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Ilderton celebrates with Moir and Virtue

The crowd of nearly 300 people rise to their feet following a flawless skate from Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue. Jake Jeffrey / 980 CFPL

Just like they did in 2010, Ilderton and the surrounding community watched nervously as Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue won Olympic Gold.

Roughly 300 people packed the Ilderton Community Centre until the late hours Monday night, hoping to watch their hometown heroes reach the top of the podium once again.

The wait paid off.

Stephen Harvey helped organize the viewing party, and tells 980 CFPL there were some pretty tense moments during their final skate.

“It was silent because everyone is so worried, there is always that anxiety that something could happen because it’s beyond your control,” said Harvey, who actually coach Moir during his minor hockey playing days.

“I think the people really feel that the right thing happened tonight, and they can now say goodbye to a career on a positive note.”

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Mayor of Middlesex Centre Al Edmundson says it’s moments like this that really bring a community together.

“They were just as loud this time around as they were every other time.”

Following their silver medal at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Moir and Virtue took two years off from the sport, returning in 2016 with their eyes set on the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The pair now has five Olympic medals, with two golds and a silver in ice dance, to go along with a gold and silver in team skate.

When asked what they had planned for a celebration, the Ilderton Skating Club’s Nancy Manning said nothing is set in stone yet, but the pair’s latest accomplishment is “certainly be something to celebrate.”

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