Balham is home to the 2017/18 British Basic Novice Ice Dance Champions and they have started the new skating season in tremendous style!

Ashlie Slatter (aged 9) and Atl Ongay-Perez (aged 11), finished last year as the national champions in the Basic Novice Category in their first year competing at the British Ice Dance Championships, and even more impressively as the youngest couple competing.
 
The 2018/19 season got off to a flying start with the 2018 IJS Ice Dance Competition in Sheffield, that given Ashlie and Atl’s results, will enable them as part of the National Squad, to compete internationally. This first event allowed them to test their new routines, in particular, their new free dance. 
 
Their results were outstanding. They had the best technical score, and high marks on their free dance. Although there is still work to be done on their pattern dances, they have shown that they are strong competitors not only for their age but in the new Intermediate Novice category.
 
They came second overall in their category with only a small difference between them and the gold medallists. These are early days in the season and there is plenty of time to polish up and improve the routines. This, no doubt, will be carried out with the assistance of their extraordinary coaching team headed by Diane Towler-Green, her experienced daughters Candice and Pippa and additionally Roland Hailston. All four coaches have made it possible for Ashlie and Atl to achieve their goals with their own ice-skating experience and dedicated attitudes. A huge thank you should be given to their hard-working coaches.
 
The next competition for Ashlie and Atl is in Streatham in September, an exciting competition in preparation for the highlight of the British figure Skating calendar, the British Championships in early December. A challenging season ahead with a great start for Ashlie and Atl.

Congratulations to the Balham-based youngsters and we look forward to sharing more of their success in the future!

You can follow Atl and Ashlie’s progress on their website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages!