The Shades of Synchronized Skating: Nadia Diary #5

by Nadia Lawrence

All in all, I’ve been wearing Aurora Tights for several months now, and have had such a  positive experience with them. As I’ve stated in my previous entries, the goal of synchronized  skating is for sixteen skaters to look exactly alike in all aspects. However, skaters of color have  stuck out in a negative way for years, until now. So for skaters of color, this is the first time we  are experiencing the synchronized skating that our teammates have always been apart of. Figure skaters in general are finally starting to recognize the privilege that occurs within the  sport. As a result, U.S. Figure Skating, as well as most clubs, and coaches are actively trying to  find ways to eliminate the privilege, and racial disparities that come with figure skating, synchro  specifically. I feel that Aurora Tights is another main factor that will contribute to making skating  more diverse, as they are the first brand offering apparel that comes in multiple skin tones. The  brand is contributing to making our sport more diverse, and inclusive to all. For this reason, and  many more, I highly encourage everyone, not just skaters of color to purchase tights from a  company who is supporting athletes of all colors and backgrounds.  

Finding tights that match my skin tone after twenty-one years in the sport has been an amazing and emotional experience, and documenting the journey that I’ve been on has been moving for me. This has been such a huge accomplishment for athletes of color. I am finally able to feel as though I “fit in” with my team, and am not sticking out in a negative way. I remain hopeful that synchronized skating, as well as all sports in general are slowly taking steps to make drastic changes that will encourage diversity, and welcome people from all different types of backgrounds.