FREEZE S2 BBC THREE BBC IPLAYER SKATING DOCU SERIES
I finally watched all 4 episodes of series two and have to say it's not as gripping as series one, mainly because of the characters featured with lower down skaters, and the fact there was no ice dance included. I'm extremely disappointed they didn't include scenes from the first Torvill & Dean ice dance Camp at Sheffield even though I know they filmed it. The highlights were seeing clips from livestreams that I watched during the season, ie Cup of Austria in Graz and Tayside Trophy in Dundee. But again minimal coverage and no mention Natasha McKay won that event with a good performance. At least they finally mentioned her name and that Kristen and Nina would have to beat her! Considering she had won the British Championships at that point 4 times, now 5, and been chosen for European and Worlds consistently, it's a mystery why they didn't at least mention her name and record in series one? Casual viewers who thought Kristen and Nina were fighting it out for an Olympic spot would be shocked to find out the woman who actually gained that spot was up in Scotland and the undisputed British No.1.
However we know now thanks to Simon Briggs, Tash's Coach, he wanted her to concentrate on her main goal of the Olmpics and not be distracted by a documentary so she only took part minimally.
What sets Natasha apart from the other two is she delivers at the British Championships and mostly, not always, when it counts internationally, and she has good Spins, Steps and PCS . The other 2 may produce the more difficult jumps on occasion in a Senior B International abroad, but when the British rolls around, they falter.
I wonder if PJ was distracted by the cameras or was just running on empty ready to quit? I guess we'll never know. But Graham Newberry now has a new lease of life and let's hope he can progress next season.
@CaroLiza_fan mentioned the huge gap in Emily Hayward's career and she explains why that was and what happened to her and it's very distressing to listen to. She seems a person in turmoil and rather than ploughing on through, I feel she should take a break, have some therapy and come back refreshed, free from pressure. It's very sad to watch her. But not a unique story in Skating by any means.
It was great to see Rene the Advanced Novice boy I became a fan of when he won the British Championships last December with a fantastic groovy Michael Jackson Free Program. My heart broke when his coach at Altrincham said he only had 2 half hour lessons a week but worked hard on his own the rest of the time. His lovely Mum probably can't afford any more, making his costumes and sharpening his blades herself. He is precisely the kind of talented youngster who needs financial help now if he's to get to Olympics in 8 years time. But those idiots at UK Sport couldn't care less. It's the public's Lottery Money! We should have a say who gets it and currently Skating gets nowt!
The Final episode featured the British Championships 2021 though irritatingly none of the skaters original music was played, pop ballads played over their skates in slow motion, and again only one Program. If this series was to educate viewers about competitive Skating having a Short and Free Program it hasn't done a good job.
No ice dancers were shown in episode 4 completing the British Championships which is absurd as LilahandLewis are our most successful skaters at major international Championships. They also didn't show Rene winning the Advanced Novice title. Why not when you featured him qualifying in the previous episode?
So it ended with the same core of Sheffield Singles skaters saying how much they loved the sport.
That's all folks! Overall it was an excellent look into a minority sport in the UK.
I remember the days when the Telegraph, Times, Guardian used to have a Skating Correspondent who covered events and wrote articles, when we had a monthly magazine published in Britain and competitive skating was recognised as a sport. Now it gets nothing in the press apart from in Dundee local papers.
So this docu series and the one before it on CBBC, ICE STARS, are much appreciated by me and all fans, I'm sure.
www.iceskating.org.uk
youtu.be
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