Meet Addison: Finding Her Power and Her Place on the Ice
Updated: Sep 29
When Addison Holly first stepped onto the ice at age 8 in 2022, she was a very shy skater.
She was quiet, reserved and much more comfortable watching than being watched. After her first competition, she wasn't even sure she wanted to compete again.
It is hard to imagine that version of Addison when you see her skate today.
Addison has become a very decorated skater. Her power, strength and presence on the ice do not go unnoticed. She has grown into a skater who commands attention when she steps onto the ice.
But there is another part of Addison's journey that has been just as important as her skating accomplishments. Learning to be herself.
Early in her competition journey, Addison had a competition where her regular coach was unavailable because of a scheduling conflict. She worked with a new coach for the first time, someone who had never coached her before, to get her through the competition.
The experience was positive, supportive and encouraging. The feedback we received felt familiar and affirming.
But there was one comment that stayed with me, her mom.
I could tell the coach wanted to elaborate, but seemed hesitant. I didn't push.
Instead, I shared the feedback with Addison, and we had a conversation about how she should look at and carry herself during a competition.
And that is where the mom guilt set in.
Because as parents, we want our children to understand how to navigate different spaces. We teach them how to be respectful, how to communicate, how to adapt.
But there are also so many spaces where we feel the pressure to adjust who we naturally are.
Assumptions from other people can make that adjustment feel necessary.
And that can be heavy for adults.
I imagine it can be even heavier for children who are simply trying to chase their dreams.
In new spaces with new faces, we have heard comments about Addison such as, “Is she okay?” or “Why does she look so mean?”
If you know Addison, you know how far those assumptions are from who she really is.
She is nurturing.
She is kind.
She is determined.
She is full of love.
Her face does not always tell her story.
And she should not have to change her natural expression, personality or presence to make someone else more comfortable.
This is why we talk about representation.
Representation matters because when young skaters see people who look like them, they can feel seen and understood without having to explain themselves.
It matters when a coach understands that a skater may communicate differently.
It matters when instruction can be delivered in a way that feels relatable and familiar.
It matters because when children feel comfortable in their environment, they have more room to focus on learning, growing and becoming the athlete they are capable of being.
For Addison, representation has helped create a different experience.
Through Dream Detroit Skating Club, she has had opportunities to learn, compete and grow in an environment where she does not have to be the only one.
She gets to be a skater.
Not a representative.
Not an explanation.
Not a stereotype.
Just Addison.
And that is part of what makes Dream Detroit so important.
Dream Detroit is creating space in figure skating for Addison, for her sisters and for so many other young people who deserve to feel that they belong on the ice.
Because access is not only about being able to afford a pair of skates or a lesson.
It is also about having a place where a child can walk onto the ice and feel like she belongs there.
Addison has come a long way from the shy eight year old who wasn't sure she wanted to compete again.
Today, she is a decorated skater with undeniable power and strength.
But perhaps one of the most important things she is learning is that she does not have to change who she is to earn her place.
She already belongs.
And we want every young skater who comes through Dream Detroit to know the same thing.
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