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• Play This Video:  Famous Figure Skaters Performing Back Flips on the Ice

On Friday, June 26, 2015, the first ever back flip figure skating competition was held at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.  

Just before the back flip competitors entered the ice, an outstanding video was shown on overhead screens that hung over the ice sheet.  The video highlighted clips of famous figure skaters throughout ice skating history doing back flips.

 The entertaining video was edited and put together by figure skater Anastasia Kortjohn. 

Not Illegal at the Inaugural Freezer Aerial Figure Skating Challenge:

Even though the back flip is considered an illegal figure skating move at standard US Figure Skating and ISU International Skating Union competitions, the move was made "legal" especially for a fun and unique jumping competition, the Inaugural Freezer Aerial Figure Skating Challenge which took place during the Broadmoor Open, a non-qualifying figure skating competition.

Non-qualifying competitions do not always follow the same rules that are required in official and/or qualifying figure skating competitive events.

Video Summary and Review:

Fans say that the most entertaining part of the Inaugural Freezer Aerial Figure Skating Challenge may have been the back flip competition event, and this video "warmed up" the audience.

Figure Skaters Featured in This Back Flip On Ice Skates Video:

• Skippy Baxter:  Ice show star credited with being one of the first to do back flips on skates

• Terry Kubicka:  1976 Olympian who caused controversy by doing the back flip at the Olympics which caused the move to become illegal
• Scott Cramer:  World Professional figure skating champion who did over ten thousand back flips
• Robin Cousins: 1980 Olympic Champion
• Surya Bonaly:  One of the only skaters who landed the back flip on one foot.  She performed her back flip with the one foot landing at the 1998 Olympics even though the move was illegal.
• Brian Orser:  1988 Olympic Silver Medalist
• Scott Hamilton:  1984 Olympic Figure Skating Champion
• Michael Weiss:  3-time US Figure Skating Champion and 2-Time Olympian
• Ryan Bradley:  2011 US Men's Figure Skating Champion
• Janet Champion: The child ice skating show star who was an expert at doing ten back handsprings in a row on the ice followed by a back flip into a full split.
• Dan Hollander:  A skating entertainer who can do back flips or people or things
• Richard Dornbush:  Winner of the 2015 back Flip event at the Freezer Aerial Figure Skating Challenge
• Brendan Kerry:  2012 Austrailian figure skating champion and 2014 Olympic competitor
• Philip Warren: Competitor, Back Flip Competition Freezer Aerial Figure Skating Challenge 2015
• Jonathan Voyles:  Able to do an Axel, 1/2 loop, back flip combination
• Caleigh Newberry:  Only female competitor at the back flip event Freezer Aerial Figure Skating Challenge 2015

More Back Flips On Figure Skates Trivia:

• Mike Course may have been the first person to do back flips on ice skates in Europe.  Course did not do his back flips on the ice from the toe pick assist which is the way the figure skaters of today do the move.  Instead, he would first do a Mohawk turn from forward to backward and then glide and  take off from two flat feet.  He essentially did the move like a gymnast, but he had skates on his feet.  He would propel himself without having to use the toe pick of his skate, so he called his move a back somersault on ice. 

See Famous Ice Skaters Doing Back Flips on Figure Skates:

• Play This Video:  Famous Figure Skaters Performing Back Flips on the Ice