Recap

Icicles Senior crowned British Champions at the Britannia Cup 2022


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Team Icicles Senior competing their short programme. Their theme, to keep going in the fight against cancer. (Credits: Esther Morris - 2022)

The Britannia Cup was held on the 23rd and 24th April at IceSheffield in Sheffield. Usually held in January, this was the first Synchronised Skating British Championships held since 2020 and had been rescheduled due to COVID earlier this year.

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There were 48 teams competing across 13 categories throughout the weekend and the area was taken over by synchro clubs from all over the country. The atmosphere within the arena from all the skaters and their friends and families was uplifting and hugely positive.

However, the competition did not run smoothly and massive thanks are needed to the officials, the judges, the parents and coaches who volunteered last minute to ensure that the competition was a success. They stepped in to open gates, put up timetables, commentate, distribute medals as a synchro community, which was hugely appreciated by all the skaters who competed.

Senior
Team Icicles from Nottingham were the victors in both the short and the free programme and they have just returned from competing at the World Championships in Canada this year. Skating to Pushing On, Rise and Survivor, the theme was about the fight against cancer and the message was to keep going and never give up for those who love you and what you do for each other. Complete with red cancer ribbons in their hair, they have raised over a thousand pounds for cancer research. The skate was very passionate and it was evident that the skaters really connected with the music and the theme behind it with great speed and commitment to every element. They scored 42.24 points.

The free programme the next day was just as fast and fierce as the previous. The performance was strong although there was a fall in the intersection. They were the only team to complete death spirals, which delighted the crowd, in keeping with their disco music. They scored 82.61 points, which was a personal best, and won the senior category for the third time with a total score of 124.85 points.

"Team Icicles Senior have had an amazing season...one that can only be described as a series of both Personal and British bests. 

The team started training properly in earnest together in January this year with all skaters back on the ice ready to train hard. With less competitions than usual in a season, the Sheffield Steel City competition was to be our first season outing. It would also be used as our Worlds qualifier.

It was nerve wracking running up to it, therefore amazing to achieve not only a PB of 120.65, but also a score that meant we made performance squad... something the team are very proud of (especially given the team has had only 1.5 hours per week of ice!!)

Worlds in Canada was an amazing experience and the score was a GB best of 117.58... very closely aligned to the Sheffield score too, which was fantastic. 

It felt really strange the British being after Worlds but we continued to push ourselves, not diminishing efforts.  We proudly came away with a great score of 124.85...the best in Team Icicles senior's history to date!!

We look forward to seeing even more teams next season, raising the standards across the sport even higher. This season we have both laughed, cried and had fun together and we look forward to the next season with enthusiasm."

With love, Team Icicles Senior 2021-2022.

In second place was Team Magenta from Cardiff. They scored 19.32 points in the short, skating to Happy and 33.51 points in the free, skating to Arrival of the Birds. This was their first competition this season and they earned a total score of 52.83 points.
Junior
The Junior competition was the closest fought competition in this category in many years. There were two teams skating; Solway Stars from Dumfries and Icicles from Nottingham.

Icicles kicked off the Junior competition with their short programme to Bom Bom by Sam and the Womp. Fresh from their successful performance at Junior Worlds, Icicles looked confident with a programme full of attitude. They scored highly on their moves element but then had a fall in their twizzles. They showed good speed and flow across the ice with interesting transitions. They scored 36.74 points. 

Solway Stars were second to skate, representing Dumfries. Skating to Peter Gunn in black sparkly dresses, they had a smooth style across the ice and a clean skate. The programme was sultry with the skaters expressing well, using their hair as a feature within the choreography. They scored 37.31 points, coming first in the short programme.

In the free programme, Icicles skated to Moulin Rouge. Although they had a confident start, they had an unfortunate fall at the beginning of their intersection which toppled an entire line. They had three falls and points deducted for an interruption in excess. There was an additional fall in the artistic wheel. Even so, the skaters maintained their performance throughout the programme. They scored 57.10 points with a total combined score of 93.84 points, which earned them second place.

Solway Stars skated next with their Beetlejuice programme. This was a very different style to their short programme, being much darker and moody. They also had a fall in their intersection, however, the rest was skated cleanly. They scored 73.08 points in their free skate and a total combined score of 110.39 points, winning the Junior category for the first time.

“I am just so unbelievably proud of these girls and their achievements this weekend. We have had a rollercoaster of a season, with COVID-19 cases and restrictions strongly impacting our training and competition schedule throughout the year. However, hard work and resilience has led to all time personal bests and our first Junior British Champions title!

