- [Will] How often do you get excited about figure skating?
- [Clara] I like figure skating
so I would say every Winter Olympics,
I get excited about it.
- [Will] So, roughly once every four years?
- Yeah, I wish I hadn't started by being like I like it.
Here's proof, I barely watch it.
- Downhill, you're like, eh, once every 12 years.
- Yeah, take some off.
- Do you think you would get more regularly excited
about figure skating if they did more back flips?
- Absolutely. Absolutely.
In fact, I think the main reason I like figure skating
is remembering being a little kid,
watching it with my parents,
and being like, "when's the back flip coming?"
'Cause there was a guy, right, who could do a back flip.
Scott or something?
- No, but (Clara laughs)
- we'll get to something adjacent
to what you are not remembering, but...
- (laughs) Okay.
- I like now I get to be the bearer of bad news
for something that I got you excited about
because there will never be back flips in figure skating
because it is expressly illegal.
- Why'd you set me up like that?
- Well, I thought it would be fun.
- Yeah, is this fun? - We'll see.
- Are you having fun watching me be sad?
- I'm having a blast and I...
maybe there'll be some really cool animations over this.
- Okay, okay. (laughs)
- So I looked in the International Skating Union's
Rule Book, the ISU,
and it's maybe the most basic rule we've ever done
'cause there's just a part where it just says
"illegal elements/movements are somersault type jumps"
- [Clara] okay, that was gonna be my first question.
What about front flips?
Sorry to interrupt.
(both laughs)
So back flip is considered somersault?
- Yes, so this rule became a rule in 1976
and there is exactly one instance
where someone performed a back flip and it was not illegal.
In 1976, there's this guy, Terry Kubicka,
19 year-old American going to the Games
in Innsbruck, Austria.
He kinda became famous for having the back flip
in his routine.
He had done it at the US Nationals in 1975
and it actually helped him finish second
which I think then helped make it easier for him
to make the Olympic team.
So I'm not saying the back flip is what got him
to the Winter Olympics, but...
- It should have gotten him there.
That's amazing.
Not only are you exposing your head to ice,
- [Will] Sure.
- But here's knives on your feet.
(both laugh)
It's just like you know, danger spiral coming in.
- (laughs) So he's selected to go to the Winter Games
and people ask him like hey, that thing you're famous for,
are you gonna do it there?
And he gives a quote that feels like a gift to weird rules.
"As far as I know, it's legal,
"so I'll be doing it until someone tells me I can't."
- [Clara] I like his style.
- Yeah, there are some cases
where that hubris thing gets people in trouble,
but in our circumstances, he makes it to Austria,
does his routine, does a back flip.
People are talking about it
like this is Terry's thing.
it's Terry back flip. (Clara laughs)
And it's part of a routine that helps get him
from 10th place to 7th.
So he doesn't meddle but there's still...
- They had to admit it was cool as hell.
- You're right vis a vis a numerical score to say
these are your cool points.
- I can't believe he only got 7th.
Did anyone else risk their lives to that extent? (laughs)
- One guy skated with swords.
- [Clara] Okay, okay. Doing a jump with a sword?
- That is still legal.
(Clara laughs)
While when Terry busted it out in Austria,
there was not a rule forbidding it to be done.
The very next day, people were calling it illegal.
- (laughs) Wow. Jealous, jealous.
- Like there there were some people that were like,
yeah that was dope.
The fans really liked it.
And other people were like
no that move is illegal because he landed on two feet.
And if you're ice skating, everything should be landed
on one foot
because there's grace and beauty and dignity.
- Unbelievable. One foot. (Will laughs)
That's an artist like...
What I learned about figure skating
from the Tonya Harding movie
is that there's a lot of pomp that is unnecessary
and doesn't help.
And I think this is just another example of that.
- Oh yeah, the like due to the complaint is literally like
it's an art form.
And like, yes it's beautiful to watch and mesmerizing
but like it's a sport.
- If someone can do a new, cool thing, that's part of it?
- 100% but yeah, like two, three months later,
they updated the rule book
and the ISU said "No more somersault type jumps."
The other funny aspect of it is like
these illegal movements.
You just get two points deducted from you.
So it's not like kick 'em out or anything like that, so...
- Oh yeah, it's just like a pure show off move now.
It will hurt you (laughs)
but people in the crowd are gonna like you more.
- Right, right.
There wasn't a ton of coverage
when this rule went into place to talk about like
here's why the ISU is adopting this stance.
- Right. Right.
- The most agreed upon argument for the rule is
you're often gonna land on two feet.
It will look a little janky.
- It looks cool in gymnastics and they love art.
They probably think they're above gymnastics, don't they?
- They very, very vocally are like this is not gymnastics.
They'd expressly draw a line and say
we are not those plebes doing that.
- Yeah. That's different.
We don't use bars like cavemen.
- And then there also are some people in the camp
of just like, well yeah, it's good to ban it
'cuz it is dangerous to your earlier point
of being kind of a death spiral.
- But that's part of the appeal.
Like a lot of it's really dangerous.
We can't start banning things
in the Olympics because they're dangerous.
Especially the Winter Olympics.
- Yeah we do give some of the athletes a gun as part of it.
- Yeah. And how about ski jumps?
It's like we put you on slippery shoes
and shove you down the steep hill. (laughs)
I think what I really like about it
being just like a two point deduction is like
it already felt very rebellious to do,
and now they're just reinforcing that.
It's like, look at me flaunt the rules.
Take a little deduction. I don't care.
- Using that logic,
I think that makes Surya Bonaly
one of the biggest bad asses ever because in 1998,
she at the Winter Games, busted out a back flip.
- Hey.
- And said "Fuck y'all. I'm doing this.
"It's gonna be dope."
And she landed it on one skate.
- Oh, so now what's wrong with it?
Eat shit judges. Eat shit Terry.
- Eat shit and then she lit a cigarette
and did a hockey stop and sprayed ice all over the judges.
(both laugh)
- This was her final Winter Games.
And she was at a point where she was just like,
oh, I'm not gonna medal.
I can't come back from this.
So I'm gonna do a little fan service.
Everyone agrees that it's badass except for the judges.
And I'm gonna do it coming off of an Achilles injury.
- Okay. That's too much.
- Yeah.
- Now I almost don't want her to do it.
I'm too worried. (both laugh)
- It was graceful and it looked awesome.
And she, she finished her routine and took her deduction
and went home.
And we can't show any of this
because it's Winter Games and footage is hard but I'll...
- Yeah, just...
- I'll put a, I'll put a link in the description
if you wanna see it.
- Or you can imagine it.
It's impossible to imagine.
It's too cool.
So what was I thinking of,
someone named Scott did a back flip in the Olympics?
What was that? Right? (laughs)
I'll look it up.
Scott Hamilton.
Hamilton takes the day or back flip and all.
Probably not at the Olympics.
I wonder how my newfound disrespect
for figure skating rules and regulations and enforcers
will affect my viewing experience this winter.
- I mean the judging aspect of figure skating
is always kind of just generally murky.
- Right, that's true.
It's like, I thought everything they did was pretty cool
unless they fell down.
- Hearing the objections to the back flip
it does feel like to fully appreciate figure skating,
you have to be a bit snooty.
- Right, so now it feels like they're judging me
a little bit.
It's like, oh that dullard wants to see a flip
and clap her hands. (laughs)
- Oh right, If you told them like I too am into your sport,
they would be like oh!
- Yeah, oh.
- That's cute.
- Yeah. It's great
- because at this point like you know anybody
who actually appreciates figure skating
hasn't made it this far in the video.
(both laugh)
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