golden waltz | jily

Talk Technical to Me

Tessa Jane McCormick Virtue (born May 17, 1989, in London, Ontario) and Scott Patrick Moir (born September 2, 1987, in London, Ontario) are Canadian ice dancers. They are the 2010 Olympic champions, the 2014 Olympic silver medallists, two-time world champions (2010, 2012) and six-time Canadian champions (2008 - 2010, 2012 - 2014). They are the youngest ice dance team to win Olympic gold and the most decorated Canadian ice dancers of all time. And the Arctic Edge Ice Arena was the place where they trained for the last ten years. Lily wasn't kidding herself; she knew Tessa and Scott weren't in Canton, and her chances of running into them were slim to none, especially after the whole Sochi fiasco, which had ended with both of them taking an indefinite break from competition and subsequently moving back to Canada. Lily did not like to talk about it.

Although Lily didn't hold any false hopes, it still felt pretty cool to be in the very place where Tessa and Scott had trained for their many titles and where they had created so many iconic programs alongside Marina.

Lily felt a chill run down her spine as she entered the arena and the first thing she saw was the 2010 Olympics banner. Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir. Gold medallists. That sounded good as hell, even five years later.

Lily and James were about a half-hour early because of Lily's paranoia of being late, but it gave her some time to look around and settle her nerves.

Lily and James were lacing up their skates sitting side by side while debating what lifts they wanted to integrate into their free dance when Lily caught a flash of red hair by the doors. She was a little embarrassed at her split-second reaction as she looked up to see Marina standing there.

Lily finished tying her skates and debated with herself if they should go talk to Marina now or wait until the time they had agreed on meeting at.

Before Lily could finish battling with herself, James had gotten up and walked over to Marina.

Lily was about to freak out when she saw Marina smile warmly at James as she shook his hand. James waved Lily over.

Lily took a deep breath and introduced herself to Marina in the steadiest voice she could manage.

"It's very nice to meet you both. Minerva has spoken wonders about the two of you."

Lily felt herself go red. She'd nearly forgotten Marina and Minerva were contemporaries and old friends.

"Have you thought about your music options?" Marina asked in her thick Russian accent.

"Uh, yes, we thought Holst's The Planets could be good, or maybe a ballet. Tchaikovsky or Minkus maybe." Stop saying maybe, Lily.

Marina considered them for a moment. Lily tried not to squirm under Marina's gaze as she took a step back and looked her and James up and down. Lily stood up straighter.

After a few agonising seconds, Marina spoke again. "I've seen you skate, you're not ready for that yet."

Lily's breath caught. "You've seen us skate?"

"Minerva sent me some videos."

Lily's eyes widened. She knew Minerva had filmed her and James a few times, but she'd thought those videos were for Minerva's eyes only. Lily desperately tried to remember the content of said videos, but she could not for the life of her remember. "Well, we'd thought maybe we could do something like... well Umbrellas of Cherbourg."

Lily could feel her heart thudding at the mention of Umbrellas of Cherbourg. She'd told herself she wouldn't bring up Virtue and Moir in front of Marina, but so far Marina's expression did not give anything away. She simply said, "Tessa and Scott had a special connection from the very beginning, you don't have that yet. That program was about two kids in love, you think you can interpret something like that?"