Ice dancer Stanley claims a British title

Corbys Stanley Evans and his ice dance partner Olivia Jenkinson stand on the top podium after their success in Sheffield

The fifteen-year-old Brooke Weston Academy student and his 13-year-old dance partner, who is from Sheffield, picked up the British title in the Basic Novice section at the Championships, which were hosted at iceSheffield.

And now, with the pair both training in excess of 20 hours per week as well as fitting in their school studies, thoughts have turned to the next stage of their young careers.

Keith and Emma Evans, Stanley’s parents, said: “We were all absolutely thrilled that Stanley and Olivia performed so well at iceSheffield to win their first British couples title.

“However, their coaches very quickly began to plan their competition programme, which could include some international championships.

“They’re still very young and have lots of development work to do but it’s important they continue to progress.”

Evans has been training at Planet Ice Peterborough since the age of seven, when he dreamed of becoming a player for the Peterborough Phantoms ice hockey team.

Although he did represent the under 10 team and had various guest appearances with other sides, he realised that figure skating and ultimately ice dance was where he truly wanted to focus his efforts.

The young duo are now part of the Great Britain development programme, but their partnership is an unlikely one given they live more than 100 miles apart.

Keith and Emma said: “Stanley has been lucky to have terrific support and guidance from his coach Edward Barker at Planet Ice Peterborough and he now has added support from the Ice Sheffield coaches Amanda Hembrow-Jones, David Hartley and Kelly Buddery.

“They hit it off straightaway and have formed a very strong partnership. Most of Stanley’s training is at Peterborough, however he travels to Sheffield on a Saturday to train while, on a Sunday, Olivia heads down the A1 to train out of Peterborough, so they can practice together.”

Edward Barker added: “They’re both very good skaters individually but it is as a pair where they are really finding success.

“They realise there is a long way to go to get to the very top and something like the Winter Olympics is just a dream at this stage.

“What was once a hobby is still lots of fun, but it is getting more and more serious as they move up the levels.

“Their schools and families provide all the support we can give but if any businesses would like to sponsor them then we’d be delighted to talk."