Meet Canada's Olympic Flag Bearers: Ice Dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
After 20 years of skating together, Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will lead their country into Olympic Stadium in Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The athletes will be the first man and woman, and the first pair ever, to carry Canada's flag into the games. The eight-time national champions said that among all their accomplishments in their long history together, being flag bearers at the Olympics is the ultimate honor.
Read on for some fun facts about the dynamic duo from the Great White North as they prepare to make history.
They've Been Skating Together For 20 Years
Tessa, 28, and Scott, 30, have been twirling around the ice as a pair for the past two decades, which means they were both just about 8 and 10, respectively, when they teamed up.
We Can All Thank Scott's Aunt, Who Brought the Two Together
The pair had been skating at the same club as kids when Scott's coach and aunt, Carol Moir, noticed Tessa seemed like a good fit to be teamed up with her nephew. As the two became familiar with each other at Ontario's Ilderton Arena's Summer skate camps, Carol approached Tessa's team, and the couple officially joined forces in 1998.
Tessa and Scott Win a Lot
They had their first win in January 1999 at the provincial finals in Woodstock, Ontario, when she was 9 and he was 11 — yep! From there, things just kept getting better. The two are three-time world champions, with two Olympic silver medals from Sochi, Russia, in 2014, and one gold medal from Vancouver, Canada, in 2010.
They Have Their Own Hashtag
The ice dancing pair use the hashtag #VirtueMoir on all of their posts. It's definitely worth checking out, especially for their adorable throwback photos. Fans also use the hashtag, so feel free to get in on the fun and keep an eye out on it for what are sure to be some fun tributes during the Olympics.
And They've Added Another One Just For This Olympic Games
In addition to tagging their posts with #VirtueMoir, the team has added #XX to their hashtag rotation. The double X stands for 20 in Roman numerals and celebrates their 20th year together. So sweet!
Tessa Is the Superstitious One on the Team
The ice dancer likes to follow quite a few superstitions to bring her team the best of luck. She reportedly always puts on her left skate first, likes to keep her grandmother's necklace in her left shoe when it's not around her neck, and also wears her grandma's green shirt to bed the night before every competition. If you keep your eyes peeled, you may be able to see an unexpected accessory on her ice skating outfits as Tessa likes to wear a safety pin somewhere on each costume.
The Two Temporarily Retired Their Ice Skates in 2014
After competing in Sochi in 2014, Tessa and Scott entered a trial retirement period. They didn't compete during the 2014-2015 or 2015-2016 seasons, but then, just when we thought their retirement was a permanent thing, they decided to come back in hopes of winning gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
They had a record-breaking 2017 with a winning streak that ran until December, when they finished in second place at Canada's Grand Prix Final by less than three points. The two recently won their eighth national title at the Canadian figure skating championships in Vancouver and are hoping to take that momentum into Pyeongchang.