Home Sweet Home Ice Stars

ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC

Go, go!

Flat! Again!

Did you get it now?

CHILDREN: Yes!

Yes? Great.

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

It takes years of practice...

Hard work...

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

..and dedication.

Five, six, seven, eight.

Edge, edge. Not too bent, Char.

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

..Ice Stars.

Coming up...

Competition day in Bracknell has finally arrived for Jellie...

I'm feeling quite nervous about it, and all the elements and the lifts.

Charlie's classmates battle it out to get a skating scholarship...

One of your pupils has been talent ID'd.

..and figure skater Kloe goes back home to visit her family in Hungary.

I'm about to see my sister, cos I've not seen her for four month now.

The annual Gala is now just a couple of weeks away...

..and coach Tamara wants everyone to put in 100%.

There's so much to do for Gala, and we don't have much time left.

This is a huge challenge.

So, let's get one arm off.

Hundreds of tickets have been sold, so the routines need to be perfect.

Up, up, up, up, up!

Go!

Go, go, go!

Around. Now press down, press...

Yes. Better! Well done!

Josh and Ellie have a starring role at the Gala, which needs practicing.

I'm really excited about the Gala.

It's a good chance to show everyone what you can do, really,

so I'm really excited.

But for Jellie, the Gala isn't the only thing on their minds.

Soon, Josh will have to make a big decision.

I've got to make a decision between ballet

and ice skating by the end of this year,

and I'm really struggling to choose one or the other,

cos they both lead to different things that I quite like to do.

He was supposed to make the decision last year, but he didn't.

If he went and did ballet, I'd find him and bring him back.

If I have to stop skating with Ellie, she'd be on her own,

so she'd have to either find a new partner or skate solo.

I'd feel a bit upset,

and I'd feel like I'd lost someone in my family, so...

Training, travelling and buying all of the kit needed for skating

costs thousands of pounds every year for Josh's family.

Because ballet is funded, if I was to choose that, then we'd have money

for the whole family to do something that we wanted to do together.

Even though, obviously, ballet is funded and skating is not,

we don't want to put that onto him,

we want him to decide for himself where his passion lies the most.

A ballet school in London is offering the chance of a full scholarship,

so he's come to visit with his mum to find out more.

We've come to look around the Central Ballet School

today to see if that helps me make my decision.

He's having a tour of the facilities with Stephen, one of the tutors.

-Hello, Josh, I'm Stephen. How are you? How are you?

-Hi, I'm Jo.

Welcome to the school. And you're gladly welcome

to just have a look around.

Right, so, basically, you'll have a two-hour ballet class every day.

You have contemporary dance three times a week.

-From 8:45 till 4:45, it's pretty full on.

-Yeah.

MUSIC IS PLAYED ON PIANO

The school aims to launch their dancers into a career in ballet.

MUSIC CONTINUES

If Josh gets a scholarship, it would

mean a move away from Nottingham and his ice-skating world.

Can you see yourself doing this kind of work?

It's hard, isn't it? Just a bit scary and a bit daunting.

To help Josh understand what sacrifices he might have to make,

Stephen's asked two pupils to have a chat with him.

You know, like, where you stay, is it hard to find your way here?

It's scary at the beginning cos there's so many Tubes.

Once you get to know your route, it's easy.

I would get good at cooking.

JOSH LAUGHS

Like... Because, I mean, I'm glad my mum...

Cos she got me to cook at least, like, one meal a week before I came.

I'm really glad she did because otherwise you'll just be living off

ready meals and stuff, and that's not what you want to be doing.

Cos I do ice skating, as well, erm, I've got to pick which one I'd want

to do, so I'm trying to hope that this will help me make my decision.

-That's tough.

-That's a really tough decision.

You should always, like, follow what you love.

Good advice!

I really enjoyed coming here

and watching all the older people do ballet.

I'd feel bad if I came here and left Ellie on her own,

but...I'll have to choose what I think's right for me.

MUSIC ENDS

Figure skater Kloe has some exciting news.

She's got a week off training, so she's going back to see

the family she left behind when she moved to Nottingham.

I'm actually from Hungary, so my...

Only me and my mum

'live in England and the rest of my family live in'

Hungary still. And we moved to England just for skating.

School was definitely hard because of my English

'and because I didn't know anyone there.'

'At first I remember not talking for about, I think,

'three months or something.

'But then I think one day I just thought, "I am just going to try,"'

and everyone understood what I was trying to say

so since then I talk.

It's been four months since she last went back to Hungary.

I go whenever I can so I can see my dad and my sister more often.

But last time I went was Christmas so I'm really excited to go.

So she's flying on her own to the place she used to call home.

