Superhero Spinners Ice Stars

Flat! Again!

Do you get it now?

-ALL:

-Yeah!

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...

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

..Ice Stars.

Coming up...

Ice dance couple Adriano and Ella

learn how to do lifts for the first time...

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 an Olympic team trial.

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

It's the run-up to the end of year gala performance.

The National Ice Centre in Nottingham is busier than ever.

All around the ice,

skaters are frantically practising their routines for the big day.

It's really important to not mess up too many times,

because I don't have much time, if I don't remember then that's my fault.

Maybe just, when you start to take off, bend your knee a lot more.

That was much better, Solomon, very good.

But it's not just the kids that are feeling the pressure.

Behind the scenes, the coaches also have their work cut out.

The gala is called Around The World In 80 Skates,

so each routine will come from a different country or continent.

And Tamara has decided who skates what.

Spain, OK, and the Spanish flag...

comes to the centre of the ice.

-Yes, yeah.

-Canada...

Do you think we need a maple syrup or something, or just the flag?

It seems Gurgen isn't sharing the enthusiasm.

Oh, Brazil.

-We tried that today, with the football...

-Um...

-But surely he can't resist this costume!

-Yeah, you know, Tamara...

I know, this just used to be a squirrel, right?

-No, no, no, we have to... No, no.

-No?

-No, no.

-So, that'll be a no, then!

-All right, now, Africa next.

So, you know how Victor is tending at the beginning

-of the choreography, and he will play drums?

-Brilliant.

-All right?

-It's very good, Tamara. Really, really good.

-All right.

Whilst the coaches talk props,

figure skater Kloe is putting in some practice

for her special role in the gala.

This is going to be my solo for the gala

and I think the pressure's definitely on me,

because only probably three people are going to be doing solos,

so, it's really nice that I'm one of them.

And with Jerana as her coach,

Kloe is not leaving anything to chance.

I'm just going to go through my new routine off the ice first, because

if I don't remember on the ice, then Jerana's going to go mad!

MUSIC PLAYS

Down. Push!

Bam!

More body!

Rock, your counter rotation, and...

Open! Chest, chest, chest, chest!

Ba-ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba! Here!

Good, you did very, very nice.

Looks like Kloe's off-ice practice has paid off.

Maybe we will change something, you need to be concentrate, yes,

attention to each other, yes?

We will be working off ice, on ice, will be perfect, yes?

But there is still more work to do.

It's not going to be perfect for the first time, but I'm

definitely trying my best and I'm trying to do it as well as I can.

Better!

While Kloe practices her routine, back in the office,

coaches Tamara and Gurgen are still talking gala.

-How to get 180 skaters on the ice...

-Yeah.

So, this is kind of a big challenge...

And with time running out, they are starting to worry.

-I just hope it won't be a huge mess, the kids will know...

-No, no, no.

Stress levels may be running high,

but it looks like one of their problems might just be solved.

OK, and they are fine, you said last year it was fine.

-It depend how, like...

-Oh, my...

SHE LAUGHS

I love it! It's absolutely wonderful. Can you jump?

It's one of the props they had been struggling to find

to represent Australia in the show.

Now, 10 days before the gala, when some of this happens,

a good prop, and it's wonderful and I'm thrilled how it looks like.

And a little bit of choreography, you know, that finishing touch,

the arms, the jumping and hopping,

it'll be great, so much fun for kids.

For the coaches, things are coming together.

But the skaters still have a way to go.

New ice dance couple Adriano and Ella are starting to practise their lifts.

So, Ella and Adriano, they've only just started skating together

and they are each other's first partner,

so, really, they are just learning about lifts,

it's all completely new to them and all a little bit alien.

And they are hoping to learn them in time for the gala,

their first ever performance together.

If we get our lifts really good, they might go into the gala.

Right, so, we're going to move on to the lifts now.

And it's up to "Jelly" to show them how it's done.

So, get this position that you did, and you can see how

she keeps her legs up nice and high here, and she hooks them...

Me and Adriano look up to Ellie and Josh,

and we want to try and get up to their level, where they are.

And flex, flex.

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

That was all right, why did you fall? You had that!

I think when I try and lean back, Adriano thinks

I can hold my weight as soon as I start to lean back, but I can't.

She says it's my fault, I think!

