't until the following day... so now, the poor guy has to wait til he gets back home so he can go see his "gf" again...
DeleteThank 8:07. I should have clarified that I meant shape/contour only. In that sense, Scott's doesn't have the "look" of muscular calves. He's straight. He also has a shortish leg to torso ratio.
DeleteI can see a resemblance, and I think it looks exactly like something they *would* do. It's implied that those were from last night though, which means it wouldn't be able to be him. However, I don't trust any of them enough to believe that what they put on social media is 100% true or legit. Although, it seems backwards from what they're trying to accomplish. If the narrative already put out there is he rushed to her after the golf thing then why not just say they were from that evening to corroborate the story? He was clearly not there last night. If it is supposed to be him (or was and posted as such it is), that's two Twitter reports that *imply* that he was there yesterday. I guess I don't get the purpose when he was documented multiple times with Tessa elsewhere. Is it just to cause confusion for the fans? Or just keep being thrown out there as a - I know it doesn't make chronological sense, but don't forget he's still with KL, even though he's actually halfway across the country with his wife! - type of thing?
ReplyDeleteAnon at 8:08 pm - I have to laugh at the figure skating challenge..I mean really at a curling camp? What is Paul McIntosh going to pass by and provide skates to these folks...I can understand if Patrick and Scott were invited to help with skating skills at a hockey camp...but curling..oh wait perhaps Scott can use his skates to lunge into position and throw a rock...hmmm except that wouldn't be good for the curling ice as they wear rubbers...I apologize for the sarcasm...Yes Scott likes to coach but really why would he impose himself with a challenge at another camp...or perhaps we can get Jesse Lumsden to bring a bobsled and see how far we can push it down the curling rink...
ReplyDelete8:57
DeleteAnother thing I love. As per usual, when Scott visits with his special sweetie who he never gets to see, he spends his time joking and visiting with a group of people/buddies. Go off alone with the long-distance gf? Whatever for? It's so much more fun to meet new people and be all social and stuff. Publicly. And get photos taken. And oh yeah, see the gf amongst the crowd.
When Tessa announced Scott would be on twitter, she described herself as just the opening act. Then he shows up, tweets twice, and disappears. Nothing from the golf event, nothing from the curling club, nothing from the Babcock dinner. All her. They always put on a good show, say the perfect thing, and then there's no follow up (well him, he did that constantly, constantly, on facebook). It's a shame because, as with facebook, when he got on twitter people got excited. Of course there's an obnoxious component as with every celebrity on twitter, when people want to be followed, retweeted, or badger the celeb, but that's easy to tune out. Everybody acted so excited when he joined, threw out their welcomes, and he's disappeared. Everybody else's tweets are doing the dirty work for him, just as everybody else's facebooks did the dirty work for him.
DeleteNow that I recall, Skate Canada's admin (Lori MacKay) used to come into his facebook from time to time to "pitch in" because he never showed up. Why did he join twitter to begin with? Why did Tessa call herself the "opening act" when Scott just did a drive by? Words have no meaning to them; they're just words.
^Skate Canada Western Ontario's admin Lori MackEy.
DeleteJust noted that a SCWO was monitoring his facebook, btw.
I know. It's absolutely contrived and ridiculous. And Sean Turiff is totally on it with the coy and the hinting. This "humble skating coach" is acting as Kaitlyn Lawes' personal p.r. rep at curling and also helping her hoax.
DeleteWell, per Miss Lawes, apparently today is the last full day with shenanigans to ensue... so guessing he'll be there today/tomorrow, and perhaps she can revisit good 'ol Ilderton for a fun weekend, providing she doesn't have any other activities planned this weekend.
DeleteWhen I'm reading twitter, I'm reading tweets to both Scott and Tessa trying so hard to encourage them to keep on tweeting. Twitter gives the illusion of a personalized experience, so many people on twitter think Scott and Tessa are there to actually interact. They're there to set things up and prime the pump.
DeleteP.S. Global Saskatoon on air reporters were also golfing at Driving Fore Prostate.
