2020 had some great moments! Let’s not forget.

You may be wondering how it’s possible to have anything good to look back on during the great big nothing that was 2020. It has been an odd year, that’s for sure. We all sat around and watched the giant wheels of society grind to a complete halt for the first time. For the vast majority of us, there has never been a time where our calendars were completely empty, and have remained so for many many months. UK Ice Rinks have faced a minimum of 6-8 months of closures, and some have never managed to re-open. International competitions have been cancelled as far as Autumn/Winter 2021. It has been a challenging time for many, and a devastating time for many others.  

But I would like to focus on a few of the great things that happened in 2020, because it’s important that we end the year smiling, right?

Jamie Doll

Every year in January we have the Synchronised Skating National Championships for which all of our teams compete, and have done so since the first ever British which was held in 1992. This year, one of the Team’s captains (a fairly well known Jay Hanson) was not able to attend due to a bereavement. As coach of the team, I decided that we would take Jamie in doll form, so he would be with us the whole weekend in spirit. I knew that the team would send him photos and that this would cheer him up a little.

Jamie Doll exceeded our expectations after becoming somewhat of a celebrity for the weekend, with his own hashtags on social media to boot. He ended up kidnapped by another coach, had his photo taken with lots of well wishers, attended the medal ceremony and even sat on the officials panel. Jamie Doll brought joy to the weekend, and will forever live on in our hearts.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Despite ice rinks closing all around the country on March 20th, Skaters of all ages around the country took to their gardens, parks, rooftops, and everywhere to continue their training. A tidal wave of off ice skates, spinners, and fitness equipment was purchased in the spring of 2020 so life could carry on. Adults and children alike were taking to ASDA car parks to practice their double/triple jumps. Spinners were being put to use in the kitchens. Stretching apps in the front room. Strength and conditioning over the park. Yoga on the balcony. Everybody did what they could with the space that was available to them and that motivated others to do the same. I hope all of these skaters are proud that their love of Ice Skating was more powerful than their fear of the unknown. Which is exactly the right mindset to excel in Sport.

New Twin Pad Coming!

For a long time Lee Valley has been under the promise of a nice new Twin Padded International Arena. Finally, the planning permission has been granted and was signed off by the Mayor of London in November! This redevelopment plan will provide a huge arena containing two Olympic sized ice pads, a gym, and studios which is fantastic news for all of our Ice Dancers, Free Skaters, Synchro Teams and Ice Hockey teams. 

Zoom, Zoom, and more Zoom

Our Synchro teams had to have their training moved to Zoom sessions from the end of March when the first lockdown caused the closures. It was a brand new experience for me as I had actively avoided all video communication until that point. I was that person that would knock a FaceTime call off and ring back the classic way. The idea of training two teams this way, for a number of weeks absolutely filled me with fear, I’m not too embarrassed to admit. I know that many of the kids and adults felt the same way, but between us we somehow managed to make it work. We played games, we did quizzes on ISU rules, we did word association games, we did quizzes focussed on the things we knew about our team mates. We had photo challenges, costume challenges and scavenger hunts. We did choreography, we watched videos, we did cardio workouts, core workouts, flexibility and agility. We did Kick Boxing, Barre, Ballet, Dance, Yoga, and a range of Tik Tok challenges. Zoom is no replacement for real ice and training, however it kept the skaters connected to each other, and helped to lift the spirits of many. I’m sure there are a few more weeks of Zoom ahead of us, but together we will make it work because that’s what teams do. 

And you know what? That first Synchro competition – whenever it may be – is going to feel every bit as wonderful as we have all been imagining. 

Team Orion’s Year of Success

My Adult Synchro team finished their 2019-2020 season at the top of the National Rankings, which is something I have posted about previously here.

The funny thing is that they will stay at the top of the national rankings for the season 2020-2021, as they remain unchallenged due to Covid. It’s a weird perk and something we have chuckled about.

This wonderful team full of spirited skating enthusiasts also managed to win a Sponsorship with Two Birds, and then went on to receive a generous donation from an anonymous benefactor. I’d like to think that the person who donated the money sees the brilliance in them as a collective, just like their coach does!

So ending this blog post on a cheerful note, I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all my skaters for their hard work, all the staff and coaches at Lee Valley for being real, all the parents for putting up with early mornings and my training demands, the Synchro teams for adding the magic to my job, and the Lee Valley Committee for their unwavering support throughout 2020.

I look forward to seeing you all on the ice in 2021 xxxxxxxx