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My dream is to represent my country | 0:00:08 | 0:00:10 | |
in the Olympics and Worlds and Europeans and things like that. | 0:00:10 | 0:00:13 | |
She's the most self-motivated ten-year-old. | 0:00:14 | 0:00:18 | |
There are, however, very few that actually do make it to the very top. | 0:00:18 | 0:00:23 | |
Whether Lily can will be put to the test in three months' time | 0:00:23 | 0:00:27 | |
in the UK's biggest competition of the year - | 0:00:27 | 0:00:30 | |
the British Figure Skating Championships. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:32 | |
Some of the little ones would potentially be the people | 0:00:36 | 0:00:39 | |
we would be looking at for the squad for the Beijing Olympics. | 0:00:39 | 0:00:43 | |
But Lily faces tough competition, | 0:00:44 | 0:00:47 | |
including two 12-year-olds - Mia... | 0:00:47 | 0:00:50 | |
I skate six days a week, morning and night. | 0:00:50 | 0:00:54 | |
It means everything to me. | 0:00:54 | 0:00:57 | |
..and Genevieve. | 0:00:57 | 0:00:59 | |
I want to maybe win the Olympics. | 0:00:59 | 0:01:03 | |
But having an ice princess in the family comes at a price. | 0:01:04 | 0:01:09 | |
The money that goes out, that's spent on the ice-skating, | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
it isn't cheap. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:13 | |
It's about £1,000 a month. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:16 | |
If you don't try to set it up from there, | 0:01:16 | 0:01:18 | |
there's no point waiting up to there. | 0:01:18 | 0:01:20 | |
Go. | 0:01:20 | 0:01:21 | |
This year, I broke my shoulder. | 0:01:23 | 0:01:25 | |
I've torn ligaments in my foot. | 0:01:25 | 0:01:28 | |
I've broke my knee. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:30 | |
I've had a lot of injuries. | 0:01:30 | 0:01:33 | |
Oh, come on. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:34 | |
SHE SOBS | 0:01:39 | 0:01:40 | |
I don't personally know any other ten-year-olds | 0:01:43 | 0:01:47 | |
that want to become who I want to become, | 0:01:47 | 0:01:52 | |
because my dreams are very, very big. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:56 | |
Lily. I've made you poached eggs on toast. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
Morning. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:13 | |
Lily's a morning person, so she wakes up sprightly every morning. | 0:02:15 | 0:02:19 | |
This is our normal routine. | 0:02:19 | 0:02:21 | |
We just start a few hours earlier than everybody else. | 0:02:21 | 0:02:23 | |
Every day of the week begins for ten-year-old Lily Matthias | 0:02:25 | 0:02:29 | |
by getting her mother, Lyndsey, to drive her from an hour | 0:02:29 | 0:02:32 | |
from their home in Blackpool | 0:02:32 | 0:02:33 | |
to the ice rink in Blackburn where she trains. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:37 | |
It does feel like it's...two o'clock instead of five o'clock. | 0:02:39 | 0:02:43 | |
There's just nobody around. | 0:02:43 | 0:02:46 | |
I always feel like sleeping because it's so dark. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:49 | |
If you sleep now, you're going to miss the sunrise. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:55 | |
It's the exciting part of the journey. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
In skating, you have to start early. | 0:03:03 | 0:03:06 | |
It's the only time you get the ice quiet for practice. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
It is quite unique that I have self-motivation | 0:03:22 | 0:03:29 | |
to wake up at half four in the morning and go to the rink. | 0:03:29 | 0:03:32 | |
I've always wanted to be a skater, | 0:03:35 | 0:03:37 | |
since I was about three, | 0:03:37 | 0:03:39 | |
but my mum didn't let me cos she thought I was a bit too young! | 0:03:39 | 0:03:43 | |
For her seventh birthday, we bought her an ice-skating lesson. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:49 | |
It was only ever going to be just a half-an-hour lesson. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:52 | |
At eight, she'd already decided this was what she was wanting to do. | 0:03:52 | 0:03:57 | |
She wanted to be the best that she could be, | 0:03:57 | 0:04:00 | |
she wanted to be British champion and then she wanted to do Europeans | 0:04:00 | 0:04:03 | |
and Worlds, and ultimately, of course, would be the Olympics. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:06 | |
She makes all the decisions. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:10 | |
She kind of dictates how much she wants to train. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:12 | |
Everything is driven by her. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:14 | |
I don't know where it comes from, just something within her. | 0:04:14 | 0:04:17 | |
It's not genetic, it is just Lily. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:21 | |
OK, let's try it one more time. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:23 | |
I really liked the fact that when you did the mohawk, | 0:04:23 | 0:04:26 | |
there was a really strong push there before you went into it, OK? | 0:04:26 | 0:04:29 | |
As you stepped forward... | 0:04:29 | 0:04:31 | |
The reason Lily and her mum decided to come to the ice rink in Blackburn | 0:04:31 | 0:04:34 | |
is so she can be trained by former Olympic competitor Kathryn Hudson. | 0:04:34 | 0:04:39 | |
She's super talented. | 0:04:39 | 0:04:41 | |
You ask her to jump, she wants to do it twice. | 0:04:41 | 0:04:44 | |
Tell her that it's time to get off, she wants to stay on longer. | 0:04:44 | 0:04:47 | |
She's brilliant. | 0:04:47 | 0:04:49 | |
Kathryn has been training Lily now for two years. | 0:04:50 | 0:04:54 | |
Many of the girls she's competing with | 0:04:54 | 0:04:56 | |
have literally grown up on skates. | 0:04:56 | 0:04:59 | |
They've kind of started as toddlers and gone through, | 0:04:59 | 0:05:02 | |
or even started at five and six. | 0:05:02 | 0:05:04 | |
She's got a lot of years of just trying to catch up. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:07 | |
The more you train everything this speed, | 0:05:07 | 0:05:09 | |
the more confidence you're going to have come the competition to do it, | 0:05:09 | 0:05:13 | |
because it's more normal, isn't it? | 0:05:13 | 0:05:16 | |
She's only been skating for two years, | 0:05:16 | 0:05:18 | |
so at the minute we're very much focusing | 0:05:18 | 0:05:20 | |
on really getting her to have a little bit of competition practice. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:24 | |
OK, so as you finish that spin, OK, finish it and grow. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:29 | |
And THEN come round. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:32 | |
That's it. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:35 | |
There are very few that actually do make it to the very top, | 0:05:35 | 0:05:39 | |
but one of the main things you need is motivation and drive, | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
and she's got it in bucket-loads. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:44 | |
Well, to be honest, it's pretty much completely changed. | 0:05:47 | 0:05:50 | |
It's just all now about... the skating. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:55 | |
Everything else sort of takes a back seat. | 0:05:57 | 0:06:00 | |
It's all about the skating, that's all they ever talk about. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:05 | |
The score's come up. | 0:06:05 | 0:06:07 | |
Yeah. Ten. Oh, my gosh. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:10 | |
-12.64 just for a jump. -For one jump. -For one jump. | 0:06:10 | 0:06:15 | |
We're not planning on any holidays for a start, no family holidays. | 0:06:17 | 0:06:21 | |
