DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAYS SOLWAY SKATERS STRIKE GOLD IN UK CHAMPIONSHIPS

A team of skaters from Dumfries are celebrating after scooping Gold at last weekend’s British Synchronized Skating Championships in Nottingham.

Solway Sk8ing Club’s synchronized skating performance squad are celebrating a golden weekend after winning at the British Synchronized Skating Championships. Solway Stars were crowned British Champions in the Junior B category and Solway Eclipse emulated the success with the British Championship title in Basic Novice B. The event was held at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham, a huge arena with a capacity of 9000, but the teams didn’t let this phase them and put in outstanding performances. Vice Chair of Solway Sk8ing Club, Hayley McQueen, said “we are over the moon with the results from the weekend. The skaters were just fantastic and we would like to thank our coaches, Philip Carter, Louisa Nairn and Julie Tyson for their ongoing commitment and dedication to making our skaters the best they can be.”
Solway Stars were first to take to the ice, late on Saturday afternoon, and received thunderous applause for their enthusiastic short programme interpretation of an Elvis classic, A Little Less Conversation. Ponytails, quiffs and lots of rhinestones on their costumes, all added to an outstanding performance. Smashing their previous personal best score, the Stars went into day two of completion with a 4 point lead over their nearest rivals.
Day 2 of the championships saw Solway Stars prepare for their free (long) programme, which was skated to Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Their nearest rivals skated before them and put in a great performance and so the pressure was on the Stars team to pull out something very special. There was never any doubt in the minds of the 16 skaters and they rose to the occasion, beating their previous free programme personal best by 6 points.
Team Captain of Solway Stars, Penny Wilson, said, “we were really pleased to beat our personal bests in both our long and short programmes. We have made a lot of changes to our programmes since our last competition to increase the difficulty and so it is great to know that all that hard work has been rewarded. “
Solway Eclipse had to wait until day 2 of the competition before their title challenge began. The young team, competing in only their second British Championship, wore colourful costumes to assist with a sparkling interpretation of Katy Perry’s Firework. A confident and mature performance meant the result was never in any doubt and they too exceeded their personal best score and were crowned British Champions with a 10 point lead over their nearest competition.
Team captain of Solway Eclipse, Eve Leonard, said, “we were so proud to win the British Championship and really enjoyed skating in such a big arena. All the team really pulled together to make sure that we put in the best performance we could and we were so excited to come home with gold medals and a big trophy.”
Philip Carter, Lead Skating Coach at Dumfries Ice Bowl said, “it was a very special weekend for everyone. Having both teams crowned British Champions was wonderful and a testament to the hard work and dedication displayed by the squad. Skating at Dumfries Ice Bowl has never been at a higher standard and myself and the team of coaches who work at the rink are very proud of everything the skaters achieve.”
The teams are already back in training for the Trophy D’Ecosse competition which will be held in Dumfries on the 6th to 8th February 2014. Nearly 50 teams from throughout the world, including the current World Silver Medallists, Nexxice from Canada, will be battling it out at the Ice Bowl. Admission is free and spectators are encouraged to come along and watch this spectacular sport in action.
For further information about skating at Dumfries Ice Bowl, please call the rink on 01387 251300 or contact Solway Sk8ing Club at [email protected]

The Solway Stars won the top prize in the ‘Junior ‘section of the 2 day event, and Solway Eclipse matched this achievement by collecting the top prize in the ‘Novice B’ category.
The teams train at the Dumfries and Galloway Council run Ice Bowl in Dumfries. The teams of keen skaters train seven days a week in the Ice Bowl, ranging from 6am starts to later training on week nights. This high level of dedication and hard work paid off on 17-18 January in Nottingham for the Stars and the Eclipse.

The Solway Skating Club has been in existence for a number of years, but their focus on Synchronized Skating began to gather speed in 2010 when a partnership agreement was struck with Dumfries and Galloway Council, enabling the club to access the ice pad daily following development works in the Ice Bowl. Currently, the club has over 70 members who done their blades and take to the ice.

Last weekend’s gold medals are the highest accolade in national skating. Speaking after hearing about the success, Councillor Tom McAughtrie, who is Chairman of the Council’s Community and Customer Services Committee said;
“I wish to record my congratulations to the skating teams on their UK Championships gold medal wins. It is nothing more than the competitors deserve given the time, effort and sacrifice they all make to train, rehearse and compete in Synchronized Skating events. It is also excellent news for the Ice Bowl and for the Council, and shows what can be achieved through partnership working with our local clubs and organisations. In recent months we’ve had curlers from the region winning Olympic medals and Ice Hockey players being called up for Great Britain. It is marvellous to add another cog to that wheel with the success of the Solway Skating Club.”
Tom went on to thank the coaches and volunteers who help with a range of tasks in order to keep the club ticking over. Tom said;
“The work that coaches, volunteers and parents do to facilitate all the training and competitions should be commended. This victory is testimony to their dedication and hard work too.”
The teams will be back on the ice competitively next month, when Dumfries Ice Bowl hosts the prestigious Trophy D’Ecosse. The 3 day event will be held from 6-8 February. For more information on this event see https://trophydecosse.co.uk/news/76 or visit www.dumgal.gov.uk/icebowl