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APPEAL TRIBUNE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Life in the
Valley y
sanews@salem.gannett.com
PHOTOS BY DANNY KIM/SPECIAL TO THE SILVERTON APPEAL
Joanna Champion and Tristan Cooper take to the floor during their wedding reception.
After many moons,
a marriage meant to be
ANNETTE UTZ
FOR THE STAYTON MAIL
It wasn’t a whirlwind or Harlequin
romance by any means. Neither was it
old-fashioned wooing or a Disney fairy
tale. But when Tristan Cooper of Silver-
ton and Joanna Champion of Rochester,
N.Y., finally met in person after years
of chatting online, they both sensed
their cross-country courtship would
have a storybook ending.
It began in 2000 when Cooper and
Champion, both 14, were introduced by
Cooper’s online gaming buddy. During
the next nine years, their friendly ban-
ter became daily musings.
“It sort of became like a habit,”
Cooper said. “We’d come home and talk
about our day, what we did, joke a bit,
but it was more than that and it con-
tinued to grow. There was a kind of
magnetism and attraction there.”
Chapter two opened in 2009 when
they decided it only made sense to
have a face-to-face and met in Seattle,
it being neutral ground.
“I was anxious that it would change
what we had, if our relationship would
be different,” Cooper said. “Part of me
worried that it would be the end of our
story. But once we met, it was clear it
would work out.”
Champion experienced the same
butterflies.
“I was very, very nervous,” she
admitted. “I didn’t know what to ex-
pect, whether it would be the same
between us, if it would be as easy or
would it be awkward. Luckily, we got
along as well as ever and it was very
comfortable.”
It was only at that point that their
parents were told of the burgeoning
romance.
“Until then, we didn’t really know
how to describe what was happening –
were we pen pals, friends or what? --
but after so long, once we met and
started ‘dating’ we realized we had to
explain what was going on,” Champion
said.
“My folks were very surprised but
happy because I seemed so happy.”
For Tristan’s parents, Chris and
Karen Cooper, the news also came out
of the blue, but Chris may have had a
hint years before.
“I busted Tristan one day when he
was playing hooky from school and on
the computer,” he said. “I assumed he
was playing computer games and left it
at that. He was actually chatting with
Joanna -- but I had no idea. My own
Tristan Cooper, Silverton, and Joanna Champion, Rochester, exchange vows during their wedding in January.
observation is that they’re such a great
match. Joanna is very calm, very in-
clusive of everyone and the two are
kind of soulmates.”
Karen added: “We were always a
little bit suspicious, as Tristan is pri-
vate and he would always mention his
gaming friends going to conventions
like Comicon and other similar geeky
events. We just assumed it was a bunch
of guys. So when we finally knew they
were an item, it was more of an ‘oooh,
yeah.’
“We were of course very pleased
that Tristan met someone who was so
good for him and that his devotion was
obvious. Joanna’s sweet and unassum-
ing nature was an instant hit. It didn’t
hurt that she was a catalyst for his own
coming-of-age and professional focus.”
The couple had a trial run for a
more permanent relationship when
Champion moved to Portland for the
summer following the completion of
her MA in Visual Culture from NYU.
Several ensuing visits only led to more
difficult departures and that cemented
Tristan’s decision to pull up roots after
he finished his English degree at Port-
land State and join Champion in Man-
hattan in 2013.
The couple married Jan. 21, 2017, at
New York City’s Thalassa Restaurant,
an elegant site known for hosting fam-
ily-style weddings. It was a multi-cul-
tural affair, incorporating elements of
Tristan’s Scottish heritage such as the
Cooper tartan and Champion’s Jewish
traditions with yarmulkes, dancing the
hora (a circular dance that involves
hoisting the bride and groom on chairs
above the crowd) and stomping on a
glass to break down barriers and bring
good luck.
“Actually, it was a light bulb
wrapped in cloth,” Tristan laughed.
The couple is currently living in
Manhattan where Champion is the
manager of primary research for the
USA/Syfy networks and Tristan is a
comedy writer for College Humor’s
sister site Dorkly, a position held over
from his work in Portland.
“We always think about how improb-
able it was that we met,” Tristan said.
“I shutter to think about what would
have happened if any of elements that
led to us being together hadn’t hap-
pened. I count myself fortunate to be
where I am right now and so grateful
that we were able to end up together.”
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