Bronx woman powers through stereotypes by figure skating

A Bronx woman shared her journey on social media of how she overcame stereotypes to enjoy a sport she loves.

News 12 Staff

May 17, 2020, 10:15 PM

Updated 1,602 days ago

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A Bronx woman shared her journey on social media of how she overcame stereotypes to enjoy a sport she loves.
Daphnie Vega says she never considered herself a "skinny" girl as she grew up, but she always admired figure skating – even though she says it is stereotypically known as a "skinny sport."
"Not only is it an expensive sport, but you have to look a certain way for you to be successful in it," says Vega.
After graduating college four years ago, Vega says she decided to take the jump and teach herself how to figure skate by watching videos online.
"I didn't know any of the terms but I started watching and I started analyzing different jumps and how do you tell one from the other," she says.
The only problem was there's only one ice rink in the whole borough of the Bronx. So, Vega started traveling to ice rinks all over the tri-state. She says her confidence grew the more she hit the ice.
"I didn't feel self-conscious at all. I'll feel some type of insecurity when walking down the street, but on the ice, it's completely different," says Vega.
Vega tracked her progress and motivated others with her Instagram account @plus.size.sk8er. She says she's built of network of friends through the online skating community.
 During the pandemic, Vega is conducting remote learning as a New York City public school teacher. However, she says she is unable to let loose and get back on the ice in her free time. She says once everything is back to normal, she encourages others to hop on board.

"If it's something you want to do, just do it because you don't know much longer we have in this world especially with the circumstances now," says Vega.