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Three Black women are running Michigan's first Black female-owned figure skating club, which recently opened to new and experienced skaters.
Dream Detroit Skating Academy officially launched on Saturday (January 29), according to The Grio. Angela Blocker-Loyd, Candice Tamakloe, and Crystal Stewart want to see more Black figure skaters coming out of Detroit.
"There has never been a skater at the national or international level to come out of the city of Detroit," Tamakloe told Detroit Free Press. "We want to bring that quality back into the city." She also opened up about how she and Blocker-Loyd were among the very few Black figure skaters in the area growing up. Now they want to take aspiring young skaters under their wing.
Their mission statement also touched on making the sport more "readily available to Detroit's youth... there is no reason that the community should not have access to the same opportunities afforded to suburban communities across the globe."
Group and private lessons will be held at the Adams Butzel Recreation Center-Jack Adams Memorial Ice Arena. Kids ages 4 and up can sign up for beginner classes all the way to "competitive and ice show performances," according to the DDSA's website.
For more information about the Dream Detroit Skating Academy, its mission, and enrollment, click here.