The following story appeared in the January/February 2024 issue of SKATING magazine.
By Troy Schwindt
Joe Velasco’s second stint on “Jeopardy!” in mid-October took a figure skating turn of sorts during the contestant interview portion of the show.
Competing in the quarterfinals of the Champions Wild Card Tournament, the California native talked about an organization he became involved with in 2020 that supports brown and black figure skaters nationwide, enabling them to achieve their potential in the sport and in life.
That organization: Diversify Ice, based in Maryland.
“They prepped us by providing some topics to consider,” Velasco said. “None of those really struck me, so I asked John, the contestant coordinator, if I could talk about an anniversary that I had when I was on the program the first time [during Season 37 of 2020].
“I was on the show on the exact 16-year anniversary of a horrible figure skating accident. I had an awkward fall. I sliced my wrist down to the bone with my own skate blade and nearly bled out on to the ice.”
Velasco, who was new to social media at that time, shared details of his 2020 “Jeopardy!” experience with family and friends. He soon after learned about Diversify Ice and its founder and executive director Joel Savary.
“I saw he was giving an Instagram Live talk,” Velasco said. “That’s where I found out about him and his cause. It really hit home with me, because one of my former coaches and choreographers was an adult national champion and an African American figure skater himself. He told me stories about struggles he had growing up as a Black figure skater. Taking that into consideration, plus I got my degree from UCLA in world arts and cultures, specializing in cultural studies, I just realized that what Joel was doing was something I could possibly help with; it seemed like a natural fit for me and, here we are, three years later, getting back on ‘Jeopardy!’ and being able to talk about Diversify Ice. It came full circle.”
Velasco’s first appearance on “Jeopardy!” included one victory; it occurred during COVID so there was no audience, none of the perks that go with the regular taping of the show, such as being able to mingle with fellow contestants backstage and have lunch in the Sony Pictures Studio Commissary.
“With “Jeopardy!,” it’s like you have one chance,” Velasco said. “Once you are eliminated, then you are done; you actually can’t ever come back to the show again. I had to close that chapter in my life and move on, take the win and go from there.”
However, the recent Hollywood writers’ strike forced the game show’s executives to be creative and generate new episodes. They recycled clues that were never used and went way back into the archives for clues people might have forgotten about. They also decided to bring back contestants from Seasons 37 and 38 who had won a game or two, and create the Champions Wild Card Tournament and the Second Chance Tournament.
“When I got the call, I was really shocked,” Velasco said. “What are the odds? For me, lightning struck twice.”
In his return to the Alex Trebek Stage at Sony Pictures Studios, Velasco rallied from nearly $10,000 down to win his quarterfinal game, giving the only correct response in Final Jeopardy. He lost in the semifinal against two other outstanding contestants.
Velasco, who is the director of customer care for a small wealth management firm in Northern California, has served as an ambassador coordinator for Diversify Ice. The ambassadors use social media to get the word out about the program and its offerings.
Earlier this year, Velasco helped host the first-ever Diversify Ice event on the West Coast, titled “Skateraiser Los Angeles.”
“I find it most rewarding when we get to see the joy in the faces of the skaters that we help, whether it’s an elite athlete or someone discovering and experiencing figure skating for the very first time — this is why we do what we do.
“I was proud to bring it to the West Coast and make it happen at the same rink where I had the accident,” he said.
Late in October, Velasco and other Diversify Ice board members were recognized and honored by the Ice Theatre of New York in a show titled “Fall Frolic” at Chelsea Piers in New York. Diversify Ice member Emmanuel Savary was one of the guest performers. Diversify Ice also received the Dare Greatly Award.
“It’s been incredible,” Velasco said. “I feel like the past few weeks were sort of like a mini victory lap for me. Although I never made the finals or anything, I like the exposure that Diversify Ice got and to be able to speak about all we’ve been doing, it’s exciting and fulfilling. I can’t wait to see what goes on for us next.”
