Tuesday Thoughts And Audacity On Ice

Isabelle
2 days ago
3 min read

Hi Friends,

It’s March and Women’s History Month. I will put the spotlight on four ladies starting with a three time Olympian who became famous for something other than a medal.

From Olympic Cheers to a Backflip That Defied Expectations

There’s something electric about watching the Winter Olympics: a blend of grace, strength, and moments that leave you cheering at full volume. This year, we celebrated incredible performances, including a giant win for American star Alysa Liu on the ice. It reminded us all why we love sport: passion, precision, and heart.But there’s another story from Olympic ice that resonates deeply, one that isn’t just about medals, but about courage, defiance, and refusing to be boxed in.

A Moment That Flipped the Script

Back in 1998 at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, Surya Bonaly etched her name into the history books in a way no one else could. During her free skate, despite knowing the odds and the rules: Bonaly performed a backflip on one blade, a move that wasn’t just technically spectacular, but completely illegal under competition rules at the time.Why would an elite athlete do something she knew would cost her points, and likely her placement? Because she was done playing by other people’s expectations. She had already battled injuries, including a ruptured Achilles tendon, pandemic-level pain, and years of feeling unseen by judges who favored style over raw athleticism.So instead of retreating, she gave the crowd something unforgettable: a signature move that now carries her name in skating lore.

What Surya’s Story Teaches Us About Life

Surya didn’t win an Olympic medal that day. Her backflip dropped her scores and dropped her to 10th place, but she won something bigger: a place in history.Here’s what her story can teach us in our everyday lives:

1. Sometimes the rules hold you down — but courage lifts you up.Surya knew the backflip was banned, but she did it anyway because she wanted to express her truth, exhilarate the crowd, and leave her mark. That’s the kind of bold action we take when we stop living for people’s approval and start living for our purpose.

2. Your legacy isn’t what others score — it’s what others remember.Judges might have knocked her down that day, but audiences never forgot it. Sometimes your most “unscored” moments; the ones where you go all in, are the ones that echo.

3. Obstacles aren’t ends — they’re pivots.She stepped onto that ice injured and out of medal contention, and instead of walking off, she transformed adversity into audacity. That’s what midlife women do: when plan A falls apart, we find plan B.

A Lesson for March and Beyond

With Women’s History Month here and the ice still warm from Olympic stories, Surya Bonaly’s legacy feels especially powerful. She didn’t wait for permission, she didn’t seek validation: she made her moment. And like the fantastic performances we saw from skaters like Lou this season, her story reminds us that there’s no age or stage where reinvention stops being possible.Here’s to the women who flip expectations, not just pages.