The Shades of Synchronized Skating: Brianna Diary #4

by Brianna Davis

As I was reflecting on this past month and my experience with my Aurora tights so far, I thought about how much my own perspective of my identity as a black synchro skater has changed over the course of these past few months. My confidence has increased so much, and I have definitely gotten more comfortable with standing out. One thing in particular that came to mind was my hair. Ever since I started skating synchro, I have straightened my hair for every single competition. I don’t think anyone ever explicitly told me I had to, but since everyone was expected to wear slicked buns, it seemed like a given. To make things easier, I started wearing my hair straightened for pretty much the whole year except for the summer, when I would get it braided. Even though there was no requirement to wear slicked buns during summer practices, I always felt a little bit out of place because of my braids; I felt like people were judging me for looking so different, maybe even thinking that I looked better with straightened hair. No one ever actually told me this, of course, it was just all in my head. Nevertheless, it definitely affected my confidence. This year however, I’ve noticed an increase in my confidence as I have started wearing braids more often. Since we only had a few virtual competitions this year, I had more flexibility with my hair, so for the majority of the season my hair was braided. But unlike in past years where I’ve felt self-conscious about it, I felt confident. I think that Aurora Tights has definitely helped me with gaining that feeling of confidence in my identity, and being okay with standing out as a black skater. When I wear my Aurora Tights, I don’t have to feel the awkwardness of standing out because my tights are a completely different color than my actual skin tone. Although I still stand out just simply because of the fact that there are so few black skaters, I have grown comfortable with that. Having confidence when you skate is so important, as it can be the determining factor of whether or not you have a good skate. For black skaters, gaining confidence can be difficult, but just as Aurora Tights has helped me, I’m sure it has and will continue to help other black skaters feel more confident on the ice. Although I have not had as many opportunities to wear my tights as I would like because of the lack of skating opportunities during the pandemic, during the few occasions I have worn them, I have definitely noticed an increase in my confidence which positively influenced my performance on the ice. Over the next two months as I continue these documentations, I hope to have more opportunities to wear my Aurora Tights so I can share my experiences, and I will continue to reflect on my personal growth as a black figure skater.