Episode 29: Summer Rewind

[Music] Hello and welcome to Unleashed with Chocolate Bates. I'm Madison Chock. And I'm Evan Bates and we're Olympic Ised Answers for Team USA. Woohoo! Well, hi Evan. Hi Maddie. I'm fired up. Do you know why? Why? Because I feel like all of our time is spent running around, being physically active, running from thing to thing. And it's not often that we get to just sit down in a room together and just have a conversation. Oh, you feel like you're not getting enough time with me. A good old-fashioned conversation where we're not on our phones, except I'm holding my phone in my hand. And we're just talking to each other. Yeah, I love chatting with you. I'm really excited to just be here and sit with you and hear your thoughts. What do you want to talk about? Well, I think I'd love to recap our summer. I mean, for me, this has felt like the best summer of my life. So I just love to talk about that and gauge where this summer ranks in all of your summers. So yeah, let's just talk about what we do for summer. Well, do a summer recap. Yeah, summer recap. Re-cap it. Okay, where do you want to start? Well, I guess summer technically is like June. I'm going to rewind. We should start at the beginning of summer, right? June, June. What happened in June? Now June 21st, but we got married on June 20th. Yes. Almost the longest day of the year, the best day of our lives. Oh, by far. What do you want to share about the wedding? Well, I want to share a little bit of less rewind to like a little bit before the wedding because to me, the lead up was where it got super exciting. Like that one moment. You're really, really, really. You're really, really. Okay, we'll do a pre-summer rewind recap. So the lead up, well, really the lead up was like almost a year and a half in the making because the first, you know, first steps, well, I proposed to you in June of 2022. Oh, great. I love June. So that's two years ago. That's when we agreed to marry one another. That's where it all started. And then we were wondering if we should do a destination wedding or a Montreal wedding. We even visited some sites in Montreal. Yeah, we did. But ultimately it just didn't feel right. Yeah. We also, where else do we look? We researched Italy. You have some Italian heritage. But, you know, we really settled on Hawaii because-- You settled on Hawaii. I wouldn't just-- Because you're-- You just found Hawaii to just be so magical. Well, you also have some family ties to Hawaii. I do. My dad is from Hawaii, born and raised. My parents both went to U of H. They both got married in Hawaii. So I've got a lot of great roots in Hawaii. Still have aunts and uncles. Cousins, lots of family in Hawaii. So not so much a destination wedding for them. Yeah. My family, I would say, pardon me. For my family, I would say it was probably like 95% first time visiting Hawaii. Yeah. Which really added a lot because kind of a drink of water. I feel like I have just a-- excuse me. What, your whistle? The waters out of reach. I'll have a drink too. That's better. For my family. For my family. For my facial water. Just kidding. It's not glacial. It was almost everybody's first trip to Hawaii. Which was really exciting because there was just an added like sense of adventure, of newness. It was also a bit like a family reunion because a lot of your family just came and got together all your parents siblings. Yeah. A lot of aunts and uncles. I come from two big families. So I have four aunts and uncles on either side. Oh no. Four sets of aunts and uncles on either side. So that really multiplies quickly. It does. And it really ended up being amazing because a lot of people came to Hawaii for the wedding. Yeah. And we're so grateful they did. We really are. I mean, the last time that my dad's side had all gotten together like that was 2016. I remember that. That family reunion on the lake. That was fun. Was that-- Was that 2016? Was that it? Yeah. That must have been it. We went on a little boat cruise in Minnesota. Yeah. That was so cute. Anyways. Thank you for the ride. So the lead up, right? So we selected Hawaii. I did a lot of research online and just had so much fun finding vendors. Oh, let me tell you. You know, like my phone knew that we were getting married obviously because-- Talking about all the time and for the whole time. And so my algorithm became 100% wedding stuff. See, mine still is pretty wedding centric. I get the wedding reels, the idea still. We earned that demographic, I would say. I like it. I enjoy the wedding content honestly. I loved it. And honestly, it was so helpful. I really-- I actually found some of our vendors through Instagram. Yeah. Seeing like-- I mean, it's like-- I don't use Pinterest, use Pinterest, but I kind of-- I love it. I love it. I love it. I like Pinterest. I'm boot board. But I would just see something inspirational and then I would see who was tagged and go down a rabbit hole and found a lot of useful contacts. You really did. I mean, I joked a lot that Evan was my groomzilla, which he was, but minus the zilla part. He was just so thorough in his research that all I really had to do was like say yes, no, or