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Battle of the Border: Tear and Cairhien’s Heated Rivalry
Jumara 978 NE
CHACHIN, Kandor—one of the most anticipated match-ups in this year’s Winter Olympics approaches.
At the 974 Caemlyn games, Cairhienin ice dancers al’Lan Mandragoran and Moiraine Damodred scored a personal best of 203.07 total after an intense performance to ‘Rosepetal Floats On Water’ and ‘Colours of the Sun’, eking Olympic bronze out from under Tear’s Alric Tomanes and Siuan Sanche by less than one point.
In the four years since, the couples have battled fiercely over World Championships titles, with Tomanes/Sanche coming into this year’s Games as the reigning world champions in addition to beating Mandragoran/Damodred in the most recent Grand Prix Final.
Mandragoran/Damodred first became famous for their flawless synchronisation; they move as though they share one mind, seeming even to breathe perfectly in time with one another. Both come from long skating dynasties*, and their programs are detailed and technically complex. However, they have been repeatedly criticised for a lack of passion; Tomanes/Sanche, many compare, have charisma in spades. Their style is more dramatic, favouring extreme speed and deep edges over precise technical elements.
Whereas some athletes (Mandragoran and Tomanes included) are committed to playing friendly in front of the cameras, Damodred and Sanche have taken the rivalry personally. Picture and video footage consistently shows tense handshakes, stormy looks shared across podiums, and heated conversations off-ice.
When asked what she was most looking forward to in Chachin, Sanche said, “Showing Moiraine what real stamina is.” (Damodred’s response, upon having the threat passed on to her, was only to laugh).
Following their recent streak of victories Tomanes/Sanche are widely considered the favourites for this year’s ice dancing Olympic gold. Should they succeed, they will make history as the first Tairens to ever win the title.
*Click here to read about the Trakand-Damodred-Mantear pair skating scandal, or here to read about Flight 593 and the Mandragoran tragedy.
Q&A with Team Cairhien: Get to know the unknowable Moiraine Damodred and al’Lan Mandragoran
by Nieda Sidoro
Moiraine DAMODRED and Lan MANDRAGORAN have been ice dancing partners since 968, and winning medals for almost as long. This year they will be one of three ice dancing teams representing Cairhien at the Winter Olympics. We sat down to ask them some questions.
The two of you have been partners for a long time. What were your first impressions of one another?
MD: Oh, we hated each other.
LM: She put itching powder in my clothes.
MD: He pushed me into a pond.
So how did you go from that to the closeness you’re famous for now?
MD: Time, shared purpose and understanding.
LM: It turned out that we had a lot in common.
You both come from figure skating royalty. Do you feel a lot of pressure to live up to the family legacy?
LM: We work hard. It’s an honour to be here.
MD: I think it is easier coming into these Games, having already achieved bronze at the last ones and knowing what we are capable of.
Do you think about how long you’ll skate competitively for?
MD: As long as we can.
LM: I can’t imagine doing anything else.
If you could compete against any athlete, living or dead, who would you choose?
MD: Siuan [Sanche]. I find all of our encounters immensely satisfying.
LM: I’d have liked an opportunity to compete against Kerene and Stepin [Nagashi and Karil, 962 Olympic gold medallists]. They were my childhood heroes, they always stepped onto the ice like warriors stepping onto a battlefield.
I bet it gets pretty cold, spending all day on the ice. How do you guys get warmed up afterwards?
MD: Cardio.
LM: We take a lot of warm baths.
Last Olympics, there was a lot of hype about the honeycakes being served in the Village. Do you guys have a favourite food you’ve tried while travelling between competitions?
LM: Not really. We’re more the ‘eat to live’ types, our coach [Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan] has us on a strict diet.
MD: I ate very well last time we were in Tear.
Speaking of Tear, Moiraine, you’ve had a pretty heated rivalry running with Siuan Sanche for the last few years.
MD: Have I?
Lan, what are your feelings on that relationship? Some people seem to think it borders on unsportsmanlike conduct.
LM: Rivalry is an integral part of any competitive sport. Siuan and Alric are talented skaters who are clearly very well-matched against us. I have a lot of respect for them and know Moiraine does too. They push us to be better. We’re grateful for that challenge.
Do you have any words for Siuan as we conclude this interview, Moiraine?
MD: I look forward to the next time I top her on the ice.
LM: We wish her and Alric luck.
Thoughts on the recent Mo-Lan Q&A?
I was so surprised, they never do interviews! Link here https://www.easingthebadger.com/sports/q-and-a-with-team-cairhien
grimpounding_044: ‘We take a lot of warm baths’ AS IN TOGETHER??
Rod_Holder: lmao they’re so media-trained in comparison to siuan and alric
on_thin_ice7: There’s no way Lan and Moiraine are together. They have too much chemistry on the ice for that.
— monthlyspitefuladvice: Aren’t they on record referring to each other as soulmates?
