Island fans will mine a rich vein of silver tonight at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Canada hit the silver lode in figure skating at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics with three second-place finishes. Now the pressure of the competitor gives way to the pressure of the performer for Patrick Chan, Kaetlyn Osmond, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in the Stars on Ice show at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Centre.
The judges have all gone home, only to be replaced by other judges — the paying patrons. It’s a toss-up as to who are tougher to please.
“There is still pressure and nerves to overcome before a show,” said Chan, double Olympic silver-medallist in Sochi in the team event and men’s individual.
“You want people to come back next year.”
This is business, sport and art all rolled into one.
There is often a post-Olympic boost for any sport in which medals are won for Canada, but especially in skating because of the touring show.
Chan said he has noticed a bump in show attendance across the country this year because of Sochi.
“I’m so happy to see how passionate people are about skating again” said the three-time world champion, during an airport stop as the tour played Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary over the weekend.
Virtue and Moir, gold-medallists at Vancouver 2010, followed up with silver in ice dance and also in the new team event at Sochi 2014. While Chan, Virtue and Moir are old hands, this was all new to Olympic rookie Osmond after being part of the Canadian team silver medal performance at Sochi and placing 13th in the women’s individual event.
“It was a dream experience to reach the podium on the biggest stage there is in sports [Olympics],” said the Newfoundlander, by phone after the show in her adopted training town of Edmonton over the weekend.
Now is the time to bask in the post-Sochi glow.
“Shows were always the reason I loved skating. It gives me a thrill to step on the ice,” said Osmond.
While the 18-year-old Osmond will be a big medal hope for Canada at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the futures of veterans Chan, Moir and Virtue are a subject of much discussion.
“If I’m healthy in two, three years, and mentally into it, I don’t see why not,” said Chan.
With Winter Games gold and silver from Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, there really isn’t much left for Virtue and Moir to prove in ice dance. Both said they are still considering the future.
“I’m glad Patrick has reached a decision, but we’re far from it,” said Virtue.
“We’ll give ourselves some time. Over the last 10-12 years, we’ve only taken two weeks off at a time. There’s been no off-season.”
If any Canadian athletes have earned a moment of reflection, it’s Virtue and Moir.
“We’ll definitely need the bulk of the summer to decide,” said Moir.
All the skaters, meanwhile, said Victoria is one of their favourite places to skate. Chan set the world record for most judging points during in an electrifying skate to win the 2011 Canadian men’s championship at the Memorial Centre.
Osmond performed as a junior skater that year in the nationals on Blanshard Street, skating to Jeff Beck’s guitar rendition of A Day in the Life. Virtue and Moir made their Memorial Centre debut as juvenile skaters at the 2006 Skate Canada International and have been back on Blanshard several times since with Stars on Ice.
“You get a world-class vibe in Victoria. It has always had such great skating fans, and in just the right-size performance venue,” said Moir.
The 12-city Canadian tour, which began April 25 in Halifax, concludes Thursday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Twitter.com/tc_vicsports
