Great Big Book of all the Good Shit

“How am I supposed to learn if you don’t educate me?” once again, Google is at your fingertips, use it for the love of god.

“Well I can’t find any sources on [this topic]” found four within a minute, you just want poc to do the labor for you.

the FIRST figure skating backflip was performed by this guy Terry Kubicka

now Terry landed his flip at the Olympics in ‘76 and in ‘77 the backflip was quickly deemed illegal in this level of figure skating as it was considered dangerous and, some argue more crucially, couldn’t be landed on one foot, as is the required landing for all other figure skating jumps

Fast forward to 1998 at the Olympics once more and French skater Surya Bonaly.

It is widely discussed and disputed as to whether Surya was historically underscored by American judges. She won five straight gold medals in the European championships from ‘90 to ‘95 but couldn’t break past 4th place at two Olympics during this period of time. It was at her 3rd Olympic Games she pulled out her backflip and crucially landed it on one foot.

The one foot landing was seen as the big obstacle in the way of the backflip being legalised. That and its danger level. In the time between Kubicka and Bonaly however many skater had already added two foot landed flips to their performance routines (ie not scored competitions)

Some people see this as the moment the backflip should had been legalised in competitive figure skating. Many skaters had executed it safely and Bonaly proved she could accomplish the one foot landing. Bonaly placed 10th at this Olympics, incurring harsh deductions for the illegal backflip. The backflip was at no point considered in contention for legality despite Bonaly’s accomplishments, (one of which being the first female skater to land a quad jump at the Olympics). Her Olympic backflip was seen as a middle finger to Olympic judges and the stringently unprogressive nature of the sport. There were more moments than this throughout her career such as her initial refusal to mount the second place podium at the ‘94 worlds for reasons unclear. There are rumours of her ‘throwing tantrums’ or being ungrateful, and while this may be true, it’s not an uncommon sight in the world of figure skating, and given how black women are still treated in sports today, especially those that take physical appearance and body lines into account, it is undoubted that Bonaly faced racial bias during her professional career.

Surya Bonaly continued to preform her now signature one footed backflip in performances. And the backflip remained illegal in competition.

Within the conversation about Olympic figure skating backflips, there is one skater who may well be the most overlooked. The one who got the committees to legalise it! And that would be this guy, Adam Siao Him Fa

At the 2024 worlds he told himself if he skated his routine clean he would finish with a backflip, a move he had been practicing with his coaches despite it still being an illegal move. Fa did skate clean, and did preform his backflip, and so incurred the mandatory penalty of a 2 point deduction for the use of an illegal manoeuvre.

In a figure skating full circle moment, one of the judges on the panel for that competition, was Terry Kubicka himself. Almost 50 years on from his backflip he has since commentated on the irony of seeing the move he began in the 70’s and being required to deduct points for it. This two point deduction wouldn’t stop Fa from still claiming the gold medal that year. He preformed an illegal move at the end of a perfect routine and took the gold. Mere months after this at a scheduled review the backflip was removed from the group of illegal moves. It would not be granted any technical points like other jumps but would no longer incur a two point deduction.

Today at the Olympic Games in 2026, Ilia Malinin, thanks to these three (and many more performance skaters) before him has landed the first backflip at the Olympics since it’s legalisation.

So to wrap up.

First backflip (two foot) - Terry Kubicka - move made illegal

First backflip (one foot) - Surya Bonaly - move still illegal

Legalisation turning point - Adam Siao Him Fa - move made legal

First fully legal backflip - Ilia Malinin - flip still does not score points

In the future personally I hope to see the flip be utilised by more and more skaters, be given a score, and personal creativity to be more welcomed into the sport, because really we could have had 50 years of Olympic Backflips at this point.

“Grandma, it’s me, Anastasia!”

>one dies of covid

>the other dies of gun violence

MED STUDENT!ROBBY MASTERLIST

med student!robby begging to stick it in just a little. you're on top, rocking right into the bulge in his shorts as the two of you kiss with spit-soaked lips. he's flushed and shaking and clutching your waist, quiet whines seeping from his throat.

"just the tip, i swear," robby promises, a few pieces of hair falling into his face as he looks at you. he feels dizzy when you grin at him a little, tugging the man closer so your lips graze against his the next time you speak.

"that's what you said last time." your reminder makes his eyes rolls and throw himself backwards against your couch. his masks the little bit of desperation with palming your thighs. "remember? and i said yes, and then we fucked for, like, an hour in avery's bathroom…"

the last time I reblogged this post right before I got a great job, in a permanent work-from-home position, with benefits, retirement, and a salary literally 3x what I was making before, doing something I really like. 

So you know. 

Please support this initiative! For every $10, SIHA Network is able to provide one menstrual hygiene kit for a Sudanese woman or girl. That is a small amount to pay for an incredibly powerful donation.

Donate directly at the link below.

DON’T SKIP, PLEASE I BEG YOU.

Please, I beg you — don’t scroll past this.

My baby boy, Qais, is only two years old, and famine is slowly killing him. His little body is shrinking day by day, his ribs showing through his thin skin, and every moment feels like a race against death. I am pleading with you — donate, share, speak out. Your help could be the reason my child survives.

The famine in Gaza is not a natural disaster; it is man-made, created by unbearable conditions:

1- A suffocating blockade: that prevents food, clean water, and medicine from reaching us.

2- Destroyed farmlands and contaminated water: due to relentless bombings, leaving us with nothing to eat or drink.

3- A collapsed health system, where starving children receive no medical care, making even minor illnesses deadly.

I am a desperate mother begging you - please don’t let Qais become another silent victim. His life is hanging by a thread, and every second matters. Share his story, speak for him, help us get food and medicine. Even the smallest act of kindness could save his life. Please… don’t let my little boy die like this.

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"I don't believe in astrology."