Starr Andrews Embraces Role as Ambassador for Fairbanks Fund and Guaranteed Rate

So much has happened in Starr Andrews' life this figure skating season that it often feels like an out-of-body experience for the 19-year-old.
 
Since first receiving widespread media coverage for her performance to Mickey Guyton's "Black Like Me" at the start of the season, Andrews has continued to be outspoken about racial inequality in figure skating and serve as a role model for young skaters of color. The program has made such an impact that former first lady Michelle Obama recently tweeted about Andrews' performance, including: "To all the Black kids out there striving for excellence in the face of those who doubt you: Keep going. Keep telling the story of your experience. We see you."
 

 
In the past two months alone, Andrews became the inaugural recipient of the Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund and signed on as an ambassador with Guaranteed Rate. She was featured in the retail mortgage lender's Super Bowl ad and has her own commercial coming out later this year.
 
Andrews struggles to remember that she is the one living this roller-coaster life.
 
"Sometimes it just doesn't feel real and I forget that it's all happening to me," Andrews said. "I just think it's such an honor because I remember watching figure skaters on TV and being like, that's so cool, they're making it look so easy, that's so amazing, and now to be one of those people it's just so surreal."
 
The Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund was established to help Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) figure skaters realize and achieve their maximum athletic potential. The fund focuses on athletes who demonstrate and emphasize the attributes of good sportsmanship, commitment, perseverance and determination in striving to be their very best in the sport and in their off-ice pursuit.
 
Fairbanks, who began skating in the late 1920s, was denied access to local rinks as well as competitions because of her race. Unable to try for what could have been a promising Olympic career, she made a name for herself performing with Ice Capades and Ice Follies in the 1930s and '40s. Fairbanks went on to coach a host of legendary skaters of all races, including Tai Babilonia, Scott Hamilton, Debi Thomas, Atoy Wilson and Kristi Yamaguchi. She became the first Black and Indigenous member of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1997 and died four years later. Fairbanks would sign her autographs, "Skatingly Yours," inspiring the name of the Fund.
 
"She's the best role model I feel like a colored figure skater could have," Andrews said of Fairbanks. "I feel like she opened so many doors for other African-American figure skaters, like Tai and me, and it's just made a big difference in the sport."
 
Made possible through a gift from the Lisa McGraw Figure Skating Foundation, the Fund's top annual award of $25,000 was presented to Andrews for 2021. Two additional awards of $10,000 to an up-and-coming athlete and $5,000 for a developmental athlete will follow.
 
Guaranteed Rate matched this year's top award, granting Andrews a total of $50,000, which will make a significant difference for her on- and off-ice training.
 
"It'll definitely help with my training and ice time, and even getting training outside of skating like ballet and Pilates," Andrews said. "It'll just help all around."
 
Andrews was told she was selected for the Fund by Babilonia on a Zoom call. It was only fitting, given Babilonia, the 1979 pairs World champion with Randy Gardner and first multiracial figure skater to compete for the U.S. at an Olympic Winter Games, is the greatest tie between Fairbanks and Andrews.
 
Babilonia began mentoring Andrews when she was around 12 years old, a few years after her "Whip My Hair" performance went viral. Once Andrews was on her radar, Babilonia knew she wanted to meet her and offer any help she could to a promising, young Black skater.
 
Andrews remembers learning about Fairbanks through Babilonia.
 
"I feel like she had to be such a strong person, especially during the time she was skating, to keep figure skating," she said. "I just think she was a strong person, and to coach Tai Babilonia as well; she's just honestly an amazing person all around, just strong and determined, an amazing person."

   


Never too concerned with race when she was younger, as she grew up Andrews began to realize she was one of few Black figure skaters in the sport and the only Black ladies skater of her generation on Team USA. Though she admitted that sometimes having so much attention can become overwhelming, she is happy to take on the role as an advocate and representative for future generations.
 
She is planning to keep her "Black Like Me" exhibition program for next season, which Michelle Obama called, "such a powerful performance."
 
"All of these groups coming together to try and diversify figure skating lately, I think it's absolutely amazing, and then the fund on top of that is just icing on the cake," Andrews said.
 
As an ambassador for Guaranteed Rate, Andrews will be featured in the company's "Believe You Will" campaign throughout this year.
 
Clips of her performances from the 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America and 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships were included in a commercial that aired during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. She is the first figure skater to be included in a Super Bowl ad since Alissa Czisny was featured in a Chrysler commercial 10 years prior.


 


"Oh, that was so crazy," Andrews recalled. "I was like, 'That's me!' I was like, 'That's me on TV, that's me on the ice.' It felt cool!"
 
Andrews recently shot another commercial with Guaranteed Rate, which will focus solely on her and air later this year.
 
"We filmed a lot of cool stuff on the ice with spotlights and fog and everything, so it's going to look so awesome," she said.
 
"Believe You Will" is apropos for all athletes, especially Andrews, who had to remind herself of it as recently as last month at the U.S. Championships.
 
After skating what she considers the worst short program of her career, Andrews was sitting in 17th of 17 skaters just one year after placing sixth at the competition. Andrews had to mentally recover and believe in herself for the next day's free skate. She did, fighting for each element and improving to 12th overall.
 
"I think being sponsored by Guaranteed Rate is absolutely amazing, especially the slogan, 'Believe You Will,'" Andrews said. "That's a great one because I especially had trouble believing in myself when I was novice and intermediate, and I started to believe in myself, and once that happened, so many doors opened for me."