DeleteI'm stymied why Scott is continuing to get more followers to his Twitter account when he hasn't said a thing since the challenge (which was really just a redirect to his equally abandoned Instagram), nor really said anything prior to it... guess people are just following in anticipation, or in the hope he'll actually use it if he's got people that want him on there. Stupid.
DeleteTessa used his handle in the tweets from Monday, so I guess people are still hoping there's a chance he might actually interact with them. I guess these people weren't around for the Scott Moir Facebook page.
DeleteYeah, I think there are a LOT of new fans out there. Especially on social media. And young. If any of them were around for the Facebook, that's their own stupid fault. How's the saying go? Fool me once shame on me...
DeleteWhile I don’t doubt for a second that photos will eventually appear of Scott at curling camp – this isn’t him. Ankles are too skinny – thank you Scott for wearing shorts earlier in the day while caddying so the comparison was easy :-)
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't really matter if he actually went or not (the jury is still out for me), or if he's rushing to her as soon as they get back (I'm betting on it), the point is it's supposed to look like he's spending all his free time with her (nevermind that he didn't *have* to caddy with Tessa, nor actually leave with her to go to SK)...
ReplyDeleteI am curious if the curling world is as informed as the skating world regarding VM's relationship. I'm not taking about the elite curlers (obviously they know), or even some coaches/friends, (because it's clear as a bell they've got this guy roped in To do their dirty work), but the ancillary coaches and kids in the clubs? The reason I bring it up is if they don't, and Scott keeps making a showing, that's all the more people that can "legitimately" report on sightings and behavior for them.
For the 2007-2011 period, Virtue and Moir had Skate Canada/Moirville managing the sham. By all available evidence (the absence of any other marketing activity, for one) the Jessica/Virtue Moir sham was the principal preoccupation of Debbie Wilkes and Barb MacDonald, two Skate Canada directors on the payroll working for the personal benefit of Scott and Tessa. That was a great use of monies, p.r., and of Skate Canada volunteers.
DeleteThen Skate Canada appeared to go into the background, and the public aspects of the sham sham was handled by Moirville.
Now Moirville has receded, and Scott and Tessa are using an infrastructure built by their representatives in the sports/entertainment/event production/sponsorship world.
Moirville's participation was obnoxious and meanspirited, but not "troubling" because they had no obligation to the public - if they wanted to help Scott and Tessa lie to the public, if they got their rocks off basking in the reflected glory of the home town stars, they could knock themselves out, and they did.
It's more troubling when something like this expands, once again, to legitimate organizations and their promotional ventures. I always get the feeing that Scott and Tessa believe that intersecting with legit stuff legitimizes the sham. No it does not. It corrupts that other stuff, just as what happened with Davis White damaged skating's credibility as a whole. Getting "credible" skaters, media, coaches, judges, to lend their credentials to Davis and White's gold medal only corrupted the entire freaking sport. It did nothing to legitimize Davis and White's skating or their medal, and it certainly furthered the corruption and lack of credibility in figure skating. And that is what Scott and Tessa are accomplishing in the marketing sector. The people they work with, their sponsors, the curlers, everybody loses credibility. The sham acquires no legitimacy.
Yes, using event twitter accounts, working with marketing teams, etc., helps with the logistics/presentation of the sham. It might help some fans buy it, not that whether or not fans buy it actually interests Scott and Tessa. But it does not legitimize the concept of shamming, manipulating and hoaxing the public and then scapegoating the public for what you've done. The games played right now on twitter are classic set ups to make the fans look like obsessed idiots. Scott and Tessa get on social media and prime the pump. Tessa waxes adorable, and lets us know she's just the opening act for Scott, who shows up and does a great bucket challenge. Then he caddies for her. Skating fans on twitter are now tuned in and watching VM's social media presence more than ever. Now that they have everyone's attention, they get off the stage and here comes Lawes and the tweets from Lawes' affiliates waxing coy, hinting, showing partial photos, backdooring, and fans start talking. Then VM or one of their media surrogates can go - look at that, fans are so obsessed with Scott and Tessa they analyze photos and people's legs and cryptic tweets! They're absolutely preoccupied with the smallest details. It's set up like that. Of course Lawes can't be straightforward. Of course the method is cryptic, coy, hinting, hit and run. This comes right on the heels of Scott and Tessa making a huge charm initiative on social media involving the two of them as a team. It goes exactly to the theme of this post; this is what they do. They prime the pump, they rattle the cages, then they do shit like run a bunch of coy social media drops, and as soon as fans start talking about that stuff and wondering, that becomes "evidence" that VM fans are obsessed with the tiniest details of their lives. It's nasty, manipulative shit. As said up above, nobody acknowledges what Virtue and Moir do. Fans are being set up to be left holding the bag; VM have no intention of being accountable for their choices. This is manipulative, it's mean and degrading; it's unfair, exploitative and completely intentional.
