If Scott/Jessica were, for those who bought it, a WTF, every time Bryce speaks, the awareness that he was with Jessica personally as well as professionally reasserts that love is one of life's biggest mysteries. Bryce is driven, analytical, reflective, straightforward, insightful and generous. I miss his skating.

In this interview he is retired, but there's a feeling he could unretire, or at least that maybe in his heart he hasn't put to rest the possibility. If he never competes again, I'd kill to see him on BOTB and that show better get it done. I bet he'd win.

My points of note from this interview. One, he says he wishes he'd gotten into coaching sooner because it would have helped his skating/competing. Coaching helps you see elements technically, puts your focus on the mechanics and not just on performance.

I don't know what tricks Bryce's memory is playing on him but I recall from numerous media quotes that he always deconstructed the mechanics of his and Jessica's skating, always focused on both components of his job - the technical and the performance. He didn't need experience as a coach for that. It was easy to see that Bryce kept himself ferociously fit, that he'd applied himself to his double axel to keep his left hip under control when landing, and that, as David Pelletier said, even though Bryce was more slightly built than many pairs guys, his lifting technique was flawless and secure. You know he was always as aware of what was going on with the nuances of Jessica's balance and stability as much as his own job, that he was sensitive to how well she was doing hers and compensated when needed. You can see the difference in her face today when she's lifted by Sebastien Wolfe. Bryce had said he's not the biggest guy out there but he uses every bit, and we could see that too.

Hindsight is futile because it wouldn't have changed anything. He wasn't the person who would have benefitted from dispassionate focus on technique. That was Jessica. I remember when she was splatting her salchow in the Olympic season, Bryce deconstructed the mechanics in the media and explained what needed adjusting. It seemed pretty basic for someone like Jessica, who'd been doing the jump for years. Not that it helped. Maybe he really feels if he'd had experience coaching, he'd have been able to help her focus on that stuff.

I just hope he doesn't mean he could have improved his own work. I think he pushed himself as far as he could push HIMSELF. As driven as he is, to literally skate for two is impossible. To push the team further, he needed more cooperation from Jessica.

The second point of interest for me is Bryce refers to the intense financial pressures/stress of a skating career. Bryce comes from a skating family. The Davisons appear to be reasonably comfortable - they have a place in Muskoka where Jessica and her family were guests of the Davisons (the Davison place in Muskoka has had a bunch of skater guests, obviously). But still, finances were a challenge.

There's an annual Jessica Dube golf fundraiser in Drummondville to help defray the cost of her skating. Jessica has worn that red strapless skating costume into the ground - costumes are expensive. She and Bryce had some local sponsors; don't know what she has now. She comes from fairly modest circumstances, perhaps more modest than the Davisons, and even taking into account the combined resources of both families during D&D's career, the financial pressure was there.

Hard to reconcile these realities with the fact that in 2009 the three Dube siblings were able to muster up the money for a 4 star Dominican resort vacation getaway fitting in with Jessica's training break, splashing out for $89-$100 additional excursion fees like ziplining and catamaran trips. Even though the DR is cost-effective for Canadians (there's an invisible pipeline in the air from Canada to DR, no lie, don't even need passports, I believe), it was still interesting how room remained in their budget for vacations with their own friends (Jessica's brother vacationed in the sort of set-up where a bunch of guys bunk in per room in the resort).

Hard to reconcile Jessica's parents being in Paris in 2009 for TEB (an expensive time of year to travel to Paris) then returning to France (Nice) in 2012, and Monte Carlo and Monaco. That money could defray a lot of skating expenses.

Maybe I'm overlooking something but there were no reports of the Davisons at TEB 2009, and I don't think they routinely traveled to see Bryce compete overseas. Hell, neither family was in Colorado when Jessica's face was slashed, but Kate Virtue was, and she was the one who was on the phone to the Davisons to pass the developments to the Dubes. If Jessica needs fundraisers to offset her skating expenses, where did the funds to fly three people to the Dominican, two people to Paris (plus hotel and meals) and at least three people to Nice come from?

Dreams

Continuing from post below: For Jessica, even perks like trips to the Dominican aren't all they might be cracked up to be.

Scott and Jessica have been together so long it's like they skipped the romance part and settled right in with the retirement community.

Not Scott and Jessica. But boy
I'd bet a spa pool would
feel good on a skater's back..

For example, the Dreams Punta Cana Resort and Spa - where Scott and Jessica (and Veronique and Jonathan) spent part of May 2009 training break - offers a variety of amenities to suit the preferences of their guests, whether families, honeymooners, couples, kids. There's couples massage in elevated open-air huts and a spa pool; there's private jacuzzis on the balcony of many rooms. There's a casino that opens late afternoon and operates til the wee hours.

There's foam parties in the pool and samba dancing with plain old partying by torchlight on the beach at night:

Folks not Scott and Jessica

There's early-bird specials such as dancing to the pre-dinner live band in the lobby along with fellow amoureuxes:

Aw - just like an outing with the Moirs!

It's live!

 Dreams is set up so chums* can spend A+ time together. There's beach beds.

Not Scott and Jessica.  

You can also hang with in situ bros.**

For loving couples eager for "us" time, there's room service.

Not a room occupied by either Jessica Dube or Scott Moir.

Not Jessica Dube or Scott Moir's patio.

The continental breakfast on their room's private patio is a popular option for couples at this resort. Many couples have posted photos and consider it a highlight.

Not Jessica Dube or Scott Moir's room.

Couples can also choose the resort's World Cafe while it's empty.

The free-form pool snakes throughout the resort. Guests report it is so large it's never crowded and you can have your own private cove. There are swim-up bars so you can float in couple-haze bliss:

Not Scott and Jessica

Dreams is all-inclusive, but if you've got money to burn, photos to take and big chunks of time to kill, there's the opportunity to shell out an additional $89.00USD per person for each of numerous outside excursions.

For example:



 

 And then you can:



Scott's $360 solo nap. (Saona Island excursion, party of 4.)

From a traveler's report:

The trip to Saona is an all day thing, one way by speedboat, back on catamaran. It was a great trip, we both loved the catamaran and the natural pool to photograph starfish. They pour the rum and coke freely throughout the day.

If you choose to go you will love it, just be aware that the whole day way around 12 hours from pickup to drop off. The only issue we had with the whole trip was the loud, obnoxious drunks on the bus on the way back.

Saona Island trip

Other excursions:  zip-lining with your amoureux and her siblings also at $89.00USD per; you can spend even more by renting a car and hauling ass to Santa Domingo with the woman you taime and her two siblings so as to enjoy that popular couple activity of posing beneath statues of Christopher Columbus and sitting on benches in pedestrian plazas. Scott did all of this.

If I were on a beach resort vacation with my long-distance love interest after a long, draining skating season, I'd be all over that.





When the day is done, Dreams offers a very special dining experience for those in the mood for love:

Duo who are not Scott and Jessica.

When the sun has set, you're dining by torchlight. :)

You can also partner up with a bunch of strangers with families - a/k/a Moirs in loco  and dine with them and their families every night.



A benefit of the second option is dining with these two lovely ladies:

Looks like a no brainer.

__________________
* In the Quebecoise slang sense. ;)

** Who knew Scott was a smoker?