On the Edge

Radiolab

WNYC Studios

Science, Natural Sciences, History, Society & Culture, Documentary

4.6 • 43.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2023

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

At the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, one athlete pulled a move that, as far as we know, no one else had ever attempted.

In this episode, first aired in the Spring of 2016, we tell you about Surya Bonaly. Surya was not your typical figure skater: she is black, she is athletic, and she didn’t seem to care about artistry. Her performances—punctuated by triple jumps and other power moves—thrilled audiences around the world. Yet commentators claimed she couldn’t skate and judges never gave her high marks. But Surya didn’t accept that criticism. Unlike her competitors—ice princesses who hid behind demure smiles—Surya made her feelings known.

Then, during her final Olympic performance, she attempted one jump that flew in the face of the establishment and marked her for life as a rebel.

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Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Oulu here.
0:03.7	We are going back to the archives for hands down one of my top three favorite radio labs
0:10.3	of all time.
0:12.0	I'm not going to say anymore.
0:14.1	Here is Chad and Robert.
0:20.5	I'm listening to radio lab from WNYC.
0:28.9	Okay, so then what we can introduce this.
0:35.5	How would you convince the many people listening to stay listening?
0:39.3	Because it's a great story.
0:40.6	It doesn't matter that it's figure skating.
0:42.0	It's like a really good story.
0:43.5	It's a good story that pops off of, it's like, I'm Chad Abramron.
0:47.4	I'm Robert Crowley.
0:48.4	It's this radio lab.
0:49.4	I've never been a huge fan of figure skating, but like this story, I think asks a really
0:54.5	interesting question.
0:55.5	The question would be, what if you, with all your heart, wanted to be the best at something,
1:01.2	but the persons who judge what's the best at this something you want to do, don't share
1:05.6	the bestness with your sense of bestness so you do your best and they're best and you're
1:09.3	best are different and now you can't best it out.
1:11.7	What do you do?
1:12.7	What do you do?
	...

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