oh, maybe this, maybe that, but like-- No, that's true. No, you were so-- I just love it. I love the plan. I had some ideas that I knew I wanted. And then you just executed it. I love to dig into a project. But you can't say that you were totally hands off. I mean, this was really-- I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to do. But yeah, there were just like things to do. We had a meeting with her wedding planer out there So we're just kind of bopping back and forth, but who doesn't mind driving around Hawaii? I could drive around Hawaii You know, they say like you're wedding dickos by so fast and it's so true. Oh my gosh. They're so right And they say that you won't be able to eat anything and I was like I'm gonna eat I love eating. I'm for sure gonna make time to eat We had nothing I had nothing I had maybe like two bites of my salad and then like Two bites of my fish and that we had the appetizers in cocktail. They had the appetizers who ready for us Which I was greatly appreciative of But yeah, I still I remember coming back to the table after we did photos and and dancing and other things and my Bite on my fork was still loaded that I had meant to take And yeah, I never got the chance to take that last bite Yeah, it goes by so fast and then the suitors I woke up the next day and I was like, oh can we do it again? Like it was so fun. It was so fun. It was so great And I would say like the number one thing that I liked the most About the day of the wedding was that I think it was the most hugs. I've ever Experienced in one day. I hugged so many people that day and everybody had like the most genuine Sense of joy not just for us, but I felt like they were having a good time too I mean they were happy for us, but everybody just seemed really happy and I think Hawaii does that to you And then weddings do that to you so a wedding and Hawaii. It's just like so joyful And then you know how sometimes when you're like smiling all day or you just take a lot of photos or Things like that in your face her and your cheeks hurt My cheeks did not hurt, but I was smiling all day It was just like joy just emanating from me and my face was just happy to smile Yeah, just the state that it was in but it was so natural that it wasn't forced and it wasn't fake and do you know We can get those stale cheeks. It was so lovely. Oh, it was just the best Really was the best if I could relive any day of my life. It would be that day. Yes Me too so would I but the only thing that was missing with Henry and Stella, but they wouldn't have liked the heat Those were our dogs and they couldn't they couldn't make that trip. They wouldn't have liked the heat. It was too hot for them So that was a quick recap. Yes Maybe we should continue. So we went on a honeymoon, right? We did go. Yeah, we went on a honeymoon. I mean I remember For the sake of our conversation Yeah, we were on a honey. Yes, we sure did we island hopped right over to Kwae and We stayed at this super cool resort called one Honolay Which I just fell in love with Princeville and how did we find that? Did you find that resort? Was it a recommendation? We found it. That's a good question. I think What it was a recommendation. Yeah, but it's fairly new I think it's only a few years old and the whole place is like the most relaxing location I've ever been on I had not slept that well It I can't even remember I felt so rested and so at peace Just being in the like surrounded by nature and there were roosters and chickens everywhere Yes roaming living their happiest lives. It was so fun So the view is like Honolay Bay and then just gorgeous mountains coming up right from the shoreline and And then like you said just wildlife just is such a such a chain from a lot So different from where we got married. I would I would honestly live on one of those beach beds if I could I would just camp there and that would be my home and I would just live there happily That's a good goal to aspire to I hope yeah one day I hope to just be a beach bum at Honolay Bay I don't think they'd like me there That'd be expensive if you were to oh my gosh Yeah, they'd probably kick me out for lordering, but oh that's the dream Yeah, it was build my own build my own beach resort It was so nice and then we came back to reality Yeah, and the reality was we had to get back to work because we had two weeks of training and and then we had to get ready to be in run Through shape for our shows in Japan. That's right. We went back to Japan for a two week tour We did six shows and two cities. So fun. So fun. Love going to Japan any chance we get Got to perform with a Kodo drummers which we mentioned previously in our last podcast if you listen if not you can catch up I'll catch up on it and hear all about our trip to Japan, but yeah We were in Japan. We actually found out that we were gonna go to Paris. Yeah That was great news like we this whole like Idea of us going to Paris to get this Olympic gold medal that we've been waiting on for two and a half years Wasn't even finalized until Like a week before we left You know what I'm just making the connection now. I think the best things come in two-year periods