Our Katie helps star turns make history

Katie Ferguson, 18, helped her synchronised ice-skating outfit become the first Scottish-based club to be named International Skating Union junior British champions.

The Britannia Cup was the last competition of the season for Solway Stars, and over the two-day event in Sheffield, the Dumfries and Galloway-based outfit managed to smash their season’s personal best with a 110.39 score for their showings in both short and free programmes.

On day one, a routine based around the music of Peter Gunn saw them sit in first place with a score of 37.31.

They then sealed the championship by wowing the judges with a Beetlejuice-themed free routine.

Katie told us she was delighted to have helped pick up the award and that it made all the travelling worth it.

“The club are based in Dumfries, so it is a lot of going up and down, but it really is worth it, and winning the championship has made it even more worthwhile,” she said.

“It is a really big achievement for the club and for all of us involved to win it against some really tough opposition. To be the first Scottish team to win is an added bonus.”

Katie is combining her skating with her studies in adult nursing at university and her goal is to just keep improving, she says.

She added: “I just want to keep getting better and continue to enjoy being a part of the team.

“Not a lot of people have heard of synchronised ice skating and I am proud to compete in the sport.”

The Solway Comets and Eclipse sides also brought home championship trophies in the beginners’ and mixed-age groups respectively.

Solway Sk8ing chairperson Lindsay Henderson said: “After 16 months off the ice due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are extremely proud of our skaters and coaches ending the year with such wonderful achievements.”

Head coach Philip Carter added: “I’ve coached here since November 1999 and I’ve never seen so many within the local skating as delighted at an event as they were over the weekend. It was great to behold.“