Very few engagement announcements stirred the souls of Canadians as that of figure skating ice dance champion Scott Moir. That’s because he isn’t betrothed to his longtime skating partner, Tessa Virtue.
Moir is engaged to his very first pairs partner: Jackie Mascarin.
In Toronto to discuss the details of their cross-country "Rock the Rink Tour", the London-born athletes were gracious in answering the inevitable about their personal lives.
They understand our fascination. After all, one look at them while they perform and skating fans can see how they feel about each other.
Moir says there is genuine love between the pair, but it’s not romantic love.
“We are so fortunate that we've had people following our career through it for 20-plus years. And you know, they deserve to have some emotion, no connection to what we've done, and we love that," Moir told CTV News Toronto.
Moir said that he even roots for couples who aren’t together.
“When I watch a movie, I want movie stars to be in love too. We have such a great relationship. We have such a strong business partnership, and that's why we can't wait to get back on the road and celebrate that. So personally, life is fantastic. Professionally, life is fantastic. So we can't ask for much more.”
As for the upcoming "Rock the Rink Tour," this is the second year they will head out. In 2018, theirs was a "Thank You, Canada" tour.
Now they are looking to challenge themselves and want to give Canadians a top tier “entertainment” skating show. "Rock the Rink" features upgraded lighting, video and interactive technology.
They have also added a new element to a figure skating show live music. The rock band “Bird of Bellwoods’ will get the party started with a 30 minute set before the skaters hit the ice.
Joining Moir and Virtue on the ice is a who’s who of figure skating from home and abroad, including Patrick Chan, Kaetlyn Osmond and Elvis Stojko.
Italian olympic medallist and world champion Carolina Kostner and world champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov, will each tour in North America for the first time with Olympic medallist and four-time U.S. national Champion Jeremy Abbott.
“Rock the Rink Tour” opens in on Oct. 5 in Abbotsford, B.C. and wraps up in St. Johns, N.L. on Nov. 23.
