Support for Regent Skating Club

Ports of Jersey has donated £4,000 to the Regent Skating Club to support members’ travel to the UK for competitions – £2,000 in 2022 and another £2,000 in 2023.

The club, which has approximately 70 members, trains skaters to compete in competitions like the British Championships. Two local skaters represented Great Britain in European competitions in 2022, and there are several British champions in their categories in the club, one of whom is just eight years old. One skater was asked to represent Great Britain in the skating World Cup, but the event clashed with her A-levels.

The club’s head coach, Sasha Baker, said: “Skaters start competing from as young as seven years old in solo events where they perform dances such as a foxtrot, tango or waltz, and also dance to their own choice of music. It is beautiful to watch, and making it look graceful is incredibly hard work and builds great fitness, strength, and resilience. Standing on the 50 by 25 metre rink, waiting for the music to start, is nerve racking stuff – the children are amazing.

“We are passionate as a club about reducing financial barriers to sport, and we all give our time for free. We are grateful for the donation from Ports of Jersey, which we are using to reduce travel costs for families by funding travel costs for the skating coaches. Other sponsorship has also allowed us to build up a stock of roller skates for rent. This means families don’t have to buy their own skates; one pair can cost more than £500.

“Skating is a fantastic sport – like Torvill and Dean on wheels – and we want to make it accessible to all. This donation is helping us do that by keeping travel costs to a minimum.”

18 club members are due to travel to the UK on March 16th for the Roller-Skating Spring Solo event.