Tessa and Scott
CBC Books | | Posted: December 5, 2018 9:11 PM | Last Updated: December 13, 2018
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, with Steve Milton
Tessa and Scott: Our Journey from Childhood Dream to Gold offers an intimate and revealing behind-the-scenes look at the iconic duo. Veteran sports columnist Steve Milton draws from hours of conversations with Tessa and Scott as they take us from their first meeting in 1995 to their impressive debut and rapid rise on the international scene; from the highs and lows of competitive skating to the profound impact of Tessa's injury and subsequent recovery; and from their unprecedented Olympic achievements in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014, through to their exhilarating triumph in Pyeongchang in 2018, when their performance capture hearts the world over and catapulted them into unparalleled international acclaim.
Illustrated with over 100 new photos, this updated and expanded edition is filled with personal stories and recollections from Tessa, Scott, and those close to them — including family members, friends and coaches past and present. Tessa and Scott is as much a spectacular visual history as it is a celebration of two of the world's premier athletes. (From Dundurn)
From the book
The fluid ease with which they delivered their arduous Olympic programs was viewed by millions of people around the world, and prompted many lofty comparisons to past skating legends. Robin Cousins wasn't the only skating expert to refer to Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, regarded as the greatest ice dancers ever. And others compared their light touch, seamless programs, and childhood-born chemistry to two-time Olympic pairs champions Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov. But it is always others making those comparisons, not Tessa and Scott.
"We're not presuming anything like that at all," Tessa says. "I'm not saying I don't want to be compared to people as great as them. At the end of all this it would be really nice if we weren't compared to anyone. If we were just remembered for being ourselves."
So how would Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir like to be remembered? What kind of legacy would they like to leave the sport?
Tessa speaks first.
"Better that people remember us first as good people than as good skaters," she says. "But if we're talking about our legacy on the ice, it would be great if when people thought of us they thought, 'They were true dancers,' and that we made people feel something."
And Scott?
"I was just thinking about how awesome that was," he says, turning to his partner with admiration. "'We made people feel something.' I love that."
"We're not presuming anything like that at all," Tessa says. "I'm not saying I don't want to be compared to people as great as them. At the end of all this it would be really nice if we weren't compared to anyone. If we were just remembered for being ourselves."
So how would Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir like to be remembered? What kind of legacy would they like to leave the sport?
Tessa speaks first.
"Better that people remember us first as good people than as good skaters," she says. "But if we're talking about our legacy on the ice, it would be great if when people thought of us they thought, 'They were true dancers,' and that we made people feel something."
And Scott?
"I was just thinking about how awesome that was," he says, turning to his partner with admiration. "'We made people feel something.' I love that."
From Tessa and Scott by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, with Steve Milton ©2018. Published by House of Anansi Press.