A New Boy in Town Ice Stars

Too many of you on this team think you're better than what you are.

Keep on the edge. No! Back, back, back.

Making it as a champion skater doesn't come easy.

It takes years of practice...

Keep going, keep going, keep going.

..hard work...

One more, then I'll be a very happy coach.

..and dedication.

Yeah, yeah. Stop, let's go for it. Go for it, go for it, go for it.

But even then only a few will become tomorrow's Ice Stars.

This is Nottingham in the East Midlands.

Once home to Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

But behind these doors,

a very different band of outlaws are planning to take over the world.

The achievement I'm most proud of is when I won the British Championships.

I'm currently holding the 777 metres British record.

My biggest achievement so far is definitely winning

the British Championships. I think it was one of the best days

of my life, definitely so far.

Built to Honour Olympic gold medal winners Torvill and Dean,

the National Ice Centre boasts two ice rinks -

the Olympic and the Arena.

We'll be following our Ice Stars over the coming weeks

both on and off the ice,

ending with a spectacular ice gala.

Coming up...with a victory for the synchronised skating team in sight,

there's trouble on the ice for new girl Afton.

-Stabbing pain...

-Yeah.

It's time for Charlie to prove he's worthy of the ice hockey

scholarship he's been awarded.

I'm never going to be able to keep up with them,

cos they're like older and I'm younger,

and they've been skating longer than I have.

And there's a new ice dance kid on the block

who sends the girls into a spin.

The Ice Centre in Nottingham has been no stranger to Olympic heroes

over the years,

and many more skaters are following closely in their tracks.

I do ice dance, so I skate with Ellie.

It's like ballroom on ice.

One of my main dreams

is to be in the Olympics

and be like Torvill and Dean, but better.

-Go.

-Don't cut me off this time, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Go towards where Sophie is.

-Curve it.

-I am.

Josh and Ellie - or "Jellie" -

have been training with their coach Sophie for five years.

They become like your family, I see them five days a week,

so you do form very close relationships

and close bonds with them.

You know on the skip,

-skip straight away, otherwise it was good.

-I was waiting for you, OK?

They do bicker a lot. They always like to blame each other.

For Josh it's always Ellie's fault

and for Ellie it's always Josh's fault!

-You need to go down...

-You can't go down if you've got this hand on.

We are quite good friends, but sometimes we do argue.

It's cos he think he's always right, that's why.

-I am usually right.

-No, you're not.

-Yeah, I am.

-No, you're not.

-I am.

Ow, you got me hair, ow!

Sophie calls us an old married couple,

-but we disagree.

-I'd never marry you.

-No.

I'd rather jump off a cliff.

In spite of their bickering,

Jellie know how lucky they are to have found a partnership that works.

If Josh walked away, I probably wouldn't find any other partner,

so I'm really lucky to have Josh.

But not everyone is as lucky as Ellie.

There are lots of girls who can only dream of having a partner.

And solo skaters Chloe and Ella are no exception.

No boys, literally no boys.

In Nottingham, there's just girls and there is one boy, Josh,

but he's skating with Ellie.

It's harder for girls to find a partner cos there's not many boys,

but if you're a boy, you can get the pick of what girl

you want to skate with.

I think the boys think it's too girlie and it's not masculine enough.

There's a lot of girls that are looking for partners

because in dance, it's not often

that a boy comes over

to start dance.

But watch out, girls - there's a new boy in town!

I came from Italy to this country

to learn better English

and to ice skate.

I have a dream I would like to be in the Olympics

and try and win first or second or third place.

HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE

As soon as news was heard that a boy was coming, straightaway -

"How old is? Where is he from? What ability is he?"

For both Chloe and Ella

the prospect of having a partner was very exciting.

The girls haven't long to wait.

Even though he's only just arrived in the country,

Adriano is going to be on the ice first thing in the morning.

Tomorrow morning I will get up at 4am

and I will skate at 5am,

and the teacher and I are deciding

to skate with Ella or Chloe.

It might be an early night for Adriano...

but down at the rink, it's all go.

And ice hockey-mad Charlie is far from sleepy.

Grrrr!

You can stay.

I would like to be a professional hockey player.

It would be really exciting for me

to be playing for a professional

ice hockey team and when I score goals

for the fans to start chanting my name.

We'll have Jake and Charlie together and then we'll have Oscar

and Arty and rotate Henry.

His confidence is through the roof, you just see him come alive

when he's on the ice, he is amazing.

The most thing I like about playing ice hockey is that it's fun,

it's enjoyable, it's tense

and it sometimes gets a bit rough.

