Cardenden girl sets British standard in figure skating

Arcadia Ward (11), a member of Kirkcaldy Ice Skating Club, was one of only 16 girls from 77 competitors to achieve the qualifying score in Sheffield at the weekend, despite being one of the youngest in the event.

The Cardenden Primary School pupil will now travel back to Sheffield Ice Arena on November 29 to compete for the British title in the Novice Ladies Under 13 category.

Arcadia first joined Kirkcaldy Ice Skating Club aged four as a member of the snow babies class, and her coach, Jackie Coubrough, is delighted with her progress.

“She’s just so dedicated,” Jackie told the Press.

“She’s still young herself but is a great role model for all the wee ones.

“She’s skated a few times at Fife Flyers games between periods and is a crowd favourite.”

Aradia’s achievement is all the more impressive due to her home training facility, Fife Ice Arena, being shut during the summer.

“We’ve not had any ice in Kirkcaldy with the rink being shut all summer so it was a big ask for her to go and compete,” Jackie added.

“We’ve been travelling to and from Perth once a week just to keep her going and to get her through the qualifers.

“For that fact alone – and the fact she’s competing against girls who’ve had summer camps and been skating all year – makes it even better.

“This is the first step towards the rest of her career and she has potential to go a lot further.”

Arcadia is the first single skater from the Kirkcaldy club to qualify for the British Nationals in around a decade.

Last year, ice dance couple Keegan Cairns and Ellie Allan also qualified for the British Championships.

Jackie added: “We have so many young skaters just now aged five, six and seven so it’s good for them to see where it can lead to.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about Kirkcaldy Ice Skating Club can contact coach Jackie on 07852361265.