Ep 142: Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance with Elladj Baldé
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Ep 142: Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance with Elladj Baldé
Episode 142: Show Notes
Today we have a real-life superhero on the show, with a breathtaking origin story. Elladj Baldé is a figure skater that has been breaking the mold and shattering expectations since his early days in the sport.
Despite some sizable course corrections and realignments, he has managed to find an authentic place for exercising and exploring his passion for expression. In this conversation with Elladj, we hear about the challenges of being a black skater, the successes and speed humps he has lived through, why he moved into performance skating, and the difficulties he has had with multiple concussions during his career.
Elladj talks about the beauty and allure of wild ice and the different influences and motivations that he received from his particular family dynamic. Towards the end of our chat, we also hear from Elladj about the amazing Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance, which he helped found, and some of his hopes and ambitions for the future of the sport.
So if you want to catch all this, join us for this great adventure with Elladj!
Key Points From This Episode:
How Elladj and Light came across each other online!
Looking back on Elladj's early years, family history, and introduction to skating.
The impact of Elladj's sister's death and the stories he heard about her from his parents.
Success, performance, and acceptance; Elladj talks about the atmosphere in his home.
Common preconceptions about skating and gender.
Elladj talks about identity, authenticity, and code-switching.
Ambitions and support; what Elladj remembers of his parents' attitudes.
The risks and costs of a sport as pressurized as figure skating.
Mental health and professional sport; what it really means to be an aspiring Olympic athlete.
How Elladj's path shifted direction with a trip to Africa!
The concussions that Elladj experienced, and the symptoms he suffered with as a result.
The final competition that Elladj took part in and the feeling of completion he had at the end.
Elladj reflects on his life during the pandemic and how it altered his focus.
The story of the viral video of Elladj doing a backflip on wild ice!
Why Elladj is grateful for the power of social media.
The founding of the Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance and the motivation behind this.
Exploring how Elladj uses visualization and meditation.
Elladj's ideas of success and its ties to understanding his inner world.
Tweetables:
“My mom has been a figure skating fan her whole life. She started skating as a kid, but had to quit very early on because she moved from the city that she was in, in Russia, to Uzbekistan, and there weren't any rinks out there.” — @elladjbalde [0:11:29]
“I felt very comfortable on the ice very quickly. It was something that came quite naturally to me. Those first few moments on the ice, in my memory, were all fun and games. But that changed very quickly.” — @elladjbalde [0:12:25]
“As kids, we absorb everything. We feel everything. We feel the energies and the emotions that our parents are experiencing.” — @elladjbalde [0:17:02]
“I was maybe around 18 years old. That's when I started my journey of finding this authentic self and committing to only operating from that space. It was a long journey, but that's where it started for me.” — @elladjbalde [0:30:38]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance