Taking on the World Ice Stars

Previously...

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

-They look really cool.

-What happens if he goes?

-I stop skating.

-What, so you stop everything?

Yeah.

Tell me, then.

I have decided to do another year of skating.

-Really?

-Oh, costumes.

Yeah, don't forget that.

Because I managed to win the British,

I've been able to qualify for junior world.

I think it's a bit too big.

We have like a week. I'm going to go without my parents.

It's just going to me and Gurgen that go.

-Coming up...

-I am with you, everybody with you.

-You know?

-Josh flies the flag for Great Britain...

Oh, he put his hand down.

..as he fights to qualify in Hungary.

I don't know if that's going to cost me.

Jellie have to decide once and for all if they want a future together.

It needs to be all or nothing.

I've been having second thoughts about it.

And there's a surprise in store for Kloe.

I'm so happy.

We hope you've enjoyed your flight with us.

We wish you a pleasant stay in Hungary. Thank you and goodbye.

1,000 miles from home and fresh from winning the British Championships,

Josh arrives in Hungary for his first-ever Junior World Championship.

The hotel is so much better than what we are used to.

I can't wait to spend the week here.

It's like the official hotel for the competitors and it's just amazing.

So this is our welcome bag.

We got a mug and we got chocolate and stuff as well.

Josh is the only skater chosen for Great Britain in his category.

And now he's up against the best in the world.

We're not going there to win

because there's going to be skaters of world class,

like doing jumps and stuff which I'm not doing quite yet.

There are two rounds and Josh will need to do really well

in the first to even qualify for the second.

Obviously, everyone wants to qualify.

With 40 of us starting and only 24 making it through,

there's going to have to be some of us that don't.

I don't think anyone wants to go home after the first programme

but to be here and represent my country is just kind of amazing.

You understand what is your target for tomorrow?

-Yes.

-You have to do exactly what you did last time in the competition.

The same we need now. We know you're capable of much more

and we can show what you can do now. OK?

-Good luck for us.

-Yeah.

Many people now support us.

-Yeah.

-You know, Kloe, Charlie, Becky.

-Becky.

-And all Academy.

I'm very excited and I'm very happy because we are finally here.

More than 50 countries in this competition,

most of guys have much more experience than Josh.

Here will be many, many television from the world, many cameras,

many judges, coaches,

many sports specialists.

I will see in different atmosphere

how he can concentrate and prepare for the Olympic Games.

The ice is such a slippery and strange thing that you never know

what's going to happen!

Back in Nottingham...

Christmas is just around the corner.

And that can only mean one thing.

It's time for the annual gala.

All around the rink, skaters from every discipline are competing

for the top roles.

Everyone wants the best number

and everyone wants music that they like.

We're skating together, so we're going to look the best, basically!

It's the first time I've ever had a solo in the gala.

Last time, we...

We had to wear pink tutus.

This gala, this show...

After last year's success,

the coaches are feeling the pressure to put on another amazing show.

You do spin.

Look, look, look.

This year's gala will be all about ice,

frozen things and we'll call it the Frozen Kingdom.

So basically it will have an evil king of ice

will freeze everything and we'll have a good ice fairy,

who will melt everything down.

But we need to do music, costumes, making up the story.

So it's a huge pressure for all of us.

It is cold!

Two skaters taking a starring role in the gala

are ice prince and princess Josh and Ellie.

Well, yeah, but... I'm miles away from you.

We're meant to go far to push out.

But this gala could be Jellie's last.

We have to make the decision whether we want to quit skating

or whether we want to go up to Junior and carry on skating.

Because it's a bigger commitment than it is at the minute.

Do like a landing so that we can get it round the corner.

This is a spiral.

Yes, but you can still push, can't you?

They both understand the need to move up to Junior

but it's everything that comes along with that.

Josh recently chose to continue doing both skating and ballet.

While to be closer for training,

Ellie is separated from her parents for part of the week.

I do seven days a week skating now

but not as many hours as you would have to do in Junior.

I need you guys to start having a serious think

about what you're going to do next year.

The amount of hours is a lot more than what you are doing right now.

I did it myself and you do miss a lot, you miss parties,

you miss going out with friends.

I don't know what I want to do.

-OK.

-Does that mean we would have to be coming in during school

or after and before?

Outside of school would be enough if you didn't have the

ballet commitments.

