Bracknell Ice Skating Club Newsletter - November 2003

New Synchro Teams Get Off To Good Start

BISC's efforts to rebuild its synchronised skating section are beginning to pay off with one of the two new teams winning silver in a qualifying competition for the British Championships..

The club's junior Ice Metrics team and novice Ice Precise team had been tremendously successful since the late 1990s. But that changed when most of the members reached the age limit and first Ice Precise and then Ice Metrics ceased skating. To combat the crisis, the club set up a synchro development squad and some of those skaters have now joined the re-established Ice Precise and the new mixed-age team Ice Fusion whose skaters come from both the Bracknell and Slough rinks.

They had their first chance to show what they are capable of when they skated at the National Ice Centre, Nottingham, on November 9 in a qualifying competition for the 2004 British Synchronised Skating Championships.

In the novice section, Ice Precise's team of 12 skated well to its Hoe Down medley and came 4th behind Basingstoke, Nottingham and Lee Valley. Team coach, David Phillips, expects it to pull up to third place at the championship.

Ice Fusion's 12 skaters performed a clean programme to a medley of Queen tracks and came 2nd out of five teams in the mixed-age section, beaten by Lee Valley but ahead of Nottingham, Gosport and the Moray Dolphins.

"A great big thank you must go to Sara Holroyd, Jo Simms and Leanne Burling (three highly experienced former members of Ice Precise and Ice Metrics) for stepping in at the very last moment when Ice Fusion was hit by a spate of injuries and illnesses," David said.

"The programme was very well received by both the audience and judges and scored good marks. Both Simon Jenkins (the Slough coach who helps coach Ice Fusion) and I were thrilled especially as the first time the team that competed actually skated together was on the practice session at the event itself!”

The team hopes to have 16 skaters when it competes at the championships in January when it will be going all-out to push Lee Valley's Team Eclipse off the top spot.

In the Ice Fusion squad were Kasia Bielska, Leanne Burling, Alix Carter, Gemma Cross (vice captain), Rebecca Fraser, Laura Hartley, Rachael Heap, Becky Highcock, Laura Highcock, Sara Holroyd, Charlotte King, Lucie Pitcher (captain), Alison Ryder, Jo Simms and Lyndsey Steere, In the Ice Precise squad were Amy Barnes, Charlotte Briddon, Gemma Cross, Stephanie Francis, Rebecca Fraser, Laura Hartley, Rachael Heap (vice captain), Becky Highcock, Laura Highcock, Charlotte King, Catherine Loades-Bannon, Rebecca Loades-Bannon, Susie Race, Alison Ryder, Hayley Salmon and Lyndsey Steere (captain).

Wishing Our Skaters Every Success

The club congratulates its top female free skater, Sarah Johnson (left), on qualifying for the British Junior Ladies Championship this year.

Sarah, 18, who competed in 2001, secured her place when she came 7th out of 18 skaters in a qualifying competition at Sheffield on October 27. The top 12 go through to the final.

Also competing in the championships is the club's top ice dance couple, Kira Geil and Andrew Smykowski, who won bronze in last year's junior championship. The competition between the top three couples is expected to be very close and they are so determined to win this year that they are training at Sheffield with Jimmy Young.

And Tamsyn Pack, 13, and Richard Boaden, 15, will be contesting the primary ice dance championship after twice coming fifth in the novice dance championship.

BISC wishes them every success at the championships at Sheffield on December 2-6 and hopes that many club members will be able to support them..

 

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