Tessa Virtue doesn鈥檛 feel the same sense of exhilaration or rush of adrenaline as she did standing at centre-ice after a gold-medal performance.
At least not on that scale or of that magnitude. And that鈥檚 okay.
鈥淭here are so many things that are making me really content and joyful that were just impossible to experience as an athlete in training,鈥� Virtue said. 鈥淪o, there鈥檚 sort of something offsetting that where I might not be getting that adrenaline rush, there鈥檚 so much that I feel passionate about and new goals that I鈥檓 striving for - which is both scary and exhilarating.鈥�
Virtue and Scott Moir were among the 114 athletes, artists, scholars and community leaders named to the Order of Canada on Friday. They鈥檙e the most decorated ice dancers in history, capturing five Olympic medals, including a pair of ice dance gold in 2010 and 2018.
Feeling all wrapped up in emotion ...
鈥� Tessa Virtue (@tessavirtue) November 27, 2020
Upon learning about being invested into the Order of Canada, I couldn鈥檛 help but think that as a kid, I would have never known to dream so big.
I am humbled by this honour! 馃嚚馃嚘 pic.twitter.com/jZmbpj98Ao
Virtue is swamped with school work these days as part of Queens University鈥檚 Executive MBA program - one of the new pursuits that鈥檚 pushed her out of her comfort zone.
She鈥檚 typed out frantic text messages to retired Paralympic swimmer Ben Huot - who graduated from Queens鈥� EMBA program - saying, 鈥淗ave I made a mistake? What am I doing?鈥� she laughed. 鈥�(Huot) been so wonderfully supportive.
鈥淏ut I am so happy I did it. And it鈥檚 an extraordinary cohort, everyone is so impressive and has accomplished such wonderful things and in such diverse spheres, and so the conversations are so exhilarating, and especially right now, I鈥檓 so grateful to have the chance to sort of expand my mind.鈥�
Virtue spent the first few months of the pandemic living in North Vancouver with boyfriend and Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly. The power couple joined Arkells frontman on an Instagram live stream back in March. They appeared virtually on the Great Kitchen Party: Home Edition a month later.
The couple is back living in Toronto now, and recently purchased a puppy they named Zoe.
Virtue and Moir鈥檚 captivating free dance to music from 鈥淢oulin Rouge鈥� in Pyeongchang will endure as one of the greatest Olympic figure skating performances ever. Just one of the numerous YouTube streams has over 1.3 million views.
But Virtue has barely watched it.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen parts of it here and there. And I love the feeling that it evokes in me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 still so proud of that moment of course. But I can鈥檛 decide if it feels like it was yesterday or honestly if I feel just a few lifetimes away from it. So, it鈥檚 like that disconnect, right, where I kind of hold onto the feeling that we had when the program ended.
鈥淎nd when we reflect together, so much of our sporting life just seems so fresh that I鈥檓 sure there hasn鈥檛 been enough time for perspective, right?鈥�
Virtue and Moir, from Ilderton, Ont., competed for two decades. Earning Order of Canada honours, she said, was an honour that had her reflecting on their early days.
鈥淭his is not something we would have ever known to even dream for. We weren鈥檛 seven and nine (years old) cruising around the ice together talking about this, it seemed unfathomable,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd yet, we watched so many of our friends and peers along the way receive this incredible honour. I just feel humbled, and just so, so honoured.鈥�
Virtue talked by telephone Sunday before appearing virtually on Hayley Wickenheiser鈥檚 鈥淲ickFest: Female Hockey Festival,鈥� calling a few minutes early to ensure she wouldn鈥檛 have to duck out too soon.
Olympic athletes, both active and retired, have been front and centre in the battle against the global pandemic. Wickenheiser, of course, teamed up with actor Ryan Reynolds and others for 鈥淐onquer COVID-19,鈥� an initiative that delivered much-needed personal protective equipment to hospitals. Numerous other athletes have hosted virtual practices, information sessions, etc. for Canadian kids.
鈥淚t can be underestimated, I guess, what that kind of mentorship or connection with an athlete does,鈥� Virtue said. 鈥淚 think about those kids watching the next Olympics and how invested they鈥檒l be and it鈥檚 pretty neat to share that.鈥�
The international figure skating schedule has been a bust since last March when COVID-19 forced cancellation of the world championships in Montreal.
Keegan Messing is the only Canadian to have competed so far this season (Skate America). Skate Canada International was scrapped, and if Stockholm, Sweden does manage to host the world championships in March - organizers want to host it in a 鈥渂ubble鈥� - there鈥檚 no guarantee Canada will even go because of lack of preparation, quarantine restrictions, etc.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a caveat to everything in that it offers great perspective. You realize just how seemingly insignificant ice dance can be or skating,鈥� Virtue said. 鈥淏ut at the same time, in their relative spheres, and as far as their goals and pursuits go, it鈥檚 huge to miss out on one competition, let alone a season.
鈥淚 think just changing that benchmark of knowing when to prepare for something, how a peak, how to maximize your time, the unknown, the uncertainty, like so many people are facing, must be really challenging. And my heart goes out to (the skaters).鈥�
Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press