of waiting Are wedding Are wedding and then waiting on our Olympic medal Two years. It's not funny. Yes. Good Good correlation the best things come to those who wait for two years I don't know if there's any science behind that but for for this purpose So an Olympic recap if you will oh I will what was it like going to the Olympics not having the pressure of competing Being awarded a gold medal not being a ball of anxiety. Oh my goodness Highly highly recommended Just go to an Olympics to just collect metals and not have to compete highly recommend No, but what about summer games versus winter because we've been to I mean we've been to multiple winter Olympics But this was the first summer games to say the most obvious thing. It was so much warmer The weather was great. It was pretty hot though It was hot you know, honestly I have so much respect for all of the summer athletes who have to compete outdoors and are just at the Whim of Mother Nature it made me so grateful for our controlled environment and the ice rink. There's no weather, Jelae You don't have to worry about if it's raining or sleeting or too hot like it was yeah I'm grateful for a nor ice arena, but it was so cool to be at the summer Olympics and Just get to witness the magnitude of it. It's so huge There are venues everywhere it felt like The Olympics was really alive again. There were spectators people were just enjoying everything about Paris having a good time the events were packed. It just there was such an energy and a buzz alive in the city of Paris for the Olympics outside of getting your metal. What was your favorite Olympic moment? From the field of play. Oh Wow, well we did get to go see the track in field live which was incredibly cool and Cindy McLaughlin ran right in front of us and she ran so fast that I barely got the chance to like absorb her running by Well, it was a world record so it was literally the fastest time anyone's ever ran 400 more impressive or just she gapped everybody like crazy and I was just like how would it didn't even look hard It didn't even look like she was running that hard and she was just kept accelerating so that was pretty special And what about you? What was your favorite? You know, we didn't see a lot of Events in person so except for that track and field and during that track and field event I fell in love with the javelin. Oh my gosh Yeah, I caught that moment on video. I didn't even know what I was recording. I was just like this guy looks good Oh my god, I was videotaping and it was like the Olympic record world record Yeah Olympic record our shot and a Dean the the guy from Pakistan. He was so good his story I didn't even really do my research before but like His village in Pakistan had fun raised so that they could like buy a new javelin for him and But just these smaller countries that have this Olympic glory and then the way they treat the athlete Not just the way they treat the athlete but the pride that they take in the athlete accomplishment and the the national pride that it brings that's what I love the most about the Olympics. It's so cool It's so cool. I think I get chills just like thinking about it and You start Not only do you root for your own country, but then when you hear the backstory of all of these incredible athletes You cheer for them too. Just as hard. It's so inspiring. It's so inspiring. I got bit I came down with the Olympic fever. I was just buzzing. I love the Olympics favorite meme of the Olympics There were a lot of good memes the Turkish shooter hands down. Oh, oh, also also Steve Steve Which one oh he had so many likes The sleeper one That's great, but yeah, the Turkish shooter was great He just like casually rolled out a bed and was like I'm gonna go to the Olympics today and win a medal He was so good. What was what was a highlight for you? Like what was your favorite part about Not only like just being in Paris because Paris itself is just such a magical city And we have so many wonderful memories from our previous trips to Paris, but what was like a real highlight for you? Well getting the gold medal. Yes, okay. Yes, absolutely that getting the gold medal underneath the Eiffel Tower is a Huge highlight so yeah, okay, definitely the biggest highlight. Yeah, that was incredible. Yeah, so like you never could I have ever dreamed of That scenario like ever happening Paris is one of my favorite cities too. And gold is one of my favorite colors. But over seriously to get like an Olympic medal like something that we've worked our entire lives for to have that moment with our with our teammates underneath the Eiffel Tower like that was just a dream come true. But first of all like that that whole day was crazy because the whole team was reunited for the first time in two years. We hadn't seen each other since 2022. So much has happened since then. And so we it was it was like a high school reunion or like a college reunion. You see everybody and like now Maddie Hubble is a mother and has a baby and brought the baby brought Chloe. Everyone and their families. Yeah. That was really cool. Vincent and he had like blonde hair and like he was so dripped out like his fashion