wickedwitch
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Partnered with Kharis Ralph and later Nicole Orford; one of the teams that retired when it was announced that V/M were coming back.I only vaguely remember Asher Hill. I think he was an ice dancer?
He implied that the reprimand was in reaction to this article (and was presumably private).I'm confused. Could someone please explain the reprimand?
I can't think of a single black figure skater who has not experienced racism...starting with Mabel Fairbanks (coached in secret by Maribel Vincent Owen), who was not allowed to participate in competitions against white skaters.
Mabel Fairbanks also talked about being treated as "an exotic circus attraction."Bonaly had a lot to pick on regarding her skating, but so much of the noise about her was coded racist language. It also didn’t help that Didier was exploiting her image to perpetuate a white person’s gaze on her.
I don't think it is racist to complain about Bonaly's edge quality or how she muscled through her jumps since those are valid technical complaints. But all that talk about how "exotic" she was used to drive me crazy.Surya Bonaly was practically chased out of the sport (by judges, officials, coaches, a hostile media...) due to the color of her skin (though the attacks on her were coded as "edges" or "her coach" or "wrong outfits," the real reason was obvious).
I don't think it is racist to complain about Bonaly's edge quality or how she muscled through her jumps since those are valid technical complaints. But all that talk about how "exotic" she was used to drive me crazy.
SC is definitely in PR clean up mode.
No, you do not recall correctly.And her mother helped perpetuate that image by claiming Surya was adopted in Africa, when in fact she was adopted in France. That is, IIRC.
Journalists, mainly American, began in the late 1980s to claim that Surya Bonaly was born on the Réunion island and was found lying on a coconut-strewn beach. The skater's passport, however, indicates that she was born in Nice. The story spreads as she prepares her first European championships in 1989. Surya Bonaly believes that the media couldn't accept that a young black and adopted woman could have been born in France. For Didier Gailhaguet, first coach of her competitive career, the media attention given to the skater allows her to achieve better results in international competitions. He later admitted fabricating the story in order to draw attention to his skater, adding that he only mentioned the Reunion island because he dreamed of going there on vacation. When Surya approached the age of 18 and began researching her birth history, she discovered that her biological mother is indeed from the island and her biological father from the Ivory Coast.
Maybe my expectations of the ISU are so low that I can't say I am. International sports organizations, and for that matter that national organizations, are so feckless when it comes to these issues. Look at what's happened with the USAG, with the USFS, and with the IOC, and there inability to address abuses within their own organizations.Very disappointed in the ISU. Very disappointed. You would think they would release a statement in support of Black Lives Matter. Why are they silent even after being called out by fans on social media? Their silence is complicit to racism. I applaud Asher in speaking out against SC and SC can shove it with their fake apologies now.
Disheartening all around. It’s definitely dimmed my love for this sport I’m sorry to say.Maybe my expectations of the ISU are so low that I can't say I am. International sports organizations, and for that matter that national organizations, are so feckless when it comes to these issues. Look at what's happened with the USAG, with the USFS, and with the IOC, and there inability to address abuses within their own organizations.
Very disappointed in the ISU. Very disappointed. You would think they would release a statement in support of Black Lives Matter. Why are they silent even after being called out by fans on social media? Their silence is complicit to racism. I applaud Asher in speaking out against SC and SC can shove it with their fake apologies now.