The Shades of Synchronized Skating: Nadia Diary #4

by Nadia Lawrence

In my last entry, I discussed how wearing Aurora Tights has impacted me personally, as  well as my skating. This entry is going to focus more on the response I have received from  others. As I previously stated, I never could have imagined the impact Aurora Tights would have  on me and my skating, but I also never imagined that the response from other athletes would be  so positive. It’s not that I thought the response would be negative, but that this was a big  accomplishment for skaters of color, so I never even considered how others would feel about it.  We are all somewhat self-conscious about the way we look. Now imagine that you are  being stared at by your competitors because your dress and tights are not the same skin tone as  you are. It is not a great feeling, but it is the unfortunate experience that skaters of color have had  for years. This is also tough on parents. It is difficult for parents to explain to a young child why  other skaters are staring at them without making them feel embarrassed and upset. Obviously, as  I got older, I realized why they were staring, and it was because I was wearing a dress that did  not match my complexion. It is sad to think that a large majority of skaters of color were only  given attention in a negative way from others in our sport until now. Since I was so used to this,  that is why I was initially shocked by the amount of love and positivity I received once I made  the switch. In my experience thus far, everyone has been supportive of me, as well as the  company. Aurora Tights is helping our sport as a whole move closer to becoming more diverse  and inclusive. This made me realize that many did not recognize how exclusive figure skating  appeared until skaters of color were finally offered apparel that was available in more than one  skin tone. People were finally realizing that skaters of color were not getting the same experience  as others involved in the sport. When I first wore them to practice, all my teammates were so 

happy and supportive of me. They were happy that I finally had tights that matched my skin tone,  since they knew how much of a struggle it has been to find mesh and tights that match. The  amount of love and support that I was receiving was overwhelming, yet amazing because I had  never experienced that before. It is my hope that future skaters of color will only experience the  positive and supportive aspect in figure skating, synchronized skating in particular. That they will  not have a similar experience that I did growing up in the sport. I’m fortunate enough that my  previous experiences did not turn me away from the sport, but it has for so many other skaters.  With the help of Aurora Tights, coaches, and skaters educating themselves on the white privilege  that occurs in synchronized skating, I believe that this is something the next generation of skaters  of color will not have to face.