Northern Stars won the silver medal at the Trophy D’Ecosse 2019. Held at the Dumfries Ice Bowl 8-10 February, the Trophy D’Ecosse draws teams from across the world to compete in a friendly, but electric atmosphere.
After a very tough experience just a few weeks before at the British Championships, it’s fair to say that we really needed a good skate. We didn’t go with any expectations other than wanting to do justice to the hard work that we’ve put in this year – an opportunity that we sadly missed at our last competition.
As usual, the team enjoyed a long weekend break in Scotland to soak up the atmosphere of the competition (and of course to watch the Junior and Senior categories), explore the beautiful Lowther Hills and spend time together away from the ice. We were also accompanied by (one of) our team mascots Bonnie the newfoundland.
We skated a clean routine and were so pleased with the performance. We scored 23.15, with our mixed element being the highest scoring element in our category. When the results came in, we were absolutely elated to win the silver medal! Starlight Rain took the gold with 29.00 for their amazing Ghostbusters routine, with Bladerunners taking the bronze with 23.09.
On Sunday 10 February, though, we got down to business to compete in the Adult category. Competing against 6 other teams from across the UK, we drew to skate second. We were so grateful that a number of family and friends came to the rink to cheer us on and support us, with more watching the live stream from home. It helped us to think about trying to skate for them, and to put the experience of the British Championships behind us.
The silver medal was made even more meaningful given the tough path we had faced this season, and it gave our many new skaters a taste of what it feels like to come off the ice knowing you have skated your best. The silver medals were the icing on the cake!
Thanks once again to the team behind Trophy D’Ecosse – it’s such a well run event, and a lot of thought and effort goes into making sure the teams have everything they need to warm up, get ready, relax and have an amazing time. See you in 2020!