Zoia Birmingham

24th February 2023

I got involved in skating when I attended one of my after school activities and I went to the group class with two friends from school.

I love the feeling of being on the ice, it’s like you are free and I also benefit from the discipline it teaches me. I now enjoy skating as much as possible at rinks across the UK or using my inline skates.

Skate UK is a great introduction to ice skating, you can go with friends and learn whilst enjoying your improvement together. It also gives you a sense of balance and memory skills. The benefits are endless!

One of my proudest moments was when I won my second ever national competition, I won out of 51 children and - it was so unexpected as I was not a known skater and only took part to gain competition experience. I equally loved winning the BBC’s Strictly Ice Dancing show with David Seaman as it was the first ever celebrity based competition program on British television.

I have had a many role models which have inspired me on my skating journey such as Debbie Thomas , Michelle Kwan, Marina Klimova, Sergei Polomarenko, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergi Grinkov. My advice for anyone stating their own skating journey is to believe in yourself and you can achieve anything you set your mind to, every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

Skating can give you so many life lessons that will put you in good stead for the future.