Do we have a Team GB fan thread? "Skating notes from a small island"

[morqet]

http://absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=interviews&id=2017jonesboyadji Interview from after Euros with Zoe & Chris.

They've also been getting some national media coverage with people picking up on Zoe's story: http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/20...in-a-spin-over-lack-of-funding-for-the-sport/

And they've had a big boost for their fundraising campaign from David Seaman, a former footballer who started skating when he was on Dancing on Ice. https://twitter.com/bbcpointswest/status/840307160844242944

 

[pinky166]

Good luck to Graham Newberry at Junior Worlds & Worlds! Will be a busy few weeks. He did so well at Euros. PS did anyone else notice he bears a striking resemblence to Brian Joubert? Like he could easily pass for his little brother

Anyways I think he has some actual potential to move up in the skating world. Ted Barton really liked him on the JGP and his 3a and 4s are coming along well!

 

[whiteskates]

I will be going to pairs free in Helsinki and will be cheering very loudly for the Brits. I think Zoe is amazing to be doing this at her age and watching Euros I found them quite charismatic and artistic.

 

[Sylvia]

BBC article on Penny Coomes and her recovery: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/39370581
(The end of the article mistakenly lists 2 ladies and men as representing GBR at Worlds in Helsinki -oopsGraham Newberry and Natasha McKay will make their respective debuts in singles.)

2 related news videos are posted in the Coomes recovery thread in GSD here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/in...mes-injury-recovery.99085/page-2#post-5035093

Zoe Jones and a short ITV clip about her and Christopher Boyadji going to Worlds: http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry...ld-in-the-world-figure-skating-championships/

Football legend (David Seaman) helped J/B with their fundraising effort: http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/...kating_duo_to_help_with_fundraising_campaign/

The former England goalkeeper is no stranger to the world of figure skating after competing in the popular ITV series Dancing on Ice in 2006.
Now married to professional skater Frankie, he visited Zoe Jones and Christopher Boyadji at their training ground yesterday to rally support for the campaign, which will contribute to the costs of competing as well as funding their coach and costumes.
David, 53, and Frankie first came to meet the Swindon figure skating stars through their coach Mark Naylor, who also worked on Dancing on Ice.
David said: “I really wanted to get involved and donate because I was shocked that there wasn’t the funding there for them. We have a couple here that have the chance of being in the championships and maybe qualifying for the Olympics so you would think that the country would be getting behind them.”

ETA link to Titanilla Bőd's interview with Jones/Boyadji at Euros in Ostrava: http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=interviews&id=2017jonesboyadji

 

[4rkidz]

I will be going to pairs free in Helsinki and will be cheering very loudly for the Brits. I think Zoe is amazing to be doing this at her age and watching Euros I found them quite charismatic and artistic.

Me too, pairs is my favourite event so I got really good seats in Helsinki for them. Although I want the Canadians to win, I have a soft spot for the Brits too.

 

[whiteskates]

Me too, pairs is my favourite event so I got really good seats in Helsinki for them. Although I want the Canadians to win, I have a soft spot for the Brits too.

Well, I want Savchenko/Massot to win but don't think they will but we have our soft spot for the Brits in common, LOL.

 

[allezfred]

Although I want the Canadians to win, I have a soft spot for the Brits too.

Somehow I don't think the Brits will be challenging the Canadians. Even the number three Canadians.

 

[4rkidz]

Somehow I don't think the Brits will be challenging the Canadians. Even the number three Canadians.

Likely not but I'm sure they will appreciate some extra cheering

 

[Sylvia]

Bumping up this thread with hearsay news about 2 new GBR Junior ice dance teams that was just posted in the Canadian team splits thread in GSD:

George Waddell, 18, who placed 7th in Junior Dance at Canadians with Sabrina Bédard, was listed on IPS earlier but is not there now. He had stated in his profile that:

My goals for next season are to compete on the [Jr.] Grand Prix circuit for the United Kingdom, and to hopefully qualify for Junior Worlds. My long term goal is to have international success in both junior and eventually senior, for the United Kingdom.

