I f you’ve ever thrown on a jersey and stepped out onto the field or the ice for the first time, you know that sports can be intimidating. And when you don’t see anyone who looks like you — no teammates, maybe even no role models — it can make those first steps even more challenging. You’re not just doubting whether you can hold your own, you’re wondering whether a person like you even belongs out there at all.
It’s safe to say that for Black folks, figure skating hasn’t been the most welcoming sport. There have been a handful of Black athletes over the years that have managed to find success at the highest levels, including Debi Thomas, Surya Bonaly, Rory Flack and Robin Szolkowy, but they have been few and far between. Figure skating remains a sport that’s pretty short on melanin.
Canadian skater Elladj Baldé is looking to change that, flipping the culture of figure skating and working to make the sport more inclusive. After years of being told how to look, how to dress and how to skate, the former junior national champion left competition behind and found a new freedom on the ice. His videos have racked up millions of views on social media and created new lanes for Black youth to find their way to figure skating and for Black culture to find space in the sport.
It was a long journey that brought the 31-year-old Baldé to this place, and there is still work to be done.
How Elladj Baldé is creating new pathways for Black figure skaters
Source: Pinas Ko Mahal
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