Not many people may be familiar with a French figure skater named Surya Bonaly. Bonaly is one of the most decorated individuals in women’s figure skating. She won medals in nearly every competition she entered.
Bonaly did not start out as many young figure skaters do. For example, instead of learning to ice skate at a young age, Bonaly got her start in gymnastics. From the beginning, she showed promise as she began winning competitions for her tumbling routines. Her excellence and competitiveness paid off when, at the age of twelve, she won the World Championship in tumbling. From there, Bonaly turned her energies to ice-skating. Even at that young age, she was getting a late start in a sport that many skaters begin as early as age four. However, her strong gymnastics background helped fuel Bonaly's quick and early successes in competitive figure skating.
Bonaly soon earned praise for her powerful and athletic performances. Her fierce determination to win was noted. Bonaly was a strong skater, performing extremely difficult moves and landing them consistently. However, she soon found herself battling against strongly held stereotypes of what a women’s figure skater was supposed to be. This included ideas of a cool and aloof “ice princess” or as “cute as a button”—a perky ballerina on ice skates.
To set herself apart, Bonaly chose to wear bold and bright costumes instead of the pastel colors favored by other female skaters. It was also suggested by some that because she was black and did not fit the typical women’s ice skater model, Bonaly was judged more harshly than the other competitors.
Bonaly felt she had to do more than any other competitor to be accepted and, perhaps even more importantly, win. Her growing perceptions of a double standard became even more visible during the 1994 World Championships in Japan. Bonaly earned a silver medal, losing to Japan’s Yuka Sato. A visibly upset Bonaly claimed that her routine was far more difficult than Sato’s. She not only refused to stand on the second place winner’s spot at the podium but also removed her silver medal from around her neck. Some say that she behaved poorly. To that, Bonaly responded, “When you do sport, the rule is that you're supposed to play fair, to be a good athlete and good sport, I get it,"…"But I think at this point it was more an act of saying, 'OK, this is too much.' It happened many years in a row."
Bonaly is probably most famous for a bold and daring stunt she performed during the 1998 Olympic Games held in Nagano, Japan. By this time, Bonaly was a clearly established skating champion; she had already won numerous honors for her skating, including winning the French Nationals nine times, as well as being a five-time European champion. She was also a three-time world silver medalist.
The Nagano Olympics was Bonaly’s third time at the international winter sports competition. But she entered the games during a period when her skating performances that year were weaker than usual, due to an ongoing heel injury.
The extent of Bonaly’s injury was reflected in her low scores. She realized that she would not earn a medal. So, she decided to do something special in her last routine, the freestyle skate. The “something special”—a backflip—was a feat she was already known for. It had already gotten her into trouble as the jump was banned by Olympic officials because of the danger. But, knowing that this would be her last Olympics, Bonaly decided to please the crowd and not the judges.
In the middle of her routine, Bonaly abandoned her planned triple Lutz—a jump combined with three spins—and instead threw her arms overhead to do the back flip, landing successfully on one skate. Bonaly landed her flip cleanly and finished her program with no mistakes. The crowd went wild with applause and cheers.
Although her feat did not win her a medal, it was a move that, given its risk and difficulty, made people remember her. Twenty years later, people who saw this famous jump still talk about it. Bonaly remains the only female skater in history to do this jump successfully in competition. Although still illegal to perform in Olympic competition, the flip has now been named “The Bonaly.”
Bonaly will also be remembered for being a strong and outspoken woman of color in a sport that traditionally has few minorities. Her willingness to challenge traditional expectations for young female figure skaters has shown others that there are many different paths to success.
What is the author's purpose in "A Performance to Remember"?
to explain how Bonaly stands out from other figure skaters and why it matters
to entertain readers with a story about Bonaly's illegal skating trick
to help readers understand Bonaly's decision to become a figure skater
to prove that Bonaly is braver and more determined compared to other skaters