I'm going to need the same commitment from you in terms

of what you're willing to give up as well.

It needs to be very much an all or nothing.

I really need you to have a serious think about what you want

from skating. OK?

-Yeah.

-I'll have to make a sacrifice.

That means I'll have to spend more time away from my mum and dad.

It's a really tricky decision and I'm not sure.

It's competition day back at the Junior Worlds in Hungary.

Nearly 40 nations are battling it out.

Josh is skating his first routine and if he can finish in the top 24,

he'll qualify to skate his free programme in the final.

We watch the big competitions back home

and you see all the flags and the massive TV screens and the massive

cameras on cranes and stuff and then you come here and it's like

actually that's what happens.

One side is the judges and knowing that you're going to be

on that screen when you're skating is just kind of crazy.

And with top skaters from countries like America,

Japan and Russia taking part,

even getting close to the top 24 will be tough.

95% of skaters are much older or have been skating

a long time in this category.

I know this is World Championship.

Don't think anything.

It's your championship, just skate your programme, that's all.

It's like a battle of who skated their best

and if I didn't get a good score

then I wasn't really going to be in with a shot.

Back at home, Josh's parents and Kloe are all watching on nervously.

He's just got to get through the first couple of jumps, hasn't he?

You're up against all the best people in the world,

so it's pressure.

Speed control, OK?

Man, I am with you, everybody with you, you know? Come on.

Please, just skate like you can.

When they announce your name

and you're kind of like, oh, my goodness,

it's actually the time that I've got to do this.

Everyone's clapping and stuff but you can't really hear it.

You're just so lost in the moment.

The first element was the triple combination.

So I was kind of just like, just do it as best you can,

you can do it all the time.

Oh, he put his hand down.

I was like, oh, no, because he had to put another jump on it.

He could lose so many points if he didn't.

Oh, at least he didn't fall.

I didn't fall. I got the combination on the end.

I was like, oh, my goodness, thank you!

Oh, bury it, bury it!

Ooh!

Oh, that's good.

I felt like, I've come all this way,

I don't want to let the experience get away from me.

Oh, good boy!

I was kind of just like, taking it all in, like,

you've done yourself proud, Josh.

Hey, man. Very good.

Very good, very good.

The only thing that was going through my head was the fact

I'd put the hand on, I don't know if that's going to cost me.

-Come on, Josh.

-Come on, Joshy.

INDISTINCT PA

Wow! Josh has scored a new personal best.

Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

-Right.

-Oh, my goodness.

When his scores came out, I was like, hmm, maybe he can qualify.

Space was really good.

Your performance was really good. I'm very, very happy with you.

It went amazing. I'm in third at the moment,

so it's kind of just that nervous wait of seeing if I make the top 24

and hopefully I will.

It's dependent on how other skaters were skating today.

There are 32 skaters still to go.

And with many doing higher-scoring jumps than Josh,

he could easily be knocked out of the top 24.

I was kind of just like waiting,

like so nervous for the scores to come up.

He slips down the leaderboard and is pushed out of the top eight.

The groups get better as you go on.

I didn't want to watch the group because I didn't want to see

what anyone else was doing.

Could that hand down have cost him the chance to skate in the final?

If there's a letter Q by Josh's name, he's through.

I've got a Q next to my name,

which means I've qualified for the free programme, yay.

So it means I have made it through to next round, which is great.

Man, you did it. We did it.

Congratulations. Very good, man.

-Really good.

-Josh has placed 23rd and he can't wait to share the news.

Hey, Kloe.

-Did you see that I qualified?

-Did you?

-Yeah, I qualified.

I'm so proud of you.

Oh, thanks, darling, I wish you could be here right now.

To skate like that on his first Junior Worlds

was just so impressive.

I literally, I was just so happy for him. Good luck!

Thanks, Kloe bear, see you.

Mwah.

You dream of coming here when you're little.

I never thought I'd be able to skate that good on my first round in front

of the whole world.

Back at the rink...

..coaches Tamara and Erana are

aiming for the biggest and best gala ever.

Double, double.

-This.

-And that means tougher routines for everyone.

And then you do that, that, that, that.

Only one turn. One turn.

With Erana, she likes to do everything, like, really quickly.

Bum, bum.

Up, down.

Everyone's realising that it is soon.

And we just look really bad!

