If the dancers had difficulty wrapping their heads around competing in isolation, their bodies knew what to do.
"On ice, it really felt like it was a competition," Gilles said. "The nerves came back, the random leg fatigue, the ankle cramps, all that stuff that you experience before you compete, it was no different than doing it in an arena in front of people.
"Your body and your brain knows the pressures of the situation."
COVID-19 has wiped out every event for Canada's figure skating team since last March, including the world championships last spring in Montreal and Skate Canada International in October.