We don't go on family days out. | 0:06:21 | 0:06:23 | |
Everything is sort of shelved, regardless of any adverse effects | 0:06:23 | 0:06:28 | |
it might have on us as a family, in terms of money and time it takes. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:34 | |
It really doesn't matter, you know. | 0:06:34 | 0:06:37 | |
My favourite woman figure skater is Gracie Gold. | 0:06:37 | 0:06:41 | |
She's just amazing. She's so beautiful. | 0:06:41 | 0:06:44 | |
When she skates, she's really elegant, | 0:06:44 | 0:06:46 | |
and all of her jumps land really light and beautiful. | 0:06:46 | 0:06:52 | |
It's a great name, that, for a skater, isn't it? | 0:06:52 | 0:06:54 | |
Gracie Gold. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:56 | |
When did Gracie start skating, Lils? | 0:06:56 | 0:06:58 | |
When she was eight. Like me. | 0:06:58 | 0:07:00 | |
-Same as you? -Really, same? | 0:07:00 | 0:07:02 | |
So there's absolutely no reason why you can't catch up. | 0:07:02 | 0:07:06 | |
You can see she didn't start when she was three. | 0:07:06 | 0:07:09 | |
She just looks like a bigger version of you! | 0:07:09 | 0:07:12 | |
CHUCKLING | 0:07:12 | 0:07:14 | |
COMMENTATOR: 'More mature side of Gracie Gold. | 0:07:14 | 0:07:17 | |
'I think that suits her very well.' | 0:07:17 | 0:07:21 | |
I'd love to be as good as Gracie Gold. That is my main dream. | 0:07:21 | 0:07:26 | |
If Lily's ever going to get to the Olympics, | 0:07:35 | 0:07:37 | |
she'll have to prove herself against this skater - | 0:07:37 | 0:07:39 | |
12-year-old Genevieve Somerville, | 0:07:39 | 0:07:41 | |
already number one in the under-15s advanced novice category. | 0:07:41 | 0:07:45 | |
The turn needs to be with speed. | 0:07:47 | 0:07:49 | |
-What? -Do it again. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:52 | |
Driven by her mother, Genevieve's been training since she was three. | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
I want to see tight knees, heels coming off the floor first. | 0:07:59 | 0:08:03 | |
This is the painful bit. | 0:08:03 | 0:08:06 | |
Giving Genevieve another advantage | 0:08:06 | 0:08:08 | |
is that she's trained three times a week in this gym | 0:08:08 | 0:08:12 | |
by a national gymnast champion from Bulgaria. | 0:08:12 | 0:08:15 | |
Her mum, Madlen. | 0:08:15 | 0:08:17 | |
Genevieve, shoulders back. If you're going to be sitting, sit up. | 0:08:17 | 0:08:21 | |
Higher, higher, higher. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:23 | |
I've been coming to gym since I was three, | 0:08:23 | 0:08:26 | |
cos I remember being in one of them baby carriers | 0:08:26 | 0:08:31 | |
on the bench. | 0:08:31 | 0:08:32 | |
I come three times a week. | 0:08:33 | 0:08:36 | |
It is difficult, being a coach and a mum at the same time, | 0:08:38 | 0:08:42 | |
because I know when we go to the rink, | 0:08:42 | 0:08:46 | |
she wants me to praise her a lot more. | 0:08:46 | 0:08:48 | |
I tend to focus a lot more on her mistakes and what needs improving. | 0:08:48 | 0:08:53 | |
I know she wants a lot more of the...me to be a mum, | 0:08:53 | 0:08:58 | |
a lot more to say, "Well done," and, "You did well," which I try to. | 0:08:58 | 0:09:02 | |
We've got an understanding that when there's something | 0:09:02 | 0:09:05 | |
that needs correcting, I've got to tell her as well. | 0:09:05 | 0:09:09 | |
Genevieve, faster. Knee in tighter, it's too slow. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:12 | |
We fall out sometimes... | 0:09:14 | 0:09:16 | |
if I don't do what I'm told. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:18 | |
No, you didn't go up. | 0:09:19 | 0:09:21 | |
The fact that she gets more time to practise her off-ice jumps | 0:09:21 | 0:09:26 | |
gives her an added advantage. | 0:09:26 | 0:09:29 | |
I'd just like her to fully rotate it and not fall. | 0:09:29 | 0:09:34 | |
Hold. OK, now... Do the axel again. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:42 | |
Think about that quality on the skating. | 0:09:42 | 0:09:45 | |
On the ice, Genevieve's mum is just as determined | 0:09:45 | 0:09:47 | |
to maximise her daughter's chances. | 0:09:47 | 0:09:50 | |
She spends £600 a month to have her trained at £30 an hour | 0:09:52 | 0:09:56 | |
by former British champion and elite coach David Hartley. | 0:09:56 | 0:10:00 | |
So the British Championships are in 13 weeks. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:04 | |
So what I'd like to do to start off with | 0:10:04 | 0:10:06 | |
is let's look at how we skate across the ice. | 0:10:06 | 0:10:09 | |
Let's look at the speed, let's look at the power. | 0:10:09 | 0:10:12 | |
Hold. Hold, hold. | 0:10:13 | 0:10:15 | |
And step, and present. | 0:10:15 | 0:10:16 | |
OK, that was... | 0:10:18 | 0:10:19 | |
..awful! | 0:10:21 | 0:10:22 | |
OK, from the landing position here, let's look at your mum, for example. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:25 | |
So, from this position, we step, give her a little smile. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:29 | |
Genevieve's one of the rising stars in British skating. | 0:10:29 | 0:10:32 | |
She's got one of the best laybacks in the country, | 0:10:32 | 0:10:34 | |
and she has that hunger for success. | 0:10:34 | 0:10:38 | |
Genevieve should compete in the under-12 category, | 0:10:38 | 0:10:41 | |
but to really push her on, mum Madlen | 0:10:41 | 0:10:43 | |
has her competing in the under-15s. | 0:10:43 | 0:10:46 | |
Genevieve does put a lot of pressure on herself, | 0:10:46 | 0:10:48 | |
but I don't think that necessarily comes from her. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:51 | |
Honestly speaking, I think | 0:10:51 | 0:10:52 | |
she does get put under a lot of pressure from her mum. | 0:10:52 | 0:10:55 | |
Sometimes she takes on the role of coach, | 0:10:57 | 0:11:00 | |
especially when she's practising. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:02 | |
I think you've got to find that fine balance where, you know, | 0:11:02 | 0:11:05 | |
you're a parent, you bring the skaters to the rink, | 0:11:05 | 0:11:08 | |
that's your job. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:09 | |
If you start to kind of cross over into coaching territory, | 0:11:09 | 0:11:12 | |
then the relationship does become quite strained. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:15 | |
And present. | 0:11:15 | 0:11:17 | |
Mum, can you give us a thumbs-up? Were you happy with that? | 0:11:17 | 0:11:19 | |
So-so? OK. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:20 | |
Three, two, one, go! | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
Good! | 0:11:28 | 0:11:29 | |
Every day, Lily trains for six hours at this ice rink in Blackburn. | 0:11:29 | 0:11:33 | |
On your right foot. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:34 | |
Add an hour to get there and an hour to get home, | 0:11:34 | 0:11:36 | |
and her skating takes up as much time as school. | 0:11:36 | 0:11:40 | |
Except in her case, it doesn't. Something had to give. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:46 | |
When I was at school, I didn't enjoy it, | 0:11:49 | 0:11:52 | |
because some of the children didn't understand why I was leaving early | 0:11:52 | 0:11:56 | |
or...going in late. | 0:11:56 | 0:12:00 | |
I did get picked on a lot when I was there. | 0:12:00 | 0:12:04 | |
Being picked on, I felt really, really upset, sad every day. | 0:12:04 | 0:12:09 | |
I was crying every time I went into school. I didn't want to be there. | 0:12:09 | 0:12:12 | |
When I was in lessons, I was bored. It just really didn't fit with me. | 0:12:12 | 0:12:16 | |
Lily had said that she had thought about home-schooling | 0:12:18 | 0:12:22 | |
and whether it would be something that we would consider. | 0:12:22 | 0:12:27 | |
What am I? Key stage two or three? | 0:12:27 | 0:12:30 | |
