Young figure skater takes homes top prize at international competition

A 10 -year-old from Maidenhead has taken home a top prize after topping the leaderboard in her category at an international figure skating competition.

After an eight-hour car journey with her dad Richard, Sorcha Napier competed in the Tayside Trophy 2023 competition in Dundee, Scotland on Tuesday, October 17.

She won the Beginner Girls Group C category for youngsters aged 10 to 11 with her routine, which was based on Mary Poppins’ A Spoonful of Sugar and took home a cup and a gold medal.

The youngster only started figure skating in May 2021 and gets up at 4.30am to train before school.

Sorcha is a student at All Saints Junior School in Maidenhead and is a member of many sports clubs at the school including football and netball.

Her mum Kate said the school has been ‘massively supportive’ of Sorcha’s figure skating journey.

She added that the school itself also ‘works very hard in sports’, having recently been awarded a Silver School Games Mark.

Sorcha figure skates at both Oxford Ice Rink and Ozone Ice Rink in Bracknell.

Kate said: “We are so proud of Sorcha’s hard work and dedication, and it is wonderful to see her enjoying herself on the ice having lots of fun.

“Sorcha wakes up at 4.30am before school to go training and we are all amazed by her tenacity, determination and self-development throughout her figure skating journey.

“We also owe All Saints

Junior School a massive thank you for their support because without their support she would not be able to train before school, and they have been brilliant.”

Sorcha said: “I am really proud of myself and that I represented Maidenhead and Oxford and it was a really fun competition and thank you very much to everyone who organised it. I am so happy.”