Page 99 of Off the Edge

Group one is now being introduced to the arena.

And there, skating onto the ice in Canada’s red and white, are Zoe Phillipps and Camden Navarro.

Listen to that reception. Huge applause from the spectators.

There’s been considerable controversy surrounding Mr. Navarro during these Games. Questions were raised about his conduct, his place on the Canadian team, and as recently as yesterday, whether he’d be permitted to compete in today’s free dance at all.

We understand those concerns have now been addressed and that Navarro has been cleared to skate without restriction. The fan reaction in the arena makes it clear the majority here are pleased to see him back on the ice.

We see him there with Phillipps. And they remain very much in contention for Olympic gold.

The Canadians produced one of the greatest surprises of the rhythm dance. Their performance changed the shape of the entire competition. Before that performance, Phillipps and Navarro were considered exciting outsiders, perhaps with an opportunity to challenge the more established partnerships if everything went their way. After their performance and their score, they became genuine contenders for the title.

Phillipps delivered exactly the technical assurance expected of her. She’s a traditionally trained ice dancer, reliable under pressure, and exceptionally clean through transitions.

Navarro surprised almost everyone. Not because we doubted his ability to perform. His charisma and musicality have never been in question. The surprise was the technical authority with which he skated.

It was not the performance of a talented showman being held together by a more disciplined partner. It was the performance of a world-class ice dancer.

And today brings them into the free dance, where many believe this partnership is the strongest.

The free dance allows Phillipps and Navarro freedom to build their story through movement. It rewards their speed, their connection as partners, and Navarro’s extraordinary ability to draw an audience onto the ice with him.

Anticipation is extremely high here, ladies and gentlemen at home.

While they warm up on the ice, we should remember what it’s taken Camden Navarro to stand on the ice today. Eighteen months ago, his career appeared to be over. At the Meridian Cup, Navarro competed through a serious hip injury and collapsed after the gender open event. His injury prevented him and his partner at the time, Ren Hasegawa, from participating in the Meridian final.

For months afterward, Mr. Navarro could not skate.

There were questions about whether he would ever compete internationally again. There were also questions about whether an athlete with his history, his unconventional route to the sport and his reputation for taking risks, could withstand the discipline required for Olympic competition.

Navarro answered some of those questions during the rhythm dance.

Today, he has the opportunity to answer the rest.

And we think we should also recognize the tenacity required to reach this point.

It is easy, when an athlete steps onto the Olympic ice, to see only the costume, the confidence, and the final polished program. We do not see the months spent in rehabilitation rooms. We do not see the mornings when pain makes getting out of bed feel impossible. We do not see the thousands of failed repetitions, the fear of reinjury, or the private knowledge that the body which once betrayed you might do so again at the worse possible moment.

Navarro has lived with all of that. He has also lived through intense scrutiny and, we understand, some very challenging personal grief during the last few days.

And still, here he is, on the ice.

He appears quieter than he did before the rhythm dance.

The smile is there briefly, as Phillipps says something to him, but there’s an intensity about Navarro today that we haven’t seen before.

He’s usually a very open performer. Even before the music begins, he gives something to the crowd. Not today. Today, his focus is entirely on the ice.

Phillipps reaches for his hand. He takes it.

They pose, waiting for the music to begin. They’re dancing to “Sign of the Times,” by Harry Styles.

The arena falls quiet.

This is the first Olympic free dance for both of these athletes.

For Zoe Phillipps, it’s the culmination of a life spent inside the Canadian skating system.