-Key stage...two, I believe. -OK. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
What are you up to? | 0:12:33 | 0:12:34 | |
I'm doing solids, liquids and gases. Shall I do that one first? | 0:12:34 | 0:12:39 | |
Yes, yeah. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:41 | |
Being home-schooled is really good, cos then I can learn things | 0:12:41 | 0:12:45 | |
that I love to learn about and do what I want to learn about. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:51 | |
That's all we need, then, liquid nitrogen! | 0:12:52 | 0:12:55 | |
Put that in the bath, you could skate on it. | 0:12:56 | 0:13:00 | |
My mum is not a tough teacher at all. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:02 | |
I kind of let her lead how we do it. Lily chooses basically which... | 0:13:02 | 0:13:07 | |
-Yeah, you said... -..topics we do. | 0:13:07 | 0:13:11 | |
What's the next column? | 0:13:11 | 0:13:12 | |
-Er...hundreds. -Fabulous. | 0:13:12 | 0:13:15 | |
Lily's parents now pay two hours a week for a maths and English tutor. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:21 | |
Apart from that, it's mostly down to Mum. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:24 | |
I think science and geography is the easiest one, | 0:13:25 | 0:13:28 | |
because we live by the sea, which is handy. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:30 | |
So we can go down to the beach. | 0:13:30 | 0:13:32 | |
The estuary is just over the back of us, so we get to do a lot | 0:13:32 | 0:13:35 | |
more practical that you would get to do in a classroom. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:38 | |
It's a cockle. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:39 | |
She actually picks up probably a lot more | 0:13:39 | 0:13:41 | |
because she's out seeing it all the time. | 0:13:41 | 0:13:43 | |
It's a bit disgusting, to be honest. | 0:13:43 | 0:13:46 | |
People are really surprised that she's kept up-to-date with | 0:13:48 | 0:13:50 | |
the rest of her peers. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:52 | |
I think that's because it's on a one-to-one basis | 0:13:52 | 0:13:55 | |
and the tutor and we can go at Lily's pace. | 0:13:55 | 0:13:58 | |
Lily has a 15-year-old brother, Josh, who attends the local school. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:06 | |
In my opinion, school is really fun for me, | 0:14:07 | 0:14:09 | |
so I'd never really want to be home-schooled. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:12 | |
I got invited to go to a private school, but I turned it down, | 0:14:13 | 0:14:17 | |
cos I didn't want to be with people I didn't know. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
I'm happy I made this decision, cos obviously if I did go to private | 0:14:20 | 0:14:23 | |
school, Lil probably wouldn't be able to ice-skate or anything. | 0:14:23 | 0:14:26 | |
We couldn't have done Joshua at a private school | 0:14:26 | 0:14:30 | |
and Lily doing the skating at the level she's at. | 0:14:30 | 0:14:34 | |
I would have been absolutely stuffed. | 0:14:34 | 0:14:36 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:14:36 | 0:14:38 | |
You want them both to have everything. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:40 | |
We were just fortunate, really, | 0:14:40 | 0:14:42 | |
that we've got a very talented skater in the family, | 0:14:42 | 0:14:45 | |
and we've got a lad who's prepared to forgo certain things | 0:14:45 | 0:14:48 | |
but not be bothered about it. | 0:14:48 | 0:14:50 | |
We kind of have to spend a lot of money on Lily, but it's not like | 0:14:51 | 0:14:55 | |
they don't spend any money on me or don't pay any attention to me. | 0:14:55 | 0:14:58 | |
Obviously I get a new pair of football boots every season. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:02 | |
I would rather see Lil do well in the competition | 0:15:02 | 0:15:04 | |
than go to Tenerife for a week. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:07 | |
-Are you nearly done? -Mm-hm! | 0:15:08 | 0:15:10 | |
What time do you need to be there tomorrow morning? | 0:15:10 | 0:15:13 | |
Erm, about six. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:14 | |
'We did give her free rein of the decisions | 0:15:16 | 0:15:18 | |
'and we just guide her, | 0:15:18 | 0:15:20 | |
'because, obviously, we are the adults, | 0:15:20 | 0:15:23 | |
'we try to do the right thing by her | 0:15:23 | 0:15:25 | |
'but she leads everything.' | 0:15:25 | 0:15:27 | |
-Tired? -Yes, very! | 0:15:29 | 0:15:31 | |
Goodnight, then. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:35 | |
'She will get one shot at this ice-skating, | 0:15:35 | 0:15:38 | |
'she can pick education up any time. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:42 | |
'Skating is...it's now or never, | 0:15:42 | 0:15:45 | |
'get this opportunity to train to hopefully realise her dream.' | 0:15:45 | 0:15:50 | |
But Lily has her sacrifices to make too. | 0:15:55 | 0:15:58 | |
This is 7pm every night in the Matthias household. | 0:15:58 | 0:16:02 | |
I'm really cold. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:12 | |
200 miles north, | 0:16:12 | 0:16:14 | |
12-year-old Mia Gallagher is another rival who started early. | 0:16:14 | 0:16:18 | |
She's been on the ice since she was five | 0:16:23 | 0:16:25 | |
and her mum even moved their home | 0:16:25 | 0:16:27 | |
so that they'd be just beside the ice rink. | 0:16:27 | 0:16:30 | |
It's basically coming home from school, | 0:16:31 | 0:16:34 | |
getting ready and going to the ice. | 0:16:34 | 0:16:36 | |
Then coming back, going to bed, get school in the morning | 0:16:36 | 0:16:39 | |
and then skating again. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:41 | |
And it's basically skating all the time, but I love to do it. | 0:16:41 | 0:16:45 | |
Five times a week, Mia trains with yet another ice champion, | 0:16:46 | 0:16:50 | |
the Scottish one, Lorraine Allison. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:53 | |
OK, right, on the barrier, if you do me your spiral kicks. | 0:16:53 | 0:16:56 | |
OK? So we're onto your dynamic ballistic stuff, so right through. | 0:16:56 | 0:17:00 | |
No, no, control that body. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:02 | |
Keep it down. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:03 | |
But there's been a downside to Mia starting so young. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:07 | |
'Mia's now been skating six years | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
'and she's had an accident at least once, if not twice, | 0:17:09 | 0:17:14 | |
'three times a year.' | 0:17:14 | 0:17:16 | |
17 x-rays, erm, throughout her skating career. | 0:17:16 | 0:17:20 | |
This year, I broke my shoulder. | 0:17:22 | 0:17:25 | |
I've torn ligaments in my foot. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:27 | |
I've broke my knee. | 0:17:27 | 0:17:29 | |
I've broke my wrist twice. | 0:17:29 | 0:17:32 | |
I've had a lot of injuries. | 0:17:32 | 0:17:34 | |
An injury last year prevented Mia taking part, for the first time, | 0:17:36 | 0:17:39 | |
in the British Championships. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
So throughout this year that's been the big goal. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:45 | |
Then three months ago her worst injury yet put that in jeopardy. | 0:17:45 | 0:17:49 | |
I was in the cast for... was it three weeks? | 0:17:50 | 0:17:54 | |
Three weeks. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:55 | |
Like, I know sometimes you're, like, scared that you're going to | 0:17:55 | 0:17:58 | |
hurt yourself again, but going forward | 0:17:58 | 0:18:01 | |
I think we have to be confident. | 0:18:01 | 0:18:03 | |
If you start thinking, you know, | 0:18:03 | 0:18:04 | |
"I'm going to hurt myself, I'm going to fall," | 0:18:04 | 0:18:06 | |