— Shard649758: lol what chemistry
anonymous_gay_hater: Moiraine Damodred try not to bring up Siuan Sanche for five seconds challenge (impossible)
AlethLoriel: Okay here’s my conspiracy theory: Lan is in love with Siuan (the way he keeps defending her??) Moiraine is jealous.
— IcePrincess_54: WAIT you’re on to something
— Lansleftbicep: omg love triangle!!
—— BaffledOwl: Alric: am I a joke to you?
— DM_ME_YOUR_MADNESS: Let’s not reduce a serious professional rivalry between two elite female athletes to being about a man please 💀
quaintcheese: She’s so frigid
runningwiththewolves: Don’t mind me, just imagining myself joining them both in one of those warm baths…
Truthspeaker: This rivalry is so obviously fabricated as a way of distracting everyone from Taringail’s actions in Camelyn
— TeamAlahv0n: Right? Or Laman’s Sin, or the allegations against her other uncles…
— AnonymousGrolm: Literally, Moiraine and Siuan were super close friends back when they were competing in Junior Worlds
—— rainbow_trout_780: Source??
——— AnonymousGrolm: DM me
TerryAngryEl: ‘I find all of our encounters immensely satisfying’ Which Could Mean Nothing
— rainbow_trout_780: MORAINE DAMODRED I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE
— livlaughlove: kill urself
Jolly4Jaem: I need everyone to stop freaking out about the warm bath part it’s literally normal for men and women to bathe together platonically in the Borderlands 😭
— isellfeetpics221: … They’re Cairhienen tho?
—— gracefulotterslament: Lan is Malkieri, he moved to skate with Moiraine and got citizenship
abstractedcatfish: I met morayne once she was a bitch
Hillsoftanchicoooo0000: This might just be the most either of them has ever spoken at one time lollll
TEAR’S GOLDEN GIRL ON REACHING FOR GOLD
Tear rarely wins many medals in the Winter Olympics, and none so far in Ice Dancing. Siuan Sanche and Alric Tomanes, coming off an already impressive winning streak, might just be the key to changing this. We sat down with Sanche to discuss their success.
Sanche was introduced to skating at age six, relatively late for such an accomplished skater, through a charity organisation offering free sports programs for children from disadvantaged families. ‘My mum was sick, and my dad wanted to give me a distraction, something that would keep me out of the house during the worst of it,’ says the Olympian, now twenty-four. ‘At first I was unimpressed; I didn’t like the cold, and I thought a lot of the other girls were stuck-up. Then I met Alric.’
Tomanes, then nine, had already been skating for several years by that point, and was ice dancing partners with his younger sister, Mara. ‘His family really took me under their wing,’ Sanche recalls. ‘They would drive me to the rink, and let me have all of Mara’s old skates and skating clothes. The three of us would just muck around in-between our lessons at first—racing each other, that kind of thing—but as I got steadier on my feet, I started trying to copy what they were doing on the ice.’
This quickly revealed an aptitude for the sport. Within a few years, Sanche had replaced Mara as Tomanes’ partner. ‘The free sports program had finished by that point, and my dad worked so bloody hard for me to afford everything. Alric’s family helped where they could, but they weren’t massively wealthy either.’ Sanche’s father works as a fisherman in the Maule; Tomanes’ parents are dentists.
Between training, equipment, costumes, and ice time, the costs of skating add up quickly. Many high-achieving athletes, such as Sanche’s long-time rival Moiraine Damodred, have the advantage of extensive funding from wealthy family members (in Damodred’s case, including a private ice rink at their property in Cairhien), as well as brand sponsorships.
Others, like Sanche, work part-time. ‘Growing up I was a lifeguard at the local pool, and I’d teach lessons at the rink or work the rental skate booth. I’d be up at dawn too, helping my dad on his boat, and of course there would be school and my practices with Alric on top of that…’ she says. ‘I don’t know when I bloody slept!’ Sanche continues coaching younger skaters to this day (Tomanes is a secretary at his parents’ dental practice).
The hard work was worth it, though; Sanche and Tomanes have dominated first place at Nationals for the last six years running, boast Tear’s first ever ice dancing gold in the World Championships, and are on track to collect another gold at the Olympics after ranking fourth in 974. If (‘When!’) they win, Sanche would like to put part of her winnings towards instating a free sports program like the one which taught her to skate (the Tairen government awards a 1000 gold crown bonus to its Olympic gold medalists).
The only potential obstacle standing in their way are Lan Mandragoran and Moiraine Damodred. Mandragoran and Damodred beat Sanche and Tomanes to the podium at the last Olympics, and have won gold at the World Championships twice since. In spite of their differing backgrounds, Sanche and Damodred are often compared to one another. ‘She’s a fucking fantastic skater,’ Sanche says, grinning. ‘It’s very motivating. I can’t wait to see her standing next to me in second place.’
Tear’s other representatives at the Winter Olympics include Darlin Sisnera and Caraline Damodred (Pair Skating), Alteima Mecandes (Women’s Singles), and Estenda Damara (Women’s Singles).