Being back home is a welcome break from Kloe's punishing skating

schedule. And a chance for her to take some me time.

It's like being a normal teenager for a week now because I don't

skate or anything, just chill and spend time with my family.

And the chance to remember what life was like before she moved away.

I have a few pictures of me and my sister and my dad,

like the whole family here.

This one is my sister

when I think she was about three or two.

That's my dad swimming.

And that's me.

Even though Kloe has taken a break from training, there are some

routines she can't escape.

Breakfast with Dad.

THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE

We're making scrambled eggs.

I don't see my dad as often anyway

and now that I'm here we can do stuff like this

and it's really nice.

We talk all the time on the phone and everything,

but it's really nice to be here and

spend time together. We love cooking

with my dad so it's really good.

Obviously this is not my thing. Skating is.

THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE

As Kloe doesn't normally get much time out

when she's in Nottingham, she's planned a bit of pampering.

THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE

I told him what colour my hair is going to be

and then we just said that we're going to ask if she can do that

and if not then I just go darker brown

but I think she will be able to do it.

So, it's off to town to hit the hairdresser's.

And she's not going alone.

Szia!

SHE SPEAKS IN HUNGARIAN

She's meeting up with her grandma.

She was saying that she's really happy that I'm here

and that she doesn't really get to see me that often.

And that it's really nice now that I am here.

SHE SPEAKS IN HUNGARIAN

We came to the city to do my hair, to the hairdresser's

because I'm dying it kind of blondish.

So, that's why we're here now.

SHE SPEAKS IN HUNGARIAN

Kloe wants her new hair to be like fashion model Cara Delevingne's.

Yeah, I showed her what my hair is going to be like.

And then, yeah, she says she's going to do the dye now.

SHE SPEAKS IN HUNGARIAN

Of course, another cheeky selfie!

THEY SPEAK IN HUNGARIAN

-See you later!

-See you later!

-THEY LAUGH

With her new look complete, what does she think?

I'm definitely happy with it.

I'm just saying that I want it a bit blonder.

And I'm going to get that next time I come.

Pampering over, Kloe heads across town for a long overdue catch-up

with a very special person. Her sister.

I've not seen her for four month now, since Christmas.

So, now I'm going to see her

and maybe have a coffee or something and just have a chat.

Hey!

-I missed you!

-I missed you too!

'I miss her all the time.

'She's my sister, but, yeah, I have days when I'm like,

"Why am I not with my sister?" Yeah.'

THEY SPEAK IN HUNGARIAN

OK.

I miss you so much. I wish I could go back more.

Yeah, I think it would be nice.

Obviously, I miss you guys, family and friends.

-The only hard thing for me is leaving you guys behind.

-I know!

I'm so proud of you.

'It's great seeing my sister like this

'because she's not just my sister.

'She's like my best friend, obviously. So, yeah...'

After coffee, the girls head off for some quality sister time,

catching up in the city.

Back in Nottingham, it's as busy as ever, with home-grown talent

practising hard to become the ice hockey stars of the future.

And Charlie is one of those rising stars.

I was six when I started playing ice hockey.

And, erm, I was talent identified.

I got the scholarship to play hockey.

It was through his school's weekly

skating lessons that Charlie got into the game.

When they read my name out, erm, I was really, really excited. And...

..I... I just went up and got my scholarship, had a photo taken...

I took that scholarship

and got skates from up in the ice locker for free.

Like, with, it came with the scholarship.

I just carried on and carried on and carried on.

Charlie's commitment recently saw him

train with the older boys in the under-12 squad.

It's really full-on.

And now, there's a chance for someone from his school to

follow in Charlie's footsteps - and win a scholarship too.

Which is more fun? Ice hockey or ice-skating?

Erm, hockey.

-But it's dangerous!

-But still, once you get used to it...

There are 60 hopefuls and only two scholarships.

So, the competition is tough.

I like ice-skating because I can go really fast.

-Superfast.

-Arms out!

The first time when I went on the ice, it was scary.

But now I love it!

It's time for the pupils to show the coaches what they can do on the ice.

Remember, arms out, heels to toes.

Very good. Well done, Joseph.

And some are finding it easier than others...

Strong arms...

I was in front...

Are you ready? Backwards and forwards,

but we're going to do it round the circle.

I'm finding the stopping and gliding hard.

Because when I'm doing stopping,

I don't always have the chance to slow down.

There's always children who can naturally glide.

So, we're looking for that.

The coaches aren't giving anything away just yet.

The pupils will have to wait

until their next assembly to find out who's won.

With Josh in London, thinking about his choices, Ellie is back at school.

TEACHER SPEAKS IN FRENCH

And Josh's decision about his future is on her mind.

He has to choose between ballet and skating. So, I don't know...

