Coach Chrissy Richards
My whole Ice Skating career began for me around 1990. I had been session skating at weekends before then with my brothers and always enjoyed the experience but had never considered taking it up professionally. It was December that year my parents bought tickets for us to see the Christmas show on ice at our local rink, and from that moment I was hooked. All of those girls with their beautifully choreographed numbers, whizzing around in unison under the spotlights in their sparkly costumes – I turned to my mum and said; “I want to be in a Xmas show on ice next year”. The following year my wish was granted.
I started with figures and free skating lessons, and then eventually came to be a part of the rink’s precision skating teams; the Jemettes (novice), the Ice Jems (junior), Team Champagne (senior), and Team Britannia which were the National Precision Skating Team for Great Britain.
The Jemettes and Ice Jems were European gold medallists from 1991-1996, and Team Britannia & Team Champagne have won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at various international competitions held throughout Europe.
With those teams I have competed all over the UK and in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Italy, Quebec (Canada), Toronto (Canada), Boston (USA), Detroit (USA), and Minneapolis (USA).
In between travelling from country to country competing with the precision teams I was also competing around the UK in various club and national figure skating competitions. I was also a part of (and sometimes starring in) ice shows such as; Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Aladdin, Dick Whittington, Alice in Wonderland, Fantasy on Ice, Humpty Dumpty, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.
In 1992 I was honoured to be one of the selected few skaters who was asked to perform for the Queen at the last military tattoo in Berlin. We were there for nearly two weeks, rehearsing frequently in preparation for the 4-day tattoo while residing in an old army barracks. We performed alongside soldiers, cavalry and dancers – skating to music played live by an orchestra in a stadium that seated thousands of people - and rarely had an empty seat.
Throughout my skating career I have taken part in some wonderful (and sometimes quirky) little shows here and there. I performed live on the German television channel ‘ZDF TV’ for two or three of their new year’s eve shows called ‘Wintergarten’, and have been part of many little outdoor performances in rural France. In 1995 I was one of the skaters who performed in the opening and closing ceremony for the World Figure Skating Championships, and in 1996 I obtained an outstanding achievement award from the Sports Aid Foundation in London.
I have so many cherished memories from my time as a professional ice skater, and am hoping that here at Romford I can help the boys and girls under my tutelage to experience some of the magic for themselves.