I think Dave does have an inside in the sport based on all the gossip he knew. Sometimes on TSL, he would enjoy giving the audience bits and pieces of information but always gloating that he knew more than the audience did. Like "naa nana naaanaaa, I know something you don't." I always found that annoying
Yes, but it's also true that Lease lacks responsibility and a genuine moral compass. He revels in gossip and drama. At the same time, there are people in the sport who have tried to look past his character flaws because they see the postive aspects of his knowledge and passion for the sport. And there are also people in the skating community who have used Lease as a convenient tool to feed him information with good and/ or bad intent. Lease has always been a wannabe skating insider. He largely achieved insider access when he befriended Jenny Kirk and they created TSL. It's difficult to figure out what could have possessed Lease to make such awful comments during that recent Patreon episode. He just seems to have a negative, insufferable bent to his personality.
I apologize in advance if my following observations offend anyone. I am definitely not a trained psychologist. But I have been wondering whether Lease may have gotten too caught up in researching info for the initial tributes he did for the lost skaters, and then somehow got their stories mixed up with skaters, parents, and coaches he may have encountered over the years at rinks where he trained as an adult skater. I get the feeling that on some deep level Lease wishes he could have started learning to skate as a young child himself. He may have imagined or dreamed about what it might have been like to be part of a promising skater training camp, and eventually progress to the highest competitive levels and become a member of Team USA. On some unconscious level, was Lease jealous of these young skaters and getting his thoughts all mixed up in his head with the experiences of other young skaters he's tangentially witnessed? No matter what, there's no excusing what Lease said. He has uttered awful things for years as a sly snarky gossip with opinionated takes, that too often have been needlessly harsh and hurtful.
Many fans may dream of what it might be like to skate and to fly free beautifully over the ice. All skaters have dreams, too, and surely it is in large part the sensation of flight which inspires and motivates. The dreaming and the hard work of doing is what learning to skate is all about. Most of all, it is the joys and rewards of the journey itself that truly matter. Medals and elusive Olympic opportunities are only fleeting icing on a cake for those fortunate to partake. Meanwhile, it is the experiences, connections and friendships made on the journey that last forever. Kudos to all the dreamers, to young skaters starting out, to adult skaters, to eligible skaters who try hard and make it big, and to those who don't make it big but are blessed by taking part in the sport and achieving some hard fought goals.
All those skaters, coaches, and parents who died too soon epitomize the skating dream and the skating journey. May their memory always abide with their loved ones and remain within the positive, uplifting heart of the skating community.
