Building Confidence and Shaping Lives

The Sims-Fayola Foundation collaborated with U.S Figure Skating to introduce a group of young men to figure skating for the first time.

By Abby Farrell

 

Late last month, U.S. Figure Skating teamed up with the Sims-Fayola Foundation to introduce a group of seventh-grade boys to the sport of figure skating and to open their eyes to the opportunities available for careers in the sports industry.

The Sims-Fayola Foundation, which is based in Denver, works to improve the lives of young men through its mentorship program by teaching them important life skills such as responsible decision-making and self and social awareness.

A group of approximately 20 male students from West Middle School in Colorado Springs, Colorado who are enrolled in a class with a curriculum provided by the Sims-Fayola Foundation were given a unique field trip experience, teaching them about everything that goes into skating. Since historically men have been an underrepresented group in figure skating, the field trip provided the perfect opportunity to introduce a new group to the world of skating.

A woman stands with a student giving him pointers on how to skate while on the ice. The woman (L) is a white woman with long brown hair. She is wearing a black jacket with bright pink pants. The student is Latino with longer black hair. He is wearing a U.S. Figure Skating red white and blue knit hat, sunglasses and and a Guns N Roses tshirt
U.S. Figure Skating staff member Casey Mallory gives a student skating advice 

The group started at the U.S. Figure Skating headquarters office in Colorado Springs, where they were taught how to build an effective warm-up routine with some off-ice stretches.

Students also had the opportunity to listen to a career panel made up of male members of U.S. Figure Skating’s staff who shared some insight into their paths to working in sports and gave advice to the students as they start to think of potential career paths.

The main takeaway for the class was that there are several ways to be involved with things they are passionate about and that everyone should find their niche. They learned that in sports, there are several possible career paths beyond competing, even ones they wouldn’t expect like turning a passion for cooking into a career in sports nutrition or being able to express their creativity as a part of a company’s graphic design team.

“[I learned] there’s a lot more to ice skating than just being out on the ice,” student Nolan Diges said. “There’s a lot more stuff behind it that helps it all come together. There’s a lot behind winning an Olympic gold medal.”

After that, the group had the opportunity to try the sport firsthand, heading to Sertich Ice Center to get on the ice. Students enjoyed time on the ice as U.S. Figure Skating staff taught them the basics of the sport. The first lesson? How to get back up after falling.

“This was one of the best field trips. I don’t think anyone did anything better than this,” student Gabriel Duran said.

The overall theme of the day seemed to be confidence. Students who were hesitant about getting on the ice at first eventually became comfortable on skates and didn’t want the field trip to end.  

“[The best part of today was] getting to the rink and watching them let their guard down,” Jason Murdock, program manager for the Sims-Fayola Foundation, said. “It’s hard to get a group of young men to be vulnerable a lot of times and get out of their shells, but they’re falling down and laughing. …  They’re finally let their guard down and being a kid.”

Partnering with organizations like the Sims-Fayola Foundation to organize field trips like this is an integral part of U.S. Figure Skating’s initiative to provide opportunities to underrepresented groups and highlight that skating is for everyone.

“These kids didn’t know they could do it,” West Middle School teacher Glen Eastman said. “Some of these kids are such naturals at it. We’re coming from a school district that doesn’t have the opportunities that they would in other districts. This gave them an opportunity to see what they could do and push themselves. It’s fun watching them.”

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