Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Skaters aim for Special Olympics
Four from Coatbridge club make Team GB
Four members of a Coatbridge ice-skating club will be gliding for gold at the Special Olympics World Winter Games next year.
Talented teenagers Courtney Montgomery and Heather McNeil will represent Team GB along with Jonathan McSally, 26, and 23-year-old, Graeme Watson.
The quartet, who train with ISKATE at the Time Capsule, will make history when they travel to Austria in March in Britain’s first ever Special Olympics figure-skating team.
And coach Ann Stokes couldn’t be prouder of her proteges. She told the Advertiser: “I’m so delighted for them, I still can’t believe it.
“It’s great for the local community too and nice for them to have the recognition of representing their country.
“Not many people from Monklands will be able to say they’ve competed at the Olympics.”
Proud Ann continued: “When they first started skating around three years ago they were clinging to the barrier for dear life. Getting them skating was a task in itself!
“I didn’t set them goals for the first couple of years but each week they’d come in and see new results each time.
“However, never in a million years did I think this would be possible, but they’ve done it.”
Surprisingly though, before the ice-skates can be packed and the plane boarded, the athletes need to raise a whopping £ 10,000 for the privilege of representing their country.
Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB) contribute to the team’s costs but several important aspects surrounding the Olympic experience are not funded by the heirarchy.
To try to combat this, the club have organised a fundraising night at the Airdrie Working Mens Club this Friday.
Tribute band Solid Gold ABBA will be performing, with a raffle also on offer for £7 a ticket.
Ann explained: “Costumes and uniform are more than £300 per person and ice-time at training weekends in England need to be paid for as well as travel and accomodation.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for these athletes who have already overcome so many challenges in their lives.”
Coatbridge duo Jonathan and Graeme, Airdrie’s Heather and Cumbernauld’s Courtney make up four of the 10-strong group of skaters. The other six all hail from across the border, which is why training weekends take place in England.
More than 3000 athletes from 110 countries will compete at the festival of winter sports.
Ann said: “This is the first time Team GB have had a figure-skating team going to the Special Olympics World Winter Games.
“I just hope we are able to raise the necessary funds to get them there.”
● Tickets are available for the ABBA tribute event at www. iskatetc. com or on the club’s facebook page.