Re. Waddell:

He's skating with Sasha Fear, I think splitting time between Montreal & London, and they are planning on representing GB. (Sasha's former partner Elliot Verburg is skating with Tish Marsh, training with Zueva)

Leticia (Tish) Marsh, now 16, skated with Anton Spiridonov for GBR last season: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00101029.htm

ISU bio of Sasha Fear, now 15 & Elliot Verburg, 17, last season: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00101986.htm

 

[Sylvia]

Articles from NISA on 2 young teams:

http://www.iceskating.org.uk/index.cfm/news/tish-and-elliot-prepare-for-debut-skate-on-world-stage/

GB Junior Ice Dance pair Leticia Marsh (known to all as 'Tish') and Elliot Verburg are preparing for their first competition as a newly formed team at their first international competition this month.
Tish and Elliot formed officially just last month – now they’re gearing up to face some fierce competition at the Lake Placid Ice Dance International [July 26-29, 2017]. <snip> ...
Aged 16 and 17, they now train full time, five days a week at the Arctic Edge of Canton ice rink through the competition season.

http://www.iceskating.org.uk/index....nandez-we-re-determined-to-do-everyone-proud/

Embarking on their second year in the NISA’s Performance Squad, Junior skating pair Emily Brown and James Hernandez are gearing up for an exciting season.
Emily, 16, and James, 15, were recently informed that they had earned their place at the upcoming second leg of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Salzburg, Austria. It takes place on 31st August – 2nd September.

 

[skatefan]

I don't know whether this has already been reported elsewhere, but Stacey Kemp and David King have a baby boy, Ethan, born 4th July http://www.iceskating.org.uk/index.cfm/news/kemp-and-king-welcome-new-addition/

Congratulations

And wow, a one hour labour!

 

[Sylvia]

Michigan article on Marsh/Verburg before they make their junior international debut together in Lake Placid (also preparing to compete at JGP #3 in Latvia, Sept. 6-9): http://www.hometownlife.com/story/s...carve-out-winning-career-ice-dance/486621001/

 

[leigh466]

I don't know whether this has already been reported elsewhere, but Stacey Kemp and David King have a baby boy, Ethan, born 4th July http://www.iceskating.org.uk/index.cfm/news/kemp-and-king-welcome-new-addition/

Congratulations

And wow, a one hour labour!

Oh, how sweet! So happy for them!

 

[Sylvia]

Cross-posting this Sheffield competition highlights article with photos in the Penny Coomes recovery thread in GSD and here: http://www.iceskating.org.uk/index....ckland-are-back-with-a-bang-at-ijs-sheffield/
("Newberry" is the correct spelling of Graham's last name. )

Results of IJS Sheffield competition this past weekend: http://www.icephoto.co.uk/IJSSheffield17/

Senior Men final standings:
1 Graham NEWBERRY LVL 200.47 1 1
2 Phillip HARRIS COV 190.79 2 2
3 Harry MATTICK COV 173.24 3 3

Senior Ladies final top 5:
1 Karly ROBERTSON DDE 145.49 3 1
2 Kristen SPOURS LVL 141.93 1 2
3 Danielle HARRISON DDE 133.80 2 5
4 Natasha MCKAY DDE 133.39 4 3
5 Nina POVEY SHE 129.94 5 4

Senior Dance top 3:
1 Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND NOT 191.72 1 1
2 Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON AXP 167.73 2 2
3 Robynne TWEEDALE / Joseph BUCKLAND NOT 143.06 3 3

Zoe JONES / Christopher BOYADJI withdrew after the SP.

 

[alchemy void]

Senior Ladies final top 5:
1 Karly ROBERTSON DDE 145.49 3 1
2 Kristen SPOURS LVL 141.93 1 2
3 Danielle HARRISON DDE 133.80 2 5
4 Natasha MCKAY DDE 133.39 4 3
5 Nina POVEY SHE 129.94 5 4
.

Karly! Fight for that Nebelhorn spot! She improved so much last season, I'm happy to see her off to a strong start.

And really all five of these girls are evenly matched--it should be quite the battle this season for Euros and Worlds spots.

 

[skatefan]

I'm hoping for Spours to get the Nebelhorn spot having placed 1st in the Short programme landing good 3Lz and 3F

 

[nimi]

Zoe JONES / Christopher BOYADJI withdrew after the SP.

Damn. Was it because of an injury or were they not just ready for the FP?

Their latest FB update seems to be from just before the competition and talks about some difficulties they've had in preparing for this season:

And it has been a slow and complicated start of the season

So here is an update about our lives :

- First of all, sadly, for some personal reasons, our former coach Mark Naylor had to stop working with us after Worlds

So we were in a complicated situation where we needed to stay in Swindon, but we didn't have a coach.

- This situation was fortunately solved beginning of June, when Yuri Bureiko offered us a place & a coach in his International Skating School in Coventry. We started to work with Alexander Markuntsov in Coventry 3 days a week.

- Facing the fact that we still didn't have any musics & choreographies for the coming season, we rushed to Sheffield to work with Mark Hanretty and made 2 new programs.

But here we are now, beginning of August, still facing a few set backs due to injury, but settled and excited for the upcoming season.

