The Kids Are All Right

So what next, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir?
You're 20 and 22 years old, respectively, and now the youngest Olympic ice dance champions ever. And you did it right on home soil at Pacific Coliseum on a memorable Monday night at the Vancouver 2010 Games.
All of which makes it easy to ask ... does it get any better than this?
To hear and watch the fetching Canadian couple afterward, it's hard to imagine. And, as Virtue told CTV's Sara Orlesky, this one's been in their thoughts for awhile.
"We've been dreaming of this moment our entire lives," said Virtue, who bounced with excitement behind the boards before dashing to the medal podium with her partner and best friend. "We've pictured it in our minds so many times. But actually living it is so much better."
They belted out O Canada with gusto and pride on the top step of the podium as the red maple leaf rose to the rafters before a wildly cheering throng. That, too, was always part of the dream.
The topper for Virtue and Moir? They did it on the heels of one of the most sublime, magical performances in Olympic history, knowing full well that nothing less than that would get it done. You know that when you train every day with Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who were full value for the silver medals they earned on this night.
It was an unprecedented result in an Olympic discipline traditionally dominated by Europe and Russia in particular. But there is now no doubt that the world's two best ice dance teams share the same training ice and coaches (Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband) in Canton, Mich.
Skate Canada, no doubt, couldn't be more thrilled to trumpet the achievements of their first Olympic gold medallists since Jamie Sale and David Pelletier in pairs at Salt Lake City 2002. But the association also has to wonder just how much longer they'll get to enjoy them.
Many an Olympic champion has chosen to take a pass on the ensuing world championships, figuring they've got nothing to gain in the wake of the ultimate triumph. But given they're the ultimate team players, it's easy to see Virtue and Moir heading off to Torino in a month's time and trying to help land Canada a third ice dance berth for the 2011 worlds. They've also never won a global title themselves, so there's the matter of checking that one last major goal off their list.
Creatively, Virtue and Moir are still only scratching the surface of their potential, and they've always struck me as the kind of people who want to keep giving to their sport and making it better. And while their ages suggest Sochi 2014 is well within reach, four years is a long time to commit to chasing a goal you've already achieved — and in the best way possible, right at home in the most pressure-packed Olympics of all.
These are interesting times, indeed, for Virtue and Moir. And despite the magnitude of what they achieved tonight, they've really just begun.
Maybe it's best we let them enjoy this one. Their glee was so wonderfully evident as they celebrated a dream come true. Perhaps somewhere inside, they've got a few more in mind yet to chase. We joined them for a remarkable ride at Vancouver 2010. We should be so lucky to have them invite us along for another one someday.
*****
Sometimes, you've just gotta love Brian Williams' honesty.
While the Canadian Olympic Committee has run up the white flag in its bid to 'Own The Podium' at Vancouver 2010 — they're now conceding catching the United States in the medal standings is pretty much impossible — matching or beating our medal total at Turin 2006 (24) is still very much within their thoughts. Even if that would require at least another 14 of them over the final six days of competition.
That certainly didn't sit well with Williams, as the CTV prime-time anchor made eminently clear during a studio interview with Own The Podium program architect Roger Jackson.
"They are absolutely dreaming in technicolour," Williams said bluntly. "To me, they're putting an incredible amount of pressure on the athletes who have yet to perform ... that's not fair."
Hard to argue with that point, I'd say.