I promise her...

He keeps on saying that it's all my fault, but it's not!

Sorry.

Let's hope they can pull it off on the ice.

So, you guys now, you're going

to do the lift that we did off the ice, where you had your heels

hooked under his shoulder blades, armpits, yeah?

Can you just hold on your...

What's so funny about armpits?

They are part of your anatomy, Ellie, get over it. OK, so...

Get into that position and just hold the arms for now,

don't go back, anything like that.

Up, boom, this position.

And arms... Now, your legs, slide down a bit, under his arms...

Under his arms, under his arms... A bit more, right.

-So, there is a start.

-It's looking promising.

But they'll have to practise hard

if they want to perform with Josh and Ellie at the gala.

Because he is quite strong, I know when he is going to drop me,

because he wobbles a bit.

-I'm stronger than anybody in the ice rink, you know that?

-You're not!

Yeah, I am!

But not everyone needs a partner to skate with.

Figure skater Kloe is doing a solo performance in the gala.

And best friend Alexia is on her way round to talk costumes.

I honestly think that Alexia is like my sister.

Their training schedules mean the girls spend more time

with each other than they do with their real families.

But Alexia hasn't seen Kloe

since her trip back home to Hungary.

-THEY SQUEAL:

-Hi!

-Hi!

THEY SQUEAL EXCITEDLY

-Your hair is so beautiful!

-Do you like it?

-Yeah, it's brilliant.

It really suits you. It really suits you.

-So, how was Hungary?

-It was really good.

I was with my sister.

-Oh, yeah, how is she?

-She's good. And I did my hair, obviously!

But I'm going again on Saturday, because I want it blonder.

As well as catching up on gossip,

the girls have important details to discuss.

-Do you know what you're wearing for your group number?

-For the gala?

Obviously, we are doing the USA, so it's white, red and blue

-then I think it's polka-dot, like, dresses...

-Yeah.

-I have, like, a picture of my... You know, the Hungarian one?

-Yeah!

-I'm going to show you.

-You want to show me?

Right, I have this, I'll show you what I've got in a minute.

-Is it, like, Hungarian-themed colour dress?

-Yeah.

Yeah, so, you see these...

-And they're traditional?

-Hungarian, yeah.

And that's what this was about.

You know, in this one, the flowers and everything.

Oh, OK, I see what you mean, by, like, the red

and how the stones come down from here.

Yeah, it looks really good.

'We just get on because I think our personality is the same.'

I felt about everything with her, I mean, skating,

skating related, non-skating related, everything.

So, you know, about the gala, are you feeling confident or

anything about it?

Yeah, and my solo looks quite hard, but I think it's going to be good.

Yeah, Jerana always does a good job and she knows what she's doing,

with her amazing choreography.

Kloe doesn't have much time to practise,

as the countdown to the gala has begun.

Speed skater Izzy was recently given a chance to train with

the Great British Olympic squad.

Pretty tired. Pretty breathless!

And she met her skating idol, Elise Christie.

-Hello.

-Hi. I've never been so scared!

I'd like to get on the GB team.

This year is the year that maybe that could happen.

Today, she's been invited to do a consideration test, to see

if she's fast enough to try out with the GB squad.

Izzy, really, she's talented, we've seen that,

we believe she's got a lot of potential.

The tests that we're going to do will hopefully confirm that

and this is going to lead towards an Olympic medal in seven years' time.

She's doing the test with one of her team-mates, Jess,

who has already shown she is fast enough to be a contender.

Jess is one of my biggest rivals and we are quite similar speeds.

Izzy hopes that racing against Jess will push her even more.

It's good to practise with her, because obviously,

when it comes to racing her, I'll know how to beat her or what

to do, even though I find it pretty difficult to beat Jess!

Being selected for the GB squad would mean a huge life change

for Izzy and her family.

Um, I think we'd come home for the weekends,

but it's five days of the week where you are just without parents.

So, I guess that's kind of fun as well, but weird to think, because

obviously, I'm only 16, so it's kind of scary to think that I'd be away.

And for her parents, it's also a worry.

When Izzy's away, it's quite interesting for us,

because she's not that great with the phone! She will text us,

but it's not a lot. We normally have to track her down!

If Izzy gets onto the squad, she'll be moving into accommodation

like this and living with other skaters.

