A Nottingham skating club has achieved a first in its history, breaking five British records at one competition.
Seven teams from Nottingham Synchronised Skating Academy (NSSA) competed at the Britannia Cup, the flagship competition for the sport, in Nottingham last weekend (10–12 January). Five teams – Icicles Senior, Icicles Junior, Ice Unite, Ice Stars, and Ice Gems – achieved record-breaking scores with their performances.
Icicles Junior achieved an impressive fourth place against tough international competitors, with three teams from the USA, two from Finland, one from France, and two from Great Britain competing against them.
The club’s other two teams also did well, with the adult team, Ice Diamonds, achieving a personal best score and a bronze medal, and the club’s newest team, Ice Infinity, achieving fourth place in a tough category of 13 teams.
Synchronised skating routines feature up to 16 skaters on the ice, performing synchronised moves, spins, and jumps. Icicles Senior and Junior also include lifts in their programmes. Creative choreography is used in these complex routines so that the 16 skaters tell a story on the ice, moving at speed to music.
The teams are trained by five coaches: Esther Morris, Lauren Kelly, Louise Alvey, Jemma Bowerford, and Emily Potter.
Joint head coach Esther Morris said: “I am beyond proud of how well the teams performed, reaching new PB scores and breaking new British records. It’s a true testament to all their hard work and commitment to their sport.”
Joint head coach Lauren Kelly added: “We are now working hard towards our next competitions, with the aim that Icicles Junior and Senior will be selected by British Ice Skating (BIS) to represent Great Britain at the World Synchronised Skating Championships, to be held in March and April.”
