British Skating News, 2022 and beyond

[Belsornia]

Ed Appleby coaching change: according to his ISU bio he’s left John Wicker (who AFAIK he’d been with practically since Learn to Skate) and is now with Chris Boyadji and Lloyd Jones.

Chris/Zoe/Lloyd building their empire.

 

[Belsornia]

Wheee, what a fab Worlds for Team GB! First medal in over 40 years! My brother-in-law asked me about Lilah and Lewis while we were having lunch today, so they have truly made it.

Plus four Olympic spots confirmed with only Ed Appleby having to make a trip to Not Nebelhorn, and some great performances. Ana and Luke's progress this season has been really impressive, and also props to Kristen Spours for keeping it together when things started to look wonky in the SP.

 

[Aceon6]

I’m glad I committed to Sheffield. Getting to see the top Euro skaters up close and personal just before the Os! Looking forward to seeing Shaiderov from something closer than the balcony!

 

[Kateri]

I’m glad I committed to Sheffield. Getting to see the top Euro skaters up close and personal just before the Os! Looking forward to seeing Shaiderov from something closer than the balcony!

No Shaidorov at Euros, sorry! You want 4CC.

 

[Aceon6]

No Shaidorov at Euros, sorry! You want 4CC.

Boo. I forgot!

 

[morqet]

Wheee, what a fab Worlds for Team GB! First medal in over 40 years! My brother-in-law asked me about Lilah and Lewis while we were having lunch today, so they have truly made it.

Plus four Olympic spots confirmed with only Ed Appleby having to make a trip to Not Nebelhorn, and some great performances. Ana and Luke's progress this season has been really impressive, and also props to Kristen Spours for keeping it together when things started to look wonky in the SP.

We must be in with a decent shout of qualifying for the team event too? I cannot remember how that works at all!

 

[victorskid]

Phebe and James are going straight to rehearsals for the Torvill & Dean "Last Dance" tour - they said that Chris had specifically requested that they do their FD program. They mentioned this in Mixed Zone interviews in Boston.

 

[kwanfan1818]

That experience will be invaluable for Baker/Hernandez, and I hope it translates into PCS next season.

 

[skatingguy]

We must be in with a decent shout of qualifying for the team event too? I cannot remember how that works at all!

Yes, almost a lock. We'll have a better sense after the Olympic Qualifying event in September.

 

[Belsornia]

Alexa Severn is back: she competed at the Black Sea Ice Cup over the weekend, her first competition since Junior Worlds 2024. Unfortunately it looks like she had a rough time in the FS and finished behind AdvNov champion Jessica Worth.

Also at Nina Povey's free skate protocol. Hope she can get it back on track next season.

 

[Belsornia]

The British Solo Dance Championships were in Sheffield this week, moving earlier in the year to align with the emerging international season. It was on the BIS YouTube but they didn't keep the streams up for even a couple of hours.

Results

Senior: Gold - Layla Karnes (BIS), Silver - Alana Pang (Sheffield), Bronze - Megan Parnell-Murphy (Queens?).
Huge score for Karnes (215.55) even accounting for generous domestic scoring! And a really competitive field behind her; Natasha Griffin, who has won several international medals this season was down in seventh.

Junior: Gold - Lily Bakhtiari (Deeside), Silver - Anna-Maria Kislitsyn (Blackburn), Bronze - Harriett Wells (Bristol)
Not competing, Tallulah Neary, who was one of the top qualifiers. Her IG says she's now in Florida, so perhaps third time lucky with an American partner?

Other champions: Advanced Novice - Megan Cunningham (Sheffield), Intermediate Novice - Amelia Kislitsyn (Blackburn), Basic Novice - Lily Walding (Bristol), Juvenile - Nikola Sawicka (Bradford), Beginner - Ruby Morris (Blackburn)

Nice to see some skaters from Dundonald competing at the lower levels. Hopefully some of them will make it through.

 

[Wyliefan]

Looks like Ashlie Slatter found a new partner! Anyone familiar with Louis Gregory? https://www.instagram.com/p/DImJKhvIWnf/?igsh=cnl3azEwNXBqb3Bw

 

[miffy]

Looks like Ashlie Slatter found a new partner! Anyone familiar with Louis Gregory? https://www.instagram.com/p/DImJKhvIWnf/?igsh=cnl3azEwNXBqb3Bw

Aww how lovely! I’m so pleased for her. He must have just switched to dance, I’m pretty sure he was still in Junior Men this season.

 

[Kateri]

Looks like Ashlie Slatter found a new partner! Anyone familiar with Louis Gregory? https://www.instagram.com/p/DImJKhvIWnf/?igsh=cnl3azEwNXBqb3Bw

Oh, that's awesome, so excited for them!

 

[Karen-W]

Phebe Bekker is answering questions on her IG story today & it sounds like they plan on skating to Guns 'n Rose's "November Rain" for their RD next season.

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Question was "what's a song you would love to skate to but haven't got to chance?"

She replied with that song & added "no one steal it please, you heard it here first"...

 

[miffy]

Fantastic, I love November Rain. Although I might not after it’s been butchered down to 4 minutes +/-10 seconds

 

[Karen-W]

Fantastic, I love November Rain. Although I might not after it’s been butchered down to 4 minutes +/-10 seconds

Well, I presume it's for the RD since it was released in 1991, so I'm guessing you'll probably like it even less when it's cut down to 3 minutes, lol.

 

[miffy]

Well, I presume it's for the RD since it was released in 1991, so I'm guessing you'll probably like it even less when it's cut down to 3 minutes, lol.

This won’t work at all

 

[Belsornia]

Looks like Ashlie Slatter found a new partner! Anyone familiar with Louis Gregory? https://www.instagram.com/p/DImJKhvIWnf/?igsh=cnl3azEwNXBqb3Bw

That's great news! I'm really glad she's found a new partner so quickly (and that we have another ice dance convert ) - looking forward to seeing them in competition next season.

I've seen Louis Gregory compete in singles a few times and tbh didn't find his skating particularly memorable - but that's probably at least partly because he used to be with John Wicker's group at Romford, where they love a dreary male ballad. He's been in juniors for a few years and I don't recall him ever attempting 3L or 3F, so I don't think it's surprising that he was considering a discipline switch (or that BIS might have encouraged him - we've been particularly short on ice dance men recently, with a relative overabundance of decent but not international level junior men).

I think he's 19, so they should have a couple of seasons of junior eligibility. Also, unless the Ice Sheff announcers have been getting it wrong for years, he's Loo-ee, so not another Loo-is for GB dance.

Phebe Bekker is answering questions on her IG story today & it sounds like they plan on skating to Guns 'n Rose's "November Rain" for their RD next season.

I had been wondering if, since they're doing the T&D tour, Bekker/Hernandez might get Chris Dean choreo for one of their new programmes - an early music choice is fuel for that speculation.