style has just absolutely taken off. I feel like he's just like completely just like blossomed into an incredible young artistic man. You know like since obviously moving on from skating and going to college and yeah. It's awesome to see like we bonded really well with these people at the Olympics but more so after the Olympics it stars on ice. We toured around for like I don't know month month and a half and we drove around on tour buses. Sleeper buses that we spent the night on and went from city to city and did these tours with those my favorite tour. These shows that was so fun. The most fun and such a bonding experience. Yeah. And then we kind of all win our separate ways. Some people we've seen but really most of them we haven't seen in two years. Yeah. I think I don't think we'll be reunited again and the foreseeable future that I know I remember there was like one last event that we were all going to and I had this paying hit me and I was like oh I think this might be the last time we're all together and everyone's like oh no it's just the beginning of the day but it was like then for this trip yeah. Yeah for that trip it was like then we all parted ways and we didn't even like really get to say goodbye to each other which maybe it's for the best because yeah it's never really goodbye. It's just so next time. Yeah. Yeah. So we had a really fun day we all like got bust in. We went and did some media like the NBC headquarters did some interviews and this is before we got the medal so like we were all wearing our metal gear and just like we started to see it every day at moment we got a little bit closer to the Eiffel Tower a little bit closer like the interview buildings we could see in the distance and then we went to another building and we were right outside the Eiffel Tower. It's crazy. And we were right underneath it. NBC was set up so well like they had the best real estate. Eiffel Tower was right there outside of the window. It was it was very very it didn't even look real at when you're in some of like the backdrop that especially a Mike Tureco space. Yeah right in front of the Eiffel Tower. It didn't even look real. It looked like it was a green screen backdrop like it was too perfect. It was crazy and then when we had the actual ceremony like they dropped us off we went inside. Our parents were already there waiting for us and it was this like kind of waiting area backstage that had some champagne and some like little or derives and it was so fancy and so nice. It was so nice. I'm glad they got to experience that. It was so nice having our families there. That's one thing that in Beijing we wouldn't have even had the opportunity to share that moment with them. So honestly waiting made it all that much more meaningful and sweeter that they could be there to share that moment with us. It was really really special. So we got some nice photos with them before and then they took us down like down a flight to stairs and they prepped us and they showed us like the diagram of where we're supposed to stand and the order that it's all gonna we're all gonna stand in and just the. We got to see the medals all laid out on the trays. Yes it was like we were united with Team Japan who was also there. There was so much ceremony to it that I almost got a little bit nervous because it was like I don't you know I don't have to perform or anything but I have to just not embarrass myself. You don't want to be like yeah like falling on your face. We're like you know in front of your face the wrong way. Or face the wrong way or whatever but it was so fun like Champions Park was where we had the ceremony and like you said that Eiffel Tower is just right there as soon as you walk out there were thousands of fans there. I honestly wasn't expecting for it to be so packed like it was a completely packed. I was like oh figure skaters at the Summer Olympics. Probably no one's gonna be that interested. All these cool summer sports are happening and then we walk out and it's just like a full crowd of people and then they started chanting USA and it was so powerful and so moving. Yeah that I got to do I got teary-eyed. I was emotional. I started crying. I was crying too. I didn't think I was gonna cry. Well I didn't know if I was gonna cry. I was just so happy I didn't know whether I would cry just because I was just like so happy. Yeah but I get they were happy tears. It was like the most sort of like when you life feels like a movie because I've like imagined the moment so many times and I've seen other athletes have that podium moment so many times. It felt like when it was happening to us or me it was like it felt like what it always dreamed it would feel like. It was like comprehend that it was real almost like. I think that it was so it was so hard about leaving Beijing. It was like when we were in Beijing and then we had learn that we wanted the metal. I was so looking forward to that moment because I had dreamed and dreamed about what it would feel like and and then I mean waiting two years I was fine. It was completely worth the wait but then to finally feel that like dream come true of that moment and that feeling