 

[Seerek]

British Nationals were last weekend - Are the singles winners automatically the European entries?

 

[Sylvia]

British Nationals were last weekend - Are the singles winners automatically the European entries?

Yes. @skatefan posted this link in a new Euros entries thread in Kiss & Cry yesterday: http://www.iceskating.org.uk/index....u-figure-skating-european-championships-2018/

ICE DANCE
Penny Coomes & Nick Buckland
Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson - reserve

PAIRS
Chris Boyadji & Zoe Jones

LADIES
Natasha McKay
Karly Robertson - reserve

MEN
Phil Harris
Graham Newberry - reserve

 

[Seerek]

Paul Peret says Karly Robertson's free skate and total scores from Finlandia are National records?

 

[alchemy void]

Paul Peret says Karly Robertson's free skate and total scores from Finlandia are National records?

I think so. Jenna McCorkell’s LP personal best was 98.73, and overall total was 150.90. Nina Povey’s PB is 148.06. And McKay, etc are all below that. I can’t think of any other British lady that would have exceeded those scores.

Congrats to Karly. She’s continues to improve in her late 20s! That LP was awesome.

 

[alj5]

Can I also just say how much I love Fear & Gibson's disco free dance? I love how they are incorporating genuine disco without making it a caricature of disco.

Here's their Nebelhorn free dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI0PC_C0n4E

 

[Sylvia]

Reviving this thread to cross-post the following from the British Championship thread in the Kiss & Cry section (link: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...-championship-26th-nov-–-1st-dec-2018.104711/ ):

Article in The Scotsman - Simon and Debi Briggs continue to mould figure skating champions in Dundee but lack of funding a major hurdle: https://www.scotsman.com/sport/more...-but-lack-of-funding-a-major-hurdle-1-4835176

https://twitter.com/Nat_Ice_Centre/status/1066030420498833411

Our very own Josh Brown has officially retired from figure skating
He admits that it was a tough decision to make, but he's decided to concentrate on his studies for the time being.

We wish you the best of luck @Josh_Brown121 & we'll miss seeing you on the ice.

Josh Brown's ISU bio: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00014901.htm

 

[miffy]

Does anyone know why Luke Digby is not the British entry for JW? His ISU SB is 40 points higher than the skater listed in the entries (who I do like, I’m not complaining, just curious!) And Luke won Nationals while Edward was 3rd (2nd in the FS, but had a pretty bad SP).

I am guessing injury? If not it seems an odd decision.

 

[heidililacdream]

Does anyone know why Luke Digby is not the British entry for JW? His ISU SB is 40 points higher than the skater listed in the entries (who I do like, I’m not complaining, just curious!) And Luke won Nationals while Edward was 3rd (2nd in the FS, but had a pretty bad SP).

I am guessing injury? If not it seems an odd decision.

Luke had a knee injury in late December and had to have surgery. He has only recently started walking again. https://www.instagram.com/p/Btq_p_oHM1n/

 

[miffy]

Luke had a knee injury in late December and had to have surgery. He has only recently started walking again. https://www.instagram.com/p/Btq_p_oHM1n/

Oh no, poor Luke! I hope he will make a full recovery.

Many thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

 

[alchemy void]

Any chance Karly will get the Worlds spot over McKay?

 

[Seerek]

I agree, they really should reconsider: Karly got 31 TES at Challenge Cup short program today (5th place).

On top of that, Peter James Hallam outscored Graham Newberry by some ways as well. (4th vs. 10th).

 

[miffy]

I agree, they really should reconsider: Karly got 31 TES at Challenge Cup short program today (5th place).

On top of that, Peter James Hallam outscored Graham Newberry by some ways as well. (4th vs. 10th).

It looks like they haven’t actually announced the team judging from a post on British Ice Skating’s FB page.

Not sure how to link to a FB post but I hope it’s ok to quote:

Battling it out for the Men's and FINAL team place at the World Championships are:

Graham Newberry,
PJ Hallam,
Harry Mattick

Sending the best of luck to all three skaters

So that would suggest that PJ will go to Worlds? And if they weren’t sticking with National results for men maybe Karly is being considered too? Was that criteria they set last year for Worlds as well or just Euros?

 

[heidililacdream]

So that would suggest that PJ will go to Worlds? And if they weren’t sticking with National results for men maybe Karly is being considered too? Was that criteria they set last year for Worlds as well or just Euros?

The reason why they worded it like that is because all three of the senior men at nationals were lacking TES minimums for Worlds, so because PJ was the only one who got them, he's the only one that can go. It's not the same case with the senior ladies because Karly and Natasha both have the minimums. If Graham had got the minimums, then he probably would've been considered over PJ.