HR0205 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0205 LRB103 31898 MST 60577 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize the contributions that Darius Sanders has made to the sport of artistic skating; and

WHEREAS, Darius Sanders developed a passion for roller skating while watching his mother perform at a local roller rink at the age of five; observing his mother and her friends skate motivated him to put on his first pair of skates; and

WHEREAS, Darius Sanders's talent as a roller skater was noticed by Julie Jessup, who became his coach and introduced him to Samantha Krusza in 2013; soon thereafter, the duo would form an inseparable skating partnership; and

WHEREAS, Darius Sanders and Samantha Krusza have competed in numerous roller skating competitions and skate shows; the duo finished first in the 2015 Figure National Championship in the juvenile division; together, they have competed in the U.S. National Figure Roller Skating Competition, where they placed first, and the World Figure Artistic Roller Skating Championship, where they placed fourth; his biggest moment was when he and Samantha made it to the 2018 Artistic Skating World Championships; and

WHEREAS, Darius Sanders has won more than 121 medals; he is currently ranked as one of the top African-American roller skaters in the world; he has traveled and competed in places such as Barcelona, Spain and Paris, France; the U.S. National Figure Roller Skating Committee has ranked him and Samantha Krusza as first in the nation as couple skaters; and

WHEREAS, Darius Sanders is a member of U.S. Roller Sports and a team member of the U.S. Olympic Team as of 2020; and

WHEREAS, Darius Sanders's goal is for the sport to become an official event at the 2024 Olympics; and

WHEREAS, Darius Sanders is the son of Phillip and Cassandra Sanders who reside in the Washington Heights neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago; he attended Butler College Prep; and

WHEREAS, Darius Sanders wants to inspire other Chicago youth to try different sports and hobbies to help keep them off the streets and to encourage more Black kids to try the sport of artistic skating; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we wish to recognize the contributions that Darius Sanders has made to the sport of artistic skating; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Darius Sanders as a symbol of our respect and esteem.