was crazy. I know and maybe it was kind of like compounded by the two-year way that it was even more overwhelming because it just didn't feel real even though we had been Olympic medalists but not having the medal like there was some kind of separation between like reality and what like it was on paper. It just felt like a good like there was closure to those Olympics. I always felt like the door was kind of open. There was some unfinished business and like of course we take it year by year and we focus on our task at hand and our goals for the season but now I really feel like there's closure over that last chapter and I can just fully move forward without any lingering from the past or any unfinished business and it just feels really good to have that kind of cap to such a like a memorable moment of our lives. I just yeah. I'm really kind of for the closure of it all I suppose. Yeah I'm so grateful for the experience. It wasn't even expected right like we didn't even know. Yeah we were going until like five days before we left and then all of a sudden we had this magical experience and the spontaneity of it all. Got the medal and we were we had such a good time and we were so overjoyed and. And now I'm just so excited because we've got a whole mother Paralympics to watch. Yes. It's like reliving the like pride for the country. Pride for these athletes and learning their stories and seeing like what they go through to get to this stage and get to this moment and I'm just so looking forward to watching the Paralympics and seeing these athletes have their moment because it is so special and I just want to hear all of their stories. I want to cry with them. I want to laugh with them. I just oh I'm here for it. We've had the privilege of getting to know a couple of the Paralympians through our time at Colorado Springs like Alyssa Ceeley who'll be running this. Yes. Let's call us. We'll be cheering for you. And Oxana Masters. We don't know. We don't know Oxana Masters. I would love to walk. No but we know of her and her incredible story and she's just a phenomenal athlete. A winter and a summer Paralympic champion. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. And so inspirational. I've watched a lot of her podcasts and like borrow her tips and tricks and for her mindset when she races and like how she trains and pushes herself like past the limit and that whole thing with the pain cave. My room is telling you about that. How long can you hang in the pain cave? It's like so badass. I'm gonna pretend I'm in the pain cave when I'm out there figure skating. Sometimes it does feel like the pain cave. It does. When you're gunned out. Lying to gas it does not discriminate by sport. No but the Paralympics were so excited to watch and we had such a good time in Paris getting to hear Brad Snyder speak to the T. M. S. A. House Brad Snyder is a Paralympic champion. He is a veteran who was injured in Afghanistan and whose story is so inspirational. And he had such a great quote in Paris that I really that resonated a lot. He said the Olympics shows what the physical body can do and the Paralympics shows what the spirit can do. Oh incredible. I'm kind of paraphrasing. I mean I'm paraphrasing. But that's the just of it. He's a body that essence. Yeah. Talk about like that quote. People who've overcome so much adversity and have gotten to the highest level of sport and it just brings so much inspiration. So not even just the highest level of sport but their highest level of self because you have to really push your body and mind to be the best in both both facets and put those together at the right moment to just perform your best and it's it's impressive. I love it. I love it. So we were talking also about our kit that we got because we were very fortunate to be given some of the Paris kit which is awesome. So exciting. And then we were like admiring how well thought out the always is for adaptive athletes too like they have all. all of the really funnetic zippers, the magnetic buckles that just are so easy to close. I'm like, wait, I want these in my everyday life because I fumble with a zipper and sometimes I'm like, ah, I'm frustrated. Where's my magnetic zipper? - And a lot of inspirational quotes and things will be written on the inside of a panel or whatever. And then it'll also be written in Braille. - Yeah, did you see the Olympic medals for the Paralympics? I mean, for the Paralympic, did you see the Paralympic medals? - I saw it on your story, so that you posted it. - I posted it and it, there's so cool. It's so genius how well thought out it was to have the Braille on the back of the medal as an ode to the man who invented Braille, who is from France. - Oh man, the French are just like knocking it out of the park with the subtle, like, reminders of how good French people are. - They understood all the assignment. - They understood all the assignments and have nailed them. - A plus plus. - Yeah, absolutely. So what Paralympic sport are you most looking forward to watching? - Ooh, that's a good question. I mean, obviously the triathlon, 'cause I'm gonna be cheering on Alyssa. But then also, I really am excited to