Tessa Virtue
| Tessa Virtue | |
|---|---|
 Virtue and Moir at the 2008 Four Continents Championships. | |
| Height | 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Partner | Scott Moir |
| Coach | Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva |
| Skating club | Ilderton Skating Club |
Tessa Virtue (born May 17, 1989 in London, Ontario) is a Canadian ice dancer. She currently competes with Scott Moir. They are the 2008 & 2009 Canadian national champions, the 2008 Four Continents Champions, and 2006 World Junior Champions.
Personal life
Tessa Virtue was born in London, Ontario, Canada. She is the youngest of four children. She currently lives and trains in Canton, Michigan, USA, although her official residence remains London.
Career
Virtue and Moir began skating together in 1997.
In the 2001-2002 season, they won the bronze medal at Junior Canadians at the novice level. In 2003, they placed 7th at Canadians in the junior division.
In 2003-2004, they made their Junior Grand Prix debut. They didn't place at either of their events. At Nationals, they won the Junior title, qualifying them for the team to the World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where they placed 11th.
The following season, they moved up to senior nationally but remained juniors internationally. They won one of their Junior Grand Prix assignments, placed second at another, and won the silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final. At Canadians, they placed fourth in their senior debut. They went to Junior Worlds again, where they placed 2nd.
Because the 2005-2006 season was the Olympic season and they had a chance of making the Olympic team, many thought they should go senior. However, they remained Junior internationally for one final season. They won both their Junior Grand Prix events and then won the Junior Grand Prix Final. They won the bronze medal at Canadian Nationals, missing an Olympic berth by one spot. They were named as first alternates to the Olympic team. However, having only a junior record, they may not have been sent to the Olympics anyway. Following Nationals, they went to the 2006 Four Continents Championships, where they won the bronze medal -- their first senior international medal -- and qualified themselves as alternates. They went on to 2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships for one last time and won it. They are the first Canadian ice dancers to win the World Junior title.
In 2006-2007, they moved up to the senior division. They won the silver medal at Skate Canada and placed 4th at the 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard in France. At Nationals, they won the silver medal, and repeated their bronze medal finish at 2007 Four Continents Championships. In their debut at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships, they placed 6th, the debut highest placement of a Canadian team in decades. At the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships in Sweden, Virtue and Moir won the silver medal, winning the free dance program with their spectacular skating to the Umbrellas of Cherbourg soundtrack.
Although they hoped to have a strong 2008-2009 season, Virtue underwent surgery on her legs after discovering that she had a rare condition that prevented her muscles from expanding and contracting properly. They planned to appear at 2008 NHK Trophy, but she still had not recovered in time. They returned to competition at the2009 Canadian Figure Skating Championships and won the gold medal. Still recovering, they competed at 2009 Four Continents Championships, winning the silver medal behind training partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White.
Programs
Competitive highlights
(with Moir)
Post-2006
| Event | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 | 2008-2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships | 6th | 2nd | |
| Four Continents Championships | 3rd | 1st | 2nd |
| Canadian Championships | 2nd | 1st | 1st |
| Grand Prix Final | 4th | ||
| Skate Canada International | 2nd | 1st | |
| NHK Trophy | 2nd | ||
| Trophee Eric Bompard | 4th |
Pre-2006
(with Moir)
| Event | 2001-2002 | 2002-2003 | 2003-2004 | 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four Continents Championships | 3rd | ||||
| World Junior Championships | 11th | 2nd | 1st | ||
| Canadian Championships | 3rd N. | 7th J. | 1st J. | 4th | 3rd |
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 2nd | 1st | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Canada | 1st | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Andorra | 1st | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, China | 1st | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, France | 2nd | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Croatia | 4th | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Slovakia | 6th | ||||
| NACS Thornhill | 1st J. | ||||
| Western Ontario Sectionals | 1st J. | 1st J. | 1st |
- N = Novice level; J = Junior level
References
External links
- Official Site
- Skate Canada Profile
- Tessa Virtue at the International Skating Union
- Care to Ice Dance? - Virtue & Moir
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