We keep forgetting the steps that she's just put in.

Yeah, Josh, you stand here, please.

I couldn't really remember the steps from before!

Oh, there is so much work to do

and I'm really stressing out.

We have 20 routines

and they all need to look significantly different.

And it's not just the figure and ice dancers struggling.

Hockey brothers Rais and Aren have to remember their parts too.

Yeah, everybody moves. In the disco, no?

I don't have a clue what I'm doing. This is hard.

This is so hard. I don't know what I'm doing!

This is crazy.

All I need to remember is who to pass the puck to in hockey.

I don't get this at all. I'm just skating round.

Figure skaters, this is their main job.

-Doing choreography.

-Oh, sorry!

Hockey players think different and completely they're

on the other side.

Last from right side. Yes, you need standing...

All right, let's try one more time.

What?

Like dancing is just not my thing.

Especially not on ice.

Oh, dear. It's lucky Kloe's a bit more excited about her solo.

It's just so different to competitions.

I just love galas.

Oh, Kloe. Today we will do a gala number.

I don't know but today we will try. I have a little idea.

This now only scarf what I have in dressing room,

but I think this will be nice same colour material, yes,

and you will starting with...

I only try.

Yes? Yes, you do down, down, yes.

And you will... Music, music, music.

You will grow a little with your arms,

then maybe one more you go down, up.

Down, up, down, up.

-And then we will move.

-This is the first time ever that I'm using

-a prop so I'm really excited.

-Up, up, up, up.

Arms. And little bit turn.

Down, down, up, down.

I just hope, like, on the day I don't step in it or, like, drop it,

that would be really embarrassing.

Today very good job.

After a tough day of gala practice,

Josh and Ellie are meeting up for their make or break talk.

We have to make a decision about whether we want to move up

to Junior or not. And it's going to be a big step.

We'll have to train 20 hours a week.

Me and Ellie have been doing

a lot of competitions together and a lot of training together.

This is quite a big decision.

I've made my decision and hopefully Ellie's made hers.

I've been having second thoughts about it

because I won't see my mum and dad as much as I normally would.

I was thinking about Ellie but then I had to think about

what I'd like best as well.

I know what I want to do but he's going to be here in a little bit so

we'll talk about it then.

If either of them decide the extra hours of ice dancing are too much,

then their partnership will be over.

Now Josh's made his mind up, he can't wait to let Ellie know.

Hi.

I've made a decision which'd mean we have to do 20 hours a week training.

Is that something that you'd want to do?

Come on, Ellie, is it ice dance or quit?

I have decided to do dance.

That's good. That'd mean we'd be moving up to Junior,

which is quite scary but exciting.

-So we're definitely doing it, then, yeah?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Nice slippers.

-Thank you!

Why have you got them on?

Because it's cold!

Phew! Guys, you had me worried for a second there.

Kloe's really excited about her solo performance at the gala because

someone very special is coming to watch her skate.

My sister's coming from Hungary to see the gala.

She's never seen a gala before so it's...

I'm so happy. We've been texting this morning as well.

She was at the airport. Making it even more exciting.

But what Kloe doesn't know is it's not just her sister.

Her grandparents have come all the way from Hungary, too.

They've travelled especially to watch her in the gala.

I used to see them, like, every weekend or more than once a week,

and now that I live here in England and they still live in Hungary,

I don't see them, like, at all pretty much.

I couldn't believe it. At first, I was like,

I didn't really understand what was going on.

It's just the best thing when they surprise me with things like this.

I feel like I have such a good family. I'm so happy.

SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

I was just saying how pretty the crystals are, how they're, like,

different colours.

They've not seen me live for a long time.

It's like a big difference what I did at the age of 12

and what I do now.

Now it's even more exciting for me to skate the gala.

THEY CONVERSE IN OWN LANGUAGE

Kloe's not the only one with a surprise visit.

In Hungary, Josh has made the final of his first-ever Junior World

Championships.

But while he is resting up, coach Gurgen's waiting outside.

I think he will be very happy and it will be very, very surprise for him.

-Big surprise.

-But who could it be?

-Welcome to Hungary, man.

-Thank you. Good.

It's Josh's parents!

-All right.

-Hello.

I don't think I've ever jumped on a plane within 24 hours before,

so it's quite exciting.

