Rob Edwards catches up with Maidenhead girl and Team GB ice dancer Penny Coomes, who will represent Britain at Sochi 2014
She’s a three-time national champion with seven international medals.
Now, having already secured a bronze at this season’s European Championships, 24-year-old ice dancer Penny Coomes – who first donned her skates at Slough Ice Arena, aged eight – is limbering up for her second Winter Olympics.
Penny and dance partner Nicholas Buckland have competed side by side since 2005. As they wrap up their training in New Jersey and head for Sochi, the pair are aiming high.
Q: You began skating aged eight. How did you take it up? Who or what encouraged you?
A: My mum loved ice-skating when she was younger, and I was always a bit of a show-off. When an opportunity came up for her to buy a pair of skates from a friend, she took me to the next ‘learn to skate’ course at Slough Ice Arena. I fell on my bum as soon as I got on, but I loved it!
Q: With shows like Dancing on Ice so popular, what is the allure of the sport?
A: It's completely different to any other sport. It's physically demanding and carries the same need for athleticism as other sports, but it can be so beautiful and enchanting at the same time! So much so that you can get lost in a performance.
In England we have an amazing history of famous skaters like Torvill and Dean, and Robin Cousins. It's the oldest Winter Olympic sport too! Everyone remembers those wins, and I think that it's because of those memories that people still love the sport today. I hope that one day Nick and I can achieve the same things and make the sport even more popular – back to what it was a few years ago.
Q: What is your training routine? How do you relax?
A: Nick and I train on ice 4-6 hours a day for five or six days a week. We also spend a lot of time on the floor perfecting our programme, doing lifts and taking ballet classes.
In my spare time I enjoy cooking, reading, going to the theatre and, to be honest, just relaxing! Sometimes Nick and I are so tired from training that there really isn't much time for anything but rest!
Q: You and Nick have a long history skating together. Does this bond help in training and performance?
A: Definitely. Nick and I met when my family moved to Nottingham. I started skating at the National Ice Centre, where Nick trained as a singles skater. We also went to the same school, sixth form and university. We’ve known each other for 10 years now and skated together for eight and a half.
Q: Your Olympic debut was in Vancouver in 2010. How do you plan to better your performance at Sochi?
A: Our aim is to skate two clean programmes. We don't like to think about placements, but if we perform to the best of our abilities, the result will take care of itself. This Games is a stepping stone for us – we won't medal here, but we want to prove ourselves as medal contenders for 2018.
Q: You won the 2008 British Junior Championships on a broken foot! What happened and how did you pull this off? Have you fully recovered?
A: I collided with another team. My foot crashed into the male of the partnership and I went flying! I'm so tiny! To be honest, at the time I didn't even feel sore. I just took a few minutes to get myself together and then went back on the ice.
It wasn't until that night that my foot swelled up pretty badly and I went to A&E. I was told it wasn't broken, so I finished the competition with a local anaesthetic injected into my foot for the pain. That was a pretty weird feeling, as I had to skate when I couldn't feel one of my legs! But I just got on with it and did what I had to do to win.
I'm lucky to have Nick, actually. Partway through the programme I looked at him and said: "I can't!" He picked me up and said: "Yes, you can!!" It's funny, we were skating to a tango, so perhaps it made the passion all the more realistic!
I continued to skate for about three months after that, but my foot still looked a little off, so I had it rescanned. It turned out that I had broken my cuboid bone and my joint had started to collapse. One week after receiving my results, I had a bone graft and reconstructive surgery. That was a long time ago now and I am completely healed.
Q: There have been political and security concerns about this month’s Olympics. Are you confident that these won’t cast a shadow?
A: Security is a really high priority for Games organisers – whether it’s the Winter or Summer Games. I’m confident the relevant officials are working to ensure that the environment is as safe and secure as possible.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about competing at Sochi?
A: Being part of Team GB again. It is a true honour. Competing for my country at the Olympic Winter Games was one of the best events of my life, so to do it again will be amazing. Your first Olympics is often about the experience, but we've got high hopes for Sochi and it will be fantastic to share it all with the rest of the team.
Q: Do you have fond memories of Maidenhead? Would you ever move back?
A: I grew up in Larchfield, but moved into Cox Green when I was about seven or eight. I attended Wessex Primary School and Cox Green Secondary until the end of year nine. I have a lot of happy memories of growing up in Maidenhead, but later we moved to Nottingham and I’ve been training full time in New Jersey, USA for the past four years.
I love it here, and I have made some wonderful friends – a second family, really. But I always miss my family at home in England. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by wonderful people wherever I am in the world. I think that, wherever I am, I’ll always miss someone who is elsewhere too!
Right now, I am very happy training in America. But when I finish skating, who knows...?
