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Olympian would like to see some changes to figure skating

Canadian Olympian Scott Moir sat down with SooToday and talked about two things he would like to see changed in figure skating
07-19-2018-ScottMoirJH04
Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Moir stopped by the Essar Centre Thursday to promote 'The Thank You Canada Tour.' Moir visited with local figure skating clubs during his stop in the Sault. James Hopkin/SooToday

As a figure skater, he’s won Olympic medals, but his path to the sport wasn’t what you would expect.

Scott Moir actually didn’t care for the sport early on, and participated only because it was a way to improve his skating to play hockey.

In the end, he and partner Tessa Virtue would become Olympic champions.

The experience itself is something he will never forget.

“I love the Olympics,” Moir said. “We came back just for another shot at the games. Being a Canadian Olympian, is just different. The Canadian winter team is just so tight. We support each other. I have so much respect for all of the athletes. We hang out, support each other. We go to every single event that we can.

“There’s a connection,” Moir added. “There’s just something different about the way we do the Olympics in Canada. It’s because of the support that we get from the Canadian public. It was a special time for us. A lot of the people we were at the Olympics with in Korea, we had been to Sochi, Russia (in 2014) with and some even in Vancouver (in 2010).”

Moir also spoke of how he related to Canadian bobsledder Jesse Lumsden. 

“It’s just a completely opposite sport from figure skating, but the most fascinating part of being an Olympian is that what you do is so different but the way you approach it is so similar,” Moir said. “It’s been one of the honours of my life to be a Canadian Olympian.”

SooToday recently had the opportunity to sit down with Moir and discuss a wide variety of topics, including the changes he would like to make to the sport.

Q: What was your first sports memory?

SM: My very first sports memory was when I fell asleep this one year when we were playing hockey and everyone had to play goalie. My uncle told me to lie down because they couldn’t raise the puck and I fell asleep. They had to come and wake me up after the second period. I got a shutout.

Q: What other sports are you interested in that people might not expect?

SM: People know that I’m a big hockey fan now, but baseball is something that I really fell in love with in my years in Detroit. I lived in Detroit for 10 years. I never really understood baseball until I started to go to the park. Then I got to know the intricacies of the game. Now I’m a huge baseball fan too. The one thing I don’t tell people is that I’m a Detroit Tigers fan over being a Toronto Blue Jays fan. 

Q: Who are three people, dead or alive, that you would like to have dinner with and why?

SM: Barrack Obama is up there. He’s got a little swagger. I have to go with Gord Downie because of the Canadian connection and because his courage at the end of his life was admirable. The third is a tough one. Right now would be John Tavares to figure out what his plan is and if he thinks he’s going to be captain (of the Toronto Maple Leafs).

Q: Aside from your current job, what non-sports career are you interested in and why?

SM: I always thought that I would be a firefighter or in the military. I can’t be a firefighter now because both of my brothers are firefighters and I’m the youngest of the three, so I have to break the mold all the time. That’s what I do. We’ll see, I’m going to be involved in the sport for a long time so other careers, I don’t know what I’ll end up doing but it will probably be one of those.

Q: What person, living or dead, do you admire most and why?

SM: That’s a good question. (Tennis player) Roger Federer is a big one for me. Just because of the way he handles himself. You can’t argue that he’s one of the best tennis players of all time. The way he carries himself as a man and takes care of his family. He’s so gracious with his time even though he’s one of the best ever, it’s something to get to his status and to still be a really upstanding human being is why I respect him so much.

Q: If you were overseeing figure skating, what changes would you make to the sport?

SM: Skate Canada has done a pretty good job. There are always challenges. I think I will test my patience and luck and I’m going to get involved, but I think one thing about figure skating I would like to change is the politics a little bit. The stigma with judging. Also the stigma with eating disorders and body image. That’s something I would like to get in and change – change the attitudes towards it. I’m so proud of someone like Kaetlyn Osmond who is a strong, confident, really athletic woman who can be the best in the world. That’s a great thing for all of the girls in our country to look up to.

Q: What’s the most important life lesson you’ve learned?

SM: There are a handful. And I seem to always have to relearn some, to be honest. For me, the most important that I’ve learned is just to care. It seems like if you care enough, everything just takes care of itself. I’ve always felt that now I’m getting to know myself a little bit more and to follow passions, like the Thank You Canada Tour, that is close to my heart. Just doing things that I really care about and really have a vested interest in seems to pay off.

Q: What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?

SM: Probably the biggest thing, because I’m pretty outgoing and loud, is that I’m actually not like that at all. I’m very quiet. I like my quiet time. What I’m looking forward to the next little bit is just hanging out with my nieces and nephews. 

Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

SM: I think flying. Who doesn’t want to fly? 

Q: If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you bring with you?

SM: Probably a partner. If I’m on an island, I want to be able to have a drink, so a blender. And probably a good book. That’s kind of boring, but a book that you could read over and over again.

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Brad Coccimiglio

About the Author: Brad Coccimiglio

A graduate of Loyalist College’s Sports Journalism program, Brad Coccimiglio’s work has appeared in The Hockey News as well as online at FoxSports.com in addition to regular freelance work with SooToday before joining the team full time.
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