Apparently the 1972 Olympic bronze medalist, American Janet Lynn, is responsible for the widespread Japanese cultural phenomenon of flashing the two-fingered "V" sign. Time published an article today all about the origins of the V sign (not to be confused with the Churchill "peace" sign) that alerted me to its figure skating origins. (The photo below is of a South Korean gal, but said phenomenon is now globe-spanning.)
After Janet Lynn fell during her long program (on a flying sit spin, for cryin' out loud) in Sapporo, she knew the gold was lost. But she smiled an arguably genuine smile as she finished an otherwise fantastic program that even earned a 6.0. I guess the Japanese audience loved the spunky little blonde and her positive attitude, and she became a media sensation there. And when she started flashing the V sign during media tours, a trend was born.
At least, that's how the story goes. Here's video of Lynn's performance:
What's more important and interesting to me though, is that Janet's performance in 1972 signaled the beginning of the end for school figures. After Beatrix Schuba of Austria finished first overall despite placing 7th in the freeskate--due to the heavy weight figures carried in competition in those days--figure skating fans revolted, and it resulted in a lowering of figures' value in the final results of a competition.
No comments:
Post a Comment