just see that. Wheelchair Rugby. - Murder ball? - Murder ball, is that what it's called? - That's what it's nickname, yeah. - No, my God, that's aptly named. - We saw a murder ball, a wheelchair rugby scrimmage in Colorado Springs, where we went much. And we sat in the front row and it's played on a basketball court. - These guys are just demolishing each other. - It was absolutely wild. I could not believe the vigor with which they go after one another. - And they're breaking a record because there's a first ever female rugby player on the rugby team. - History being made. - Love that. - I absolutely love that. - I really like wheelchair basketball, obviously a big basketball fan, but just seeing a positioning and just like, I watched a little bit of the highlights today from USA's first game and also very excited to watch track and field, been following Hunter Woodall. - Hunter Woodall, I'm definitely gonna be watching him. - Big fan of all those guys, Nick Mayhew. - I just, you know, track and field is like, really like, gone under my skin when we went. I mean, I'm always like track and field. - I didn't realize. - It was a really was a game changer. - I didn't realize going to the actual track and field event, how many events are happening at once. It was so stimulating, almost overstimulating. Everywhere I looked, something was happening and I didn't want to miss a second of it, but your eyes are just starting back and forth. There's someone throwing the javelin, there's someone doing the long jump, there's hurdles happening, then they're taking away the hurdles and resetting for sprints. And then there are like disc, not discous, what was the other one? - No, discous. - No, it's discous. - We saw the first day of the Hepatlan. So those women are doing like four events. - Yeah, just mindbubble. - All we have to do is one event. - They didn't do it in like three events. - But dang, that's so impressive. - It was great. Also, I felt like I was at the Quidditch World Cup, just because it was so patriotic and everybody had their flag and their colors and it was just like jovial celebration where everybody was having the time of their lives and people were like camped out outside of this big stod de fronze. - The stadium too looked like a critical World Cup. - Yeah, it was. - How high it was and how the enclosure went. - It was great. - Or big Quidditch World Cup vibes, really enjoyed it. - We're Harry Potter fans in case you didn't know that you're already. - Okay, so I mean, obviously at some point we had to come back from Paris again, get back to reality. - Back to reality. - It's like we have these wonderful, fabulous trips and then we come back and we love Montreal and we love figure skating. But when you get back to the rank on Monday and you like have three and a half hours on the ice and it's like, you're extremely tired. - You're just right back in it. - My legs are like shaking and I'm pouring sweat and I'm like, - But we had a camp to get ready for. We had three days before we went to Boston for our annual Champs Camp. - That's right. - Boston is where the world championships are going to be this coming March 2025. - Yeah, that's weird to say. - That's weird to say. I almost said 2024 but I was like, "Nope, don't do it, that's this year. We're already in it." - Almost done with it. - Almost done with it. But yeah, it was so great to be in Boston. Boston's such a cool city, so fun. Every time we go there, I wish we had more time to explore and walk around. But we actually went to debut our new programs and do our normal Champs Camp things. We did some media. But we were mainly there to show our programs and get some feedback. - It's like the preseason. - It's preseason feedback. - It came from Team USA athletes who are assigned to Grand Prix in the fall. - Yes. - We also did a show that was new this year. - The Summer Sizzler. Everybody, not everybody, but a lot of the skaters were invited to participate and had a performance towards the end of camp. And it was great. It was packed. It was so exciting to perform. And we get to have that a different side of camp. - Yeah. And then, you know, raised money for the athletes, ultimately, which was just a great initiative and I really appreciated that. - Great idea. - What would you say like has to feed that? - I had a lot of fun. - So we have two new programs that we've been working on. And this was sort of like, we show them to a lot of judges and officials and it's sort of the first impression so it can be a little nerve-racking. 