Ryde head coach Terri Smith writes: Isle of Wight skaters are extremely excited that The Professionals on Ice show is coming to their ice rink. The cast includes skaters from the ITV’s Dancing on Ice, and the show is touring the country – but it starts here on the Isle of Wight on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October.

Not only are we excited to see professional skaters and celebrities on the island, many of our very own talented skaters will be performing over this weekend with the stars.  Forty local school children and members of the IW ice skating club will get this great opportunity. Skaters include both boys and girls that are currently training at a high level or compete nationally representing our island.

Two of our synchronized skating teams will also be performing.  Wight Sparkles, our youngest team with skaters aged from eight to 13 years, will be performing on the Friday with their new routine.  For more than half the team it will be their very first performance – I’m sure  this will be a once in a lifetime experience for these young skaters,  considering the size of the audience and the profile of the show.

Our junior synchro team ,Wight Jewels, have been invited to perform on the Saturday afternoon and have had a special invitation to be part of The Professionals on Ice show in Basingstoke on Sunday 26 October. The team’s dedication and hard work on the ice have in the past earned them NISA performance squad status.

Other top IW solo skaters in the show include Nikita Heathfield, William Riley, Oliver Brunton, James Wright, Miles Grist, Toni Delap and Amy World. Amy, who lives in Gosport and trains with the Wight Jewels synchro team, will also be appearing in Planet Ice’s Christmas show as Mary Poppins here at Ryde on 13 and 14 December.

Please come and support our local skaters and enjoy being entertained by the professional skaters. Tickets can be purchased from Planet Ice on 01983 615155.