the chances are it will be worse for you. | 0:18:06 | 0:18:09 | |
'So you need to just relax and just go for it.' | 0:18:09 | 0:18:11 | |
Set-up and go straight away, go now, go now. | 0:18:11 | 0:18:14 | |
OK, so what is it about that that knocks it off for you? | 0:18:16 | 0:18:20 | |
I don't know. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:21 | |
She's on double jumps just now. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:23 | |
She's got one double-double combination in her programme | 0:18:23 | 0:18:26 | |
and that's the one we're having issues with. | 0:18:26 | 0:18:28 | |
I would say probably 70% just now she's falling. | 0:18:28 | 0:18:32 | |
And this is the problem and this is where she's unconfident. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:35 | |
The last injury was probably one of the most severe. | 0:18:37 | 0:18:42 | |
And we were faced with kind of devastating news that, | 0:18:42 | 0:18:46 | |
you know, Mia's skating career might be on hold or, even worse, | 0:18:46 | 0:18:51 | |
she may not be able to skate at all. | 0:18:51 | 0:18:54 | |
I just couldn't imagine having to stop because of injury. | 0:18:54 | 0:18:57 | |
I just wanted to get back so badly. | 0:18:57 | 0:19:00 | |
My only ever concern is that if she gets knocked to the head, | 0:19:01 | 0:19:05 | |
that's probably my worst fear. | 0:19:05 | 0:19:08 | |
Sometimes you start to think about long-term, | 0:19:10 | 0:19:13 | |
how it'll affect their bones, especially with Mia having | 0:19:13 | 0:19:16 | |
so many injuries, you know, how that will affect them long-term. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:19 | |
Sometimes I look back and think, "Would I do that again?" | 0:19:21 | 0:19:25 | |
I think, if I'm being perfectly honest, | 0:19:26 | 0:19:29 | |
if I knew what I was signing up for, probably not. | 0:19:29 | 0:19:32 | |
Today's only the sixth competition of Lily's skating career. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:46 | |
It's the last warm-up event ahead of the British Championships | 0:19:46 | 0:19:49 | |
in a month's time. | 0:19:49 | 0:19:51 | |
I've been a bit nervous this week about all the other girls | 0:20:04 | 0:20:08 | |
being more experienced than me and I feel a bit like... | 0:20:08 | 0:20:12 | |
I'm the newbie on the block. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:13 | |
The biggest issue is that she trains obviously five days a week | 0:20:26 | 0:20:31 | |
and generally she's spot-on every single day. | 0:20:31 | 0:20:34 | |
And then, because of the lack of competition experience | 0:20:34 | 0:20:37 | |
that she's had, she kind of comes to the day and pulls back | 0:20:37 | 0:20:42 | |
and just goes a bit careful and that then has repercussions, | 0:20:42 | 0:20:45 | |
because she gets downgraded on some of her jumps and stuff | 0:20:45 | 0:20:49 | |
like that, which is frustrating, because she can do them all. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:52 | |
The best under-12s from all over the country are here. | 0:20:56 | 0:20:59 | |
Including Mia. | 0:21:01 | 0:21:03 | |
-Try again. -I'm so clumsy. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:06 | |
Obviously Mia's been three months behind with her training. | 0:21:07 | 0:21:10 | |
We're not quite where we should be, however we're not far away. | 0:21:10 | 0:21:15 | |
From the injury, she's definitely been working hard to try and get back up there | 0:21:15 | 0:21:19 | |
amongst the girls that she's competing against. | 0:21:19 | 0:21:21 | |
I think she's quite confident. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:23 | |
She seems to be landing her jumps, which is always a good sign. | 0:21:23 | 0:21:27 | |
Today, my aim is to go on and get a new personal best. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:31 | |
And to skate clean. | 0:21:31 | 0:21:32 | |
But I can't imagine that she's not going to feel nervous | 0:21:36 | 0:21:40 | |
because it's all new and... | 0:21:40 | 0:21:44 | |
if she can just get a handle on the nerves a bit | 0:21:44 | 0:21:46 | |
and just get the best out that she can, I think she'll do OK. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:49 | |
If she doesn't do better today than she's done previously, | 0:21:49 | 0:21:52 | |
I think she'll be really upset because she's worked so hard. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:56 | |
The Salchow was lovely, yeah. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:03 | |
Yeah, you just pulled that loop around a little bit. | 0:22:03 | 0:22:05 | |
Got a little bit onto the back of the skate. OK? | 0:22:05 | 0:22:08 | |
Are you struggling to fit it in? Yeah. | 0:22:08 | 0:22:11 | |
So, let's go through it, all right? Don't worry. | 0:22:11 | 0:22:14 | |
So we're starting... | 0:22:14 | 0:22:16 | |
'We need to be getting out and doing as many competitions | 0:22:16 | 0:22:18 | |
'as we possibly can, | 0:22:18 | 0:22:19 | |
'just simply to practise that side of things, cos you can't, | 0:22:19 | 0:22:22 | |
'no matter how many simulations you do at home,' | 0:22:22 | 0:22:25 | |
you cannot replicate that feeling | 0:22:25 | 0:22:27 | |
at all without getting there in a competition. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:29 | |
-So, how are you feeling? -Good. -Yeah? -Yeah. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:45 | |
-Mm, a bit nervous. -Yeah? | 0:22:45 | 0:22:47 | |
'It is one of my favourite bits, like, getting all sparkled up. | 0:22:53 | 0:22:57 | |
'But especially the make-up and wearing my pink dresses.' | 0:22:57 | 0:23:00 | |
It's like every little girl's idea of heaven, isn't it? | 0:23:02 | 0:23:05 | |
Having someone do your make-up and put glitter all over you. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:09 | |
We're ready to start now. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:12 | |
And all the other girls, as you kind of look around the ring, | 0:23:15 | 0:23:18 | |
they're all jumping around and really... | 0:23:18 | 0:23:20 | |
as where she's really quiet, | 0:23:20 | 0:23:22 | |
which is what stresses me out, because I just think, | 0:23:22 | 0:23:26 | |
"Normal Lily's disappeared." | 0:23:26 | 0:23:27 | |
I'm just trying to do an Oscar-winning performance | 0:23:29 | 0:23:31 | |
of calmness at the moment around Lily | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
but inside I'm actually dying! | 0:23:33 | 0:23:35 | |
It's just really quite stressful and I feel really nervous. | 0:23:35 | 0:23:40 | |
I'll go and sit up there, I might watch like that. | 0:23:40 | 0:23:43 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:23:43 | 0:23:45 | |
In a near-empty stadium, 13 girls compete in their category. | 0:23:45 | 0:23:50 | |
Each has to include a maximum of four jumps | 0:23:50 | 0:23:52 | |
and two spins in their two and a half minutes on the ice. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:55 | |
Knock 'em dead, all right? | 0:24:01 | 0:24:02 | |
Go and show us what you do every day at that rink. | 0:24:02 | 0:24:04 | |
-Yeah. -All right? You can do this. | 0:24:04 | 0:24:06 | |
-TANNOY: -Next we've got Lily Matthias. | 0:24:06 | 0:24:10 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:24:10 | 0:24:11 | |
MUSIC: Forrest Gump Suite by Alan Silvestri | 0:24:19 | 0:24:26 | |
I've got the shakes. | 0:25:16 | 0:25:18 | |
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING | 0:25:47 | 0:25:48 | |
-That was probably... -Total Lily. -..the best I've seen her skate, I think. -Lovely. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:54 | |
Lily has had a clean skate | 0:25:54 | 0:25:56 | |
but Mia has the advantage of 30 competitions like this one. | 0:25:56 | 0:26:00 | |
She looks confident enough. | 0:26:01 | 0:26:03 | |
I think anything above 30, I think, would definitely put | 0:26:03 | 0:26:07 | |
