British Skating News, 2022 and beyond

[miffy]

@Belsornia are you going to glorious Sheffield too?

 

[Belsornia]

The lure of IceSheffield in December is too strong for me to hold out. (Hold some event sometime somewhere other than Sheff, please BIS.)

The entry list has been updated and looks like Hairsine/Surenkov-Gultchev are out of junior dance. I'm certainly not wishing injury or illness on anyone, but if it's another midseason split then

 

[miffy]

Euros team announced here.


Women
Nina Povey
Reserve – Kristen Spours

Men
Edward Appleby
Reserve – Henry Privett-Mendoza

Pairs
Anastasia Vaipan Law and Luke Digby
Lydia Smart and Harry Mattick
No Reserve

Ice Dance
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson
Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez
Layla Karnes and Liam Carr
No Reserve

 

[miffy]

I think I need @Belsornia to explain why Henry is reserve over Freddie Freddie’s international and national scores were higher IIRC? There must be a reason but I’m stuck here. Everything else seems straight forward.

 

[Belsornia]

The selection criteria this season is: (best score at a GP/GPF/CS in 2022-23 or 2023-24 seasons) + (best score at any ISU senior international 2022-23 or 2023-24 seasons) + (British Championships 2023)

So Henry is ahead on the basis of having competed at a Challenger, even though he didn’t score very well at Nepela and finished behind both Freddie and Ken at the British and at their international(-ish) head-to-head at the Tayside Trophy.

Ken would be next in line because he beat Freddie by more in Tayside (when he landed 3ax and got the Worlds FS minimum) than Freddie beat him by in Sheffield.

Fingers crossed that Ed can replicate his free skate from Sheffield in Croatia this weekend and finally get that minimum!


The YOG selection meeting also took place on Sunday. No announcement yet, but the team should be Slatter/Ongay-Perez and Tao MacRae.

 

[miffy]

Thank you

Doesn’t that criteria seem a bit rubbish if the others had no way to beat Ed or Henry because they weren’t selected for a challenger event? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised…. Nothing against Ed and Henry at all, i’m pleased for them, I am just interested in how they decide these things!

 

[Belsornia]

Yeah, I guess maybe they're trying to reward consistency but it seems to put undue weight on performances last season / in summer monitoring vs how people actually skated in competition this season. And it penalises anyone who has to withdraw from an assignment (like Daria Dalgich in juniors).

Not that the (likely) championship teams are particularly perplexing, and I hope that all the debutantes have a great experience at Euros. And BIS/NISA have certainly made weirder decisions in the past!

 

[Seerek]

Nina Povey debuting at Europeans at age 29 - big congratulations.

 

[miffy]

Fingers crossed that Ed can replicate his free skate from Sheffield in Croatia this weekend and finally get that minimum!

He got it

 

[Belsornia]

Not a bad week for Ed!

 

[Xela M]

Has anyone seen the BBC documentary Freeze about the current British skaters?

 

[miffy]

Has anyone seen the BBC documentary Freeze about the current British skaters?

Was that the one they filmed a couple of years ago? I saw some but not all.

 

[Xela M]

Was that the one they filmed a couple of years ago? I saw some but not all.

Yes, that's right but quite a few of them are still skating (I think only one or two like PJ retired). It was quite fascinating how different British coaching style is - very "nicey nicey"

 

[Belsornia]

Torvill and Dean are going to be on Emmerdale on 28 December.

 

[miffy]

Torvill and Dean are going to be on Emmerdale on 28 December.

Maybe they lost a bet at the ITV Christmas party

 

[Wyliefan]

What's Emmerdale?

 

[miffy]

What's Emmerdale?

It’s a British soap that has been on for decades. It used to be called Emmerdale Farm.

ETA: it started in 1972 so 51 years

 

[Belsornia]

Junior World team has been announced: here. No surprises.

Women
Alexa Severn
Reserve – Arabella Sear-Watkins

Men
Edward Appleby
Reserve – Jedidiah Lincoln

Pairs
Lucy Hay / Kyle McLeod
No Reserve

Ice Dance
Ashlee Slatter / Atl Ongay-Perez
Molly Hairsine / Alessio Surenkov-Gultchev
No Reserve


I think the last time we sent such a large team to junior worlds was 1989, when Steven Cousins finished in the top ten and twelve year old Marika Humphreys competed in dance.

 

[Belsornia]

BIS is running a partnered dance open alongside the new solo dance Qualifier in March. The entry list is out (on Sportity) and we have a new junior dance team: Megan Cunningham and Jamie Hammond. They’ve both come from solo dance (and another set of ice dance siblings with Jack and Jamie).

