Last month, the first Black-owned female figure skating club graced the city of Detroit with a grand opening and welcoming arms for youth in the figure skating world. Angela Blocker-Loyd and Candice Tamakloe, skating directors of Dream Detroit Skating Academy (DDSA), pioneer Motor City’s only Black-owned female skating club and the state of Michigan’s only #BlackOwned figure skating club. The academy, which offers a high-quality and rigorous figure skating program, provides a variety of beginner and advanced classes. The program provides affordable and accessible lessons to low-income youths. Classes consist of group and private figure skating lessons at the Adams Butzel Recreation Center-Jack Adams Memorial Ice Arena to youth ages four and up. Blocker-Loyd’s figure skating journey began at 9 years old, while being the youngest skater and among the few Black skaters at the Berkley Ice Arena and Recreation Center. Tamakloe took her under her guidance, and the rest is history. Among the few competitive #BlackSkaters in the metropolitan Detroit area, the pair were moved to fill a need in the community—lack of representation. “There has never been a skater at the national or international level to come out of the city of #Detroit,” Tamakloe told the news outlet. “We want to bring that quality back into the city.” The Dream Detroit Skating Academy aims to breathe new life into the city. The website speaks to Tamakloe’s determination. “Exposure facilitates many of our youth’s interests. Interests are the seeds that inspire dreams and dreams fuel our drive for success. Unfortunately, figure skating is an opportunity to which few Detroit youth are exposed, but Dream Detroit is working to change that.” Source: BlackEnterprise ✨👉🏾 Kindly FOLLOW Our Pages @wonderwombman @wonderwombman2 (DM For Our Promo Rates) 📬📥 https://www.instagram.com/p/CZz96tUL9Hd/?utm_medium=tumblr
