Girls carry GB hopes at Austrian tournament
Five called to national squad for the Cup ofTyrol
Five youngsters from East Kilbride Ice Figure Skating Club are on their way to Austria this month to represent Great Britain.
Christie Shannon, Holly Freeman, Taylor McLeod, Cara McCabe and Rebecca Geddes have received callups from the National Ice Skating Association to take part in the Cup of Tyrol, which is being held in Innsbruck from February 28.
Christie, 14, will be skating in the advance novice category and can call on her experience gained from being 2015 novice A British champion and a member of the UK talent squad.
Holly, a third year pupil at Calderglen High School, will be competing in the novice B category at Innsbruck.
The call-up comes as she celebrates her 10th year with EKIFSC and the 14-year-old has enjoyed plenty of success over the years, the most recent being a second place finish in the advanced novice ladies category at the Aberdeen Open and achieving the highest component score at the British Championships.
Taylor is set to compete in the novice A category. The 12-year-old has been skating since she was 4 and has been a member of the GB squad for the last four years, competing internationally in Bratislava, Budapest and Riga.
Joining her in the novice A category is 12-year-old Cara McCabe. Cara managed to podium place at six out of nine competitions last year, with her most memorable effort earning gold in Croatia while representing Great Britain.
Cara has also qualified for the national/regional development team for five years in a row and the British Championships three years running.
Twelve-year-old Rebecca is the youngest from the club to compete.
Rebecca heads to Innsbruck with a new programme ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ in the novice A category. She has qualified for the British Championships two years in a row and enjoyed a great season last year with four podium places.
Coach Yvonne Cameron said: “I’m extremely proud of each and every one of them and I want the girls to enjoy the experience and skate with confidence and grace.
“Every one of the girls shows complete dedication to their sport and at their age there are many social events on offer but they remain committed and give 100 per cent effort at each training session.”
Fellow coach Silvanna Cameron said: “The girls are amazing. They train hard at 6am before school and should be very proud of themselves.
“Their hard work has paid off.”