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Success for Inclusive Skaters at SOGB National Winter Games
Last week 9 Inclusive Skaters from the UK took part in the Special Olympics GB National Winter Games in Folgaria, Italy. This inaugural event welcomed athletes in figure skating and alpine skiing. It also introduced snowshoeing as a development event for possible inclusion in the programme in the future. Our skaters performed excellently and all returned home with medals and pride.
Practices and competition were hugely assisted by our team of outstanding coaches, Pam Richardson, Louisa Chatwin and Paul Crocker.
IS founder and board chair Margarita Sweeney-Baird BEM served as the director of the skating event as well as head judge; she was joined on the panel by trustee Christopher Martin Davis and our deeply valued volunteer Mary Faerie.
Event recap:
Jennifer Gibson came home with a gold medal in level four ladies after a strong showing in her free programme.
Stephanie Gott demonstrated power and poise winning gold medals in both the Level 3 ladies and level 2 dance events.
Jenny Lee skated with passion and pizzazz winning the gold medal in the level 1 pairs event alongside partner Callum Mille and winning the silver medal in level 3 ladies.
Meg Mcfarlane skated her way to first place in the level 1 dance event with strong edges in her canasta tango and secured the bronze medal in the level 3 ladies competition.
Oliver Snook took home gold in the level 3 men’s event with a programme which showcased his excellent skating skills.
Callum Mills won the pairs event with Jenny Lee, took home the gold medal in the level 1 dance event, and came home with the silver medal in the level 3 men’s event after a musical programme to Taylor Swift.
Megan Cassidy skated with determination and focus on the level 2 ladies earning her the gold medal.
Nikki Sibeon skated with fortitude and grit, overcoming a rough fall at the start of her programme to skate with elegance and composure to win the level 1 ladies event. She also took home a silver medal in the level 1 dance event.
Jonathan Clutterbuck skated with great presentation and joy and skated to the top of the podium in the level 1 men’s event.
We congratulate all our Special Olympics GB National champions and wish them continued success as they train for the upcoming Inclusive Skating World Championships in London this April. Inclusive Skating was thrilled to support our cherished partner SOGB in the delivery of this wonderful event and look forward to future collaboration in the future. We appreciate SOGB’s efforts to make a high quality competition and are grateful for the support of their staff and volunteers throughout the event. To catch up on the action and watch our skaters perform their competition and gala performance check out our Folgaria 2024 playlist.
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Notes to editors
Contact
Margarita Sweeney-Baird Founder and Board Chair of Inclusive Skating
+44-(0)7813 993 237 margarita@inclusiveskating.org
Inclusive Skating Inclusive Skating is the world governing body of inclusive skating competitions and championships and is a world-recognised charity. Inclusive Skating’s goal is to provide events, activities, educational resources, training, and championship events for skaters with additional needs across the globe. We seek to include all skaters with an impairment on an equal basis and our competition and training pathways allow everyone to participate in all competitions and events. www.inclusiveskating.org
Special Olympics GB is a non-profit which serves as the British arm of Special Olympics International. They provide competition pathways for athletes with intellectual disabilities across 27 different sports, providing opportunities from grassroots club initiatives to elite multisport events. https://www.specialolympicsgb.org.uk
International Skating Union is the exclusive international sport federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) administering sports in the branches of Figure Skating, Synchronised Skating, Speed Skating and Short Track Speed Skating throughout the world. www.isu.org
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