Pictured from left, Karen Courtland Kelly, Olympian WFS’s Chef de Mission of Education and Sport, Patrick Kelly, Olympian, World Figure Sport’s Logistics and Equipment Master, Marc Fenczak, five-time World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships silver medalist, Debi Thomas, Olympic Bronze Medalist & World Champion and Shepherd Clark, six-time World Figure and Fancy Skating champion on the ice at the Olympic Center’s 1980 Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid. (Photo Provided)

LAKE PLACID — During Debi Thomas’ figure skating career, she broke boundaries and shattered records.

Thomas won the 1986 World champion and won bronze 1988 Winter Olympics, becoming the first-ever Black woman to medal in the Winter Games. She was also a two-time U.S. national champion in the late 1980s. But for the past 12 years, Thomas, 55, hasn’t put on a pair of figure skates — nor has she skated on ice.

“I really didn’t feel like I wanted to skate,” Thomas said.

While Thomas didn’t go into full detail with the Enterprise, articles from Washington Post in 2016 indicate that she went through some hardships during that period, including at one point going “broke.”

But none of that mattered on Feb. 18 when Thomas put on her Harlick skates and took her first steps onto the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena ice in Lake Placid.

Thomas said she felt really wobbly. She added that she needed to tweak her blades so the she could be at her best ability.

She said the main reason she returned to skating was that she realized the importance of figure and fancy skating, which is often referred to as compulsory figures. Compulsory figures require skaters to perform sketches on the ice. For many years, the segment of figure skating made up more than half of the total score for competitive figure skating events. That changed in 1990 when the International Skating Union voted to discontinue them as a part of competitions.

Despite being discontinued, the sport has continued through the World Figure Sport Society, which is based in Lake Placid. The organization is even set to host the 9th annual World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships and Festival on black ice from Oct. 2-8 in Brasher Falls.

“I’m just glad to be part of this movement of the World Figure and Fancy skating because it is a part of our sport,” Thomas said. “It’s a part of our history. It’s a brand of skating that needs to stay alive and it lives here through World Figure Sport.”

Her trip to Lake Placid was organized by Shepherd Clark, a six-time World Figure and Fancy Skating champion. Clark was a guest star of the World Figure Sport’s Sk8 with Love Exhibition Ice Show which was held in the Olympic Center’s 1932 Rink in Lake Placid on Feb. 18. Clark wanted Thomas to be the special guest of honor at the ice show.

“He has been trying to get me to come back and do this,” Thomas said, “and I finally get it. After watching how skating is evolving, we realize that we could lose the art of figure skating if we lose something that is incredibly skillful. It could be lost forever. People stop doing these figures and bringing it back is something that I think is phenomenal.”

Thomas spent the weekend training and skating with Clark. She did three turns, loops with a head rush and backward crossovers.

“I will say that what the World Figure Sport is doing has inspired me. Watching my contemporaries, who are in their 50s and 60s, out here doing these figures that we did at a very high level. It’s something really phenomenal.”

When Thomas first stepped onto the ice in Lake Placid she did it alongside Clark. Thomas said it was special to do this in Lake Placid.

“I haven’t been to Lake Placid in a bunch of years,” Thomas said. Just the history behind what Lake Placid means — as an Olympian — that has a lot of meaning to it.”

Thomas wasn’t the only one relishing in the moment. World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships and Festival posted the video of Thomas stepping onto the ice for the first time, which garnered more than 700 likes and 80 comments.

“Fantastic, so amazing Debi … What an inspiration you are to those who are wanting to get back into skating but for whatever reason have lacked the courage. All the best Debi, legend,” one commenter wrote.

Thomas said it was great to see the positive reaction to her comeback. “But to be honest, I’m terrified that I’m going to be able to do this,” she said. “Just knowing that there are people that support me and are just cheering me on. I think it will be an interesting journey to follow.”

The positive reception to Thomas’ return doesn’t come as a surprise. In the late 1980s, she had iconic moments in the figure skating world. She said that fans sent her letters saying how much it meant to them to see somebody of color — or someone that looked like them doing what she was doing.

“I wasn’t necessarily trying to be the first Black skater to do these things but I realized that I was a role model in the fan mail that I would get,” Thomas said. “Especially now where I think in the media, race has become a big issue. I didn’t really think of it that much when I was coming through.”

Thomas said her mother would tell her that she could do whatever she set her mind to, “and I was just stupid enough to believe her and did it,” she said. “Some people need more than that and I understand that, and take responsibility for being in that role model position.”

While Thomas’ comeback is in the early stages, she encourages others to try compulsory figures through the World Figure Sport. Anyone 5 years old and up can participate in their programs.