-So...

-Wow!

-This is really nice.

-It is, isn't it?

Once, obviously, you are on the GB squad,

this is the sort of thing that you would be accustomed to.

This is what you get for hard work and,

-you know, good skating.

-Decent.

Yeah. So, you've got to learn to cook now, girls! Yeah?

Yeah, it'd be a big change to live here without my parents

and move away from home, because I haven't done that before.

But I think it would be a good change

and I think I would learn a lot from it.

It's really nice, really big,

I could definitely see myself living here.

Back at the rink, coach Mandy, a former Olympic skater, has got

something she thinks might inspire the girls in their speed test.

So, when we've done all this testing, it'll just give us

an idea where we're going.

And of course, the end of all this is going to the Olympics,

or going to the world Championships.

So, I've just brought a photograph album of what I did

when I was in the Olympics, I thought I'd go through a few things.

Mandy competed at the Lake Placid Olympics in New York in 1980.

So, this is us kind of warming up before the competition happens.

Yeah, that's cool.

I was excited, because it was a big competition

and you kind of thought, "Oh, everybody is here, watching,

"you've got to do really, really well."

Wow!

I never really suffered much from nerves,

I used to turn it round to positive nerves,

so I used to get excited, and if I didn't get that excitement,

I'd know I wasn't going to skate well.

That's it.

-How are you thinking about the GB squad?

-Um...

I'm quite nervous for the testing today, because like you said,

we haven't been training much.

It's not just about the end time - it's how you act,

and how you take it on as a challenge.

After some inspiring words,

the girls don't have long to wait until their big test.

Across town, solo ice dancer Lauren is also preparing for a big event.

We're handing out flyers and leaflets about the gala,

to try and get more people to come,

so it's not dead,

and everyone's excited, and the atmosphere's good.

She's asked ice hockey player Liam and synchronised skater Lucy

to help out with the advertising for the gala.

It's on Sunday, and the normal price is, like, £6...

-Are you going to be there?

-I'm going to be there,

-Lucy's going to be there.

-What, skating on the ice?

-Yeah!

The skaters are doing their best to spread the word about the show...

..so they try out their best sales pitch...

-..but you get it for 4!

-Oh, 4 - so, it's on offer, then?

So it's on offer!

..and it seems to be working.

Cheers!

While everyone else is getting ready for the gala,

Kloe, fresh from having her hair dyed blonde - yet again -

has been invited to come to London with Alexia

by the show Operation Ouch!

So, stand by for an Operation Ouch! and Ice Stars mashup.

I think it's here.

They're going to be experimenting on how our brains work.

Why we don't get dizzy.

What actually happens to our body when we're spinning,

and it's how we all cope with the dizziness.

We don't even know how we do it, so it's going to be really cool for us.

Dr Xand invited the girls to a research centre in a hospital,

where his friend Eric is going to be filming an experiment.

-Alexia, hi.

-Hello, very nice to meet you.

-Thank you very much for coming, that's really good.

-Hi, hi.

They want to work out how some skaters can spin

so many times without getting dizzy.

What we think - or, at least, the scientists here think -

-is that you guys will be better at not getting dizzy than me.

-Yeah.

-Does that seem right to you?

-BOTH: Yeah.

It seems right!

So, do you get at all dizzy on the ice,

where you're down on the one leg, spinning around like that?

-Not really on that one.

-The sit spin - definitely not that one, no.

-You don't get dizzy at all doing that?

-No.

It's the ones where you bend backwards -

you're literally spinning with your head backwards.

-So, that one...

-And especially...

-What's that one called?

BOTH: Layback.

Layback - and when you say dizzy, like, you finish the layback...

-Yeah.

-..and then you have to keep skating...

-Yeah.

We only get dizzy for about four or five seconds.

Four or five seconds, literally, because you have, obviously,

-the set programme...

-Yeah.

..so you need to keep skating and you need to keep concentrating...

And while you're doing that, is the ice rink, to you,

kind of moving around?

-No!

-No, you have to focus yourself SO much.

-OK!

'Dr Barry is researching dizziness

'to help people who suffer from it with certain illnesses.

'He's been desperate to meet these two.'

-I hear you two are ice skaters.

-Yes, we are.

