Growing up on Long Island, Ashleigh Ellis loved figure skating. She skated at the Freeport skating rink, which is part of a community recreation center. Although Ellis was the only Black skater, she found the rink to be a welcoming environment, in large part thanks to her coach, Liz Eldredge.
When Ellis was a teenager, she realized no one else at her rink looked like her. “I always longed for representation,” she said. “Going to competitions, I felt a little bit out of place and wished that I had a place where kids looked like me.”
Despite this, “I competed up to the novice level,” she added. In high school, Ellis switched to track and field, becoming a high jumper and earning an athletic scholarship for college. “After I graduated, I put my skates back on.”
Now residing in Los Angeles with her husband and two young sons, Ellis is living her dream to provide access to figure skating to a diverse range of youngsters ages 5 to 12. For the fourth summer, she is overseeing the Unity Ice Academy (unityiceacademy.org), inviting participants to Lakewood Ice-The Rinks (near Long Beach and Compton) for four weeks of skating, dance classes, age-appropriate character-building workshops, and bonding. There are 80 kids this summer. The 13- and 14-year-olds who age out of the program become junior counselors. Veteran U.S. competitor Starr Andrews serves as on-ice director.
“I think of them growing up and having a place where they’re doing a sport that they don’t normally see themselves in,” said Ellis. “They’re on the ice and seeing themselves. It’s such a beautiful thing and inspires me every day to keep going.”
This year’s summer program will conclude on August 2 with a recital. For the first time, about 10 to 15 participants will be invited to continue working with the Unity Ice Academy year-round. “Starting in September, we’re going to be meeting once a week,” said Ellis. “They’ll have lessons. There will be tutors to help them with their homework.” The rink hosts shows for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day in which these skaters will perform.
“We don’t limit our program to only Black and Brown children; we have children of all different colors,” said Ellis, who fundraises for Unity Ice year-round. “It really is about unity and having all types of people. It’s about everyone feeling they belong. We have built a beautiful community.”