Scott Moir

Scott Moir – Life, Career & Legacy

“I think you get better as you go—learning how to skate with each other, evolve, communicate, really understand who you are as people and what you bring to the ice.”
— Scott Moir (paraphrase in interviews)

Introduction

Scott Patrick Moir (born September 2, 1987) is a Canadian ice dancer and coach, best known for his partnership with Tessa Virtue. Together, they transformed ice dance in the 21st century—pushing technical innovation, emotional expression, and longevity in competitive performance. Their achievements include multiple Olympic golds, world titles, and a place among the greatest ice dance duos ever.

Early Life & Family

• Scott Moir was born in London, Ontario, Canada, to parents Alma (née MacCormack) and Joe Moir.

• He was raised in the small community of Ilderton, Ontario.

• He comes from a skating family: his mother and aunt coached, and his older brothers (Danny and Charlie Moir) also skated competitively.

• Moir began skating around age three. Initially, skating was a way to help with his hockey performance.

Partnership with Tessa Virtue & Competitive Ascent

Early Years

• Virtue and Moir were paired in 1997, when Tessa was about seven and Scott about nine, through a match made by his aunt Carol Moir (a coach).

• They competed in junior-level international events and eventually became 2006 World Junior Champions and 2006 Junior Grand Prix Final Champions.

• They gradually transitioned to senior competition by 2006–2007.

Olympic Success & Records

• At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Virtue/Moir won gold in ice dance. They were the first ice dance team from North America to do so, ending a European dominance.

• At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, they earned silver medals (both in ice dance and the team event).

• After a hiatus, they returned for 2018 PyeongChang, winning two gold medals (ice dance event + team event).

• With these results, Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue became the most decorated Olympic figure skaters in history (five Olympic medals).

• They also broke records in scoring, including program component 10.0s and world record totals in various segments.

Titles & Honors

• They are three-time World Champions (2010, 2012, 2017) and three-time Four Continents Champions (2008, 2012, 2017).

• Eight-time Canadian national champions.

• They achieved a “Super Slam” (winning all major senior and junior titles during their career) — a rarely matched feat.

Style, Philosophy & Influence

Moir and Virtue’s strengths extended beyond medals:

• Artistic depth and emotional conveyance: their programs often told compelling stories, blending technical precision with performance nuance.

• Longevity & evolution: they competed over multiple Olympic cycles, adapting style, choreography, and resilience.

• Technical ambition: they pushed scoring boundaries, embraced new elements, and excelled in both compulsory/short and free dance phases.

• Cultural impact: their success helped popularize ice dance in North America and globally, giving more visibility to Canadian skating.

Retirement & Later Involvements

• Scott Moir officially retired from competitive skating on September 17, 2019.

• After retiring, he has worked as a coach, mentor, commentator, and in ice show productions.

• He has also co-produced and toured ice shows with Tessa Virtue, such as Rock the Rink, and engaged in media projects around their skating journey.

Personal Life

• Moir and Virtue were named Members of the Order of Canada in 2020, in recognition of their athletic excellence and inspiration to future skaters.

• In 2023, Moir and Virtue also received the Order of Sport, entering Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

• Moir married Jaclyn Mascarin (a former ice dance partner) on June 24, 2022. They have two children (a daughter born in 2021, and a son born in 2024).

Citation for this page:
Data drawn especially from Scott Moir in Wikipedia (English)