Champion ice skater overcomes homelessness to chase his dream

Carving up the ice, dipping low as he picked up speed before twisting into a pirouette* so fast his features blurred, Sydney teenager Emery Kaison appeared right at home on the ice rink.

With each competition, performance and podium finish, the 17-year-old amateur* figure skater edges closer and closer to his dream of sporting glory on the national stage.

Most recently, Emery filmed an as yet unreleased music video with Melbourne-based band Close Counters for their latest album.

But despite the growing collection of accolades*, Emery returns after each training session not to a cosy home with loving parents, but a youth refuge.

“Skating was my safe space,” he said.

“The skating community and my coaches really helped me get through.

“If I never had that support from them … I feel like I would have just crumbled.”

Working a casual fast-food job to make ends meet, what little spare funds Emery had to cover rink access, costumes and gear, competition entry fees and travel have now run dry, effectively putting his future ambitions on ice.

Semi-retired figure skating coach and former Australian national ice dance champion Chris Stuart has taken Emery under his wing pro-bono* – even taking him shopping to buy food at his lowest moments – and said the 17-year-old had “become family”.

“The main reason I’ve stuck by him is because I can see that he has a lot of talent,” he said.

Success in figure skating, Mr Stuart said, was “a combination of the right sort of training, the right sort of attitude and the right sort of conditions”, but “you’ve still got to have a lot of luck on your side”.

“When life is hard, it’s hard to keep your focus,” Mr Stuart said.

“I don’t want to see Emery missing out on something I know he can achieve.”

The young skater fled his traumatic* home life at the age of 16, moving between Inner West sharehouses and youth shelters.

According to the latest figures from Homelessness Australia, NSW has the highest number of unaccompanied children seeking support with homelessness, with 7,152 under 18s approaching specialist services in the 2022-23 financial year alone.

Emery has been supported by the Salvation Army and the Australian Sports Foundation among other charitable organisations and said other young people who were living in unstable homes or fleeing family conflict should know that help was available.

However, he felt that schools and other institutions needed to do more to support students who were at risk, he said, especially when they explicitly* asked for help.

“Their concern shouldn’t be academics first, it should be safety first,” he said.

WHERE TO GET HELP

Please call triple-0 in an emergency.

There are a number of professional organisations who help kids and teenagers.

If you need someone to talk to, call or visit:

• Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
• Beyond Blue counsellor on 1300 22 4636 (available 24/7) or chat to a counsellor online at https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support
• ReachOut at au.reachout.com
• Headspace at headspace.org.au
• If you’re not physically safe, a responsible adult in your life can help you report the incident to police.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• pirouette: a fast turn of the body on the toes or the front part of the foot, performed especially by a ballet dancer
• amateur: someone who pursues an activity but is not paid as a professional
• accolades: strong praise or approval, acclaim
• pro-bono: voluntarily, free of charge
• traumatic: causing significant and lasting worry, distress and pain
• explicitly: expressed outright, in a way that is clear and precise

EXTRA READING

Homelessness on the rise

Homeless Australians out in the cold need our help

Sweet dreams and a good night’s sleep in a carpark

QUICK QUIZ

1. Who does Emery credit with helping him through his struggles with homelessness?
2. What are some of the expenses associated with Emery’s ice-skating ambitions?
3. What is the main reason former Australian national ice dance champion Chris Stuart gives for helping Emery?
4. How many under 18s approached homelessness services in NSW in the 2022-2023 financial year?
5. Among the charitable organisations that have supported Emery, which two are named in the story?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Safety first
Do you believe schools do enough to support young people to be safe and happy rather than just worrying about the learning and academics?

Write a list of the things schools do well, and a list of what they could improve to support young people like Emery.

Things schools do well to support youth needing support:

Ways schools could improve their support for young people:

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What might be some of the things you take for granted when you have a safe and loving home to go home to each night?

Write a list of things you could practise being more grateful for each day.

–

–

–

–

–

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
I spy nouns
Nouns are places, names (of people and objects), and time (months or days of the week).

How many nouns can you find in the article?

Can you sort them into places, names and time?

Pick three nouns and add an adjective (describing word) to the nouns.