#usa! usa! usa!

[correctopinionhaver]

[settsplitt]

Hey did you guys know Logan Sargeant's billionaire war profiteer uncle was like directly involved in that whole Ukraine thing that got Trump impeached the first time

[orbees]

I have my machine now so I'll be fine but God it's so fucked up I had to wait nearly two months to get my new cpap when I'm on the record for having extremely severe sleep apnea 😐

[lynxgirlpaws]

I AM LOSING IT I GOT CHEESEBURGER'D

[prismaticpastry]

.... may I ask about you about figure skating?

So turns out when faced with such a broad question I completely freeze up for hours congrats on discovering the one thing that would shut me up about figure skating. asking about figure skating

…Anyway. I will do a little(lie) intro to a couple of my favourite current skaters from Team USA!

First, light of my life Jason Brown.

To properly appreciate Jason's skating you would need to be a figure skater yourself (which I am not. fake fan alert) But even if you are me his unparalleled skating skills are easy to see compared to just about everyone else.

Here is my favourite program of his, Sinnerman, which he performed at the Beijing Olympics. (That is not this performance. But can't find an unblocked one of the Olympic version.)

The fact that he broke 100 points in the short without a quad is a testament to his quality. Very few men, even at the top of the field, can break 100. (my very favourite men's skater only just managed to do it this past season)(and it was the competition with notoriously inflated scores)(it was well-deserved though and he should have broken 100 way sooner)

He is just completely captivating. The footwork he does is light years ahead of everyone else in the field. His spins are gorgeous. His jumps, though lower in technical merit than other top men, are fantastic. The split jump into the skid spiral is flawless. Literally no one does it like him. He even forces judges to give him some 10's in PCS (program component score, the part of the score that is most easily manipulatable in an extremely corrupt judged sport). It is extremely rare to get 10's, even more so for men who don't have a quad. (quads shouldn't affect PCS. but they do.)

Oh, and he's an absolutely wonderful human being. He is pure joy and sunshine. He is that first day of spring where you don't have to wear a jacket. Everywhere he competes he'll do a charity drive for Ronald Mcdonald Children's House. He is solely responsible for like 80% of my charitable donations because every time he skates I black out and throw money at them. He's even learned some Japanese because he has a lot of fans in Japan. (Japan is like, the number one figure skating nation in terms of fandom. Close to Russia but their audience is way better.)

Also he did a program to a Backstreet Boys medley. WHICH I GOT TO SEE IN PERSON I WON'T GET OVER IT

(the audience here was WAY BETTER than the one I was at 😞)

In team competitions, he is Team USA. His joy makes me proud to be American (I am not American)

Anyway, he's semi retired -- last season he only competed at Nationals and Worlds (the US men's field is pretty thin right now, their top skater is a homophobic teenager who I could do an entire writeup about on his own) He's hinted that he's considering doing the same for the upcoming 2023-2024 season. I am going to Worlds so please cross all your fingers that he will be there.

Unfortunately, since he lacks a quad, there's almost no chance he'd see the podium. He has medalled before, but never at a major competition in the individual event. But winning really, really isn't everything in this hellsport.

But sometimes winning is something. My second highlight is Starr Andrews!

Here she is as a baby, apparently this video went viral back in the day.

(Going through this I realise that these videos were actually posted in real time. #oldmoment)

Anyway, this is probably my favourite program of hers.

Oh, and the singer for this program? Is her. Multitalented queen

In the 2022 off-season, she underwent heart surgery and came back with a vengeance.

Such a vengeance, in fact, that she did this at Skate Canada:

And captured SILVER!!!

With two stellar programs she became the first American Black woman to medal at a Grand Prix event*, and the second ever! (The first was Surya Bonaly, a French skater famous for doing a backflip at the Olympics)

I'll admit that the program I linked there is not my favourite, but it got her the win so hey. (AND I WAS THERE TO SEE IT HAPPEN. BTW.)

Oh, and her costumes are always flawless. As are her nails. She often has my favourite costumes in a competition, or up there at least (sorry but no one can beat the Korean women for dresses). Yes, that is Important. If you skip to around the seven minute mark you can see her reaction to her score and realising she podiumed. As well as a small glimpse of The Nails. ISU if you're reading this please do nail cams next season tyia

So there are two amazing members of Team USA!

Since it is pride month I'd also like to give a shoutout to pairs skater Timothy Leduc, the first out non-binary athlete at the Winter Olympics. (They recently retired but still including them for the nb pride. it's my post.) Jason Brown came out as gay last year. Amber Glenn came out as bi/pan last year as well. In some competitions, especially US Nationals, the audience will bring out a sea of rainbow and bi flags for Jason and Amber and it just warms the soul idk. I wish I could make gifs so I could capture it.

ok post over (:

*the figure skating Grand Prix comprises of six qualifying competitions, followed by the Grand Prix Final. Unfortunately Starr got walloped at her other GP event, NHK Trophy in Japan, but she made a lot of mistakes in the free and was up against a very tough field including the current World Champion.

[starsharkz]

USA! USA! USA! AMERICA RAHHHHHHHHHHHH AMERICA RAHHHHHHHHHHHH 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅USA! USA‼️‼️‼️🔝🔛🗣️🗣️🗣️📢📢📢📢🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🍔🍔🍔🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭‼️‼️‼️👨🏻‍🦳👨🏻‍🦳👨🏻‍🦳👨🏻‍🦳👨🏻‍🦳

WHITE POWER‼️‼️

(i'm black😨)

[asagi-asagiri]

You know, you have to respect the dedication and hard work that gets the people on my 600 lb life where they are instead of shitting on them.

[quinnallerton]

[strangeknight]

what’s your obsession with putting actual real life tragedies on pants

well you see i like it when harm befalls the great american nation

[yourtongzhihazel]

[kropotkindersurprise]

February 28, 2024 - American military veterans burn their uniforms calling for a free Palestine, at a vigil for Aaron Bushnell in Portland, Oregon. [source]

[sugas6thtooth]

‼️‼️

If you're having trouble keeping up with what's going on in Palestine because of US news coverage of university protests, here are some articles you can read and a video you can watch:

While CNN & all the other mainstream media try to paint the university protests as "pro terrorism" (which they're not, they're literally anti-war protests.) Palestinians are being slaughtered by the minute.

Please don't stop speaking about Palestine.

[aci25]

Oakland, California

[zynp-krdg]

This elderly woman was one of the leaders of demonstrations against the Vietnam War in 1968, when she was a student at Columbia University. Today, 56 years later, she returns to the same place and says, "Palestine must be free."

[moonlayl]