a smile on Mia's face today. | 0:26:07 | 0:26:09 | |
-TANNOY: -..Mia Gallagher. | 0:26:09 | 0:26:11 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:26:11 | 0:26:15 | |
LATIN INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYS | 0:26:18 | 0:26:21 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:27:04 | 0:27:07 | |
Oh, she's upset. | 0:27:11 | 0:27:14 | |
-What's wrong? -MIA CRIES | 0:27:14 | 0:27:16 | |
You did all right! | 0:27:16 | 0:27:18 | |
What's happened? What's wrong? | 0:27:18 | 0:27:20 | |
Mia, it's absolutely fine. | 0:27:21 | 0:27:23 | |
That was a really good skate. | 0:27:23 | 0:27:25 | |
A clean skate. | 0:27:25 | 0:27:27 | |
Do you want a wee drink, honey? Very proud. | 0:27:27 | 0:27:29 | |
-TANNOY: -'..score, 24.53.' | 0:27:31 | 0:27:34 | |
Oh, come on. | 0:27:35 | 0:27:37 | |
After her fall, Mia finds herself in tenth place. | 0:27:37 | 0:27:41 | |
Listen, it is what it is, Mia. | 0:27:41 | 0:27:44 | |
Just work harder for the next one and it's a practice run. | 0:27:44 | 0:27:47 | |
-TANNOY: -'..Lily Matthias, | 0:27:49 | 0:27:51 | |
'total score, 27.82.' | 0:27:51 | 0:27:55 | |
Yay! | 0:27:55 | 0:27:56 | |
Lily's score puts her in fourth place. | 0:27:59 | 0:28:02 | |
Excellent. PB. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:04 | |
That's more like it, isn't it? | 0:28:04 | 0:28:06 | |
Yeah, she did brilliant. Great practice for the British. | 0:28:08 | 0:28:13 | |
It's another 6am start for 12-year-old Genevieve. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:26 | |
But this morning is different. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:29 | |
'Gold medallist, | 0:28:29 | 0:28:30 | |
-'Robin Cousins of Great Britain.' -CHEERING | 0:28:30 | 0:28:33 | |
Good morning. | 0:28:37 | 0:28:39 | |
Former Olympic and world champion Robin Cousins | 0:28:39 | 0:28:42 | |
is one of the British squad selectors for Beijing in 2022. | 0:28:42 | 0:28:46 | |
He's identified a rising star. | 0:28:46 | 0:28:49 | |
She has a nice snap. | 0:28:49 | 0:28:51 | |
I like that a lot. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:52 | |
Even timing. | 0:28:52 | 0:28:54 | |
Even timing. Even timing. | 0:28:54 | 0:28:57 | |
Down. What are your hands doing? | 0:28:57 | 0:28:59 | |
Do you know that you land and you do that? | 0:29:01 | 0:29:03 | |
Feel that... | 0:29:05 | 0:29:07 | |
tension. Is your hand supposed to be like that when you land jumps? | 0:29:07 | 0:29:11 | |
Put my hand where it's supposed to be. | 0:29:11 | 0:29:13 | |
See how tight that is, that's what yours looked like. Fix it. | 0:29:14 | 0:29:18 | |
No claws. No claws. | 0:29:22 | 0:29:25 | |
Go. | 0:29:27 | 0:29:28 | |
You're now looking at the talent pathway | 0:29:30 | 0:29:31 | |
to start at around eight, nine, ten. | 0:29:31 | 0:29:34 | |
So it's not a question of, "She's sweet," or, "Oh, he's cute, | 0:29:34 | 0:29:38 | |
"they could, they really..." No. | 0:29:38 | 0:29:40 | |
Are they any good? Do they have what it takes? | 0:29:40 | 0:29:43 | |
'Great little body. | 0:29:43 | 0:29:45 | |
'Perfect skater body. | 0:29:45 | 0:29:46 | |
'She can rotate, she has a good feeling for the skating. | 0:29:46 | 0:29:50 | |
'Basic skills need a lot of work but that can be fixed. | 0:29:50 | 0:29:54 | |
'Again, it's a question of how badly do you want it | 0:29:54 | 0:29:57 | |
'versus how badly do they actually want it. | 0:29:57 | 0:29:59 | |
'And how hard are they willing to work to do it.' | 0:29:59 | 0:30:02 | |
OK. | 0:30:02 | 0:30:04 | |
So, I'm watching you and I can see that you have the ability | 0:30:04 | 0:30:08 | |
and I can see you do it, but I'm seeing tentative, | 0:30:08 | 0:30:14 | |
not really sure if I should just do it all or... | 0:30:14 | 0:30:18 | |
-TIMID VOICE: -..do nothing. | 0:30:18 | 0:30:21 | |
So, when you compete, you need to stop being little mousy girl | 0:30:21 | 0:30:26 | |
and sweet and lovely, | 0:30:26 | 0:30:28 | |
and start going, "I've got it!" Does that make sense? Yes? | 0:30:28 | 0:30:32 | |
No, no, no, no. No nodding. No smiling. Does it make sense? | 0:30:32 | 0:30:35 | |
-Yeah. -Yes. Right, OK. | 0:30:35 | 0:30:37 | |
She does have potential. | 0:30:37 | 0:30:39 | |
I think one of the important things, for me, | 0:30:39 | 0:30:42 | |
is that she needs to come out of her shell a little bit. | 0:30:42 | 0:30:44 | |
I didn't compete because I wanted to compete against people, | 0:30:44 | 0:30:48 | |
I wanted to show off. | 0:30:48 | 0:30:49 | |
MUSIC PLAYS | 0:30:49 | 0:30:51 | |
Beautiful triple Salchow! | 0:30:54 | 0:30:56 | |
I wanted everybody to watch. | 0:31:01 | 0:31:03 | |
I don't care if it was the cleaning lady | 0:31:03 | 0:31:05 | |
or 5,000 people in an arena, this was my chance to show off. | 0:31:05 | 0:31:09 | |
She is so timid and so sweet and so shy. | 0:31:09 | 0:31:12 | |
Olympic champions aren't made of that, | 0:31:12 | 0:31:15 | |
but they are made of the material that she has within her. | 0:31:15 | 0:31:18 | |
YOU have to be the one that people go... | 0:31:18 | 0:31:21 | |
Sometimes we... You can't help who you watch, | 0:31:23 | 0:31:26 | |
and it's not because they're the best, | 0:31:26 | 0:31:28 | |
it's because they have the passion, | 0:31:28 | 0:31:30 | |
and they're using that passion to perform. | 0:31:30 | 0:31:32 | |
That's their gift. | 0:31:32 | 0:31:34 | |
You have to figure out how to make that work for you. | 0:31:34 | 0:31:37 | |
Do you believe you can do it? Yes? | 0:31:37 | 0:31:40 | |
I shall be watching at the championships, | 0:31:40 | 0:31:43 | |
so you'd better make sure | 0:31:43 | 0:31:46 | |
it's a performance you want to talk about. | 0:31:46 | 0:31:48 | |
Because we'll be talking about you. | 0:31:48 | 0:31:50 | |
All right? | 0:31:50 | 0:31:52 | |
Good girl. | 0:31:52 | 0:31:54 | |
Ahead of the championships, | 0:31:56 | 0:31:58 | |
Lily's persuaded Mum she must have new boots. | 0:31:58 | 0:32:01 | |
-New ones? -Mm-hm. | 0:32:01 | 0:32:03 | |
Let's get them done, then. | 0:32:03 | 0:32:04 | |
Yeah. | 0:32:06 | 0:32:08 | |
Thanks, boss. | 0:32:08 | 0:32:09 | |
What did you pay for these? | 0:32:09 | 0:32:11 | |
It was £290. | 0:32:11 | 0:32:14 | |
Just the boots. | 0:32:14 | 0:32:15 | |
And the blades are about... I think the blades were 135, I think. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:19 | |
These are really comfy, they're like slippers. | 0:32:21 | 0:32:24 | |
Her last boots have lasted a year, but if her feet grow quicker, | 0:32:28 | 0:32:32 | |
then, obviously, we'll have to buy boots sooner. | 0:32:32 | 0:32:35 | |
My other skates were too small before, so to help my toes | 0:32:35 | 0:32:39 | |
stop hurting and my feet stop hurting, I've got new skates now, | 0:32:39 | 0:32:44 | |
which is really good. | 0:32:44 | 0:32:46 | |
-Hello? -Hi. -Hiya. | 0:32:48 | 0:32:51 | |
A few years ago, | 0:32:51 | 0:32:53 | |
Lily's dad Wayne started his own business as a used car dealer. | 0:32:53 | 0:32:57 | |
It's been going well, | 0:32:57 | 0:32:58 | |
but the cost of Lily's skating is now £1,000 a month. | 0:32:58 | 0:33:02 | |
So, that's going out, and that's how much is coming in, then? | 0:33:02 | 0:33:05 | |
Pretty much, yeah. | 0:33:05 | 0:33:06 | |
-It's not changed much. -No. | 0:33:06 | 0:33:08 | |
It's been hard. It really has. | 0:33:08 | 0:33:11 | |
'It is just by the grace of God at the minute, | 0:33:11 | 0:33:13 | |
'sailing very, very close to the wind. | 0:33:13 | 0:33:16 | |
'I've got credit cards maxed out and all sorts of stuff, | 0:33:16 | 0:33:19 | |
'just to sustain the level that we're at. It is really expensive | 0:33:19 | 0:33:23 | |
'and, in order for the skating not to be affected, | 0:33:23 | 0:33:27 | |
'I've, you know, got into debt.' | 0:33:27 | 0:33:32 | |
Lily's parents keep the money pressures away from her, | 0:33:32 | 0:33:35 | |
but more and more, she realises how tight things are becoming. | 0:33:35 | 0:33:40 | |
