Bracknell Ice Skating Club Newsletter - May 2004

Excellent Open Provides Food for Thought

This year’s Bracknell Open has to be the best yet.

It certainly had a record number of entries over the five days and the organisation ran with army-like precision. All praise must go to BISC’s competitions secretary, Sue Truby, assisted by Sarah Johnson and Rachel Jarvis and the rest of the team (why is it always the same faces?). It would be impossible to calculate the number of unpaid hours they put in to ensure not only that the event went ahead, but that it had star quality. Any glitches there were had nothing to do with the club.

And even the rink management seemed to get it right this year … once the judges’ scoreboard shelving had been found!

The toilets, generally, were kept cleaner than last year and the café not only opened at 8am each day but served some relatively healthy fare and didn’t run out by mid-day. In fact, the management was so helpful that it even operated the music on the Wednesday afternoon.

The biggest complaints seemed to be caused by referees. while the decision to hold presentations at rinkside. - to maximise patch and coaching time—was not popular.

A total of 430 skaters from 37 clubs—from Inverness to the Isle of Wight - took part.

The dance event, now traditionally held on the first day, attracted 91 entries in the five solo dance qualifying classes and three free dance classes. Four members qualified—one winning gold and one bronze.

After lower level free and artistic classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, the event culminated on Thursday and Friday with some of the country’s top individual and pairs skaters competing in qualifying events for this year’s British Championships in December.

The number of BISC members entering was also up on previous years with 17 in the dance section plus 32 free skaters, two pairs and 27 skaters in 15 artistic entries.

While the dancers upheld the club’s reputation for ice dance, even though only two medals were won compared to seven last year. Bracknell skaters netted 12 medals, seven in the artistic classes.

There were some notable performances —David Truby who won the Level 4 boys and James Bailey who won silver at Level 1. The other medals were won by Simon Waller and pairs—Charlotte Hester and David Truby and Seren and Luc Tudor.

Simon Waller was up against David Richardson who has previously won the British novice championship and is primary championship silver medalist. Both will compete at the junior championship for the first time this year and while David just beat Simon to first place, one of the three judges favoured Simon and he was awarded marks up to 4.6.

Melissa Dron and Luke op den Brouw, in their first Open, came a creditable 7th and 8th out of 14 while Olivia Wessendorf just missed out on a medal when she came 4th out of 19 in another beginners’ class.

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