British Ice Skating (BIS) have announced that Nottingham’s Icicles Senior synchronized skating team which includes Arnold’s Bryony Negus has been selected to represent Great Britain at the World Synchronized Skating Championships 2024 this April in Zagreb, Croatia.
Bryony Negus (22) who was born and bred in Arnold and educated at Arnold Hill Academy has an amazing eight British gold medals and has been skating since she was twelve years old.
She trains every week at Nottingham Synchronized Skating Academy (NSSA) and this will be the fourth time Bryony will have represented her country at the World Championships.
The team, aged from 16 to 24, come from all over England to train three times a week at the National Ice Centre, Nottingham. Team-members are either in work or further education and Bryony actually works at the ice arena where she trains.
The selection to represent GB is the culmination of a busy competitive season for the Icicles, who became British Champions in January. They have competed all over the UK as well as at the Santa Claus Cup in the Czech Republic.
Trained by head coaches Esther Morris and Lauren Kelly, the team perform two programmes, a short and a free, incorporating various compulsory elements, such as lifts, synchronized spins and jumps. Creative choreography is used in these complex routines so that the sixteen skaters tell a story on the ice, at speed to music, to present a seamless spectacle.
Esther said: “We are honoured to get the chance to represent Great Britain and share the ice with the best teams from across the world.
“Every year, the rules get harder and the elements get more demanding so the team’s selection is an incredible tribute to the skaters’ achievements.”
Lauren said: “This selection means a lot to everyone at the club. It takes many hours of practice every week to make the different elements of the routine flow so the team can score the points needed.
“The skaters show such dedication to training to improve their skills and performance, including a regular 5am start every Sunday morning. I’m pleased that they will now have the chance to show their fabulous routines on the world stage.”
Club chair Lisa Walker said: “We’re very proud of the team’s selection, but attending a World Championships is unfortunately expensive and the skaters are all completely self-funded. We would also love to hear from any businesses who are interested in sponsoring the skaters get to Croatia to represent Great Britain. Any help would be very gratefully received.”
The competition will take place on April 5-6 in Zagreb, Croatia, where top ice skating teams from North America, Europe, Asia and Australasia will compete to be World Champions and any businesses interested in helping fund the trip are asked to contact lisa.nssa@hotmail.com to discuss how they can help.
The Nottingham Synchronized Skating Academy (NSSA) has five other teams that train alongside Icicles Seniors, with skaters ranging from 8 to 42 years. Five of the six teams are reigning British Champions.
To find out more about becoming a synchronized ice skater, visit the club’s website for details: https://www.nssa-nottingham.co.uk/ or you can get updates on the team’s progress on social media: Instagram: teamiciclesgb.sr or via their Facebook account HERE.
