So, I’m not a sports person, but find me a more impressive feat of athleticism than pairs ice dancing. Oh, you do gymnastics? Great. Can you do it while dancing? Oh, you dance? Nice. Can you do it on ice? Oh, you skate? Cool. Can you do it while defying gravity?
The only athletes who can confidently say yes to all these questions in equal measure, are pairs ice dancers. And that’s just the athletic portion of what they have to do. They’re also expected to add artistry and tell a story through their movement; this includes gestures, and facial expressions along with precision-timed choreography to music.
It’s not enough that they’re expected to be in peak physical condition. They also have to be performers who engage the audience and judges with memorable and impressive routines.
And they do this all without protective equipment or gear. If they fall, or misstep, they can seriously injure themselves or their partner. That takes fearlessness, dedication, confidence in their skills, and trust in their partner; you’re simply not going to see anything like it from any other discipline.
If I had no other reason, I’d be so grateful these two have skated together for 21 yearsbecause of the hours and hours of content available to entertain me.
I’ve had pneumonia all month and if it weren’t for the endless fan videos and recordings on YouTube I’m about 100% sure I would have lost my damn mind by now.
So this seems like a good day to express gratitude to everyone who contributes to the fandom. I won’t name names because I don’t want to sound like a suck up but a sincere thank you to
The fans who record the competitions and exhibitions
The people who post all the interviews, especially ones from countries I can’t see
The incredible still photos from professional and amateur photographers around the world
The extensive commentary and tutorials on figure skating from people far more knowledgeable than I (today even there’s a fantastic review of various programs that’s circulating and so much fun to read)
The brilliant gif makers
The fans who make superb videos that often give me chills or move me to tears
The bloggers who curate and share so much positive content
I hope I didnt forget a category. (If so, I apologize and plead pneumonia.)
I’m very grateful for that content — and particularly in awe of the two people who have inspired all of it: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. May everyone who calls themselves a fan do their best to live up to the admirable example they set — as people and as athletes — for professionalism, integrity, love, loyalty, hard work, humility, passion, and kindness.
And thank you to my followers who often send me friendly or funny DMs or comment on posts. You are the ones who make the fandom worthwhile.
Randi Strong: Me: You good? Tessa: Hhhmmmmm Scott: (On a different part of the show completely ) … I had the time of my life choreographing on @rocktherinktour. Lesson here: surround yourself with great people. They will raise you up like you’d never believe; achieving things I didn’t know were possible and support like I’ve never know. I love and miss you all.
B) the few times we get a pic/visual where we can see he’s pointing towards her. One of my (mannnnyyyy) fave things about them is they ALWAYS hold hands for their bows. Many couples and (coming from the ballet world) it is etiquette for the man to present his partner forward (then often in ballet, curtsy to each other). But they have NEVER done that. They are one. They are a unit. TOGETHER. But he manages to sneak in a small gesture of appreciation that she probably has no idea he’s doing
