This project emerged from an assignment in a Digital History course at American University that I took in the Spring of 2022 as part of my Master's degree coursework. We had two choices: study something digital and write a research paper about it, or create something digital, such as a website. I've written more papers than I can count, so I wanted to try something different than what I would normally choose. So, that's how we ended up here, with a basic yet functional Google Site.

As for the content, I came to this subject because I have a long and personal history with figure skating. I began skating when I was ten years old, and was competitive until I was 18. I wasn't able to continue skating competitively once I got to college, but my interest in and love for the sport has never wavered. I continue to watch every competition, follow the skaters on social media, watch old YouTube videos of Olympic performances long ago, and attend any competitions that come to a city near me. I love this sport, but I also recognize how many representational problems there are inherent within it. It takes a certain level of wealth and privilege to compete in figure skating. I wish it wasn't so. But this aspect of the sport leads us to interesting questions about its accessibility and about the countries that seem so successful in it. This question has intrigued me for many years, so I am excited to have the chance to explore it further.