'Cause at this point, we've already committed to the ideas, the concepts. - The choreography we've been working on them for like four or five months and there have been champs camps in the past. - There have been. - Showed our new program and they have been. - Less than enthused. - I was gonna say they've told us to change it, but that's not true. They never have told us to change it. - They don't ever say change a program. They just kind of allude to the fact that maybe there's another vehicle out there that could be better for you and you just need to find it. - So it is a possibility that you could show up to champs camp and leave with a different program. - Oh no program. - Leave with no program. Show up with a program and leave with none. - But we joke, but it's all for the benefit of the athlete. - Oh yeah, anytime that's happened, it's been the right. - Oh absolutely, it's been the right call. And I think I'm just grateful that call wasn't needed to be made this season. - Thank goodness. - Thank goodness. No, but I'm actually really excited to debut our new programs. - We got some good feedback at camp. We've been working hard on them. - Excited at the direction that our programs are going in right now and yeah, lots to look forward to as the season begins this fall. - What's on your schedule? Oh, did you want to talk about your fashion show moment that you just casually had last week? - I suppose so. Well yes, so Matthew Karon, who makes our costumes invited me to partake in this fashion show where he went to college at LaSalle College of Montreal, which is a very famous fashion school. And so I was one of I think 65 celebrity guests, so whoo, invited to do the show because it was their 65th anniversary. So they invited 65 designers to showcase one of their designs. - And Matthew picked you? - Matthew picked me. I'm so honored. - We guys were like twin flames, both born on July 2nd. - Yes, we are. I wore the yellow dress that he designed and made for me last season. - The queen. - The queen program. - Yes. - So that was very excited. I will say it felt very strange at first to put my skating costume on and not wear my skates. - And not, yeah. - You worked that runway. - Oh, thanks babe. It was fun. I was bit nervous because I was like, oh, I don't usually like walk. - You look so happy. - I was happy. - I was happy. - It was fun. - It was fun. - It was a really fun environment. Like Matthew and I just had so much fun together. - And you love fashion. - It came. - And makeup. I love fashion. I love seeing what everyone else was wearing. There were some really incredible creations there. And a lot of just really cool Montreal celebrities that I had never seen or met. The mayor of Montreal was there. - She's a Valerie plant. - She walked in the fashion show. - Yeah. - She looked stunning. I told her she looked stunning and she was so nice. - Oh. - So big and a mayor. - It's nice. Like, does that your first time walking in a show? - Yeah. - My first time ever walking in a fashion show. - Hopefully not the last. - Hopefully not the last because I had such a good time. That was so fun. - Oh, I'm so proud of you. - Thanks, babe. - And thank you Matthew for making that happen. That was cool. - It was very, very fun. - So looking ahead. What's on the schedule? - Oh wow. We've got some competitions coming up. - The season is right around the corner. Funny how that happens. - You know, the summer just goes by and such a blur, such a blip. Well, not a blur because I remember all of these highlights are vividly. - Well, doing these recaps is kind of helpful. - I love a summer recap. I wish we could do more summer recaps, but unfortunately there's only one summer a year. - So we've got Ski to America and mid-October. And then we've got NHK Trophy in Tokyo. - Oh yeah. - That's in November. And then if all goes according to plan, Grand Prix final in December. - Heck yeah. - And then we have some shows around the holidays. We're gonna be in Vale, Colorado. - Yeah, we're doing a Christmas show. - On December 23rd and 24th. No, but I'm really excited for that. We haven't done that kind of a lot. Christmas holiday show. - I love that. Is it weird that I'm already getting excited for the holidays? - No, it's not weird at all. I mean-- - I love the holidays, though. - Holiday of the Sinato. - I mean, I don't think I'm quite ready for it to be cold yet. There's like a slight chill in the air some mornings. - Yes, but I do love the holidays and I love just like the co-siness, the smells of cookies and turkeys and warm baked goods. - Your mom has a mean Christmas village collection, too. - Oh, my mom is like the queen of Christmas. She loves Christmas. I remember her was a kid. I remember her telling me one time that she wish she had like a storage room for all her Christmas things and she could just roll her tree fully decorated in and out. I'm like, that would be such a good idea because it is such a pain, honestly. I don't know how she does it. She's like-- - She laborers. - She laborers and it is a labor of love because she just does it so well. - But she enjoys it. - So charming, she does, but I'm sure she would love some help with it. - Well, this year we're gonna be going home for Christmas, so she'll be very happy. - Yes, well, help her. But by that time she'll probably have already put it up and in his patient or arrival. - So I feel like that's a great recap. We did the wedding, we did Japan, we did Paris, we did Boston. - And we even started talking about Christmas while we were late. - We just went through the whole season. - The whole year. - This has been an episode of Unlaced with Chalkin Bates. Please subscribe for a future episode. You can follow us on social media at Chalk Bates. - Talk to you soon. - Bye. (upbeat music). (upbeat music)