Transformative 'Figure Skating in Harlem' program looking for a new place to call home
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- A unique program in Harlem is helping young women transform their lives and feel more confident through figure skating.
The program "Figure Skating in Harlem" has been changing lives for decades.
"I love learning new routines. I think it's really fun," skater Isabella Delgado said.
So much discipline goes into learning each routine, but it is still fun.
The resulting joy and feeling of empowerment are what kept "Figure Skating in Harlem" steadily growing for 28 years supported by donors and sponsors.
"I started with a handful of girls, with some used skates, 1997, and since then we have over 1500 alumni," Sharon Cohen, founder and CEO of Figure Skating in Harlem said.
The program's director of student engagement is among them.
"It's an all-girls program, so we build a culture of sisterhood. They come from the Harlem community," said Raquea Hemingway Director of Student Engagement at "Figure Skating In Harlem."
"I've seen so many different skaters come through and we've all become so close no matter what year they joined," Delgado said.
There are 170 girls are in 'Figure Skating In Harlem' now, which has a waitlist.
They are mostly middle and high school students, and they are students first and foremost.
They can't practice the exhilarating routines until they've done their homework.
And they have to maintain a "B" or higher average in school.
"We have tutors, teachers, social workers, counselors, coaches," Cohen said.
There's a new docu-series on Disney+ all about them which also made them more aware of how the possibilities are limitless, but they are looking for their own space.
Ice time, like so many things in Manhattan, is at a premium.
The rink in Riverbank State Park is only available to the girls for a few hours a week, and it will be gone at the end of March.
"So, our dream is to have the first ever skating educational wellness center, right here in Harlem. Indoor. 24/7. 365," Cohen said.
The search is on for that permanent home so they don't have to keep shuttling between rinks and can make the most of the formative years for the program's young women who all got into college.
"It's going to increase the amount of girls that we can serve in the community. It's going to increase the time that they have to learn on the skates, hopefully, to build that future Olympian," Hemingway said.
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