In 2021, the Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund was established to support the training and development of promising figure skaters who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). In the last two years, the Fund has provided six awards and furthered the careers of six dedicated and deserving individuals. This year, due to an increase in funding from the Lisa McGraw Figure Skating Foundation, the committee was able to double its recipient numbers and add a new award for the 2022-23 season.

Traditionally, the Fund has granted three awards each year: Elite, Promising and Developmental. The three awards correlated to the level of skaters eligible for them. For example, junior and senior skaters are eligible to apply for the Elite Award; novice skaters and above are eligible for the Promising Award; and juvenile skaters and above are eligible for the Developmental Award.

Nineteen-year old Alex Gasparotto, who made her senior debut at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January, was selected for the Elite Award of $20,000. Promising Award winner Jessica Jurka (junior) and Developmental Award winner Cyrus McSwain (novice) rounded out the top scholarships provided by the Fund and received $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.

Ria Basu, Nathan Chapple and Athena Huang were named the recipients of the new Notable Award from the committee and will each receive $2,000 as they join their peers as Fund ambassadors.

 "What really stands out about the winners this year is their perseverance. A lot of them are really hungry to make a successful skating career for themselves," explained Sultana Muhammad, a former student of Mabel Fairbanks and the Fund's selection committee representative from the Fairbanks Disciples group. "But, also, their resilience is remarkable. It's a lot – mentally and emotionally – when you're struggling financially to do something you love."
 

Meet the Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund Award Winners
When reading applications for the Fund, selection committee members look not only for skaters who are in financial need of the assistance, but also for skaters who embody the characteristics of Fairbanks and skaters who are dedicated to diversifying their sport.
 

"[Winning the Elite award] gives me a sense of how much other people believe in me … and how I can be a role model for other people," Gasparotto explained in regard to winning the Fund's top award.
 

Gasparotto has served as a Diversify Ice ambassador, alongside fellow winner, Chapple, and was encouraged by her choreographer, Rohene Ward, to apply for the award. According to Muhammad, Gasparotto exhibits much of the same work ethic Fairbanks held and has made it incredibly far in the sport with limited financial assistance. At the 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Gasparotto, along with Starr Andrews, made history as it marked the first time in over 20 years that two Black women have competed in the championship women's event.

"The fact that she has made it this far and overcome so many obstacles in her journey is a testament to her grit and determination," Muhammad explained.

Meanwhile, Jurka, the youngest winner at 12, was born in Lima, Peru, and began skating before she was 2. In her short time in the sport, she has made tremendous strides and has been named to the National High Performance Development Team three times in a row. Even though Jurka was competing as a novice during the 2022-23 season, she qualified to compete at the junior level at the U.S. Championships.
 
Impressively, Jurka makes frequent visits back to her home country to perform in exhibitions and shows and is an inspiration for fellow South Americans.

"This sport is very beautiful, but it's also demanding not only physically, but also economically for my family," Jurka remarked. "I think that this award is really helpful. I'm moving to Colorado in a few weeks, and this award will help with ice time and coaching there."

Jurka's peer, McSwain, 17, soars above her and stands nearly at six feet tall. The young Black man from Oakland, California, previously applied for the Fund's award but was not selected. Despite being taller than most skaters, the selection committee was amazed by how McSwain has used his height to his advantage and increased his quality of spins and jumps.

"Cyrus was one of our returning applicants, and we really thought re-applying to the award showed perseverance," said Ouida Robins, who is on the selection committee. "He is a shining example of #SkatingIsForEveryone."

As the Notable Award winners, Chapple, Basu and Huang's achievements and/or contributions to figure skating are distinctly recognized by the committee.
 
Chapple, 23, has been a strong advocate for BIPOC skaters and breaking access barriers to the sport alongside Diversify Ice. Basu, 18, has deferred her college enrollment to pursue her skating dreams and be a role model for fellow Indian-Americans. Additionally, Huang, 13, has a great love and dedication for skating that rivals those years beyond hers and she was recently named to the U.S. Figure Skating International Selection Pool.

"This award really spoke to me [because] you don't really see any Brown skaters in the sport," explained Basu. "Mabel pushed boundaries and pushed for what she believed in."

"Mabel Fairbanks was a trailblazer for figure skaters of color," Chapple echoed. "I am excited to represent Black skaters and to encourage others to try the sport."

Mabel Fairbanks and the Skatingly Yours Legacy
Mabel Fairbanks was born in 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida, during the era of Jim Crow laws. While Fairbanks became the second Black and Indigenous member of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1997 – second only to her student and 1979 World pairs champion Tai Babilonia – much of her life was spent fighting for a place in the sport. After she was orphaned and moved to New York, Fairbanks became enamored by the skaters in Central Park and by Soja Henie in One in A Million. Determined to learn how to skate, the young Fairbanks bought herself a pair of oversized used skates and taught herself to glide and twirl on small frozen ponds. Despite being repeatedly denied entrance to New York's ice facilities and not being allowed to compete in the sport, Fairbanks persevered.

"Mabel wasn't allowed entrance to rinks because of the color of her skin," Huang recounted. "But, then one day, a manager [at the Gay Blades Ice Rink] noticed her dazzling spirit and let her in. [The manager] only allowed her to skate the last 30 minutes, but that didn't stop her … She continued doing what she loved."

Later, with the encouragement of Maribel Vinson Owen, Fairbanks produced her own ice shows and events and became a renowned coach and mentor to a number of U.S. champions and Olympians before passing away in 2001.

"Mabel was able to make a place for Black skaters in the sport, and she really inspired so many more upcoming Black skaters. I think when people saw her skate and heard her story inspired them to start skating too," McSwain said. "Mabel's story served as a reminder that with hard work and determination you can get where you want no matter what other people think."