Bowie native, Team USA figure skater describes challenges of being a Black girl in the sport
BALTIMORE -- Leatrice Bulls, a figure skater from Bowie who competes for Team USA, has accomplished a lot on the ice.
But it's her work off of the ice that is impacting young skaters around the country and changing the culture of skating.
For 20 years, Bulls found her comfort on the ice.
"When I was young, my mom wanted me to be in some sport," Bulls said. "She didn't really care which one, but she wanted me in one and she wanted me to enjoy it."
Bulls chose skating when she was 4 years old and she hasn't looked back.
However, being a Black girl in the world of figure skating wasn't always easy.
"Racism was something that I was aware of but kind of thought I could surpass if I was good enough," she said.
Bulls told WJZ she remembers feeling isolated.
And in 2020, she decided that she was going to take action and make sure fewer young skaters would experience that hurt that she felt when she was younger.
Now, a Harvard graduate and business technology analyst, Bulls was appointed by the President of us figure skating to lead the group's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. She was named co-chair on the newly formed Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) task force.
The goal is to create an inclusive and diverse environment for all skaters to thrive.
"It's very personal to me. I absolutely love skating," Bulls said. "I wouldn't still be doing it if I didn't love it, but that doesn't mean it hasn't hurt me along the way. To know that, I can take those experiences that I had and make positive change for it so that other young brown kids can go through and develop the love that I have."