This is also a very special win for myself, as a former Solway Stars skater. This title was one that generations of Stars dreamed of and I feel very lucky to be a part in their journey to this success. 

I would like to say a special thanks to head coach Philip Carter for his continuous dedication to growing the sport in our small town of Dumfries. With the exception of a couple of travelling skaters, our teams are made up of girls who have been with us from Skate UK, and we hope these victories will inspire a new generation.

We are looking forward to a short break now before picking things back up again for the new season and continuing to grow even stronger.”


Molly Coxon - Co-coach of Solway Star - Dumfries


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Solway Stars skating their short programme at the Britannia Cup. (Credits: Molly Coxon - 2022)

Senior B
There were four teams skating in this category and it was a close competition.

Aura from Lee Valley earned the gold medal with a score of 58.26 points. Their programme was entitled ‘Perfect Storm’ and they reflected the mood of the music well with a fierce performance and attack. The crowd particularly enjoyed their two person lift in the middle of their artistic wheel and the commitment of the team to every movement.

“This year's British for Aura was about saying goodbye to not only our programme “Perfect Storm” but it was also a last skate for a few skaters who are starting new adventures at university. 

For us we wanted to skate for each other and give the programme we love a skate without any falls that we can all be proud of. 
It was by no means technically perfect, but we were very proud of the performance given.”

Dannii Hunt - Coach of Aura, Lee Valley


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Team Aura waiting for their results. (Credits - Rio Sully)

Whizz Kids from Altricham earned the silver medal with a score of 51.96 points. This team was a skater down after an accident in the official practise but they skated fast and furiously to Maniac from Flashdance and attempted some difficult elements, earning a level 3 in their twizzles and moves element but suffering a fall in the intersection.

All Stars from Slough earned the bronze medal with a score of 51.44 points. This team was also a skater short with an accident in training during their last practise. They skated a really elegant programme to Dream Girls. They gained a level 2 in their twizzle element but had a bump in their whip intersection and a fall in their artistic circle. It was a smooth skate which reflected each piece of music.

Junior B
There were two teams skating in the Junior B category. Wight Crystals from the Isle of Wight came first with their fast paced programme to Me and My Girls. Wearing bright purple costumes, they kept up the energy throughout their programme and scored 54.16 points, a personal best.

Unum from Sheffield skated to Saturday Night, U Can’t Touch This, Cha Cha Slide and We Like To Party with retro costumes and theme. They had a packed programme with some more difficult elements incorporated into it. They scored 44.89 points.

Advanced Novice
There was only one entry for this category; Ice Dreams from Nottingham. Skating to Aladdin in blue and purple costumes, they delivered a fast skate with a very entertaining opening with really sharp movements. There were plenty of arm movements which added to the theme of the programme. They scored 54.51 points.

Basic Novice
In first place were Twizzles from Altrincham who scored 34.43 points, which was a personal best. Skating to Friend Like me, this team flew across the ice in a jam packed programme with choreography reflecting the music. They had good speed and flow across the ice with skaters expressing smiles of confidence throughout. 

“Twizzles learnt their new routine for this season on zoom and then on a car park before finally transferring it to the ice. They have continually pushed themselves hard, trying to increase the difficulty levels within the routine and to improve knee bend. They have been working on adding extra personality to their skate and including that little bit of magic to it, to be the best genies they can possibly be!”

Sam Ozard - Coach of Twizzles, Altrincham


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Twizzles skating at the Britannia Cup. (Credits: Elizabeth Daintree)

In second place was Ice Stars from Nottingham who scored 29.24 points. Wearing colourful pink and green dresses, they skated a upbeat programme to Better When I’m Dancing by Meghan Trainor. The audience enjoyed their Y-spirals and their sit spin in the transition before their wheel.

In third place was Novus from Sheffield who scored 26.81 points. Novus had a cowgirl theme programme with checkered shirts and denim skirts. They skated an upbeat and interesting programme to Timber by Pitbull and Hoedown Throwdown Miley Cyrus which had the crowd clapping along with them.

Mixed Age
In first place was Solway Eclipse, representing Dumfries. Skating in sparkling lilac dresses to Belleville Rendez-Vous and a French medley, they had a serene skate, attempting high levels and were markedly fast and confident across the ice. They scored 62.91 points.



