Figure skaters keep cool heads in Durban
WHILE the pirouettes and lifts in the world of figure skating capture the attention of crowds at Pyeong Chang in South Korea for the Winter Olympics, in Durban, skaters hope their efforts will take them to the international skating stage.
And helping them on their way are Durban-based coaches Gareth James Echardt and his Russian-born wife Irina Bogomolova, inspiring future skaters with their love for each other and for the ice.
“Skating for us is everything, we put our hearts into it, and we love what we do,” said Echardt.
It’s appropriate that the two chose to settle in Durban to teach the graceful art of figure skating – they met when they worked on the Disney on Ice production, Bogomolova playing the part of Ariel the mermaid who lived in the ocean, and he playing Ariel’s human love interest, Prince Eric.
“Yes, she was my princess and I was her prince,” he said.
Bogomolova’s former dance partner Maxim Trankov is the present Olympic champion, and all eyes are on the games right now, watching the performances.
The Durban Ice Rink plays host to the KWAZULU-NATAL inter-provincial figure skating championships this weekend where more than 80 skaters will show off their skills on the ice, hoping to make it to the national championship which takes place in May in Pretoria.
Keva Jann Emond, 13, from UMDLOTI, and Chloe Massey-Hicks, 21, are two of the competitors hoping to take the provincial awards.
“I started skating six years ago and I’ll be entering the novice solo category. I hope to do very well,” said Emond, who has competed nationally and internationally.
“Figure skating as a sport is growing in Durban; we are getting more and more calls about it.
“The Olympic Games also helps to make it known, and the more we make it known, the more people will see how amazing it is,” he added.