IW skater Archie Bicknell, age 14, is making his first attempt to reach the British Championships by attending the regional IJS competition at Lee Valley, London, on 15 and 16 April, competing in the novice men’s event. In his first IJS competition he has to skate both a short and a long program. Eligibility to compete in the national championships later this year is based on achieving a particular point total from the two skates at the regional events.

Archie, coached by Terri Smith, has worked extremely hard on his solo skating career since the age of 6 and has recently passed his level 8 Free and Elements  and level 9 Field Moves tests. This level of skating and his age allows him to compete at novice level. Apart from figure skating, Archie continues to hone his power skating skills, previously as captain of the under 14s hockey team and now assistant captain of the under 16s in Ryde.

It has been many years since anyone at our rink has reached this level of success. We wish him all the best in Lee Valley this week!

Official results: http://www.johnds.org/Lee%20Valley_10/