Knowing Josh, he'll either be shocked or he'll be annoyed

because we're going to get in his way.

Before leaving for the competition,

Josh told his parents he wanted to go alone.

I want to just be able to concentrate on myself and do my job

so it's just going to be me and Gurgen that go.

So having just woken up, will he share their same enthusiasm?

I suddenly got a call from Gurgen.

I came downstairs, like, half asleep.

Drink some coffee.

Hello!

I went in and my mum and dad were sat there.

Hello. How are you?

I was like half asleep and I was kind of like, what's happening?

Hello. How are you?

I was just so, so shocked.

You look very weary. You were asleep?

Hmm. Josh isn't looking too happy.

I'm really sorry but I have just woke up.

I didn't think you were going to be here.

That wasn't the best of times to arrive and we're just really

pleased to be here, aren't we?

You wake them up from sleep and they're like a grumpy bear after hibernation.

So he'll be fine.

With Josh's final skate looming, back at the rink,

Kloe's training early so she'll be free to watch his performance live online.

It's pretty much like if I was skating, that's how I feel.

It's such an amazing achievement already that he's got to this part of the competition.

We are all going to watch Josh do his free skate.

We're just like fingers crossed that he can do so well in the free as well.

After his awesome skate just two days ago,

Josh and Gurgen arrive at the arena with a different game plan for his final skate.

I'm just happy that I've qualified and I've got to this point

so just being able to skate my free is great.

To raise his game,

Josh is hoping to land no less than six triples and two double axles.

I have six triples and two double axles,

so it's a bit of a challenge

but it's worth it because you can get more points.

I feel so helpless.

I want him to do so well and when he's on that ice,

I can't help him at all.

You don't need anything special now.

Go and fighting for your free...

It's difficult.

I think he's just forgot everything now and the competition is starting from beginning.

And we have to fighting for all.

Quick, he's about to skate.

Kloe's got the coaches and skaters together to cheer him on.

Enjoy it. Everybody's there.

-OK? With us.

-Oh, here he is.

Come on, Josh.

Everyone back home is going to be watching more closely now.

It makes you want to show everyone what you can do.

Go in fighting till end.

All right? Come on, Josh. I'm with you, man.

Josh is currently lying in 23rd place.

The first like minute or two minutes was really good, like,

it was kind of like exactly how we planned.

It's kind of like attack, attack, attack.

I was kind of going into the next jump and as I took off, like,

I kind of didn't catch it right.

Oh!

For that to have gone wrong, for me was kind of like a bit of a shock.

As soon as one element goes wrong, you kind of lose that

fearlessness.

-Come on, Josh.

-Come on. Come on.

-Oh!

-Come on, Josh.

The hardest programmes are the ones

where you've got to keep getting back up from the fall.

You can't just get off midway through.

Good, go on.

As tough as it was to push through,

that's kind of what we're trained to do, though.

Come on, Josh.

-Come on.

-You can do it.

He kept going, you know, guys, you need to do that.

Every time, first fall, second fall, he kept going.

I'm proud of him for just going out there.

Josh's three falls means he has scored a disappointing 99 points.

But he has still retained his 23rd place.

As hard as it is in the moment, it's so good to have someone like Gurgen.

He just understands what you're going through.

Josh, I'm honest with you. I'm not upset.

Absolutely. I'm really happy be in final.

Don't worry. I am with you.

Anybody will say, I save you, I'm around you like your body.

-Understand?

-Even though it wasn't his best skate,

to be in the top 24 in the world of his age is so amazing.

I've just loved every second of being here at Junior Worlds.

Normally people take years to qualify for the finals

and to be able to do it my first time, and just being able to put

myself out on the world stage, it's really important that we showed

that I am here and I'm one to look out for for the future.

I'm very proud of Josh. This competition showed for him

he understands he's good skater and he can be in the top, very,

very top in the world.

Everybody will know who is Josh.

As this year's winner is crowned champion,

Josh heads home knowing he's one step closer to his dream.

The whole experience was just incredible.

My future goal is obviously going to the Olympics.

It kind of put into perspective that I can make it and I have the ability

but it's kind of just about getting those harder jumps

and laying it down on the day when you need to.

Next time on Ice Stars...

Some shattering news breaks at the rink.

Word does spread fast in this place.

I'm not sure what happened.

I'm so sad for them.

But the show must go on because it's gala day...