Skate Hater

 Andrew Poje and Kaitlin Weaver of Canada

 

 

Somebody I know read my diary blog yesterday and commented to me that nobody would read it because I was only person he knew who even watched any figure skating let alone actually enjoyed it. He said it was a minority sport and it was especially boring to English people. I agree with the first part of the conversation because I don’t know anybody else in my circle of friends who watches it either, even though the BBC cover all the major events and Eurosport covers every tiny bit of every event.

 

Jason Brown of the USA

 

I was speechless as he commented that we as a nation have not had any good skaters. That is if you don’t count Olympic, World and European gold medallists, Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean. Oh yes and Robin Cousins has an Olympic gold hanging on the wall as does John Curry. Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland were a successful partnership as were the Scottish ice dancers Sinead and John Kerr.

 

 

 

Olympic, World and European Champions Jane Torvill and Chris Dean 

It is also surprising that there have been several winter TV series of Skating with the Stars that is popular in the USA and France too. If it’s all so boring why are the ice shows so popular and why has every big town or city got a winter ice rink? Even Worthing has one in The Steyne. The Brighton rink is in front of the Royal Pavillion and they are all over London for the winter.

Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres for France

 

The USA and Canada have top skaters to bursting point. There is so much competition at National level that it is hard to make a name for themselves, although many of them have become big stars. It may be a Cinderella sport in the UK but that is because not enough money has been given to back up our talent. Vanessa James has left the UK and gone to France where she is a member of the French team with her French Partner Morgan Cipres.

John Curry GB

The last skater I spoke of yesterday, Yuzuru Hanyu is incredibly famous in Japan, more famous than David Beckham is in the UK. The Japanese love ice skating about as much or maybe more than they love all the West End and Broadway Musicals. His face is everywhere, advertising anything they can get him pose for.

Kaitlin Weaver and Andrew again from their website

 

I didn’t bother to argue with the skate hater that I spoke of earlier and I did not hit back by telling him that, although I know I am well out numbered, that I like football about as much as he likes skating! Each to their own eh? The one good goal they show at the end of the news on a Saturday night is enough for me and I also think that in the UK, female footballers play a good game and in one respect they play a better game, they leave the fake falling over and pretending to be hurt to the blokes.

 

Robin Cousins GB Olympic medallist

Jane Torvill from Skating with the Stars