iowskaters.com

From 2002 to April 2011 this site was run on the behalf of the Isle of Wight Ice Dance & Figure Skating Club. It is now an independent website. Updates were a bit sparse during 2009 owing to a family illness, with the result that the online history of skating on the IW is a bit patchy for that period.

The contents of this website are copyright 2012 iowskaters and the respective authors. The website is not affiliated with the Isle of Wight Ice Dance & Figure Skating Club, nor the Isle of Wight synchronized skating teams: it is largely the work of a journalist with a passion for ice skating and who wishes to support ice skaters on the Isle of Wight.

The rink

The Island’s ice rink opened in 1990, was originally owned by the council, and is currently operated by Planet Ice (Arena Group) on a 125-year lease. The Arena Group revealed plans in 2011 to redevelop the rink as a combined budget supermarket and ice rink. Plans mooted in 2006 for a hotel, apartments and bigger ice pad on the site were turned down in 2007.

The Isle of Wight Ice Dance & Figure Skating Club

There is an ice skating club based at the rink in Ryde. The club was formed in 1993. It has a website at www.iwidfsc.co.uk

Synchronized skating

The Island’s first synchronized skating team made its debut in 2005, qualifying for the British championships, which were held in January 2006.

In 2007 the Wight Diamonds synchro team took bronze at intermediate level at the British RJS Synchronized Skating Championships. The Diamonds took a national bronze for a second time in 2007, skating at Elementary level at the Scottish championships, Sk8Scotland. Interest in the discipline was such that the IW formed a second team, the Wight Gems, which took silver at the British RJS Opens, and a third team, the Wight Crystals.

The Wight Diamonds became British synchronized skating champions at novice level at the British championships in January 2008, competing against Nottingham Shadows and Bracknell Fusion, and skating for the first time under the international judging system (IJS). The Wight Diamonds skated internationally for the first time in May 2008, coming second in their age group in the Olympiysky Sports Complex Cup, held in Moscow, again coming ahead of the Shadows in the overall competition.

With members increasing in age and experience, the teams were reformed in 2008 to comprise the Wight Crystals (juvenile), Wight Diamonds (novice) and Wight Jewels (junior). The Jewels are the highest ability team, formed from the 2008 championship-winning Diamonds, with the Gems turning into the new Diamonds.

In 2009 the teams were reformed again to reflect the abilities of skaters, to comprise the Wight Jewels (juniors), Wight Gems (preliminary) and Wight Crystals (juvenile). For the 2011/12 season the Wight Crystals moved up to compete at novice level; the Wight Gems retired, and a new team, Wight Sparkles, was formed.

All three synchro teams are sponsored by Wightlink.

The Wight Jewels are British junior synchronized skating champions, having won the title four times in a row, most recently at the 2011/12 British figure skating championships in Sheffield in November 2011. They competed for the first time in the junior synchronized skating world championships, the Junior World Challenge Cup, in Gothenburg, Sweden, in March 2010, placing 19th in what was their first ISU international competition. They have since improved their placing at the JWCC, coming 17th in 2011 in Neuchatel, Switzerland, and 15th in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2012: 15th place is the best result a British team has achieved at the JWCC in over 10 years.

After recapturing the title of British juvenile champions in 2010/11, the Wight Crystals reformed as a novice level team for the 2011/12 season. They were bronze medallists at novice level at the 2011/12 British figure skating championships held in November 2011 in Sheffield.

In October 2010 the Wight Jewels competed for the first time in the Welsh Championships, winning the junior synchronized skating title. They retained the title at the 2011/12 event in October 2011.

Coaches

Head coach Terri Smith (nee Fleming) was named lady coach of the year for 2007 at the IW Sports Achievement Awards.