First Black Couple Skating in Olympic Games at Schema : more than ethnic

First Black Couple Skating in Olympic Games

Alright, so I may not be able to find an overtly "ethnic cool" theme about this post, but the heck with it, I just thought this was really cool.

One of the things that I love about the Olympics is that it crosses all cultural boundaries. You could see the USA teams with Korean coaches or Russian coaches for Chinese teams and no one would judge or scrutinize because outsourcing is considered to be an accepted (and rather strategic) practice in many competitive sports.

Another great thing I love about the Olympics is how athletes can become ambassadors for change and progress and ultimately inspire others to do whatever it takes to achieve their dreams.

Vanessa James and Yannick Bonheur of France have been able to do just that...and have turned some heads while doing it too.

James and Bonheur, who represented Team France last night in Pacific Coliseum, are the first black couple to skate in the Olympic Games and I'm a little surprised that there hasn't been much press coverage on the story.

I mean, I'll admit, their performance wasn't the most beautiful or the most graceful and they are evidently not in serious contention for any medals, but by the end of their skate, they received a standing ovation from a supportive crowd in Vancouver. Maybe because they've only been skating together for a little over two years or maybe because James, who is originally from Canada, has travelled all over the world only to serendipitously meet Bonheur in France like a wonderful love story from a fairy tale or maybe it was the sheer determination and passion they exuded when they were on ice; whatever it was that compelled an international audience to roar in approval, I'm on board!

------
Read more on their story:

French Pair to Set Olympic History

First Black Olympic Figure Skating Pair Electrify Crowd

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.schemamag.ca/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1519

Comments

I got to meet them at the Urban Fair in Coal Harbour the day after they had their skate! Their whole family was there to support them and they were beaming with pride...

You could tell that even though they didn't win, they knew that they had set a precedent and opened doors for future generations.

Great post! Hope to see more of them in 4 years!