Sponsored by
Ice ace John looking to pairs for new goal
DYNAMIC ice dancer John Horne has decided to hang up his skates on the solo circuit – despite winning the Men's British Championships last month.
DYNAMIC ice dancer John Horne has decided to hang up his skates on the solo circuit – despite winning the Men's British Championships last month.
The talented 18-year-old from Oldcotes has opted to retire at the top and is now in search of more national titles as he embarks on the pairs scene.
And the cool customer hopes to one day take his talents to the top as one half of the next Torvill and Dean with an appearance at a winter Olympics.
"I missed out on the British Championships last year so I was determined to win it this year," said Horne, who lifted the trophy on his home patch of Ice Sheffield.
But before he finally bows out on the solo scene, after taking up the sport at the age of 10, Horne will compete in the Scottish Championships in October.
He said: "I hope to do well in Scotland and then that will be it for solo competition because I have competed at every level and won everything."
"I have gone as far as I can go and that is why I am going into couples dance."
"I have done everything I have wanted to do and feel it is time to move onto a new challenge.
"I can take what I have learnt so far and take that into couples."
The lure of a possible Olympic place one day is an added attraction for the former Reading resident who has recently moved to the Notts village.
"Solo ice dancing differs from figure skating in the respect that it doesn't have any jumps and spins and is deemed a little too boring for the Olympics," said Horne.
"So the only chance I have of achieving my goals are to move into pairs dancing – which is a bit like ballroom dancing on ice."
"My ultimate goal is to be at world and Olympic level. I am a fair way off that at the moment but I would like to see how I can go."
But the teenager has made the first step on the ladder by finding a partner, Rowan Musson, and added: "Competing in solo is a means of finding a partner which can be a tricky business."
"First you have to be the right height, weight and level to be compatible with one another and then both of you have to be dedicated enough to reach the top level, which is not easy."
"However, I have just started training with a partner and we will have to start at the bottom and work our way up."
But a gruelling regime of five nights a week on the ice in Sheffield is something that Horne hopes will propel them both to the top.
He said: "We will look to win the primary competitions at the end of this year before moving up to the juniors and then senior sections."
"From then it will be a case of trying to get into the development squad for Great Britain."
And Horne's talents do not begin and end on the ice as he is also starting out on the coaching side of the sport.
He said: "It's a good way to put something back into the sport."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Worksop
Monday 28 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: East
