BOW VALLEY – Canmore Special Olympian, Meg Ohsada, can’t wait to perform on the same ice with her figure skating heroes, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, for the very first time.
It just so happens it’ll be during the iconic Canadian duo’s final cross-country tour, Rock The Rink.
Starting Oct. 5 in Abbotsford, B.C. and ending in St. John’s, N.L. on Nov. 23, the 25-year-old Bow Valley figure skating star performs Oct. 10, when Rock The Rink comes to Red Deer’s Westerner Park Centrium.
“I am very proud,” said Meg, who won two silver medals at 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Meet 25-year-old Meg Ohsada, a Special Olympics World Games champion who can’t wait to skate alongside her favourite skaters @tessavirtue @ScottMoir @Pchiddy at @rocktherinktour ⬇https://t.co/SxulRh081V@SpecialOAlberta pic.twitter.com/wJJB51wFzT
— Special Olympics CAN (@SpecialOCanada) September 11, 2019
Her routine for Rock The Rink will be to the music of “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman.
It’s been a busy few weeks for Meg, who was not only selected for Rock The Rink, but will also be featured in a Powerade sports drink photo-shoot/commercial for the upcoming national Special Olympics in February.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I’ve been going to the gym a lot and [practicing] dancing.”
Rock The Rink has become somewhat of a farewell tour for Virtue and Moir, following the duo’s abrupt retirement announcement on Tuesday (Sept. 17), which was explained in a video posted to their Twitter accounts.
Thank you ❤️ #VirtueMoir #XXII pic.twitter.com/poZEnEljAp
— Tessa Virtue (@tessavirtue) September 18, 2019
“After 22 years, it feels like the right time to step away from the sport,” said Virtue, while the pair skated on a rink. “I mean, not before we put our hearts and souls in this Rock The Rink tour. We can’t wait to go coast-to-coast to celebrate this with all of you, but this is so personal and emotional for us and we’re so grateful that we’ve gotten to share all of this together and with all of you.”
Moir added that they still “feel like the most fortunate kids in Canada.”
“It just feels for us that it’s the right time to say goodbye while we’re still loving and enjoying the sport as much as we always have,” he said.
Virtue and Moir competed in three Olympics Games together, winning three gold medals and two silvers since 2010.
Sari Ohsada, Meg’s sister, said Meg is very honoured to be a part of their last tour.
“She is proud to be one of the many other Special Olympians who have the opportunity to perform with them, it is a dream come true for her and all her amazing coaches, supporters, and family members,” she said.
The tour, which features Special Olympic figure skating athletes in every stop, was recently surrounded with controversy when it came to light that the Special Olympic athletes wouldn’t be getting paid.
Sari said the Ohsada family feels privileged that Meg is able to participate in such a big event and represent the Special Olympics.
“For Meg, the purpose for her being there is being one of the many Special Olympian athletes who are there,” Sari said. “So for us, we’re feeling very happy that this has been there for her and we don’t feel the need for Meg being paid because … if Meg, for instance, was an individual athlete skating side-by-side with other athletes who are also being paid, she should also be paid as anyone else, but the purpose of this is to represent the organization that has supported her nationally and internationally.”
Special Olympics Alberta (SOA) is covering “all the costs for our athletes and their support, so that there is no cost to them to be involved in the [Rock The Rink] event,” wrote Kiefer Scott Sutherland, spokesperson for SOA, in an email.
Up next, Meg is preparing for her ice time at nationals in Thunder Bay, Ont., which she filmed a Powerade commercial to promote last week in Toronto.
For six hours, a crew took photos and video of Meg – and, of course, taking sips of Powerade on camera.
“It’s very good,” Meg said.
