Two British Synchro Teams Win Gold and Silver

On 30th March 2007 two very excited teams from the Nottingham Synchronized Skating Academy, the Juvenile Silhouettes and Novice Shadows, both of whom are British Champions, set off for Holland to participate in an IJS (International Judging System) competition. Their coach left the National Ice Centre at 7.00 am, and the teams arrived at their destination, the Mercure Hotel in ‘s-Hertogenbosch , at 8.00 pm in exceedingly good spirits despite the very long journey.

After a good nights sleep (ha ha!) the teams enjoyed a breakfast at 9.30 am before meeting the Organizer who guided them into the City (‘s-Hertogenbosch) for a historical sight-seeing and shopping visit. The children had the opportunity to buy souvenirs for themselves and gifts for family and friends. We made the most of the beautiful spring day and sat outside the Cathedral to eat our packed lunch. The children made observations about the differences between the Dutch city and Nottingham. One of the main differences they noted was that most of the people travelled around the city on bicycles, so there were very few cars; the girls also observed that it also had obvious benefits for the physique! During the afternoon both teams had a practice ice session, which went very well. Afterwards they had dinner at the ice rink before going back to the Hotel for the night.

Sunday 1st April was competition day. Both skaters and parents were nervous and excited at the same time. The teams had to be on the ice at 8.00 am for the official practice ice, and then returned to the hotel for breakfast. Soon after this it was time to get all the skaters ready for the competition.

Before the competition took place the Team Captains, Cara Shephard and Alex Witek, the Vice Captains, Alice Oatway, Kate-Louise Bagnall and Jemma Blackford, the Managers, Sue Shephard and Sue Watts and the Coach, Tina Graham, all attended the draw. The draw took place in a log-cabin type room and we were greeted with soft drinks. There were plates of little biscuits and sweets on tables around the room. We were all made most welcome and were given many gifts from the other teams. The Captains drew 2nd position for both teams, which we were very pleased about. Several of our skaters skate in both teams, so it would give them a little bit longer to change in between programmes. After the draw it was back to the hotel to finish getting ready and to collect the rest of the team.

By 3.00 pm all of the skaters were ready for action. The team chaperones, Tracey, Helen and Jayne had done a fantastic job on the girls. With their hair and make-up done and in their costumes they looked stunning.

The Juvenile Silhouettes were the first of our teams to skate, and they couldn’t have skated their programme any better. They had tremendous support from the audience, which was fantastic. We waited with baited breath for the results and were delighted when the team took 2nd place, first time ever for a Juvenile team to be on the rostrum. Everyone was really excited.

Then it was time for the Novice Shadows to skate. It was very nerve-racking for the team as they felt under pressure to live up to what had already been achieved by the Silhouettes. The team had great support from the audience again and they did a superb skate. Because some of the skaters in the team had already skated with the Silhouettes there was a lot of nervous tension and unfortunately one of the skaters had a fall during the programme. But the team must have made an impact and impressed the judges because they still took 1st place by a considerable amount of points. It was a very emotional time for everyone!

All of the skaters were fantastic. This was the first time that they had skated in an IJS International Competition, and it was the first time that the younger Juvenile team had ever been taken away to an International. Receiving Gold in the Novice and Silver in the Juvenile sections for an International Synchronized Skating competition has never been achieved by a British Synchronized Skating Team before – we are delighted to have put Nottingham back on the map for producing champion skaters. Everyone should be proud of what our teams have achieved.

At the award ceremony all the teams were allowed to have some fun. The British teams started off a conga, and it was amazing seeing other teams joining in on what must have been one of the longest ever congas on ice, with all the different costumes making a wonderful splash of colour. On return to the hotel the Teams celebrated their achievements with a party, whilst the adults chilled out in the bar!