WATCHED FIGURE SKATER DEBI THOMAS JUMP AND SPIN HER WAY TO BECOMING THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO WIN A MEDAL AT OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES.

BUT NEARLY 40 YEARS LATER, THE SPORT HAS YET TO SEE ANOTHER AFRICAN-AMERICAN WHEN A SENIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OR ATTRACT MANY SKATERS OF COLOR.

OUR NEXT GUESTS ARE NOW WORKING TO MAKE SKATING MORE ACCESSIBLE AND SHOW WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH MENTORSHIP SPONSORSHIP AND JOINING US NOW WITH MORE.

OUR JOEL SAVORY, FORMER FIGURE SKATER AND FOUNDER OF DIVERSIFY ICE FELLOWSHIP FOUNDATION AND 1988, OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST DEBI THOMAS, THANKS TO BOTH FOR JOINING US.

LOOKING FOR CONVERSATION.

PLEASURE TO BE HERE.

DO STARTING WITH YOU FIRST.

OFTEN SHARED HER OWN STORY ABOUT NOT ALWAYS A FEELING WELCOME IN THE SPORT.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THAT?

WELL, FOR ME, I WAS VERY LUCKY BECAUSE I HAD A YOUNGER BROTHER WHO IS REALLY ANXIOUS AND EAGER TO FOLLOW FOOTSTEPS.

SO WE WERE ALWAYS TOGETHER ON THE ICE AT THE RINK.

SO I FOUND SORT OF SOLACE IS HAVING MY BROTHER THERE.

MY PARENTS ALWAYS BEING VERY SUPPORTIVE AND, YOU KNOW, DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, WHAT YOU LOVE.

AND YOU KNOW, GOING TO BE THERE FOR YOU.

AND TO REALLY JUST LOCKOUT INSIDE OUT EVERYONE ELSE THAT KIND OF PUSHING, YOU KNOW, YOU DOWN WITH THAT THE STEREOTYPES OF, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU AND THE ICE RINK SO YOU CAN DO IT.

SO I THINK THAT THAT COMMUNITY WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME.

TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE STATE OF DIVERSITY IN FIGURE SKATING NOW.

AND YOU KNOW HOW YOU CAME TO CREATE DIVERSIFY EYES.

YEAH, UNFORTUNATELY, FIGURE SKATING IS VERY MUCH A MONOCHROMATIC SPORT.

SO REALLY JUST ONE SAY DUSTIN IS ON THE ICE RINK.

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE.

I'M REALLY NOT MANY PEOPLE OF COLOR.

WE'RE STARTING NOW ON THANKS TO DIVERT BISON.

JUST A LOT OF EFFORT AROUND THE COUNTRY OF MANY SKEETERS TRYING REALLY PUSH THE FIRST CITY TO SEE SPRINKLES HERE AND THERE OF SOME DIVERSITY ON THE ICE.

AND YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO AT CYPRESS, BASED ON THE SCENE AS WE'RE TRYING TO BRING MORE PEOPLE INTO THE SPORT.

SO WE HAVE IT AT A SKI RACER IS REALLY EXCITING THING BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE A COMBINATION OF PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE FROM OLYMPIANS LIKE TAI BABILONIA THOMAS TO CURRENT STARS LIKE STAR ANDREWS AND THEN THE NEXT GENERATION OF FIGURE SKATERS THAT ARE COMING IN AND WE KIND OF GUIDE THEM THROUGH A PATHWAY TO MEET THE STARS AND HAVE A GREAT FEEDBACK LOOP OF THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO.

AND I CAN HAVE A PATHWAY TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO GET THERE.

DEBI THOMAS, DID YOU REALIZE DURING YOUR SKATING CAREER THAT YOU WERE THE FIRST BLACK AT YOUR LEVEL IN THE ROLE THAT YOU WOULD GO ON TO PLAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE SPORT.

WELL, IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE SOME.

I GUESS I ACTUALLY DIDN'T REALLY FOCUS ON MY COMING UP THROUGH AND SOMETIMES I I SORT OF FEEL LIKE IT.

IF MY MOM HAD MADE THAT A FACTOR WITH THAT AFFECTED ME, WOULD IT HAVE AFFECTED ME NEGATIVELY?

