A TEAM of ice skaters from Basingstoke stole the show at the National Interink Competition in Milton Keynes as they returned with a handful of podium finishes.
Basingstoke ice skaters won one first-place, one second-place, and three third-places, while the team finished fifth overall out of 14 Planet ice rinks.
Over 50 skaters from Basingstoke travelled to Milton Keynes to take part in the event. They were aged five and above and included a mixture of levels from new skaters to more experienced senior skaters.
Following are the names of winners from Basingstoke:
Ruby Hayter and Bex Diley 1st place
Megan Flitter 2nd place
Eleanor Flitter - 3rd place
Anna Jacobs - 3rd place
Alex Hammond - 3rd place
Lydia Absolom - 5th place
Cheska Smith - 6th place
Ruby Hayter, Bex Diley, Alex Hammond, Jess Haddock, Sophie and Jess Schofield - 6th Place
Tallulah Harris - 7th place
Annaleise Wiggans - 7th place
Jessica Haddock - 8th place
Their group numbers themed the 80s – Rocky for the Juniors and Indiana Jones for the seniors – finished in an incredible 4th place.
The event also saw Basingstoke’s Florence Flitter performing a bumblebee exhibition for the whole audience.
The team was coached by Rachael Powell, Nadia Smith and Fiona Harris.
Ms Powell said the kids skated their hearts out and gave beautiful performances.
“Super proud of Basingstoke skaters. They gave beautiful performances and the hard work and dedication that went into the event were amazing. A massive thank you to the coaches who put their time and effort into the competition.”
“These kids will be devastated if they lose the ice rink. This is their pride and joy, and this is what they work for. They love attending these competitions. They will be gutted if their ice rink is gone. They will be very upset.”
The success comes amidst the news that Basingstoke’s ice rink has been put up for sale.
Planet Ice at the leisure park has been put on the market for £2.4 million by the building's owners Standard Securities.
It follows a long-running saga over who is responsible for repairs at the facility that threatens the future of the rink - with the council now threatening legal action should the repairs not be completed.
But Basingstoke council, who own the leisure park site, have poured cold water over the idea of purchasing the facility, saying "residents would [not] support us bailing out the companies involved with public money to make up for their lack of investment in an asset".
The ice rink, which is home to one of the town's best-supported sports teams in the Bison ice hockey team, needs urgent repairs after permafrost build-up underneath the rink's pad.
Over recent months, there has been a back and forth between BDBC and Planet Ice, the rink's operators, on who is responsible for the repairs.
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