For clarity I must stress that what follows is merely my observations of the impact of the current situation on the sport and is in no way meant to be a judgement on the decisions being made by any sporting body. Indeed, given the current rates of global infection let alone the catastrophic death rate it is arguable that no organised sporting events should be taking place and of cause, much as I like many, find great pleasure in ice dance if the last few months have taught us anything it is surely the importance of who and what we chose to surround ourselves with. That said, one day, how soon I cannot say, but one day this will be over and something resembling normality (as opposed to the new normal) will resume and it’s to that which I look.
Regular readers of this blog may be aware that I am was due to attend the British Figure skating championships in Sheffield in December. With the World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal having been cancelled back in March, and British Skating announcing on March 17th the cancellation of all BIS-permitted events, competitions and test sessions for an initial period of six week, little did I imagine that an event so far in the future would begin to seem so unlikely. And yet, as much as it breaks my heart to admit it, such a large scale event of such prestige occurring, let alone being permitted to do so in front of an audience, in twenty-six weeks’ time appears absolutely implausible given the societal changes of the last three months.
While English Premier League football prepares to resume on 17th June in crowd-free stadia, there has been no word from Sport England (quelle surprise) or British Ice Skating as to when our skating athletes may resume training let alone competition. While US figure skating published a 17 page document entitled Returning to the Rinks from U.S. Figure Skating, Learn to Skate USA, the U.S. Ice Rink Association and USA Hockey on May 4th offering guidelines to help clubs and programs implement appropriate policies and procedures in response to COVID-19, as well as further publications on Returning to Skating Programs and Disciplines and Considerations for Competitions and Events. The USA site also lists all cancelled competitions right up to the American National Solo Dance Final due to take place in Michigan between 9th and 12th September. There has been no update from British Skating since March 17th.
Given the response to the crisis in the UK and US more generally, perhaps the crucial difference in terms of figure skating remains that while folk in Britain are now free to leave home as often as they wish for the purpose of exercise, and outdoor sports and physical activities (including basketball and tennis courts, golf courses and playing fields) can re-open, indoor facilities (whether public or private must remain closed). So while legendary British Olympic gold medal winner, Christopher Dean, long-based in Colorado, has been able to return to the ice (albeit donning a face mask and having to dress in the car park due to changing facilities remaining shut), his UK based partner, Jayne Torvill, has no such option.
At the next international competition (when so ever that may be), I would glean to suggest that the disparity in opportunity between the two nations will inevitably have increased. British Ice Skating has long been under-funded, under resourced and under equipped. As I’ve mentioned previously, UK curling receives £6.5m from UK Sport in Olympic funding as compared to Figure Skating’s ZERO. Add to that last week’s announcement that Bracknell’s rink at the John Nike Leisure Complex is considering permanent closure as a result of financial losses combined with the effects of governmental forced closure due to the global pandemic, Deeside being turned into a temporary hospital to treat North Wales residents with symptoms of COVD-19 and both Planet Ice in Widnes and Milton Keynes being converted to temporary body storage areas (morgues, a fate that befell Zetra Olympic Hall in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war as I detailed in a post). Whilst with the exception of Bracknell, these closures have been stated as temporary, but given British Skating is already far down UK Sport’s list of priorities in normal times, and the strain on local and national government finances already caused by the crisis, when, how and if the funding to restore these facilities remains to be seen.
I realise this post is all a bit doom and gloom, but rest assured my next post will be less so as I look at what Dancing On Ice has in store whether or not sufficient normality has returned by new year.
White Skates 