LIKE WHAT I HAVE?

BUT CERTAIN LIMITATIONS ON MYSELF.

MORE, YOU KNOW, TAKEN ON ALMOST VICTIMIZATION SORT ROLE.

GO MY STORY IS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST GOT INTRODUCED TO FIGURE SKATING.

I MEAN, I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE OLYMPICS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

MY TOOK ME TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE SYMPHONY OPERA BALLET AND MUSICALS.

AND IT SHOWS.

IRONICALLY, THE PERSON APPEALED TO I SHOWED WAS THAT YOU NEED NOT FRED HU LOOKS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE ME.

HE WAS LIKE US IT.

WE'RE LEAVING HER LATER HOSE THAT'S WHO I DO LINES.

AND THAT'S YOU.

WHEN I FIRST STARTED SKATING, WHO I WOULD IMITATE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO IT WAS FUNNY.

MANY YEARS LATER WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT TO MY FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND THEY WERE ASKING ME HOW I GOT INTO SKATING.

AND I TOLD MY STORY ABOUT MISTER FRICK AND HE HE SAW IT ON TV AND WROTE TO ME AND SAID, THANK YOU FOR THE TRIBUTE.

AND YEARS.

YOU KNOW, LATER, I COUPLE YEARS LATER WHEN I WON MY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, I ACTUALLY DID VERY FAMOUS COMEDY NUMBER MAY WANT TO EASEL.

AND REALLY FOLLOWED IN MY IDOL'S FOOTSTEPS WHO, LIKE I SAID, LOOK, NOTHING YOU.

WELL SO THAT LIKE A BIT OF HIM SKATING.

AND OBVIOUSLY WE'VE ALL SEEN LOTS OF YOU SKATING AND THEY DON'T LOOK ANYTHING ALIKE.

AND SO I LOVE THAT STORY THAT BUT IT YOUR IDOL.

MEAN, I NOTHING ABOUT THE OLYMPICS OR ANYTHING.

YOU KNOW, DON'T EVEN REALLY THINKING ABOUT THAT.

I COULD BE COME THE BLACK, THE FIRST BLACK ATHLETE FROM ANY COUNTRY IN ANY SPORT TO MEDAL IN THE WINTER OLYMPICS.

I ALMOST DIDN'T GET A MEDAL.

I STATED SO BADLY IN FREE I WAS GOING GET THAT PROBLEMS MENTAL WELL, IT'S GOING TO BE SORRY.

I JUST WANT TO I WANT TO GET JOB BACK IN HERE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN A FEW SINCE, YOU KNOW, SINCE YOU DID WIN THAT MEDAL AND CENTRA DID ACCOMPLISH ALL THAT, JOEL, WHY DO YOU THINK THERE HAVEN'T BEEN MORE BLACK AND BROWN SKATERS SINCE DEBBIE THOMAS?

WELL, W HAS BEEN SUCH A ICONIC PERSON IN THE SPORT AND WE'RE SO GLAD TO HAVE HER.

AND WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE SO MANY MORE SKATERS OF COLOR COME THROUGH.

THERE'S SAYS A LOT OF BARRIERS WITHIN THE SPORT RIGHT NOW, MANY OF WHICH IS VERY SYSTEMIC SO NUMBER ONE, THE SPORT IS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE.

SO MANY OF PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE PRICED OUT OF THE SPORT.

NUMBER 2, THERE'S THIS BISON JUDGING MINDSET AS WELL.

YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES MANY KIDS OF COLOR WOULD DO EXACT SAME ELEMENTS, SOMETIMES EVEN HARDER AND THEY FEEL THAT THEIR SCORES ARE MUCH LOWER.

SO HOW DO WE COMBAT THAT?

AND THEN THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY, THERE'S REALLY NO COMMUNITY THERE IN THE SPORT UNTIL FAVORS VICE FOUNDATION CAME ALONG THE COURSE BUT TO LOOK AROUND AND THE ICE RINK IN BEING THE ONLY ONE AND NOT KNOWING WHO IS REALLY IN YOUR CORNER, I THINK COULD BE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.

SO DIVERSE BY SUNDAY SUN WHERE, YOU KNOW, PUSHING FOR PROVIDING THOSE SPONSORS SETS MENTORSHIPS NETWORKS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO BROADEN THAT TO CONNECT US ALL AND TO HOPEFULLY GET US TO THAT NEXT LEVEL.