So, what happens if he goes?

-I stop skating.

-What?

-So, you would stop everything?

-Yeah.

Why do you have to stop everything because he's leaving?

Cos I can't get anywhere without him.

-Can't you do it by yourself?

-Yeah, but I won't get anywhere, will I?

Why?

Cos you're amazing!

Is there no more boy dancers that can, like, help you

-achieve what you do, if Josh actually goes?

-No.

Everyone's got a partner.

So, could you not make it to the, like, Olympics, or anything,

if he goes?

-Oh! That's so bad!

-We need to go.

All right, come on, we need to go back to lessons.

It looks as though Ellie's friends are just as worried

about Josh's decision as she is.

Let's hope he chooses skating.

Back in Hungary, it's not all pampering and socialising for Kloe.

She's decided to get some inspiration for the gala, while she's here,

by going to the rink where her skating career began.

-That was good.

-Yeah.

Remember when me and you skated together?

-Yeah, it was fun.

-Yeah, when we were really small.

I started here when I was seven, I think. And until I was 12.

So, this rink is kind of a rink to remember for me.

And, yeah, I did loads of competitions here.

I've won a couple of nationals here, so, yeah.

I'm so proud of her.

She started to skate here and she's getting better all the time.

So, yeah, she's my little sweet sister.

I like this rink a lot.

It's nice to come back before the gala and everything like that.

I think for the gala, the Hungarian music is really nice because

the audience, you can connect with the audience really nice.

I think it's inspiring for me to do the gala

because it's Hungarian themed, for me.

Being in the rink where she spent five years learning to skate,

it's not long before Kloe bumps into a friendly face.

-Hey, how are you doing?

-I'm good!

-I missed you.

-I missed you too.

-Are you coming to England soon?

-Yeah, I think this summer.

It's really nice to see you again!

It's really nice to see you again too!

She was one of my friends I used to skate with here and, yeah...

We had the same trainer, so we trained together every day.

It was really nice to come back and with my sister as well,

so, I wasn't on my own.

It was really good to get some inspiration for the gala

because I'm doing a Hungarian-themed routine.

Before she returns home,

she's off for a family get-together at her grandparents'.

-Hello!

-Szia!

HE SPEAKS IN HUNGARIAN

With Kloe now living in Nottingham,

she doesn't see her family that often.

So, she always makes the most of every visit.

Yeah, every time we come here, we have, like, dinner together.

And her grandma has made her favourite Hungarian dish.

My grandma made this Hungarian pasta, which is like,

just pasta with ham.

The love of Hungarian food isn't

the only tradition that runs in their family.

My dad and both my grandads used to play hockey.

And, like, most of my family is basically into ice hockey.

Being related to a dedicated line of hockey players meant Kloe

had to prove to them that she didn't want to play hockey too.

Before I started figure skating, my grandad didn't want me

to do it because hockey players don't really like figure skaters.

But then, when I did quite good in one of my competitions,

I think - I think it was nationals, as well -

so, that's a big competition, and, yeah, he came to watch

and he was like, oh, my gosh, she's actually really good.

And since then, he's like my biggest fan.

With one final family selfie to take back to Nottingham,

let's hope that Kloe's trip will inspire her to give

a Hungarian performance of a lifetime.

Back in England, two skaters also hoping to give an unforgettable

performance are Josh and Ellie.

The day of their big competition in Bracknell has arrived.

And they'll be stepping up to compete in a new, older category.

It isn't going to be easy.

When I'm competing at competition,

it feels like someone's trying to dance on your stomach.

You can feel butterflies. It's really nerve-racking.

-Good luck!

-Thank you!

With their future as an ice-dance couple uncertain...

He has to choose between ballet and skating.

I'll have to choose what I think is right for me.

..their first competition in the high level could also be their last.

You can get marked on your elements.

That's your step sequence,

then your twizzles, your lift and your spin.

If you fall over in a competition, you get a minus point.

Their stand-in coach, Woody,

knows that competing in a new older category is going to be tough.

They're moving up from basic novice to advanced novice

and they've got, you know, more difficult elements.

Fingers crossed it can be a good one today. Are you ready, then?

Shall we go out there?

New arrivals Frank and Claudia are a few years older than Jellie

and are setting the standard.

-LOUDSPEAKER:

-Total second score, 25 points, 4, 1.

They're currently in first place.

Jellie's time has come.

From Nottingham, please welcome Ellie and Joshua.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

With 25.41 to beat, they can't make any mistakes.

# I came here with a broken heart that no-one else could see

# I drew a smile on my face to paper over me

# But wounds heal when tears dry and cracks, they don't show... #

Their counterbalance lift goes well. Things are looking good.

