U.S. Figure Skating invited area youth and their families to the 2022 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, March 3-5, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as part of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative.
Several families from a Colorado Springs charter school enjoyed the event, in which they learned about the judging system and received U.S. Figure Skating swag to take home.
“I thought it was amazing,” Hazel Roy, 9, said. “I liked all the hard work they put into it — even when they fell, they kept getting up. The arena was a nice place, and I couldn’t believe how many people can fit inside. The gifts we got were cool, too.”
Sherise George took her two children, ages 3 and 11, to the World Arena and said the family had a wonderful time watching the dynamic team skating.
“I always enjoyed watching ice skating growing up and even enjoyed taking the children to see Disney on Ice, but this event was different and so much fun,” George said. “My children enjoyed seeing the ice skaters off the ice and waved to them. This is something that my family would never get to do and was so much fun and a great bonding experience.”
This marked the second time that U.S. Figure Skating has outreached to local community members to watch a championship event. In January in Nashville, Tennessee, members of about 25 area youth organizations attended the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
“In order to achieve our mission to create and cultivate opportunities for participation and achievement in figure skating, we believe we must prioritize outreach to underrepresented communities that may not otherwise have been exposed to our sport,” U.S. Figure Skating DEI Director Kadari Taylor-Watson said.