He's a really good skater for his age, good strong legs,

he's got good balance on the ice and everything and he's competitive.

Charlie doesn't know it yet, but coach Mike is keeping an eye on him.

If he likes what he sees,

he'll give him a chance to train with the under-12s.

OK, let's go.

But if he gets picked he'll be the smallest on the team,

so he's going to have to work really hard.

He's going to be playing kids two years older than him,

and he's going to have a great experience. These other kids

on that team's going to make him work harder and raise his game

to the next level.

Let's hope Charlie makes the grade and gets his chance to impress.

Life on the ice for the skaters begins whilst of most of us

are still tucked up in bed.

Early mornings are part of the gruelling schedule

of an ice dancer and something Ella and Chloe are now used to,

but this morning is a little more exciting than most.

Right, so if you can start warming up your short dance, yeah?

With so few boys in ice dance,

Ella and Chloe have been struggling to find themselves a partner.

But with Adriano now on the scene,

dancing as a couple is looking likely - for one of them.

When he just walked through the door,

yeah, that was a definite buzz, like.

All the girls are like, "Oh, who's he going to go with?"

"He's probably going to go with me." "No, me." "No, me."

Before I saw Adriano in person,

my mum said that she thought he was good looking

so that I should be happy, and he was.

The main reason that I came to England

is to find a partner to skate.

When there's an opportunity to get a partner, you've got to work

that extra bit harder because if they think, you can't do this move,

"We can't be partners, sorry",

so you've got to make sure every move is perfected

so they think, "She's a really good skater, got to have her."

I just tried to be myself when I was dancing with him

because I didn't want him to think, like, I was someone else,

and then if I did get him then I would act

as a completely different person and he might not like me.

The best thing about Chloe is spinning,

and of Ella, she is very short, and is better for dancing.

It's a difficult choice for me.

At the end of the day the decision, really, does need to be Adriano's.

All I can do as coach is advise him as to who I think would be best.

There is the little one, Ella,

and Chloe, and I dunno how we will decide

if I go with Chloe or with Ella.

What a tough decision he has to make.

Until then, for the girls, it's going to be a long wait.

It's another early morning at the Ice Centre.

On the arena rink, preparations are in full swing for the biggest event

in the synchronised skating calendar.

And Synchro Team new girl Afton is on her way to the rink.

I'm one of the newer members of the squad and this is my first

season in juniors, so I've only been

here for about ten months now.

Most of the girls have been skating since they were about eight,

so I am definitely one of the newer members.

I think it's a little bit unusual for something like this to happen

where I'm in quite a high squad and I've only been doing it

for a short while, but I think

it's down to the amount of hard work you put in.

500 of Great Britain's elite skaters will be fighting it out

at the British Synchronised Skating Championships.

Nottingham's home team, the Icicles, will be competing.

And new team captain Emily is the first Icicle to arrive.

At the end you hear the music going, # Uhhhhhh-uh. #

Just do the "Uhhhh" bit as the arm bit...

The Icicles are already the country's highest-ranking team

in their category. So for them, the British Championships are not about

beating any rivals. Instead, the team need to get over 70 points

so that they can qualify for the World Championships.

So Emily has her work cut out.

The British Championships is a lot of pressure

because if we don't do well,

there's no chance of us

going to the World Championships and everyone wants to go

to the World Championships

because you want to be there for your country,

so being able to get to that level is definitely exciting.

While others have started their on-ice rehearsal,

Emily and her team are using every spare bit of space to practise.

Synchro is a team of 16 girls, and we all skate together.

So it's all team work, you can't... You do nothing on your own

and everyone's got to look exactly the same.

Get a quick drink and we'll do the end bit.

It's my first year as captain, it's been a lot of commitment,

more than it would be normally, you have to look after the girls,

make sure they know what they're doing and make sure everyone's

still positive.

Is everyone ready? Positions.

Everyone has got to have that commitment and fight,

everyone's got to have the same amount inside them to make

sure we skate our very, very best because if one person does something

wrong, or doesn't have as much fight, it just brings the whole team down.

For the Icicles to win a place at the World Championships,

they don't just have to skate the same,

they have to look the same, too.

And all this styling is just for the practice session.

Every single one of those girls has to look identical.

You couldn't go on the ice and one has a bun on top of their head

and the other one has a bun at the bottom of their head.

Because they don't look the same, they look like 16 different skaters

rather than one team and one lot of skaters.

With her first British Championships getting closer,

Afton is trying to keep calm.

-It's the first time they would've seen me skate, so...

-Nervous?

-Very!

It's nerve-racking because it's like so much pressure

-at our own rink.