# Let's go with the simplicity I feel like I've been missing me...#

NEEDLE SCRATCHES RECORD

Oh, no! Their first fall in the competition! That might cost them.

-Come on, guys!

-The rest of their routine has to be perfect now.

MUSIC: Don't Be So Hard On Yourself by Jess Glynn

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-LOUDSPEAKER:

-Thank you, Ellie and Joshua.

They've given it their all. But have they done enough?

So, you both got, you got -2 for falls cos you both fell!

He pulled me down! I was like, whoo!

I... I dropped and I kicked her leg out from underneath...

-And I went...

-I tried to move them out of the way.

-LOUDSPEAKER:

-Scores for Ellie and Joshua...

Can they beat 25.41 points?

-LOUDSPEAKER:

-Total second score, 26.03.

And they're in first place.

With only one couple still to skate,

it looks like Jellie stand a chance of getting a trophy.

But can they win it?

The score was 26.73, but we had two deductions

because we both fell over.

But if we hadn't fallen over, we would have got higher marks.

Obviously, you know, it was all your fault that we fell over.

I'm joking!

-I know it was my fault. Mostly.

-Yeah, it was your fault!

The final results are in.

And in first place, from Nottingham,

-Ellie and Joshua...

-They've done it!

Jellie have won first place.

All their weeks of hard work have paid off.

I think the free dance went quite well today. Apart from the fall.

And there was a few mistakes.

But apart from that, I think it went quite well.

It was exciting to see them do the new dance.

Neither Jo and I could have asked for anything

better from either of them. What they scored was really, really good.

Maybe winning their first competition at this level

just might convince Josh to pick skating over ballet.

In Nottingham, Charlie's year group are about to find out who's

won the skating scholarship.

The competition is tough.

There are 60 pupils and only two places to be won.

I would love to have the scholarship.

It would be great if I got picked to do lots more ice-skating.

I would love to skate more if I could.

About to head through to the assembly now. I'm really excited.

We've got two scholarships,

so it's going to be a really great assembly today.

-Morning!

-Who's been skating this half term?

Year 4, we are...

-ALL:

-Awesome!

Coach Mandy has been asked along to hand out the scholarships.

-Come on down, Mandy.

-Mandy's been allowed out of the ice centre today!

Right, two of you in Year 4 have got scholarships.

I'll read the letter.

"Dear Mr Williams,

"we are pleased to inform you that one of your pupils has been

"talent ID'd as having the potential

to excel in ice-skating and ice sports.

"And thus receives a free course of ice-skating

"lessons for a six-week course."

Do you want to announce it?

-Ashley!

-Come on down!

APPLAUSE

-And did I see that you've got your own ice skates, as well, now?

-Yes.

-Shall we see who the next one is for?

-ALL:

-Yes!

Who could it be?

Destiny!

APPLAUSE

There you go. Come and stand there.

So, we have got two new potential stars of skating.

So, can we give both of these one last huge round of applause?

-APPLAUSE

-There we go.

Destiny and Ashley are the lucky two winners.

I'm really happy!

I thought someone older was going to get it.

But I was surprised that I got it.

-I think I'm going to go ice skating a lot more.

-Me too.

And we could probably see each other when we're going ice skating.

I feel really special that I got this award.

I'm very proud of you!

Well done, Destiny and Ashley. Happy skating!

After their first-place win at the Bracknell competition,

Josh has called Ellie and asked her to meet him for a chat.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I'm waiting for Josh. He told me to meet him here.

I'm a bit nervous.

Josh wants to talk to her about their skating future.

Hi!

-Hi, you all right?

-Yeah, how are you?

-Yes, thanks.

SHE LAUGHS

I've been took round a ballet school in London.

Erm, we had... I had, like, a tour round

and I had looked at some of the classes.

It looked really cool. And it's helped me make a decision.

What is your decision?

Tell me, then.

Erm, I've decided to do another year of skating.

Really?

That's great, I've got you for another year!

SHE LAUGHS

-Better go to training, then.

-Yeah, let's go.

I'm really happy with what Josh has told me today.

It's really good news and I'm really happy about it.

Amazing! It looks like Jellie are still the rink's golden couple.

On track to become the next Torvill and Dean.

So happy you are staying!

Cheers!

Next time on Ice Stars...

Ice dance couple Adriano and Ella

learn how to do the lifts for the first time.

Yes, yes, go down a bit more. Down a bit more.

That was all right! Why did you fall?

Figure skaters Kloe and Alexia baffle scientists

when they appear on Operation Ouch.

I've never seen anyone with zero response.

And speed skater Izzy finds out

if she's fast enough for the Olympic squad.

Really nervous. Just want to get out there now and do it.