In second place was Ice Unite from Nottingham. They opened up this category and skated a fast programme with high kicks and neat interlocking search. Skating to Ramalama Bang Bang, they had a carnival-esque programme with strong elements including a death spiral in the artistic wheel. They scored 43.64 points but had a fall in the pivot block.

In third place was Deelites from Deeside. Skating to Le Jazz Hot by Julie Andrews, they had a soft style of skating with good knee bends, especially by the end of the programme. They scored 37.81 which is a personal best.

Adult
There were twelve teams in this category, the largest in the competition and the fight for the top three places was fierce.

Winning the gold medal was Bladerunners from Altrincham. Skating to Opening Up from the musical Waitress and wearing blue waitress costumes, the team remained in character throughout the performance. They delivered a strong skate and looked confident across the ice. They scored 31.05 points, a season’s best.


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Bladerunners skating at the Britannia Cup. (Credits: Bladerunners, ASC)

In a close second place was Orion from Lee Valley. Their London themed programme was paired perfectly with their dresses and each segment of music brought a new dimension to the routine. They skated with attack and a good amount of sass. They scored 30.30 points, a personal best.

In third place was Illusion from Slough. They were skating to a disco themed number with very snazzy costumes. Every skater looked like they were leading the disco, with beaming smiles and a calm and confident skate. They scored 30.18 points, also a personal best.

Intermediate
With eight teams competing against each other, this was also a popular category. Earning the gold medal was Phoenix Gold from Lee Valley who scored 35.14 points. Wearing beautiful baby blue costumes, they skated to Jailhouse Rock for the first half of the programme where they flew across the ice. The team showed their softer side with their second piece of music before upping the tempo again to end their routine.


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Team Phoenix Gold after being awarded their scores. (Credits: Rio Sully)

Magic from Slough won the silver medal with a score of 32.50 points. Wearing bright purple dresses, this team beamed throughout the programme and clearly enjoyed every second of their skate. They skated to hairspray and maintained the bouncy, energetic feel of the music throughout.

Shooting Stars from Gosport won the bronze medal skating to The Entertainer and Pump Up The Jam. They wore 20s inspired costumes in pink and black and travelled with speed across the ice. They skated their travelling interlocking circles confidently and their entire programme maintained their jazzy feel. They scored 32.32 points.

Juvenile
Wight Sequins from Isle of Wight came first in this category of two with a score of 26.39 points. They had a nautical theme, skating to In The Navy and YMCA with complimentary sailor costumes. They had a bouncy performance with a very speedy circle element.

In second place was Ignis from Sheffield who scored 17.60 points. They skated to a medley from Moana in white and gold dresses and the audience enjoyed their spirals in a circle formation for their moves element.

Pre-Juvenile
Presto from Sheffield were the only team to compete in this category but they did not rest on their laurels. They skated to Madagascar in striking stripy zebra costumes with great energy. Their enthusiasm infected the audience and everyone enjoyed their dancing. They scored 15.70 points.

Beginner
Solway Comets from Dumfries gained the gold medal in the Beginner category with a score of 24.74 points. They skated to the Jungle Book in green costumes, waking up as if they were the jungle at the start of their programme. They were smooth across the ice with quick transitions and good extensions.

Fantasia from Slough gained the silver medal with a score of 22.01 points. Wearing blue sparkly dresses, they skated to a disco medley including Michael Jackson, Uptown Girl and I Will Survive. They had neat lines and skated in time with the music. They had a cheeky attitude throughout the performance with their personalities shining through.

Ice Pops from Nottingham gained the bronze medal with 21.16 points. Skating to Moana, they had a cool calm skate with great extensions and clean lines. They had good speed across the ice and lovely, high spirals.

Inclusive
The final performance of the weekend was Team SPICE from Slough. Wearing red military costumes, they skated to The Greatest Showman scoring 16.93 points. They gained level 2s in their artistic elements, along with their circle element but the highlight of the programme was the end where they signed out the lyrics of the music to the audience. They received a standing ovation.

The last competition of the synchro calendar in the UK was enjoyed by a community who have struggled to maintain their clubs and teams these past few difficult years. It was a success because of the strong community spirit which exists within the discipline. It hasn’t been easy for anyone, so for every team who skated, they deserve a massive congratulations.

For every coach, committee and synchro parent and helper, a massive thank you for everything you have done and continue to do. To Hermione, for writing detailed notes about every team’s skate, thank you. Onwards and upwards to next season. See you all there!

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