Why our young ice stars deserve a lift
Tonight you’ll be able to see me demonstrate my fancy footwork and moody moves (or lack of them) on ITV’s Dancing on Ice.
How I get on will be up to you, the viewers, and the judges.
But after training for several months with my amazing professional partner Mark Hanretty, I am acutely aware that if it wasn’t for his skill and talent – nurtured and honed over many years – I wouldn’t be able to stay upright on the ice, let alone attempt to dance on it.
So it’s a dreadful pity that Britishborn stars like Mark are now becoming a dying breed.
There was a time when we led the world in figure skating, with champions such as John Curry, Robin Cousins and the legendary Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
But when I asked Mark why we don’t produce that sort of athlete any more – and why ethnic minorities are so under-represented – it wasn’t difficult for him to put his finger on the problem.
“It all boils down to money,” he told me. “There isn’t government investment at the grass roots to help people who may have the talent but not the money to progress.”
It’s not for want of trying. When he’s not training hapless celebs for the telly, he runs his own ice camps to teach adults and kids of all abilities to figure-skate.
“Ice rinks are packed as a direct result of the show,” he told me. “As a coach, I love seeing people having a go at a sport I’ve devoted most of my life to.”
It’s when a fun pastime becomes a passion that people run into trouble. Because it turns out that behind the glitz and glamour, this sport’s recent story in the UK is a shameful one.
Much of our top talent has been forced to move abroad for better training facilities. And a chronic lack of investment is hampering our best coaches and young competitors.
These days, if you’re not lavishly backed by the bank of mum and dad, you’re on very thin ice indeed.
Even with my limited experience, I can see a sport that is crying out for funds. I’ve been very lucky. I was given a pair of boots, daily lessons from a top coach – and I’m actually being paid to take part.
But the bill for a parent trying to support a child’s skating talent would bring water to the eyes. Mark started skating aged nine. To get to world-class standard he had to train six days a week, twice a day, with a private coach.
Then there were extra classes such as ballet lessons, to help with those all- important artistic impression marks. It cost his parents around £2,000 per month.
As his career took off, the expenses soared. There were months when he lived on beans.
Back in the day, the local authority gave Torvill and
Dean a grant of what would now be around £40,000 for costumes, travel, lodgings and competition fees (yes, you have to pay to enter). And the rest is Olympic history.
But those resources no longer exist. These days, councils haven’t got the money to buy school loo rolls or fund care for the disabled.
Meanwhile, a sport that Britain once dominated is now out of reach for anyone but the rich. Mark has had many talented kids pass through his skate camps, even a few potential world champs. But faced with huge competition costs, they fall by the wayside.
So when I take to the Dancing on Ice rink, I’ll dedicate my solo number to all the skaters out there trying to perfect their skills for Team GB. Wish me luck. And wish them the support they deserve.