What we're going to do is have you sit in the chair,

and we're going to spin you in the dark,

and you have to tell us how you feel.

So, we've got something that spins, but not quite as fast as YOU spin.

'When your body spins, fluid in your ear spins, too -

'but when you stop spinning, the fluid keeps moving,

'and your eyes tell you that you're stood still -

'and that's what makes you feel dizzy.

'The first to try the spinning chair is Dr Xand.'

This works?

Just keep an eye on it.

'By doing the experiment in the dark,

'Dr Barry is removing one of the signals the brain uses

'to tell you if you're spinning - your eyesight.

'After less than a minute in the chair,

'something very strange happens.'

I feel completely still - it's really interesting.

Like, I would absolutely promise you that I'm not moving.

Hopefully what they're thinking is that our results

-will be different to his.

-Yeah, to his - yeah.

But what if it's not? That's what I'm scared of!

What we're going to do, we're going to stop the chair...

Whoa!

It just feels like I'm definitely moving in the opposite direction.

'Next in the chair is Kloe.'

I'll just hold the chair.

All right, so, what we're going to do is rotate the chair...

-OK.

-..and after about a minute, we'll stop the chair...

-Yeah!

..and you have to then tell us if you feel dizzy,

by turning the wheel.

-OK, ready?

-Yeah.

OK, here goes...

We'll turn you round like that for about a minute.

All right!

Tell me at what point you feel that you're not moving. OK?

OK.

'For most people, spinning at this speed makes them dizzy.

'Dr Barry wants to know if it's possible to train a brain

'so that doesn't happen.'

-Do you feel like you're still moving?

-Yes.

OK.

-OK, do you feel that you're spinning?

-No.

-You don't?

-No.

-Not at all?

-No.

-Not at all?!

-No!

-Xand?

-Yeah?

That's not normal.

She doesn't feel she's spinning.

I've never seen anyone with zero response.

'Kloe's superpowers seem to have baffled Dr Barry.

'Can Alexia do the same?'

-Are you spinning?

-No.

-Oh!

Completely stopped.

-Completely stopped?

-Yeah.

-THEY LAUGH

'Most people think they're still spinning even when they've stopped -

'but not our ice stars.'

As soon as you stopped, you felt it straight away,

and if you kept going, you felt that you were spinning.

It's interesting. It's very interesting.

-It was so normal - I don't know how to explain it...

-I know.

The fact that they're saying it's not normal is kind of...

-It's weird, isn't it?

-"Oh, well..."

What do you think of how these guys did, compared to how I did?

When the chair stopped, these guys were right -

they felt no sensation of self-motion.

They had absolutely dizziness on stopping -

which is correct.

However, they felt that despite the inner ear signal

continuing for a good period of time,

because their brains are better than yours at suppressing dizziness.

Have you ever seen that before?

No, not really.

Not without any sensation of motion on stopping.

That is amazing.

So, all I need to do, really, is get as good at ice skating as you guys,

and then my dizziness will go away - is that...

-That's what we think, right, Barry?

-I guess you could go for it.

'Looks like Dr Xand might be wanting a few lessons

'from our ice stars very soon!'

Back in Nottingham,

speed skater Izzy has recently been talent-spotted by coaches.

They want to see if she's got the potential

to join the Great British Olympic squad...

Now Isabelle is about to finish school,

now is a real key time for her in her career.

Obviously, we as Team GB, are really interested,

and we're seeing something really good and talented in her.

..and today, Izzy and her team-mate Jess

are about to be tested by Coach Mandy.

I'd like to get an Olympic medal.

I mean, I know that's ages and ages away -

I think I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

I've been wanting to do it since I was six,

so I don't want to stop now!

With her future Olympic dreams at stake, Izzy is feeling the pressure.

Really nervous!

Just want to get out there now, and do it.

It's a massive opportunity. Hopefully it'll go all right.

This year I'm feeling quite confident

that I'm skating a lot better than what I did last year.

They need to get under 10.5 seconds to prove they've got what it takes.

The time's really important.

Like, the GB squad have been on the ice this morning,

and their lap times are just under 10 seconds.

What I'm hoping for is for them to skate around 10.5 seconds.

If they skate under that, I'd be really, really pleased.

Izzy and Jess have just one flying lap to prove they've got the speed

to get a team GB trial.

First up is Jess.