That's where I put my cars that I've bought, who I sold it to... | 0:33:40 | 0:33:43 | |
-Gosh. Yeah. -..how much I sold it for. -Yeah. | 0:33:43 | 0:33:46 | |
Gross profit. And then you take 20% off that, and the rest is ours. | 0:33:46 | 0:33:50 | |
-That's rubbish. -Innit? | 0:33:50 | 0:33:52 | |
So that leaves us with £64, | 0:33:52 | 0:33:56 | |
which will get you halfway to the rink. | 0:33:56 | 0:33:59 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:33:59 | 0:34:02 | |
'Everybody, meaning my mum, my brother and my dad, | 0:34:02 | 0:34:06 | |
'are making big sacrifices for my skating, | 0:34:06 | 0:34:09 | |
'and I'm really grateful, obviously. | 0:34:09 | 0:34:11 | |
'There's lots of things that they have to sacrifice, | 0:34:11 | 0:34:15 | |
'like going out for dinner, we can't go on holidays, | 0:34:15 | 0:34:19 | |
'because it's very expensive,' | 0:34:19 | 0:34:22 | |
and there's lots of money in skating, that's all I know, | 0:34:22 | 0:34:26 | |
because my mum and dad don't talk to me about money. | 0:34:26 | 0:34:29 | |
It's all Lily. It's Lily's dreams, Lily's goals. | 0:34:29 | 0:34:33 | |
She works so hard and she's so committed | 0:34:33 | 0:34:37 | |
and she's got such a great work ethic that it would be wrong of us | 0:34:37 | 0:34:41 | |
-not to support her to the very best that we can. -WAYNE: -Hmm. | 0:34:41 | 0:34:45 | |
The mounting money worries mean | 0:34:45 | 0:34:47 | |
Wayne and Lyndsey are now having to make choices. | 0:34:47 | 0:34:50 | |
So, all the dresses are here. | 0:34:50 | 0:34:52 | |
We're just going to have a look through them | 0:34:52 | 0:34:54 | |
and see what you're going to use again this season, | 0:34:54 | 0:34:57 | |
and, if there's anything we've got that we can sell, or anything. | 0:34:57 | 0:35:01 | |
Definitely want to keep that. | 0:35:01 | 0:35:03 | |
-You want me to keep it? -Yes. -OK. -It's got good memories. | 0:35:03 | 0:35:07 | |
-That one's a maybe. Maybe keep it. -That's a maybe? | 0:35:07 | 0:35:10 | |
Probably. It's quite stretchy. | 0:35:10 | 0:35:12 | |
-So... -Is that one to sell? | 0:35:12 | 0:35:15 | |
LILY GASPS | 0:35:15 | 0:35:17 | |
-How can I sell that?! Oh, my God! -LAUGHTER | 0:35:17 | 0:35:19 | |
How much do you think we'll be able to sell this one for? | 0:35:19 | 0:35:23 | |
Although they cost upwards of £250 to make, when you resell them, | 0:35:23 | 0:35:27 | |
-you only actually get probably less than £100 for it. -Yeah. -Whoa. | 0:35:27 | 0:35:32 | |
But, you know, she has had quite a bit of use out of this one, | 0:35:32 | 0:35:35 | |
which is nice. | 0:35:35 | 0:35:37 | |
But it's at a level that a lot of people, I'm sure, would have to say, | 0:35:37 | 0:35:41 | |
"No, you can't do the ice-skating, you can't do it as much." | 0:35:41 | 0:35:44 | |
I'm sort of at a limit. I can't go beyond the limit that we're at. | 0:35:44 | 0:35:50 | |
Basically, you could buy a house with what it's going to cost | 0:35:50 | 0:35:54 | |
to get Lily probably through the next seven years to the Olympics, | 0:35:54 | 0:35:58 | |
-so we know that... -We're going to have to | 0:35:58 | 0:36:01 | |
-get a sponsor on board. -We have to do something, because, otherwise, | 0:36:01 | 0:36:04 | |
-we're going to miss out on so many opportunities. -Yeah, yeah. | 0:36:04 | 0:36:08 | |
I never, ever want to give up skating - ever - | 0:36:08 | 0:36:12 | |
no matter what the sacrifices are. | 0:36:12 | 0:36:15 | |
In Glasgow, Mia Gallagher knows, last time out, | 0:36:27 | 0:36:31 | |
she gave her worst-ever performance in a competition. | 0:36:31 | 0:36:34 | |
Lorraine, her trainer, now has two weeks left | 0:36:34 | 0:36:38 | |
before the British Championships to pull Mia round. | 0:36:38 | 0:36:41 | |
Half the time, she's wanting to go about just dancing | 0:36:45 | 0:36:48 | |
and showing off, when I'm like, "No, wait a wee minute. | 0:36:48 | 0:36:50 | |
"There's jumps in there that have to be done | 0:36:50 | 0:36:53 | |
"and landings that have to be held," | 0:36:53 | 0:36:55 | |
but Mia's like, "Well, I love my music and I'm going to just | 0:36:55 | 0:36:58 | |
"show this off, so I don't care about the rest." | 0:36:58 | 0:37:00 | |
And go... Out. And out! And out! | 0:37:00 | 0:37:04 | |
I think Mia certainly enjoys the choreography | 0:37:04 | 0:37:07 | |
side of the programmes, loves performing, especially | 0:37:07 | 0:37:11 | |
when there's a judging panel there, there's cameras, | 0:37:11 | 0:37:14 | |
and if there's a big audience as well. | 0:37:14 | 0:37:16 | |
Here, do you feel as though you held that round enough? | 0:37:16 | 0:37:19 | |
-No. -No. | 0:37:19 | 0:37:21 | |
So this shoulder then started falling out the circle, off axis, | 0:37:21 | 0:37:24 | |
duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh. Bump. | 0:37:24 | 0:37:27 | |
Mia's performance score is almost double her technical. | 0:37:28 | 0:37:33 | |
I think, if she can get the technical score up, | 0:37:33 | 0:37:36 | |
I would say she could probably be in the top five. | 0:37:36 | 0:37:39 | |
Yeah. But that's not easy. That is not easy. | 0:37:39 | 0:37:42 | |
OK? | 0:37:44 | 0:37:45 | |
So, how did that feel to you? Yeah. You can feel it straightaway, | 0:37:45 | 0:37:49 | |
Because you're going to get a sore one down this side of your body. | 0:37:49 | 0:37:53 | |
After an hour's training, Mia still has a school day ahead, | 0:37:54 | 0:37:59 | |
then she's back for another two-hour session on the ice | 0:37:59 | 0:38:01 | |
in the evening. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:03 | |
Me and Claire get to go home and go to our bed | 0:38:03 | 0:38:06 | |
and rest during the day. | 0:38:06 | 0:38:07 | |
Mia has to go to school and then come back in at night. | 0:38:07 | 0:38:10 | |
-She's got hit hard in comparison to us. -Yeah. | 0:38:10 | 0:38:13 | |
Like, whenever my friends have parties, I don't normally | 0:38:13 | 0:38:16 | |
go to them, because I'm in here training at night, | 0:38:16 | 0:38:19 | |
but I like skating better. | 0:38:19 | 0:38:21 | |
Lily's final training sessions | 0:38:34 | 0:38:36 | |
before the British Championships haven't been going well. | 0:38:36 | 0:38:39 | |
SHE GASPS | 0:38:40 | 0:38:42 | |
-How did it feel? -Not good. -You didn't feel good? No? | 0:38:42 | 0:38:47 | |
-No. -It wasn't quite over the hip. | 0:38:47 | 0:38:49 | |
-I hate it so much. It makes me want to cry, that spin. -Why? | 0:38:49 | 0:38:54 | |
-Cos it's horrible to me. It doesn't like me. -It gets you a lot of points | 0:38:54 | 0:38:59 | |
-if you get it right. -I know, but it doesn't like me. | 0:38:59 | 0:39:02 | |
OK. | 0:39:05 | 0:39:06 | |
Trainer Kathryn thinks Lily's in danger of losing the momentum | 0:39:06 | 0:39:10 | |
she's built up. | 0:39:10 | 0:39:12 | |
Are you aware that most of the other skaters have been | 0:39:12 | 0:39:15 | |
-competing for years and years and years? -Yeah. | 0:39:15 | 0:39:18 | |
Most of them have been skating since they were three or four. | 0:39:18 | 0:39:21 | |
Why does that bother you? | 0:39:21 | 0:39:23 | |
-Because no-one else knows that. -No... | 0:39:26 | 0:39:29 | |
I just feel really... | 0:39:29 | 0:39:31 | |
..down, really. | 0:39:32 | 0:39:34 | |
Sometimes, I do think, you know, I don't want her to feel like this. | 0:39:34 | 0:39:39 | |
No parent wants their child to feel so worried about something, | 0:39:39 | 0:39:42 | |
and I do think, you know, are we doing the right thing? | 0:39:42 | 0:39:45 | |
Are we making the right decisions? | 0:39:45 | 0:39:48 | |
That's my baby, and my baby's bruised, so it can be difficult. | 0:39:52 | 0:39:57 | |
LILY SOBS | 0:39:57 | 0:39:59 | |
I think it's all been a bit too stressful, hasn't it? | 0:40:04 | 0:40:08 | |
'I do question, sometimes, if we're doing the right thing | 0:40:08 | 0:40:11 | |
'when she's so upset.' | 0:40:11 | 0:40:13 | |