AdvNov bronze medalists Isabel Harrison / Harvey Dick are also competing juniors. Not really a surprise that they’re moving up since she’s already 17, but a bit that they’re doing it now and getting an RD for one competition.

So potentially six junior teams next seasons, since it seems pretty certain Marler-Davies/Black will move up (she’s aging into juniors, he’s aging out of novice and IMO they looked ready at the British). Of course, that assumes no-one splits up…

 

[Belsornia]

Provisional entries for the March Qualifier

Leilah Patten is listed in Junior Women so I guess that means she is switching back from Bulgaria. She is the Bulgaria junior silver medalist and, looking at protocols, has triples up to lutz. JGP selection next season could be interesting.

 

[Sylvia]

Coach David Richardson’s Junior Worlds video of Taipei highlights with Team GBR: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4HwPUNo3B7/

Turns out it was Lucy Hay’s final competition; Kyle McLeod already has a new partner (TBA): https://www.instagram.com/p/C4OH49EIDoF/

ETA link to Lucy’s post today: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4OHxkMM9T1/

After an incredible 11 years, I have taken the decision to retire from my skating career. This was a very difficult decision to make however, it is the right one for me. I am proud to be able to say I am a two times British junior pairs champion and I’ve been selected to represent Great Britain at many junior Grand Prix and Junior worlds.
I am grateful that I got to go through my journey with Kyle who has supported me every step of the way. I couldn’t have reached the achievements I have without him.
Thank you to everyone that has supported me throughout, especially my coaching team. I have been surrounded by the best coaches.

 

[Belsornia]

Oh, I’m sad about this one. I really thought Lucy and Kyle had the most potential of all the British pairs.

At least it sounds like the split was amicable and well communicated. And of course all the best to Lucy for her post-skating career.

 

[miffy]

Awww no this makes it even sadder that they missed the free at JW by one place

I hope Kyle has a good new partner. I remember when he skated singles, I am pretty sure he had 2a, 3s and 3t. If he found someone who could do those jumps that could be very exciting (I know jumps aren’t everything, and Lucy and Kyle were very well matched in other areas and had a lovely style together.)

 

[Belsornia]

My guess is that Kyle’s new partner is someone who’s switching from singles, since I’m pretty sure it’s not Neamh Davison and managing international tryouts in parallel with training for junior worlds would have been challenging. (My immediate thought was Emma Lyons, but no idea if she’s even interested in pairs.)

 

[miffy]

My guess is that Kyle’s new partner is someone who’s switching from singles, since I’m pretty sure it’s not Neamh Davison and managing international tryouts in parallel with training for junior worlds would have been challenging. (My immediate thought was Emma Lyons, but no idea if she’s even interested in pairs.)

That would make sense. And she has 2a at the least.

The only thing I am wondering is the part about the ‘new venture’. I wonder if it’s going to be skating in shows (Disney?) or cruise ships rather than competing. If it’s just a new partnership it seems strange to call it a new venture. I hope I’m wrong because it’s sad enough not to see Lucy again but I’d be really sorry if we didn’t see Kyle either

 

[Belsornia]

Noooooo, I hadn’t even considered that the announcement might mean that Kyle is moving on from competitive skating too!

 

[Sylvia]

Edward Appleby’s post today about his final Junior Worlds (includes a soundless SP clip & 3 pics): https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Q9bggrF1B/

My final Junior World Championships has come to an end. It's been such a journey from competing in my first one in 2019 and placing 36th to placing 9th here in 2024. As one chapter ends, another must begin, I'm looking forward to competing fully as a senior from now on! Thank you everyone for your continued support, I wouldn't be here without it

Ed’s coach John Wicker’s Jr. Worlds post & 2 Team GBR photos in Taipei: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4GiyZyrBjd/

 

[Athenajones77]

BTW I have it on good authority that Kyle's new partner is junior figure skater from Dundee Rebecca Ritchie

 

[miffy]

BTW I have it on good authority that Kyle's new partner is junior figure skater from Dundee Rebecca Ritchie

Thank you! Will they compete?

 

[Sylvia]

I remember watching Graham (and his older brother, Jack) compete in local U.S. competitions when the Newberry family lived in PA - best wishes to Graham who announced his retirement today: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Vn_6XrGSH/

ETA: Dad/coach Christian Newberry became the skating director at the Pelham Civic Compex rink in Birmingham, AL at the end of 2023 and Graham is coaching there too. Graham's ISU bio: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00014165.htm