-Like, the British Champs is here.

I know - our home rink, it's just...

-It's really good!

-It's really good.

I get quite nervous when I'm at competitions, say if we had

a fall in synchro, it affects everyone because it's a team thing.

Those five minutes before you step on the ice and you're lining up,

it's a feeling which is very nervous

and I don't know if I can describe it.

As the Icicles get ready for their final rehearsal,

will Afton manage her nerves in time?

Charlie lives and breathes ice hockey and his plan to make it

to the big time is already under way.

These ones are man of the match awards, that one is playing for the

team, I got this award for being the most consistent player of the year.

Even if he didn't win them all.

That one I bought for a pound.

I was six when I started playing ice hockey

and I was talent identified,

I got a scholarship to play hockey.

I'm actually preparing dinner,

prawn stir fry.

It's one of my most favourite meals,

like, I'd say, second out.

Oh, so what's your favourite, Charlie?

Black beans and rice.

If you have like a healthy diet, that means you get more strength

in your arms and legs.

Yeah, I love cooking.

Coach Mike has asked Charlie to come down to the under 12s training.

It's a big deal. And chef Charlie is doing all

he can to up his energy levels.

Now there's only one thing left for him to do.

You remember your little rhyme that Mummy told you.

Cos there's so much kit, once I even made up a rhyme about it.

It goes like, skins, shins, box, socks,

shorts, chest, elbows, neck,

then it goes...

shirt, stick....shirt, helmet,

stick, gloves, water, skates.

Come on!

The longest time to get all my kit on is probably about half an hour.

THAT is a lot of kit.

Charlie's heading to the Olympic rink.

But right now, it's the arena rink which is really hotting up.

The British Championships are in full swing,

with one team after another taking to the ice

for their final rehearsals.

The Icicles are about to be called for their final practice.

And Afton's still struggling with her nerves.

Afton is very new to synchro, obviously.

She puts pressure on herself, so definitely the most nervous

out of the rest of them.

Right, girls, we've told you ever since you was little, be aware

of your feet, OK, points can be massively lost by falling over.

Don't panic, you've done this a million times on this ice rink,

you're in your own ice rink now, aren't you, you've just got

to perform it for the crowd. Right, I think we'll get going now.

ALL: Icicles!

The girls have just one chance to practise on the ice

before the competition.

It may be a rehearsal, but the squad know the judges are watching.

Come on, girls!

They'll get points for their synchronised facial expressions

along with their synchronised steps,

so it's time to get their game faces on.

Coach Esther has worked for months with her girls,

choreographing this routine.

But just as Afton gets in the swing of it all...

..disaster strikes!

And she crosses skates with another Icicle.

Afton's dreams of performing her first British Championships

seem to be in tatters.

Lauren, take Afton up there.

That wasn't bad.

Obviously we don't want to fall, come in.

Turns, spirals, pick it up from over on the edge, let's go, keep skating.

Maybe I was just nervous and I just tripped.

-Are you OK?

-It just hurts.

We'll have a look at it after, don't think about it. You can do it.

When someone falls at a competition,

they're normally crying, by the end of the programme you're like,

"Please, don't worry", and everyone is really comforting

and nice to each other, even if inside they might be a bit angry,

but it doesn't really matter, like, you can't change what you've done.

OK, come in, girls.

With not long to go before the girls perform in front

of a panel of judges, it's not looking good for the Icicle newbie.

So last week Afton fell over and one of the girls' blades went into her

wrist, so she's had to go to the hospital and have it stitched

and today she's fell on the practice again

and she's just in a bit of pain.

No, no, it's just like a stabbing pain.

-You can move all your fingers OK?

-And can you move your wrist?

-Yeah.

It hurt because of my previous injury,

I didn't really know what I'd done to it,

I was worried I wasn't going to skate at British, that whole season is

built up to British and if you have

an injury that could jeopardise your skating, you get worried.

This means everything to Afton, she's only been in juniors

for a year and she's worked so hard to get into the team

so it would absolutely devastate her if she couldn't skate.

With less than an hour to go before the competition,

it seems more and more unlikely that Afton will be able to perform.

On the Olympic rink, it's Charlie's chance to shine.

He's arrived for his training session with the under 12s.

And this is the biggest break of Charlie's ice hockey career so far.

It's my first time training with the 12As

and it's going to be really exciting.

I'm never going to be able to keep up with them,

cos they're, like, older and I'm younger,

and they've been skating longer than I have.

With the session starting, Charlie needs to step up his game

if he's going to impress.

I'm really, really nervous, but excited at the same time.

