I cannot believe how emotionally invested I got in the ice dance competition

So.

So.

Happy.

This Saturday when I was at home, Mom, Katie and I played Pictionary. But we'd all watched the Compulsory Dance the night before and had skating on the brain, so we played Olympic Figure Skating themed pictionary. Like, for "quickly" I drew Stephane Lambiel spinning. And for "delight," Katie drew me watching Tessa and Scott win gold on TV (there were two drawings - me watching them skate, and then them with medals and me SUPER EXCITED). And she was right - I am DELIGHTED.

And so deeply, deeply satisfied. I was thinking what it feels like to have loved this team so much (although only this season, I'm a latecomer - but still, followed them since the TEB!) and to now see them achieve the highest of successes and have everyone around the world - and especially around Canada - recognizing how amazing and charming and wonderful and talented they are. To put it in perspective for Johnnys fans, it's like suddenly your favorite group is almost universally recognized as the best, better than all the other groups, and suddenly EVERYONE is talking about how great they are and about how amazing all the things you love about that group are. XD

And the whole thing just feels GOOD. Tessa and Scott skated amazingly. They put down the best performances of their life, here at the Olympic Games. It's that, as much as the result, that is the best thing you can ask for. They went out there, in front of a hometown audience, and brought them three amazing, beautiful skates. They skated with passion and emotion and skill and elegance. I am SO HAPPY FOR THEM. They can go home feeling incredibly good about their Olympic performances. I watched their compulsory dance so, so many times between Friday and Sunday, it was ridiculous - it's a compulsory dance! And then as soon as their original dance came online, I couldn't stop watching that, either. So powerful, so amazing. And last night I couldn't find their free dance, but this morning I watched it three times already. It's incredibly beautiful.

Obviously I love them because I love their skating. But I really, really, absolutely felt that they were the best in the competition. People always talk about their connection on the ice, and their intricate lifts - but it's true! They are really more able than any one else in that field to fully convey emotion through dance - honest emotion, rather than melodrama. And their every movement is precise, it's beautiful, it's done perfectly. And here, when it really mattered, they imbued their programs with more passion and energy than I have ever seen - and this is a passionate team. They were the best skaters going into the competition, and they put down the best performances on the night. So great when that happens.

( congratulations and love for the other North Americans! )

All day yesterday I was basically FREAKING OUT. I actually was concerned I was sick with a stomach bug or something but it was just nervous tension making me want to eject my food. Watching Tessa and Scott's free dance performances from the GPF and Nationals helped, though. Seeing them skate it so beautifully, seeing what an amazing program it is and how incredibly talented Tessa and Scott are calmed me down. Um, but not that much. XD What a night.

I spent all of yesterday (and plan to spend all of today) watching the google "latest results" for Virtue and Moir to see all the nice things people are tweeting about them. XD This is part of why I couldn't go to sleep until 2:30 last night. It was just so much fun, so satisfying and exciting, to see so many people talking about how beautifully Tessa and Scott had skated, and how adorable they are. Talking about how the OD gave them chills and the FD made them cry. My feelings have suddenly aligned with those of an entire nation! :D (Unfortunately, not my nation, but I'm going to try to start as many conversations about ice dance as I can today. Of course, sometimes I barely talk to people at work so I might just have those conversations with myself.) (People also keep mentioning how nice V/M's costumes were, which is funny. There really were some butt-ugly costumes in that free dance. Tessa and Scott are ice dance without all the tacky parts!)

So, so happy about the way they skated, and their victory, and how happy Canada is about it, and about the prospect that now ice dance will be more influenced by their style of skating, and the fact that I will get to hear about Virtue and Moir and see them doing press and interviews and soak up how much everyone now loves my favorite team. My only concern is that they'll retire from skating now - it's WAY TOO EARLY! They have so much more to offer the sport and I have so few programs of theirs to enjoy.

OK, I need to stop writing about them now. I didn't realize how crazy I would get about this, how incredibly emotionally invested I was in Tessa and Scott's performances, everything. Hahaha, but it feels gooooood now!

( two bonus pictures from last night )