“You’re stealing somebody’s skates,” were the first words that Joel Savary heard when he stepped into a private skating rink. Joel who was recently on the Kelly Clarkson Show has taken the veil off the popular sport of figure skating. As Kelly puts it, “It’s the one sport I remember from the Olympics when I was a kid”. It is rather dismal to realize that figure skating, a sport introduced at the 1908 Summer Olympics, isn’t as progressive as it appears. The history of the sport is more progressive than the state it is in now.

Figure skating was one of the only sports to feature a women’s category! To add on, it was the only Winter Olympic event with women competitors until 1926. However, as the years passed, reduced accessibility has clouded the sport. Unfortunately, Joel’s experiences show that racism also riddles the sport. However, his passion for the sport never took a break. And now Kelly as well as the world sees it too!

So what happened on the Kelly Clarkson show?

On the show, Joel Savary went on to talk about several unfortunate experiences he has had simply because he was a man of color. Even in recent times, despite being an accomplished figure skating coach, he was not allowed to enter the rinks. All because it is unimaginable for those running these places to imagine a Black man being involved in figure skating. Despite it all, “I want to see more Black and brown skaters reaching Olympic heights,” were the words from Joel. Inspiring, isn’t it Well, Kelly Clarkson seems to think so too.

On the show, Joel explained the instances, and Kelly was shocked by how deep the racism ran. With every revelation that Joel made, Kelly couldn’t help but gasp. So much so, that at the end of the episode, the pop star who has a net worth of nearly $50 million decided to donate to Joel Savary’s foundation Diversify Ice! “We are so impressed with the changes that you’re bringing to the ice….that’s why we are giving Diversify Ice $10,000,” added Kelly. So what exactly is this mission that Kelly is supporting?

It is not just about giving back and Kelly Clarkson knows it!

Kelly Clarkson is always ready to use her fame for a good cause, and this time, she’s backing a powerful movement in the world of figure skating. A movement by Joel Savary, the founder of Diversify Ice who is working towards making the sport more accessible and inclusive. So how exactly is he doing the same? Well by imagining a world where, “People can be in their community and say, ‘Wow, a Black person can be a coach. A Black person can be a skater,’ without thinking twice or questioning if that person is there for nefarious reasons.” This issue hits close to home for Joel as he was once questioned about stealing his first pair of skates. Wondering why?

Simply because they were pre-owned! It is from this thought that Diversify Ice has emerged. Joel started Diversify Ice in 2017. The goal? To make figure skating accessible to communities that have been historically overlooked. And this is not simply about kids of color, but also those who come from low-income backgrounds. He wishes to create a space where figure skating is an accessible dream for any child to have. At the end of it all, the vision of Joel Savory, Kelly Clarkson, and Diversify Ice is to see more people of color on the national and Olympic rinks for figure skating.