Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th January saw Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena host the British Synchronized Skating Championships, and Solway Sk8ing Club’s four teams travelled to Nottingham to compete against some of the best teams in Britain. This year’s event was the biggest yet, with 62 teams competing in 12 categories and skaters from age 6 to over 60 taking part.
On Saturday, Solway Comets were the first of the four Dumfries teams to take to the ice, competing against eleven other teams in the Elementary category. They performed their routine to a medley from The Lion King and scored 18.67 which earned them a closely-contested sixth place, less than half a point away from finishing in third place. Comets had a very accomplished skate and it was obvious to all watching how much they enjoyed performing the routine. They also beat their previous best British Campionships score.
Solway Lighting were the next Dumfries team to skate, competing in the Juvenile category. They skated third out of five teams, performing to a Mary Poppins medley and scored 31.46, a new personal best score for the team. Their almost flawless performance gave them a second place finish, and as well as silver medals they also won the award for the most entertaining performance of the day. It was an amazing achievement to beat 37 other teams to win this accolade.
The Junior category was a two-way battle between Solway Stars and Nottingham’s Icicles as Stars continued their journey to qualify for the Junior World Championships, to be held in Zagreb, Croatia on 6th & 7th April. Stars performed their Short Programme routine to Before The Story by Luke Bond, and scored 38.44, just over one point behind Icicles, the current British Junior champions, and another personal best score.
Solway Eclipse performed their routine to Into The Woods in the Mixed Age category on Sunday. They skated fifth out of eleven teams and scored 38.71, their personal best, and the third of the weekend for the club. This score secured Eclipse second place and silver medals, only missing the gold by 2.51 points. The standard of skating was incredibly high and competition for the medals was fierce. Eclipse also achieved their highest place in the Mixed Age category at the British Championships, beating their previous best third place.
The final skate of the weekend for the Solway teams was Stars’ Free Programme routine, performed to the original soundtrack to Moana. Stars’ routine was fast-paced and elegant, and involved complex and dangerous manoeuvres, all of which were executed with an incredibly high level of precision, timing and accuracy. This was reflected in their score of 64.70, yet another personal best for Stars and the club. Stars’ total combined score was 103.14, beating their previous combined best by almost ten points and winning them the silver medal.
Every Solway team took to the ice to huge applause and cheers from spectators and competitors alike, and all thoroughly enjoyed their experience at the event.
No report on the event would be complete without a mention for Team SPICE (Special People on ICE) from Slough. The guest team skated to “Be Our Guest” from Beauty And The Beast midway through Saturday’s event and received a standing ovation from the audience and judges for their superb performance.
Next on the event calendar is the Leon Lurje Synchronized Skating Competition in Gothenburg, Sweden on 26th-28th January 2018 for Solway Stars, and Trophy d’Ecosse at Dumfries Ice Bowl for all teams. Trophy d’Ecosse is held in Dumfries Ice Bowl on 9th-11th February and will play host to some of the highest level synchro teams from around the world.
Solway Sk8ing Club would once again like to thank their sponsors Cellfield & Kip McGrath, Murray Ettle Dental Care, and The Holywood Trust who made a significant contribution to the costs involved in travelling to the event.
One partner. No competitors. Visible across local sport.