Another country, same mum. | 0:40:28 | 0:40:31 | |
TRANSLATION: | 0:40:31 | 0:40:33 | |
If you don't try to set it up from there, | 0:40:39 | 0:40:41 | |
there's no point waiting up to there. Go. | 0:40:41 | 0:40:45 | |
To sharpen Genevieve for the British Championships, her mum has | 0:40:48 | 0:40:52 | |
entered her for a competition in her home country, Bulgaria. | 0:40:52 | 0:40:56 | |
Genevieve's the only UK skater here, | 0:40:56 | 0:40:59 | |
but there's 21 Russian and East European girls. | 0:40:59 | 0:41:03 | |
Genevieve and her Bulgarian friend Dara quickly spot the top skater - | 0:41:07 | 0:41:11 | |
a 13-year-old from Russia, Elizaveta Nugumanova. | 0:41:11 | 0:41:16 | |
-Was that a triple? -Yeah. | 0:41:16 | 0:41:18 | |
-I think it was a triple toe. -Wow. Whoa, whoa. | 0:41:18 | 0:41:22 | |
-She has really soft hands. -Yeah. | 0:41:22 | 0:41:25 | |
-Really good. Russians are really good. -Yeah. | 0:41:25 | 0:41:30 | |
She rotates really fast. | 0:41:30 | 0:41:32 | |
She does. | 0:41:32 | 0:41:34 | |
She really does. | 0:41:34 | 0:41:36 | |
-Yeah, I think she'll grab a medal. -Yeah. | 0:41:36 | 0:41:39 | |
'Basically, the environment is a lot more competitive, it's harsh, | 0:41:42 | 0:41:47 | |
'so she needs to get used to this, because it will prepare her better' | 0:41:47 | 0:41:51 | |
for the future, and it's a lot more intense, | 0:41:51 | 0:41:54 | |
in terms of the training, so it's probably a lot more tiring. | 0:41:54 | 0:41:58 | |
HE SPEAKS IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE | 0:41:58 | 0:42:01 | |
Genevieve's mum has even hired a former Russian national champion | 0:42:01 | 0:42:05 | |
to ensure her daughter knows the level she has to achieve. | 0:42:05 | 0:42:09 | |
She needs a little bit more speed. | 0:42:11 | 0:42:14 | |
And she needs another... triple jumps. | 0:42:15 | 0:42:20 | |
A very good girl from Russia, she has all triples. | 0:42:20 | 0:42:23 | |
I think she will be first, but this is sport and this is ice | 0:42:23 | 0:42:29 | |
and anything can happen. | 0:42:29 | 0:42:31 | |
Even Genevieve's Bulgarian grannies | 0:42:37 | 0:42:40 | |
have been roped in by her mum to give her support. | 0:42:40 | 0:42:43 | |
The ambition today is for a score over 30. | 0:42:54 | 0:42:58 | |
-PA: -Genevieve Somerville. | 0:42:59 | 0:43:01 | |
THEY CHEER | 0:43:01 | 0:43:04 | |
THEY SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT | 0:43:04 | 0:43:06 | |
MUSIC PLAYS | 0:43:10 | 0:43:13 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:43:20 | 0:43:21 | |
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE | 0:43:45 | 0:43:48 | |
Woo! Woo! | 0:43:48 | 0:43:51 | |
-PA: -Genevieve Somerville. | 0:43:51 | 0:43:53 | |
'She's not happy, her mum is not happy.' | 0:43:53 | 0:43:56 | |
She is upset, because she don't jump properly. | 0:43:56 | 0:44:01 | |
It's a lot of pressure. | 0:44:01 | 0:44:04 | |
Too much for her. | 0:44:04 | 0:44:05 | |
GENEVIEVE SOBS | 0:44:07 | 0:44:09 | |
Genevieve ended up 10th, with 28 points. | 0:44:19 | 0:44:23 | |
As predicted, the Russian favourite was first, with 49 points. | 0:44:25 | 0:44:30 | |
I'm feeling gutted for Genevieve. | 0:44:32 | 0:44:34 | |
Our expectations were to get a score in the 30s. | 0:44:34 | 0:44:38 | |
It's all experience. | 0:44:38 | 0:44:40 | |
She's got to learn that there is disappointment | 0:44:40 | 0:44:43 | |
as well as success, and she is going to have to get stronger. | 0:44:43 | 0:44:47 | |
There's a week to the British Championships, | 0:44:51 | 0:44:54 | |
and Lily's not in a good place. | 0:44:54 | 0:44:56 | |
I felt quite down and I just thought to myself, "Why am I so nervous?" | 0:44:56 | 0:45:02 | |
It's not a nice feeling at all. | 0:45:04 | 0:45:06 | |
DOORBELL RINGS | 0:45:09 | 0:45:11 | |
Hello. | 0:45:14 | 0:45:16 | |
Lily's coach thinks she needs a boost. She's planned a surprise. | 0:45:16 | 0:45:22 | |
-I actually don't know. -Who would be the most incredible person to get | 0:45:22 | 0:45:26 | |
-a phone call from? Come on, you must have... -Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. | 0:45:26 | 0:45:30 | |
-Gracie. -Yep. | 0:45:30 | 0:45:32 | |
-Really? -Yes. | 0:45:34 | 0:45:37 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:45:41 | 0:45:42 | |
LILY LAUGHS | 0:45:49 | 0:45:52 | |
Hi, how are you? With your accent, you're just cute as a button. | 0:45:52 | 0:45:57 | |
-Thank you. -Oh, my gosh! | 0:45:57 | 0:45:59 | |
-I had no idea I was going to speak to you, it's amazing. -It's so fun! | 0:45:59 | 0:46:04 | |
What would you like to ask Gracie? | 0:46:06 | 0:46:08 | |
How do you not get so nervous? What makes you so confident? | 0:46:08 | 0:46:13 | |
I didn't always know how to be confident, cos I'd always felt | 0:46:13 | 0:46:17 | |
so fragile. I had to learn to love the competition aspect of it. | 0:46:17 | 0:46:23 | |
It wasn't my favourite thing. | 0:46:23 | 0:46:25 | |
Are you ever worried about the other competitors? | 0:46:25 | 0:46:28 | |
Yeah, especially at my level, they really are | 0:46:28 | 0:46:31 | |
-the best skaters in the world. -Yeah! -That's nerve-racking. | 0:46:31 | 0:46:35 | |
I try not to think about it, because it doesn't change | 0:46:35 | 0:46:38 | |
-what I have to do when I skate. -Mm-hm. | 0:46:38 | 0:46:40 | |
Because, a little bird told me, you have a competition coming up. | 0:46:40 | 0:46:43 | |
-Yes. -Which is why we're all here. | 0:46:43 | 0:46:45 | |
Yes, I need to build up my confidence | 0:46:45 | 0:46:48 | |
and you are definitely the person to talk to. | 0:46:48 | 0:46:51 | |
You have to work on showing up and showing off. | 0:46:51 | 0:46:55 | |
Yeah. Thank you so much for speaking to me, Gracie. | 0:46:55 | 0:46:59 | |
It's meant a lot, a lot to me. | 0:46:59 | 0:47:01 | |
-Best of luck. -Thank you. -Thank you. -And just really have fun. -Bye! | 0:47:01 | 0:47:05 | |
Oh! | 0:47:08 | 0:47:10 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:47:12 | 0:47:14 | |
-Selfie! -Selfie. | 0:47:14 | 0:47:16 | |
It's the day of | 0:47:27 | 0:47:28 | |
the British Junior Skating Championships | 0:47:28 | 0:47:30 | |
and, if Lily Matthias ever gets to the 2022 Olympics, she might | 0:47:30 | 0:47:35 | |
look back to this competition as where it all really started. | 0:47:35 | 0:47:39 | |
She knows Robin Cousins is here weighing her up | 0:47:39 | 0:47:42 | |
as well as her rivals Mia and Genevieve. | 0:47:42 | 0:47:46 | |
Some of the little ones would potentially be the people we'd | 0:47:55 | 0:47:59 | |
be looking at for the squad for the Beijing Olympics. | 0:47:59 | 0:48:02 | |
We need to pick out our elite. | 0:48:03 | 0:48:04 | |
Hey, Lils. Lils. | 0:48:07 | 0:48:09 | |
On the bits that you're doing, sell it. | 0:48:11 | 0:48:16 | |
OK? I know you've only got a few people here, | 0:48:16 | 0:48:18 | |
but there's going to be more noise, more people here today, | 0:48:18 | 0:48:21 | |
so you need just to be up for it, even this morning. All right? | 0:48:21 | 0:48:24 | |
'A good result would be a top ten. That would be really good.' | 0:48:31 | 0:48:34 | |
That would just be like the cherry on top of the cake. | 0:48:34 | 0:48:37 | |
I don't think we could be any more prepared for this competition. | 0:48:37 | 0:48:40 | |
We've done absolutely everything, so it's kind of at that stage | 0:48:40 | 0:48:44 | |
where you just want to enjoy it and what will be will be. | 0:48:44 | 0:48:47 | |
There's nothing more that she | 0:48:47 | 0:48:49 | |
or anyone else could've done to be ready for this. | 0:48:49 | 0:48:52 | |
Just nice and slow, not too fast. | 0:48:52 | 0:48:55 | |
-Like Lily, it's Mia's first time here. -Good girl. | 0:48:55 | 0:48:58 | |
Injury prevented her competing last year | 0:48:58 | 0:49:01 | |
and nearly did for her chances this year. | 0:49:01 | 0:49:03 | |
She's definitely recovered from the injury now. | 0:49:03 | 0:49:06 | |
