Jacob Sanchez Wins Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund Promising Athlete Award

Junior men's competitor Jacob Sanchez is charismatic, driven and passionate about making figure skating a more diverse sport. The teenage Latino competitor and Diversify Ice ambassador is one of three athletes to be awarded by the Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund to support the training and development of promising figure skaters who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Sanchez previously applied for the award last year but was not selected as an inaugural recipient. Nonetheless, Sanchez persevered, applied again and is, now, the recipient of the Fund's promising athlete award of $10,000.
 

"There [are] a lot of skaters who don't feel represented in this sport because of the color of their skin," Sanchez explained. "One reason I wanted to apply to the award was to show and represent people of color in the sport. Winning this award means I have a lot of people who see I have potential and believe in and support me."
 

One of the people who believes in Sanchez is Randall Lane, a selection committee member and representative from the Lisa McGraw Figure Skating Foundation (the organization that contributed the leading gift to make the award possible). Lane, who is accompanied by other selection committee members representing the U.S. Figure Skating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force and Mabel Fairbanks Disciples group, has been a longtime advocate for diversity in figure skating and commemorating Fairbanks's legacy.
 

 "It's no secret that there aren't many people who look like me in figure skating," Lane, who was the first Black member of the Skating Club of New York, said. "When Mabel was teaching in California, she made sure to reach out to diverse audiences. She coached Black skaters, Asian skaters, Latino skaters… She coached Tai [Babilonia] and Randy [Gardner]. And, she coached Rudy [Galindo] and Kristi [Yamaguchi]."
 

According to Lane, the story of the "Grand Dame" of African American figure skaters is still unknown to many. As a result, he and the other selection committee members have viewed the application process for the Fund as an opportunity to pass on knowledge of Fairbanks to younger generations. When preparing their application for the award, applicants are not only asked to communicate their own challenges, but to also share lessons and inspiration learned from Fairbanks's story.

"Each one of the folks we interviewed knew Mabel's story and could talk about things from her life that resonated with them," Lane described of the Fund's application process.
 

For Sanchez, Fairbanks' most resonating trait was her passion for the sport.

"She really wasn't able to skate because of the color of her skin, but she persevered through every obstacle that stood in her way," began Sanchez in reference to Fairbanks repeatedly being denied entrance to skate and compete in New York's ice facilities. "When she was allowed to skate, she was limited to a half hour of ice. She didn't care, though. She was there because she loved what she did, and she let nothing hold her back."
 

At only 14-years old, Sanchez understands the large impact Fairbanks had on the sport and legacy she left behind for skaters of color like himself. Last Fall, Sanchez shared with U.S. Figure Skating that he felt a responsibility to represent the Latino community as a Puerto Rican in the sport. Being an ambassador for the Diversify Ice Foundation, Sanchez has worked with others to fight racial disparities and systemic barriers for minority skaters.
 

"Jacob believes that there should be more people of color in the sport, and that's one of the things he said he wanted to help," Lane noted as a highlight of Sanchez's application. "He's really driven to further diversify the sport, and he wants to see more Latinos, especially, involved. He really wants to be a role model for others."
 

As a young Black skater, Lane wishes he would have heard about and known Fairbanks so that he had a role model who looked like him. By having a role model with shared identities, Lane believes BIPOC athletes can see more potential in themselves. Beyond representation, Lane elaborated BIPOC individuals have not had the same opportunities as their white peers in terms of financial support and community. And, while change has occurred, it has "not been fast enough." More than 65 years ago, Fairbanks's friend and fellow Culver City Ice Arena coach, Catherine Machado, made history by being the first Latina to represent the United States at the Olympic Winter Games in 1956. Last week, fans across the world watched Donovan Carrillo become the first Mexican skater to compete in the Olympics in 30 years and the first to qualify for the men's free skate final event – a feat even more impressive due to Carrillo's primary training location being a shopping mall.

"The [Fairbanks] award is groundbreaking," said Lane. "It's the only one that honors someone of color in figure skating, is targeted toward people of color in the sport and encourages them to continue in their pursuit of excellence."
 

The Fund's purpose is to help BIPOC athletes in all disciplines realize and achieve their maximum athletic potential, focusing 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 pursuits. With the help of the promising award, Sanchez will be able to continue to push his level of training for next season and use the award to support his off-ice training–specifically ballet classes. More importantly, the award will help Sanchez continue the legacy of Fairbanks and champion change for current and future BIPOC skaters.