Written by Isla, Year 8
I started skating when I was 8. I enjoyed it from the very beginning and I’ve been training at Oxford Ice Rink ever since. While it started as lessons in a group just once a week, a few years ago I was selected for the Oxford Ice Academy. I spent time progressing and now I skate competitively with much of my day-to-day life centred around training. It has become so much more than just a hobby.
Compared to more common sports such as the ones we do at school, not as many people in Great Britain do figure skating competitively. For this reason, competitions don’t include a county or regional structure, rather, skaters – such as myself- compete for their rink or club against people from across the country. I have experience in this. I have competed multiple times at The Sheffield Ice Arena, home of British Ice Skating and at Skate London, Alexandra Palace. Excitingly, coming up is the first national competition hosted by Oxford, since before the pandemic. This will be a great chance for me and many others to compete in the familiar surroundings of our home rink as the opportunity doesn’t come up frequently.
Figure skating combines strength and balance with technique and artistry. I spend time with my coach practising specific skills including jumps and spins, as well as linking them together with choreography and music. Lots of strength, conditioning and off-ice work goes into perfecting my programme too. The other sports I do with school all make a helpful contribution to my overall fitness as a figure skater.
Its a solo performance and there are usually a panel of at least three or four judges plus a film camera, photographer and spectators in the stands.
The Oxford Open sees almost 300 skaters compete over 4 days and takes a team of 20 volunteers and 24 officials – some of whom have flown in from overseas – to make it all happen.