COACH BLOWS WHISTLE

Let's go, let's go! Keep it moving.

The under 12s coach Mike is watching his every move.

Quick feet, quick feet, get those feet moving!

Charlie needs to show he can keep up with the older boys

if he's going to make the grade.

And what better way to do that than with a shooting drill?

I'll blow the whistle, you grab a puck, bang.

You see the dot here, tight turn around and take a shot,

everybody OK with that drill?

You're up next, Charlie.

And he scores!

Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!

I just scored!

Whoo!

But has he done enough to impress his coach?

Charlie's really impressed me, he's got a great attitude,

he has passion for the game, he loves the game of hockey,

he's the type of player, if I ask them to skate five times a week,

he'd be the first guy in the changing rooms getting dressed

and going on the ice.

It's really full-on, I would compare it

to, like, swimming, like, in really deep water and you're really far

down and you can't get back up

and you've got three oxygen tanks.

I'm really pleased that I came to this session

and I really hope to come back again.

It looks like Charlie is one step closer

to playing in the big leagues.

30 of the very best synchronised skating teams are competing

for the British Championships.

Home team the Icicles are already ranked top in their category

so they have no rivals to beat today.

Instead, they need to score enough points to see them through

to the World Championships.

To qualify for World Championships in Croatia, then it would be

the best thing that's happened, we worked hard all season for this

and that's really what we want to happen.

With the performance not far away,

Emily and Sam go back over the practice.

Apart from the fall, we had a really, really strong skate.

On the ice I was just speaking to Afton, telling her to calm down,

-I think she's more worried about...

-Doing it in competition.

Her fall instead of her hurting herself.

She cares about other people more than herself,

-doesn't she?

-I think Afton will be all right though, won't she?

-Yeah, she'll be OK.

-She just panics a bit.

-Fingers crossed.

-Fingers crossed.

Cos if we don't get the points, then we won't be going to Worlds

and everyone will hate that.

While the rest of the girls perfect their make up,

Afton's wrist is still on her mind.

I'm a bit nervous for the competition because obviously

I've fallen and you're going to have nerves

especially because it's British Championships, but my injury is not

bad enough for me not to skate.

OK, are we going to concentrate now? Breathe properly,

vision what your programme you want to skate right now.

OK? Come on, girls, we can do this.

It's nearly show time,

Afton's been given the all-clear to skate.

And the Icicles visualise the performance in their heads.

Full costume? Check!

Florescent make up? Check!

Buns secure? Check!

So important.

You will go the extra mile to do bigger faces in competition

which is great,

but control your feet,

points can be massively lost by you falling over.

Everyone get up!

Jump up, no more yawning, no more sleepy face,

I want a strong, fast performance.

There's no-one we're competing against, so this year it's about

getting the points to go to Worlds and that's what's most important.

ALL: Icicles!

Get into your one line, let's go.

Stand up nice and tall, arms down, come on.

ANNOUNCER: From Nottingham, the Icicles.

CHEERING

You can do this - they can do this, right?

Everything rides on this performance.

The Icicles need to have a perfect skate to get through

to the World Championships.

Yes, come on!

MUSIC: Heroes by Alesso

Come on, girls!

Come on! Come on! Come on!

After months of hard work,

head coach Esther is overwhelmed with emotion.

I can't contain my tears!

CHEERING

Yeah! Whoo!

Afton and the girls have done it.

A perfect routine.

That was great! Well done, girls. I started crying halfway!

I couldn't contain my tears.

I was crying in the moves, I am so proud of all of you!

The Icicles have done the best they can

and now all that remains is to find out the score.

They need to get at least 70 points.

-ANNOUNCER:

-The Icicles score 74.

Yes! The Icicles are off to the World Championships in Croatia.

Yes!

Girls, how fabulous, team hug!

I'm so proud of all of you!

We feel on top of the world, we started crying halfway, didn't we?

We're so proud of them, they did great,

couldn't have asked for anything more.

Let's go and get our trophy.

THEY CHEER

I am so, so proud of my team, it's been one of the best skates

we've ever had, so I am so, so proud we got such a good score

and everyone has worked so hard, so we definitely deserved it.

Next time on Ice Stars...

With a big international competition just days away, figure skating star

Josh has trouble landing his jumps...

This is not OK.

It's really frustrating when you do end up falling.

..illness threatens to leave

Maddie's speed skating dream in tatters...

My breathing was really bad on that one,

although I managed to like, not cough until the last lap.

And Adriano finally makes a life-changing decision

about his new partner.

It was difficult because I needed

to decide one, but I finally decided.