Post by La Rhumba on Mar 16, 2005 2:23:19 GMT 1
I couldn't see the BBC Scotland docu, but judging by this review it sounded absolutely fantastic and seemed to educate alot of old hacks! Just read this wonderful article from Scotland on Sunday:
Scottish dancers prevent Beeb from skating on thin ice
scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/othersport.cfm?id=245392005
YAY! Rock On Raymond Travers!!!
Dancing on Ice subjects Sinead and John Kerr are not yet household names, but they may very well be by the time next year’s Winter Olympics in Turin come round. The brother and sister figure-skating duo from Livingston have already been dubbed the new Torvill and Dean - a tag that no doubt helps them to garner column inches in the meantime, but one they will surely wish to disassociate themselves from if, and when, they win international acclaim.
The Kerrs are the current British ice-dance champions, and finished in a creditable eighth position at the recent European championships in Italy. The documentary filmed them preparing for the latter, and their gruelling training regime was something to behold.
There is still a misconception among the public that being successful in high- profile activities such as rugby or football somehow demands more dedication and enthusiasm than that which is required from athletes to prosper in so-called minority sports. Those harbouring such delusions should have tuned in to Dancing on Ice.
The Kerrs train six days every week, eight hours a day, and on their day off they coach local youngsters. They are determined to put something back into the sport, and such a selfless attitude is refreshing in these days of overpaid, self-regarding athletes.
As amateurs, any monies earned from commercial activity - the Kerrs feature in a witty television advertisement for a brand of coffee - must be used solely for furthering their skating ambitions, and should they fulfil their dreams and achieve medal success at the Olympics, no-one will be able to accuse them of having experienced an easy ride.
Another misconception about skating is that it is somehow not a proper sport, in the way that tennis or golf are perceived to be. Such suspicions are clearly ill founded, because it takes much more stamina, skill and grace to succeed at skating than it does, say, to club a golf ball into a hole in the ground. Perhaps skating’s comparatively low esteem in this country was one of the reasons why Sinead, the elder of the duo, mentioned on several occasions that she considered herself an athlete first, entertainer second.
Well done BBC for highlighting the achievements of two of Scotland’s most promising young athletes. If controllers are serious about delivering a better product to licence-payers in the light of last week’s criticism from the government, maybe such enjoyable programmes will become the norm - not the exception.
Scottish dancers prevent Beeb from skating on thin ice
scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/othersport.cfm?id=245392005
YAY! Rock On Raymond Travers!!!
Dancing on Ice subjects Sinead and John Kerr are not yet household names, but they may very well be by the time next year’s Winter Olympics in Turin come round. The brother and sister figure-skating duo from Livingston have already been dubbed the new Torvill and Dean - a tag that no doubt helps them to garner column inches in the meantime, but one they will surely wish to disassociate themselves from if, and when, they win international acclaim.
The Kerrs are the current British ice-dance champions, and finished in a creditable eighth position at the recent European championships in Italy. The documentary filmed them preparing for the latter, and their gruelling training regime was something to behold.
There is still a misconception among the public that being successful in high- profile activities such as rugby or football somehow demands more dedication and enthusiasm than that which is required from athletes to prosper in so-called minority sports. Those harbouring such delusions should have tuned in to Dancing on Ice.
The Kerrs train six days every week, eight hours a day, and on their day off they coach local youngsters. They are determined to put something back into the sport, and such a selfless attitude is refreshing in these days of overpaid, self-regarding athletes.
As amateurs, any monies earned from commercial activity - the Kerrs feature in a witty television advertisement for a brand of coffee - must be used solely for furthering their skating ambitions, and should they fulfil their dreams and achieve medal success at the Olympics, no-one will be able to accuse them of having experienced an easy ride.
Another misconception about skating is that it is somehow not a proper sport, in the way that tennis or golf are perceived to be. Such suspicions are clearly ill founded, because it takes much more stamina, skill and grace to succeed at skating than it does, say, to club a golf ball into a hole in the ground. Perhaps skating’s comparatively low esteem in this country was one of the reasons why Sinead, the elder of the duo, mentioned on several occasions that she considered herself an athlete first, entertainer second.
Well done BBC for highlighting the achievements of two of Scotland’s most promising young athletes. If controllers are serious about delivering a better product to licence-payers in the light of last week’s criticism from the government, maybe such enjoyable programmes will become the norm - not the exception.
