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Mia, aged 11, an Artistic Roller Skater was recently supported by the Ray Lowe Sporting Foundation who helped fund her travel to and from a recent Artistic Roller Skating competition held in the UK. Mia, along with 15 other members of the Phoenix Artistic Roller Skating Club (PARSC) travelled to the UK to compete in the Bolton Artistic Roller Skating Open.
Friday was a quiet evening and having dined together as a team they settled down for the evening. Saturday saw the group split up into a few groups, some deciding to go to the Trafford Centre, while the majority went shopping in the local area.
Mia enjoyed a really positive couple of days ahead of the competition and having skated particularly well at the British Champs we felt she was capable of winning a medal if she skated her best. A medal would give her a huge boost on top of having a really fun weekend in an environment where she feels comfortable, excited, nervous and best of all, really happy.
The competition day began very early with the first skaters needing to be ready to skate at 8am. All the girls had to be awake and up by 5.30am, showered, hair and make-up done, glittery jewels in place, breakfasted and ready for the coach journey to the Leisure Centre.
The conditions in the sports hall were very different to that of Guernsey and while tricky, the conditions were the same for everybody. Mia skated her free-dance first, which is generally her stronger dance. Unfortunately she slipped during the routine and although that hindered her performance, she skated on and bravely finished the dance. Having recovered she skated again, this time in the solo dance where she felt she did well. Unfortunately the schedule didn’t permit some skaters (Mia included) to participate in their team event. The whole group had to leave before the end in order to catch their flight. No results were known at that point so they all returned home unaware of how well they had done. However, judging by how bubbly everyone was it was clear that they’d all had a great time.
The results were eventually published on the Bolton Skating Club website a few days later. The results were brilliant, with some winning their respective events, others finishing in the top three and winning medals. Even though Mia felt she had skated well, she didn’t win a medal, finishing fourth in the free-dance and sixth in her solo dance. But this hasn’t discouraged Mia as her thoughts have already turned to the next competition, the Winter Solo’s at the end of November.
One of the parents said ‘the team were a credit to their Club and their Island and should be very proud and pleased with their successes. It’s not easy for all the families financing these trips but when they are so successful, not just in trophies and medals, it is extremely satisfying. These skaters are only aged between nine and 15, but they do put in considerable time and effort and it’s fantastic to see their dedication rewarded.’
In a report provided to our Trustees Mia’s parents said ‘thank you for taking the time to consider our application and we are so very grateful for your assistance. The results of the competition were amazing for the Club, perhaps not so for Mia but the next competition is in sight and she can’t wait.’
If you have requirements for a grant for a junior taking part in sport here in the Bailiwick do get in touch.
