Page 23 - Real Style June 2018

WHEN WE LAST CAUGHT UP WITH REAL STYLE’S June 2018 cover girl Tessa Virtue, the stunning Canadian ice dancer was posing for our Winter 2014/2015 cover. Fast forward a few years, and the London, Ontario, native is still on top of her game. At the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, she and her longtime skating partner Scott Moir won gold and became the most decorated Olympic figure skaters of all time. At just 29 years old, Virtue has already been skating for 20 years, but she’s not ready to slow down, however, as she and Moir can now be seen touring as part of Stars On Ice, which sees the dynamic duo showcasing their skills on the ice, but in a very different setting from the Olympics. Real Style spoke with the beautiful and inspiring skating star, who shared on everything from the feeling of winning gold for Team Canada to her favourite ways to unwind.
Real Style: Winning the gold for the second time is an achievement of a lifetime. Did you know you nailed it when your program stopped and you and Scott embraced?
Tessa Virtue: At the end of our free dance in PyeongChang, Scott and I knew we’d performed the best we possibly could have in that moment, especially given the pressure. We were totally in flow – a feeling we’d been chasing since the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Though the fairytale that we lived in Korea was exactly what we prepared for and expected, when things actually unfolded
the way they did, there was still a bit of shock and disbelief!
RS: What was different this time about the Olympics? Any behind-the-scenes stories you’d like to share?
TV: The lead-up to the 2018 Olympic Games was different, in that everything was on our own terms. We returned to competition in 2016 and made the decision to train in Montreal, surround- ing ourselves with a top-notch team of profes- sionals (both on and off ice). We stayed true to our creative vision, and pushed ourselves to the limits – physically, mentally and emotionally. The last two years have been the most challeng- ing and rewarding of our entire 20-year career. As for behind-the-scenes stories, I will say that the entire Canadian team had fun singing and dancing to the Arkells, who put on an inspired performance at Canada Olympic House in Pyeo- ngChang. They even invited me up to dance on stage during a Hall and Oates cover – there I was bopping along to “You Make My Dreams Come True” while front man Max Kerman was wearing an Olympic medal. Talk about worlds colliding.
Real Style: How did you deal with the extra pressure of Canada’s hope riding on “Victory and Virtue”?
TV: We relied heavily on our mental prep coach, Jean François Ménard, who spent almost every moment with us in Korea. Careful and calculated
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