EP. 01
Now on YouTube
The First Step Doesn’t Have to Happen in Childhood
A first step can arrive at any age. This episode follows the moment a later starter decides that wanting to skate is reason enough to begin.
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#NeverTooLateToSkate
Six episodes.
Different starting points.
One shared message.
Figure skating does not have one right starting age. This campaign follows the questions, barriers, and communities that shape the experience of beginning later.
EP. 02
Now on YouTube
The Barries Beyond the Ice
Access, coaching, cost, time, and fear can all make a late start feel harder. This episode looks at the barriers that surround the ice.
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EP. 03
Now on YouTube
Adults Don’t Learn Worse. They Learn Differently
Adult learners bring different bodies, goals, and experience to the ice. Clear explanations, patient pacing, and repetition can make progress feel possible.
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EP. 04
Now on YouTube
Same ice, Different goals
Some people skate for music, fitness, confidence, competition, or simply joy. Different reasons to begin can still lead to the same welcoming rink.
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EP. 05
Now on YouTube
We Skate for Something More
Beyond technique and progress, skating can offer freedom, confidence, friendship, and a space to return to yourself.
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EP. 06
Now on YouTube
No One Should Have to Skate Alone
Community turns isolated practice into shared learning. Friends, clubs, and local groups can offer advice, encouragement, and a reason to return.
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Meet the people behind the stories.
Five starting points, shaped by different lives, goals, and relationships with the ice.
01
Zixin Jing
Peking University Figure Skating Writer & Longtime Fan
Zixin has followed figure skating for more than fifteen years. After studying History at Peking University, he is now pursuing graduate study in Physical Education.
Since 2023, he has travelled frequently to watch competitions in person, from domestic club leagues and the Cup of China to the Asian Winter Games. Beyond the rink, he writes extensively about the sport through social media and long-form projects, including Nadeshiko on Ice, a 100,000+ word exploration of the history of Japanese women’s figure skating.
02
Ye Zhang
CFA Charterholder Recreational Figure Skater
Ye first entered the world of figure skating by accompanying his child to lessons. Over time, watching from the side of the rink turned into stepping onto the ice himself.
Now a dedicated recreational skater, he works in CFA education and travels frequently for work. Whenever possible, he finds time to visit rinks across different cities in China—making skating a part of life wherever work takes him.
03
Binghan Liu
Peking University Health Science Center Medical Student
When we met Binghan, she had travelled directly from a hospital internship on the outskirts of Beijing—and would return that evening for a night shift.
Between clinical training, graduate school preparation, and the pressures of medical study, figure skating has become a space where she can temporarily step away from deadlines, exams, and expectations. She has since received an offer to continue her graduate studies at Peking University.
For Binghan, skating is not another achievement to pursue. It is a place to breathe.
04
Lichen Gu & Yuying Hu
Renmin University of China Student Community Builders
Lichen, a student at the School of Finance, and Yuying, a Business Administration student, entered university eager to explore life beyond the classroom.
When they discovered that their university did not have an established figure skating club, they decided to help build one themselves. As president and vice president, they are connecting skaters, organizing activities, and creating more opportunities for students to experience the sport.
We met them while they were taking part in a public skating performance—a fitting moment for two students turning their own enthusiasm into a community for others.
05
Xiping Sun
Co-founder & Vice President, SYD Figure Skating Club
Xiping is a kindergarten teacher, a recent university graduate, and one of the founders of SYD.
Together with other members from different ages and professions, she has helped create a community where local figure skating enthusiasts do not have to practise alone.
For Xiping, the goal is not necessarily to build the biggest club—but to make the skating journey feel a little less lonely.