Kirkcaldy Figure Skating Club ace Hannah Robertson wins two gold medals competing against best in UK

This excellent competition for Robertson, 16, a Kirkcaldy member for 10 years, saw her record PB scores in both classes to seal an invitation into the British Ice Skating development squad who will attend camps in Sheffield throughout the year and be invited to contest international competitions.

"It was an amazing achievement for Hannah in Blackburn," Kirkcaldy Figure Skating Club head coach Jackie Coubrough told the Fife Free Press.

"I would say it's the biggest achievement of her skating life so far.

"Hannah is a very strong skater, she jumps very high, spins very fast but most of all I think she's an entertaining skater to watch. And she is confident.

"We're really just trying to go to every competition just now to try and give her more experience so we couldn't have asked for any more in this, the second competition of the year."

The musical accompaniments to Robertson's routines in Lancashire saw her perform a short skate to 'The Mission', while it was Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' which provided the backdrop to her long programme.

"Hannah's abilities were especially evident when performing to The Chain," Coubrough added. "Because it's got that very fast finish that everybody knows from the motor racing and it really shows how good her stamina is towards the end of the routine.

"It was certainly a piece of music that the judges enjoyed because they were all of a certain age. You could see that they related to it."

When asked how she thinks Robertson will do when competing as part of the British Ice Skating development squad, Coubrough added: "I think she'll thrive on it.

"She works so hard and she just loves what she does and will take everything she can gain from it."

Robertson will also be trying to seal a spot at the British Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield in December.

"You have to qualify to get to the finals," Coubrough said. "There are three qualifiers over the year and the first one will be next month.

"We have to travel to Sheffield for them so hopefully Hannah keeps performing like she did in Blackburn and she should be fine.

"Only the top 18 in the country in her class actually get to the final."

Blackburn medals were also claimed by three of Robertson's clubmates, with Kirkcaldy-based 13-year-olds Jessica Mills and Emily Morgan both landing bronze medals, at intermediate novice and basic novice levels respectively.

"Jessica and Emily are both working towards the British Championships at their level in May," Coubrough said. "It was a personal best for Jessica, while Emily has progressed really quickly.

"They will both be skating at the event in Sheffield next month and hoping to qualify."

After producing a superb personal best score in Blackburn, 13-year-old Kirkcaldy clubmate Elliot Young, of Glenrothes, only missed the bronze medal in the Level 3 class by 0.04 of a mark.

"It was a shame Elliot just missed the bronze because she was sitting third right up until the last skater, who just knocked her off the podium by that tiny margin,” Coubrough said.

"But she was quite happy. She had a lovely skate and it was a personal best score."

And skating at the same junior level as the aforementioned Robertson in Blackburn was 14-year-old Maddie Lynch, of Kirkcaldy, sixth and fourth respectively in the short and long classes.

"That was a great result for her," Coubrough said. "And it massively improved on her previous personal best."

Another notable Kirkcaldy skater in Blackburn was seven-year-old Morgan Wood, who was taking part in her first competition in the beginner, age 11 and under section.

Despite being the youngest skater in her category, she finished in the top ten - ninth place - which Coubrough said was "amazing".

The head coach added: "When they're doing their first competition and they're that young, for them to be able to remember it and go out and do it and smile their way through it is great.

"Because you don't know if they're going to take fright, which can happen. But she did really well."

Coubrough’s Kirkcaldy Figure Skating Club colleague Moira Robertson coached seven youngsters who competed in Blackburn, the pick of whom was Kitty-Anna Berzina, 14, of Kirkcaldy, who won a bronze medal in the beginners girls 12 and over class.

"I thought Kitty-Anna was strong overall,” said Robertson. “And it was her first time with two harder spins in her programme and her spins were very good. She skated with a lot of confidence.

"Kitty-Anna has only been with me for a year for private lessons, and she’s not been skating for a long time either.

"There has been a vast improvement in her skating over the past year.

"She did group lessons beforehand and then she started the private lessons.”

Among the six other skaters coached by Robertson who were skating in Lancashire, they all had good performances although none of them medalled.

"Quite a few of them were taking part in only their third competition,” she added. “They haven’t done many.”