Bracknell Ice Skating Club Newsletter - March 2006

Young Skaters Qualify for Solo Dance Championship at First Attempt

Two young BISC members have qualified for this year's British Solo Ice Dance Championships at their first attempt.

To qualify for the championships at iceSheffield in July, female skaters have to finish in the top three places - or the next three places behind skaters who have already qualified - in one of six qualifying competitions. Male skaters qualify if they skate in two qualifying competitions, regardless of where they place.

The first of this year's qualifiers was held at Alexandra Palace on February 27-28 when the novice class had 26 entries. They included Bracknell's Hayley Salmon and Sadie Robbins, both aged 10, and Olivia Clarke, 11. Hayley and Sadie, who have competed in the last two finals - Sadie came 8th last year and Hayley 16th - qualified for this year's event when Hayley came 2nd overall which gave her her first ever rostrum place. She came 2nd in the compulsory dance and 3rd in the original dance while Sadie came 3rd overall (4th in the compulsory and 2nd in the original). Olivia, competing in her first Open dance competition, did really well to finish 7th overall (9th in the compulsory and 5th in the original).

With Laura Hartley and Charlotte Hester, both 14, moving up to juniors, the only Bracknell competitor in the primary class was Paul Dredge, 13, who came 8th out of 8 in last year's championship. He came 10th out of 14 at Alexandra Palace, finishing 7th in the compulsory and 11th in the original to notch up his best result in an Open competition.

In the junior section, Fiona Piggott, 15, who came 7th in last year's junior championship, came 5th overall out of 17 at Alexandra Palace, finishing 5th in the compulsory and 7th in the original. Charlotte Hester, who came 9th in last year's primary championship, came 7th overall (6th in the compulsory and 8th in the original); and Laura Hartley, who came 15th in last year's primary championship, came 15th overall (15th in the compulsory and 14th in the original).

Rachel Kellas, 17, who came 17th in last year's intermediate championship, was the only Bracknell skater at intermediate level at Alexandra Palace where she came 6th in the compulsory, 6th in the original and 6th overall out of 6.

With Bracknell coach Marcin Glowacki having returned to Poland, all the above skaters are now coached by David Phillips.

Unfortunately Tamsyn Pack was too ill to compete and some of Bracknell's older skaters have decided not to compete this year while British Primary Ice Dance Champions, Rebecca Forsyth and Chris Hockaday, plus Helen Ingram and Gary Lanham, and Claire Miller and Stephen Moore, who had just won this year's novice ice dance championship, have decided to concentrate on couples dance this year and not to enter the solo dance championships.

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