IW team Wight Jewels won gold at the British Ice Figure and Synchronized Skating Championships on Friday 16 January, taking the junior synchronized skating title – the highest level of synchronized skating contested nationally this year.

The Jewels scored 27.68 for their short program, 4.4 ahead of the Nottingham Icicles, and 42.14 for their long program for a total of 69.82 with no deductions. Nottingham Icicles’ final total was 61.70 with no deductions.

The Jewels are the IW’s most experienced team and have championship gold behind them: the squad largely comprises the members of the Wight Diamonds that won the novice title last year and who have moved up because of their age and experience. The absence of the senior event at the championships meant that the junior event was the highest level contested. 

The Diamonds this year finished second to the Nottingham Shadows at novice level. With new squad members the competition was always going to be harder but they performed well, outscoring the Shadows on technical elements but suffering three deductions for one fall and for excessive use of the ice in a manoeuvre that ultimately led to silver instead of gold. Bracknell Fusion was third, suffering two deductions for falls, in what was a very close contest. Shadows scored 25.52 (Technical Elements 15.51 + Program Components 10.01, no deductions), the Diamonds 23.22 (Technical Elements 16.80 + Program Components 9.42, 3 deductions), and Fusion 20.14 (Technical Elements 14.31 + Program Components 7.83, 2 deductions).

After the results processing debacle of the 2008 championships, winning this year will have meant much to the Shadows and we’d like to offer them the warmest congratulations on their victory and to praise their sportsmanship.

The IW’s synchronized skating teams are sponsored by Wightlink.

In the senior pairs, Robert Paxton and partner Erica Risseeuw took silver. Placed second to Stacey Kemp and David King after the short program, Robert and Erica won the long but could not make up the points difference lost on the short, finishing on 135.08 points compared with Kemp and King’s 142.47. Robert learned to skate on the Isle of Wight and later moved to Canada for training; he and his partner again skated representing the IW this year.

Official results for the championships, which were marked using the IJS, are at www.johnds.org/British_08-09/