Meet Aubrey: Finding Her Place on the Ice
Updated: Sep 29
Some kids are naturally gifted. Aubrey has always been one of those kids.
Before figure skating, she tried gymnastics, cheer, dance and swimming. She was always the kid who seemed to pick things up quickly. Give her something new to learn and she would usually figure it out. Then, she found figure skating.
Aubrey started skating at age 11 in 2022 through a Learn to Skate program. And something different happened. She didn't just want to be good.
She wanted mastery. Before Aubrey could even properly glide across the ice, Aubrey was trying to spin and jump like her coaches. She would watch her Dream Detroit coaches with awe in her eyes, studying what they were doing and wanting to try it herself. Her coaches would gently guide her back to the basics, reminding her that there was a process to learning how to skate. Aubrey was determined to skip straight to the good stuff and that determination never faded.
What made figure skating different from the other sports Aubrey tried was that it did not come easily. And that is exactly why we believe she fell in love with it.
Figure skating challenged her in a way she had not experienced before. She could not simply pick it up and move on. She had to slow down. Repeat things. Fall. Try again. Listen. Adjust. Practice some more. For a child who was used to being naturally good at things, learning how to struggle was its own lesson.
And Aubrey embraced it.
Over the past four years, we have watched that determination turn into something remarkable. In 2026, Aubrey qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating Excel National Festival in Boston. It was her first attempt at qualifying! She was one of 48 skaters invited nationally and the only Black skater from Detroit represented in her group and finished 8th out of 24 skaters at Nationals. We sre so proud!
Aubrey also had experiences that went far beyond the competition itself. She met skating legend Surya Bonaly, participated in an edge class with elite skating talent and had the opportunity to perform in an ice show exhibition.
Each experience has given her another glimpse of what is possible.
And Aubrey has a big dream. She wants to become an Olympic skater.
But what makes us proud is not simply the size of her dream. It is the way she has learned to work for it.
Figure skating has taught Aubrey something that came naturally in other sports: being talented can get you started, but mastery requires patience, resilience, humility, and to keep going when the thing you want does not happen as quickly as you hoped.
That is why skating has become more than a sport for her. It has become a place where she is learning who she is, and she is doing it in Detroit, surrounded by coaches and a skating community that believes she belongs on the ice.
Opportunities like this should not depend on what a family can afford.
Figure skating is expensive. Ice time, private coaching, equipment, testing, competition fees and travel can quickly become significant barriers for young athletes who want to continue progressing. This is why Dream Detroit Skating Club exists.
At Dream Detroit, they want children like Aubrey to have the opportunity to discover what happens when talent meets access, determination and support.
Aubrey started skating at 11 wanting to spin before she could glide, and to jump before she had mastered the basics. When skating challenged her in a way other sports had not, she did not walk away. She leaned in because she wanted to know what she could become.
Comments