Olympic champion in ice dancing Gabriela Papadakis and Olympic bronze medalist Madison Hubbell are preparing a joint number in benefit same-sex couples on ice. They plan to show the dance on social networks. As conceived by the skaters, this should have an impact on the International Skating Union (ISU), so that the issue of admitting same-sex couples to competitions is included in the agenda of the next ISU congress. Sport understands what consequences this may have.
Gabriela Papadakis and Madison Hubbell are adults and absolutely successful personalities in sports. One after the gold, and the other after the bronze of the Olympics, which adorned the already luxurious collections of awards, took a break from competitions for at least a season.
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Both have shown themselves as brave women, not afraid of either popular love or mass contempt. Feeling that they are able to change the world for the better, in their opinion, Gabriela and Madison rushed to contribute to the new look of the «figurine».
After the Canadian Figure Skating Federation officially changed the definition of the term «duo» from a man and a woman to two skaters in December 2022, the next innovations were only a matter of time. Obviously, this was a conceptual amendment for the future — a far green light for athletes who for some reason find it difficult to determine their gender, as well as the normalization of situations where two men or Two women. Or transgender people. Or anyone else.
The usual format of pair skating and ice dancing has existed for more than a hundred years — all this time the couples consisted of a man and a woman. The former are traditionally expected to be strong and enduring. He plays a leading role and assists his partner in various elements. Raises in lifts, throws out in backspin, holds position in step sequence.
A woman is traditionally weaker, driven, responsible for aesthetics and at some moments in the hands of a partner is more like a toy that he twists, throws and catches than a separate sports unit (spoiler: of course, this is not so — the role of a partner in paired elements very large, even if it doesn't seem so from the outside). The theme of the vast majority of productions is a love line between a man and a woman, which further enhances the contrast between partners.
At the same time, it cannot be said that there have never been deviations from the universal normotypicity in history. Sometimes siblings become a couple — accordingly, their choreography moves away from love lyrics towards new meanings. Sometimes partners take on more than is customary — Olympic champion Marina Anisina lifted partner Gwendal Peizer in low support. The same was done by Italian dancers Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali.
The French Gabriela Papadakis and Guillaume Sizeron built their entire sports triumph on what can be called «over-love» or «dislike», as you like. In their productions, there was almost never a significant difference in the plastic manifestations of a man and a woman. They were like moonlight, like flowing water, like melting wax, and these are all rather asexual categories.As part of the show, you can often see naturally same-sex couples united specifically for a new number. Ice acrobats are almost always a union of two men with the strongest trust in each other — try otherwise jumping into somersaults from other people's shoulders straight onto the ice. Or take the risk of putting some 70-kilogram man in skates on your shoulders.
In general, if you do not demonize the idea of same-sex couples as such, it can easily be considered an art form, a bright spectacle and just a fresh breeze in the stuffy hall of fame of orthodox figure skating.
There is one caveat — Gabriela Papadakis and Madison Hubbell, who started a joint dance number, are unlikely to have in mind the interests of acrobats, strong women who are ready to drag their partners. It can be assumed that the idea arose in their heads for a reason — in Canada, where figure skaters train, there are quite a lot of athletes of alternative sexual orientation and non-binary people in their environment. Probably, communication with friends gave Gabriela and Madison the logical idea that same-sex couples should also be represented on the ice.
All further reasoning about whether this is normal or paranormal, natural or shocking, depends on the individual degree of radicalism and willingness to accept what is new and unusual. There will be people who consider this action noble and useful, and the possible appearance of same-sex couples is a logical turn of the era. Others will consider all of the above a monstrous grimace of the new ethics and morality and will in every way wish that everything remains as it is.
But frankly, there are no serious prerequisites for this unusual future to become a reality in the foreseeable future. Even if we leave out the financial side of the issue — the new discipline will significantly increase the expenses of the organizers for holding competitions — the world does not yet look ready for the widespread distribution of same-sex duets. On a mass scale, this may be interesting except in Canada and the United States. Of course, their lobby is quite strong, but still not the main thing and, moreover, not the only one in ISU. Japan, Russia, China and even Europe are unlikely to support the innovation, even if it really reaches the congress agenda.