I jumped out of my seat

I wanted a better vantage point to watch my niece and her ice-dancing partner, Paul Poirier, perform the skate of their professional lives - to qualify for the Olympics.

From what felt like my rooftop perch, I spotted a section of empty seats next to the judges at rink level. I decided to warm up a seat that wasn't being used - and timed my musical chairs with the warm-up for the second rotation of skaters.

Once I arrived at the target section, I then would have to deal with the 'gate-keepers'. But this turned out to be a non-issue because of the rush of people going out and into this section during the break; plus the fact that the gates were open and there was no ticket-taker. I was in.

I justified all of this with "it's not every four years that a family member gets a chance to qualify for the Olympics". This was a crucial competition for Vanessa and Paul because they were competing against one other couple to join Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir - the Canadian ice-dancing champions.

Everything was wow items riding on this competition in London, Ontario.

Next to 'my area' was the media section. I eagerly went for the second row of seats right next to the boards and just to the right of the media photographers - I couldn't believe my luck.

This was going to be great wow gold - I'd practically be able to see my niece's choice of eyeshadow colour, I was so close.

Vanessa and Paul started their dance routine. I was texting my other sister, Margaret, who had the same brilliant idea of scoring some really good seats with her daughter, Shannon, on the other side of the boards right next to the 'Kiss and Cry' section.

At this moment of their dance, as I'm sure everyone in my family was feeling, I didn't really breathe for the entire few minutes of their routine and my stomach was in knots. I thought I was going to be sick.

Vanessa and Paul began well and I was buy wow weapons encouraging them in my head with each edge they took, practically having memorized their routine after seeing them perform it many times before.

But the very technical twizzle element was coming up in a few seconds. These are performed by both dancers simultaneously. I could only imagine what my sister Nina was feeling for her daughter.

One of the saving graces for Vanessa and Paul was the draw: their names were chosen to skate before the competitors Kaitlin Weaver and Andrew Poje. How did she get back into twizzling in unison with him so quickly? That's called professional training. Wow!!

The question now was how would Vanessa and buy wow weapons Paul perform for the duration of their routine? This was the moment where we'd witness whether their professional sports psychology training would help them.

A very difficult move was coming up - it's the one in the photo that accompanies my first blog. When Vanessa took her pose by stepping up onto Paul's knee - yes, stepping with her blade on his hopefully protected thigh ! - she seemed to gesture in triumph when she opened up her arms and tilted her head back. It was absolutely beautiful. I saw that she splayed her arms open with an emphatic gesture almost saying: 'here we are, and we're going to ace the rest of our routine and we are going to the Olympics.'

Within what seemed like a few seconds, they had finished their routine and they were taking their bows. I jumped out of my seat, tears in my eyes, and my heart so full of pride for Vanessa and Paul and for Nina and my mom and Paul's family.

No sooner was I in the middle of my ecstatic jubilation, my clapping and jumping up wow gold and down, when I felt a tapping on my left shoulder. I was not sitting in the media section, but to the right of it. So technically I was not in his way. Needless to say he had a long zoom lens that could easily have maneouvered around my head.

I blasted back at him: "That's my niece out there!" My eyes surely said to him: "Lay off ! Don't steal this moment from me. If you're such a good photographer, you'll be able to get the shot no matter what! Ha-ha!"

I turned my attention back to what really mattered and continued to savour the moment of celebration.

It was Weaver and Poje's turn next. How would they perform? As it turned out, Poje also took a stumble in the routine and fell out of step with Weaver. How would the judges mark them?

Despite their fall and yet because of their graceful and emotional dance and technical abilities, Vanessa and Paul came in second place. They made the Olympic team!

Family, Friends, Fans This is where you come to get the straight goods on our Olympic athletes from the people who know them best, their friends, their fans and their family. It's a celebration of what has made these athletes so good in the words of their greatest supporters. They'll drop us a note when they have a moment. So keep coming back to discover what it's like to be right beside some of the greatest athletes in the world as they perform on the biggest athletic stage.
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