There was a period of time where we were behind schedule, | 0:49:06 | 0:49:09 | |
but I feel we've caught up with it now. | 0:49:09 | 0:49:11 | |
Genevieve is the most experienced, | 0:49:14 | 0:49:16 | |
but the under-15 category is very demanding. | 0:49:16 | 0:49:20 | |
Three minutes on ice to include spins, jumps and especially axels. | 0:49:20 | 0:49:25 | |
Good girl. | 0:49:25 | 0:49:26 | |
She has two double axels and a triple Salchow | 0:49:26 | 0:49:29 | |
and the double axel she fell on yesterday in the programme, | 0:49:29 | 0:49:31 | |
so it's just to make sure that she's not got any negativity | 0:49:31 | 0:49:35 | |
in her mind setting up into that element in the programme. | 0:49:35 | 0:49:38 | |
David wants to bring up another worry. | 0:49:40 | 0:49:43 | |
-Do you get stressed out by the competitions? -Sometimes. | 0:49:43 | 0:49:46 | |
Depends what competition. | 0:49:46 | 0:49:49 | |
OK, why do you get stressed? | 0:49:49 | 0:49:51 | |
-I don't know. -You don't know? Can I ask you a question? | 0:49:51 | 0:49:55 | |
Do you think it's your mum that stresses you out? | 0:49:55 | 0:49:58 | |
-Sometimes. -Sometimes. I think most of the time. | 0:49:58 | 0:50:01 | |
Well, probably don't go near her as much as you should today, | 0:50:01 | 0:50:05 | |
because we don't want her to stress you out. | 0:50:05 | 0:50:07 | |
I know that, when she performs, | 0:50:08 | 0:50:11 | |
she does look up and she wants to see that I'm watching. | 0:50:11 | 0:50:15 | |
For some reason, it's really important for her | 0:50:15 | 0:50:17 | |
to see me watching her. | 0:50:17 | 0:50:19 | |
So go out there, | 0:50:19 | 0:50:21 | |
sell it. | 0:50:21 | 0:50:23 | |
Excuse me? Let me see it. Go, OK. | 0:50:23 | 0:50:26 | |
THEY CHEER | 0:50:26 | 0:50:29 | |
Go, Genevieve! | 0:50:29 | 0:50:31 | |
I think she seemed really calm today, which is good, | 0:50:31 | 0:50:33 | |
and I hope mum's in the stands keeping calm as well. | 0:50:33 | 0:50:37 | |
MUSIC PLAYS | 0:50:37 | 0:50:39 | |
Come on. One, two, up, back. | 0:50:49 | 0:50:53 | |
Aw! | 0:50:54 | 0:50:55 | |
Oh, my God... | 0:50:55 | 0:50:58 | |
Bombed it, didn't she? | 0:50:58 | 0:50:59 | |
If you're going to fall, you might as well fall on all three of them. | 0:51:21 | 0:51:25 | |
It looks like you were collecting them there. | 0:51:25 | 0:51:28 | |
She just needs to learn to deal with the pressure. | 0:51:28 | 0:51:31 | |
'It's a stepping stone and it's a harsh lesson to learn, | 0:51:31 | 0:51:35 | |
'but it's what we need to do. | 0:51:35 | 0:51:37 | |
'I think they both want it | 0:51:37 | 0:51:40 | |
'but I think it might be more mum rather than daughter.' | 0:51:40 | 0:51:43 | |
Today, I want you to attack, I want you to put your heart | 0:51:48 | 0:51:51 | |
and soul into it and go for it and just be confident within yourself. | 0:51:51 | 0:51:56 | |
Lily and Mia are about to take to the ice. | 0:51:56 | 0:51:59 | |
For the British, there are 35 competitors in the under-12s. | 0:52:01 | 0:52:04 | |
They each have three minutes to impress the judges | 0:52:04 | 0:52:07 | |
with at least four jumps and two spins. | 0:52:07 | 0:52:10 | |
Energy, attack. I want to see that programme Mia-fied. | 0:52:14 | 0:52:19 | |
Mia wants to do a double loop jump today to boost her score. | 0:52:19 | 0:52:23 | |
But she finds it difficult and knows it's a risk. | 0:52:23 | 0:52:26 | |
I would like Mia to hit a PB, a score of 30. Now, that's not easy. | 0:52:26 | 0:52:31 | |
MUSIC PLAYS | 0:52:31 | 0:52:33 | |
Good girl. | 0:52:43 | 0:52:45 | |
There you go. | 0:52:45 | 0:52:46 | |
Up you go. | 0:52:56 | 0:52:58 | |
Whoo! | 0:53:13 | 0:53:15 | |
Come on. Give me your hand. | 0:53:23 | 0:53:24 | |
-Oh, my God! -Wow! | 0:53:27 | 0:53:28 | |
Second place just now. Well done. | 0:53:30 | 0:53:32 | |
Aw, darling, you've just smashed your PB! I'm so proud of you. | 0:53:32 | 0:53:35 | |
If Lily's to be a champion, now is the moment she must show it. | 0:53:36 | 0:53:41 | |
Don't forget what Gracie told you. Yeah? And my advice. | 0:53:43 | 0:53:47 | |
Enjoy every second of it. All right? Go for it, Lils. | 0:53:47 | 0:53:51 | |
Next to skate, from Blackburn, Lily Matthias. | 0:53:51 | 0:53:55 | |
CHEERING | 0:53:55 | 0:53:56 | |
Come on, Lily! | 0:53:56 | 0:53:58 | |
MUSIC PLAYS | 0:53:58 | 0:53:59 | |
She's on it. | 0:54:05 | 0:54:07 | |
Come on, Lils. | 0:54:09 | 0:54:11 | |
Nope. | 0:54:14 | 0:54:16 | |
-Legs have gone a bit, haven't they? -Yeah. | 0:54:21 | 0:54:23 | |
SHE EXHALES | 0:54:39 | 0:54:41 | |
-You feel like you lost your legs a bit towards the end? -No. -No? | 0:54:41 | 0:54:45 | |
I can't even breathe. Water. | 0:54:46 | 0:54:48 | |
Yeah. | 0:54:57 | 0:54:59 | |
-That was really harsh. -Wasn't it? -Really harsh. | 0:54:59 | 0:55:03 | |
Lily's fall leaves her 31st out of 35 girls. | 0:55:04 | 0:55:08 | |
I've been everywhere looking for you. | 0:55:09 | 0:55:11 | |
You all right? | 0:55:13 | 0:55:15 | |
LILY SOBS | 0:55:16 | 0:55:18 | |
-It's only one competition. -But it's a big one. | 0:55:18 | 0:55:22 | |
-It is, but there'll be other big ones. -I'm so proud of you. | 0:55:22 | 0:55:25 | |
I couldn't do that. | 0:55:25 | 0:55:27 | |
Don't cry. | 0:55:29 | 0:55:30 | |
Don't cry. | 0:55:31 | 0:55:33 | |
'I'm not bothered what they score. The score doesn't matter at all.' | 0:55:34 | 0:55:38 | |
It's just disappointing for me to know that she's so disappointed. | 0:55:38 | 0:55:42 | |
It all got a bit on top of her. | 0:55:45 | 0:55:47 | |
She'll recognise that in a few days and, hopefully, next time | 0:55:47 | 0:55:50 | |
she'll recognise that coming on her and know how to change that. | 0:55:50 | 0:55:55 | |
You tell me. I need something from you, physically tell me. Say. | 0:55:59 | 0:56:04 | |
-Disappointed. -Disappointed because? | 0:56:04 | 0:56:07 | |
-I fell. -Next time, it will be...? -Amazing. -There you go. | 0:56:07 | 0:56:11 | |
Thank you and goodnight. | 0:56:11 | 0:56:13 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:56:13 | 0:56:16 | |
But that's, I would say, to be expected with the age | 0:56:16 | 0:56:19 | |
and inexperience. | 0:56:19 | 0:56:21 | |
It's called growing up. It's life. You take it and you move on. | 0:56:21 | 0:56:25 | |
If you can't take it, don't do it. | 0:56:25 | 0:56:26 | |
In second place, Mia Gallagher. | 0:56:28 | 0:56:31 | |
CHEERING | 0:56:31 | 0:56:34 | |
For the man picking the Olympic squad for 2022, | 0:56:34 | 0:56:37 | |
it's how the girls perform in competitions that's crucial. | 0:56:37 | 0:56:41 | |
'This is the growth period | 0:56:42 | 0:56:44 | |
-'and this is the learning period for these children.' -Silver medallist. | 0:56:44 | 0:56:47 | |
'We've got not one, two, three or four or five, but maybe 10-15. | 0:56:49 | 0:56:53 | |
'Whereas, this time next year, I'll be looking at the list' | 0:56:53 | 0:56:56 | |
and going, "Oh, a second tick, a second tick," or, "Hm." | 0:56:56 | 0:57:00 | |
You never know. | 0:57:00 | 0:57:01 | |
'It's only three minutes of your life | 0:57:09 | 0:57:11 | |
'each time you do it, but the three minutes means a lot to you.' | 0:57:11 | 0:57:16 | |
It wasn't dreadful. | 0:57:17 | 0:57:19 | |
When I came off the ice, I never thought I'd give up or anything. | 0:57:36 | 0:57:39 | |
I just felt so down on myself and I just wanted to do it all again, | 0:57:39 | 0:57:44 | |
which is good in a way, cos I could have just been like, "That's it. | 0:57:44 | 0:57:49 | |
"I've had enough." But I don't want to ever quit. | 0:57:49 | 0:57:52 | |
MUSIC: Instrumental of Let It Go from Frozen | 0:57:54 | 0:57:57 | |
I have watched a lot of medal ceremonies, | 0:57:59 | 0:58:02 | |
all the Olympians getting their medals. | 0:58:02 | 0:58:04 | |
It really makes you motivated to try and get that goal. | 0:58:04 | 0:58:10 | |
It would be amazing if it could be me. | 0:58:10 | 0:58:13 | |
It's go big or go home. | 0:58:16 | 0:58:18 |