Altrincham
“ We welcome all ages ( we currently have skaters from age 9 up to age 56 ), and all skating abilities ( Skate UK / Skate Excellence Level 5 upwards ).
“ We promote a friendly and inclusive environment for all our skaters ( and their parents / family ) together with a culture of hard work and a real team spirit .
“ Our aim is to help our skaters achieve their potential through practice , and participation in prestigious competitions throughout the UK and / or abroad .
“ We are very lucky to have our Coach - Sam Ozard - leading us in this . Sam is a Level 2 qualified NISA Coach ; A British Junior Medallist ; A GB International Competitor at Junior and Senior levels and an experienced Synchronised Ice Skating Coach .
“ Sam is supported by members and their families who help with everything from administration to fundraising .
“ Sam has just finished the choreography of the routines , so everyone ’ s now excited to work on polishing them up ready for the competitions and demo ’ s ahead .
“ It ’ s been a tricky start to the year as we had to re-structure the teams and change training times , but everyone has adapted really well . Now we want to keep building the teams on and off the ice and to compete at home and abroad .
“ The season starts on 6th November and we have the following competitions : 6th November - Lee Valley ( all three teams ) 24th – 26th November – Winter Cup , Belgium ( Whizz Kids ) 13th – 14th January 2018 – British Championships , Nottingham ( all three teams )
9th – 11th February – Trophy D ’ Ecosse , Scotland ( all three teams ).
Bladerunners & Whizz Kids will compete at an International next year – still TBC .
“ Youth development is very important to us as a club , we ’ re always looking for new members , young and old . Our Club is a Club for all . Everyone is welcome !
“ Anyone wanting to try out is welcome . The hardest part is the getting up for early morning training - we take care of the rest .
“ Our biggest challenges are always the cost and time of our practise ice . Our goal is to get to Junior Level and compete at the Junior World Championships in 2019 .”
“ Synchronised Skating has long been a passion of mine and I was keen for my two daughter ’ s ( Tilly & Tabitha ) to get involved . So in 2011 I set up the Altrincham Synchro Club . At the time it was just me and the skater , but over the years , with the support of parents , we now have a Committee and Team Reps and I can concentrate and focus purely on the Coaching .
The Biggest challenge we face is our limited ice time , just one hour a week , for all three Teams to train on and to learn and run through four routines ( The Whizz Kids have a Short and a Long programme ).
The most rewarding thing is winning ! But also watching the Teams work together and help each other out – they have a common goal and support each other to get there .”
Sam Ozard , Coach
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