Ready? Go!

Nice and smooth. Big pushes.

Little bit faster if we can.

Come on, Jess, keep it going!

It was really hard.

I haven't been training as much as I normally do,

so I'm struggling quite a little bit with that!

Jess' lap looked good, so the pressure's on for Izzy.

Ready? Go!

Big pushes.

All the way to the line!

Good.

Izzy's given it her best shot.

I feel dead!

I feel like...I'm glad it's over!

To be honest, yeah.

It's results time.

The girls need to beat 10.5 seconds to be considered for the GB squad.

Izzy...

you got 10.4, which is really good...

..and Jess, you've gone 10.3,

-so that's really, really, really good.

-Yeah!

-OK?

So, all I can do is wish you the best of luck,

and hope I'll see you at competitions doing really well.

-OK?

-Yep.

-All right, well done.

-Thank you.

They've done it!

They've got under 10.5 seconds.

Now Coach Mandy can report back to Team GB

with their successful results.

Nice one, girls!

150 miles away, in London,

Kloe and Alexia are still filming an episode of Operation Ouch!

After the girls baffled Dr Barry with his spinning chair in the dark...

She doesn't feel she's spinning.

I've never seen anyone with zero response.

-Right you ready?

-Yeah.

-Which way?

..Dr Xand wants to see if the same happens on a normal chair.

Ooh...

Whoa!

-I can't...

-HE LAUGHS

LAUGHTER

OK... OK, hang on.

Hang on, hang on.

OK...

OK, let's see how our ice stars do.

THEY LAUGH

Oh, wow.

Oh, wow.

What, nothing?!

With the girls once again proving their powers,

they take to the ice to show Dr Xand how it's done.

We've warmed up, put our skates on,

and now we're on the ice to do some spinning.

I mean, I've never actually seen ice skaters, like, who are that good...

kind of in real life, up close. So that's amazing.

There's something different about their brains.

They just don't react to the physical world

in the way that most people do, which is incredible -

they just don't get dizzy.

Want to have a go at spinning, Xand?

I thought you'd never ask.

-Hang on, I'm going to come to the side of you, OK?

-So, bend...

OK, so, bend - like that...

-..and then...

-Yeah?

-..kind of rotate yourself, and then pull in.

Now, my problem is...

that I am already dizzy...

-Really?!

-..and then you've got to skate off, and keep...

I couldn't... Ugh...

The thing that they were doing with all those spins, I couldn't get...

It wasn't like I could spin less, it's that

I couldn't do it at all without, you know, breaking an arm, basically.

So...no, it was amazing.

After a science-defying trip to London,

the girls leave Dr Xand in a spin,

and head back to Nottingham...

-Hello, nice to see you.

-ALL: Hello!

-How can I help you today?

-Er, we're here for...

..where a group of young skaters have found a new way to promote the gala.

Good to go?

Ready?

Assia, Adam and Keira are on local BBC radio.

Keira, what are you going to be doing?

-Erm, it's my first time doing, like, skating in a gala.

-Right.

And what kind of skating do you do?

Synchronised skating.

So, if people aren't sure whether to come or not,

what are you going to say to them?

-Come.

-Yeah, come - cos it's going to be really good.

Brilliant. Well done.

Fantastic.

I thought that was really good!

-Not embarrassing, is it?!

-No!

Just talking!

With the gala just days away,

the coaches and skaters are coming together for a final rehearsal...

This is the first general rehearsal,

and we're supposed to have everything ready,

so we'll try, all right?

..but as the gala becomes a reality, stress levels are running high.

-..the drum.

-What?

The drum...yeah?

Everyone's a bit... you know, up in...

You know, no-one knows what's going on.

Sorry. I forgot where I was just then.

Do you want to do it again?

-Listen, please, guys.

-Quiet!

No-one knows what's happening!

Yeah, all the coaches seem a bit stressed today.

Come on, guys, come on, come on, come on.

When we went on, we were all quite confident,

and then we started doing it, and everyone forgot all the steps.

Obviously it'll be really chaotic next weekend!

Next time on Ice Stars...

When the gala finally arrives,

there's a backstage crisis for Ella, just seconds before her debut...

Oh, it's upside down!

..Kloe wows the crowd...

..and there's a big surprise in store for our ice stars.

What's going on?