SO WE ARE SEEING SOME CHANGES NOW COURSE THAT WE JUST MENTIONED STAR ANDREWS WHO ALSO BE AT THE SKATE RAZOR THIS WEEKEND AND MANY OTHERS.

MY BROTHER, THE MANUAL WELL, AND YOU'VE ALSO YOU ALSO, YOU'VE BEEN WORKING WITH SKATERS AT HOWARD TO HELP THEM THEIR OWN TEAM, WHICH IS THE FIRST EVER AT AN HBCU.

AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE BEEN COACHING FOR A LONG TIME.

YOU MENTION YOUR BROTHER AND WHO'S GONE ON TO WIN SOME TITLES COMPETING INTERNATIONALLY AS WELL.

HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE SKATERS AND EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THE SPORT?

BECAUSE A LOT OF THEM DON'T EVEN SEE IT AS AN OPTION FOR THEMSELVES.

YEAH, YOU KNOW, EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE HOW ARE TEAMS LIKE MANY OF THEM DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEY COULD ACTUALLY DO HOWARD FIGURE SKATING TEAM REALLY OPENED THE DOOR TO MANY OTHERS BEING ABLE TO SAY, HEY, I CAN SKATE YOUR COLLEGE STUDENT AND THEN ALSO FOR MANY OTHER I WANT TO COME INTO THIS YEAR.

YOU KNOW, THEY CAN SAY, WELL, I CAN HAVE A CAUSE THAT LOOKS LIKE WELL, YOU CONNECT MYSELF WITH FULL MONTH.

BIG.

I'M DEBBY THOMAS.

MAYBE I ACTUALLY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE A FIGURE SKATER AT A NATIONAL OLYMPIC LEVEL.

DANNY THOMAS, YOU KNOW IT IN YOUR WORK WITH JOEL AND DIVERSIFY EYES.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A YOUNG SKATER WHO SAYS I WANT TO BE THE NEXT DEBI THOMAS OR WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT NEXT TO ENCOURAGE THEM AS WELL AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY CAN DO IT.

WELL, YEAH, WHEN WHEN I WAS COMING THROUGH SKATING, I THINK I DIDN'T REALIZE THE IMPACT THAT I HAD UNTIL I STARTED GETTING FAN MAIL FROM SKATERS AND MOMS AND AND AND I REALIZE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE THEY NEED TO IDENTIFY WITH WITH SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE THEMSELVES AND BUT USUALLY WHAT I TELL KIDS IS LOOKS KNEW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH LIGHT YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T MAKE OTHER PEOPLE SORT OF CS A CERTAIN WAY.

BUT MY MOM USED TO ALWAYS DOES TELL ME, YOU KNOW, SHE WOULDN'T SAY, OH, YOU DIDN'T GET WHAT YOU DESERVE BECAUSE YOU ARE BLACK.

YOU NEVER SAID THAT TO THROUGH MY ENTIRE CAREER.

IF I DID WHEN SHE WOULD JUST SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO GET THERE NEXT TIME AND GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AND EVENTUALLY GETS TO BE UNDENIABLE.

AND YOU KNOW IT TO BE FAIR.

VERY FEW PEOPLE MAKE IT TO THE OLYMPICS IN FIGURE SKATING IN ANY BRAINS WITH HYPERINFLATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT FIGURE SKATING IS PRICING MOST PEOPLE.

AND SO A LOT OF WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN WORKING ON IS.

OTHER WAYS TO MAKE FIGURE WHERE YOU CAN SORT OF GET.

SOME RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT.

THERE'S THERE'S A SCANNER AND SORRY.

WE WANT REMIND GO, NO, IT'S OKAY.

WE'RE JUST AT A TIME BUT I LOVE WHAT YOU SAID.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SEE SOMEBODY WHO LOOKS LIKE YOU TO DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, BUT I AM GOING TELL THAT THEY CAN GET MORE, THAT THEY CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME, A THINK THE 2 OF YOU, DEBI, ANGELES.

AVERY, THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING THANK YOU SO AND AGAIN, AS JOE MENTIONED, THE