OC, any thoughts on the reining in of Moirville? Do you think it's simply because VM been able to employ a larger, widespread and more "reputable" group to help then sham, and/or they're trying not to have to rely on extended family/friends for whatever reason (less indebted, moving training base, changing things up so it appears more legit, etc.)?
DeleteWho knows. It may go to the sham being out of skating (Jessica) and out of London (Cassandra). Alma and Joe reportedly were at dinner with Kaitlyn Lawes and Scott, and not only did two different people at the restaurant recognize them and get Kaitlyn's photo, by an amazing stroke of coincidence both had twitter accounts and immediately went to twitter to upload the photo and report the whole thing to perfect strangers. So that would be four members of Moirville (Alma, Joe, the two who tweeted) in on the ground floor. They may have had to move their asses out of the spotlight, which was a popular pastime for Moirville. But are still engaged in the background.
DeleteDarn the luck, though, that two people in a relatively small selection (diners at a restaurant) had public twitter accounts and used them to immediately upload evidence of Kaitlyn's presence and report her dining with Scott, but nobody out of a much larger group of people got a pic of Scott getting tossed out of a bar or Scott being a hooligan at a hockey game. I bet that hockey game was way more crowded that the restaurant.
DeleteI don't think these games have anything to do with shamming per se, or "countering" an appearance of Scott and Tessa together. It's not "oops, Scott and Tessa were public together - we need to get sham out right away!"
ReplyDeleteIt's manipulation, end of. It's make a huge social media deal of Scott and Tessa out together doing something not related to skating. Hype it up. Even do IFS article about it. Then immediately, of course, sham, but with cryptic, coy bait bullshit. Use the fan speculation about the bait to "prove" fans have a near-inappropriate interest in even the smallest details about Scott and Tessa.
It's not about covering for Scott and Tessa being together, and it's not about convincing fans of any sham. It's being assholes, and it's mainly narrative that they've been working on every bit as aggressively as Davis White's partisans worked to get them a gold they didn't earn on the ice. WE're the point, the sham is not the point. It's about getting us to behave a certain way, instigating that behavior, then using it to scapegoat fans/their supporters for their decisions.
I don't think the blog (or fans, for that matter) should attempt to countermanipulate. This is what they're doing. If it "plays into their hands" or whatever, as some fans have complained, that is not really the problem of the public or the fans, or their responsibility. The responsibility for this exploitation and manipulation is Scott and Tessa's.
I wonder if Tessa actually played a round of golf in Saskatoon. Considering that she had played in London in a legit non-charity event for qualifiers on Monday - where I doubt golf carts were used and then flying to Saskatoon - she might have decided to let Scott golf and she take it easy - depending on the prairie heat. There are 2 pictures that have arisen from Saskatoon - guessing after the round of golf and everyone is super casual...anyways everyone looks like they are in good spirits...
ReplyDeleteI wonder the same 12:22. Not that she *couldn't* have, and she might have changed, but everyone else seemed to still be dressed to play except for her. Looks like she packed the magical bra for the trip. ;)
DeleteThere's another pic from the event where she's dressed up to play.
Deletehttp://instagram.com/p/r8dad3LgPQ/
Thanks for the picture, 10:44.
DeleteOh look what happens to her midsection/waist when she stands up straight...
I wonder if she was actually playing on a team, or just hanging out with them on the course and unofficially participating? She appears to be wearing the same shirt as her golf event, which I think was for the Children's charity? But in the first group picture, all the other people have on polo shirts specific to Mike's event, like they were set by teams.
Delete