IW skater 14-year-old Archie Bicknell competed in the novice men category at the regional IJS competitions at Lee Valley, north London,  on 13 to 16 April 2010. Archie is one of a handful of individual skaters on the Island to compete at this level, and has worked extremely hard to pass the level 8 tests that qualify him for the IJS regional competitions.

Archie scored 12.05 in his short programme on 15 April and 20.01 in the long the next day, to finish third overall with a total of 32.06. Achieving his first IJS score means he now has a total that he can aim to beat in his next competition.

“It was a great couple of days for Archie to see and learn how the new judging system actually works; the experience has taught us both a lot,” said coach Terri Smith. “He will continue to work extra hard and compete again in a few months. His aim is to reach a score set by the National Ice Skating Association to allow him to compete in the British championships in November.”

Another IW skater, 21-year-old Matt Kershaw, competed at the Lee Valley IJS competitions in the senior men’s event. Matt, from Freshwater, trains full time at Planet Ice in Basingstoke and is coached there by Fiona Dickson Allen; he is also sponsored buy Wightlink. He scored a personal best of 80.29 overall to finish in third place.

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