TIMING will prove to be everything for Catherine Moshkun when she leads a team of 15 synchronised ice skaters into their first national competition next month.

Cool-headed Catherine, aged 16, from Worsley, is the captain of the newly-formed Silver Blades who are based at Altrincham Ice Dome. She is already a successful individual figure-skater with a string of awards to her name and the Manchester High School for Girls pupil is undaunted by her move into new territory, and a challenge that even the most experienced of skaters would be forgiven for shirking.

“As a sport, synchronised skating it is something of a new phenomenon. We have an all-female squad of over 30 skaters, aged between 12 and 17, of which a maximum of 15 are on the ice at any given time. The pressure comes with having so many people performing the same shapes in perfect unison,” she explained.

“We also have a 90 second routine that needs to be performed to music and we will be competing against six other teams at the National Synchro Championships in Deeside on November 18^th.

“What is fundamental for the Silver Blades is that everybody enjoys themselves before we contemplate competitions. We were fortunate to win a grant from the National Lottery, and we practice both on and off the ice. Literally every step, every move, has to be identical which presents a challenge when you have 15 people on the ice at one time.

Catherine maintains a strict training regime around her studies, undertaking five sessions during the week that include 6am starts at the weekend.

She is also upbeat about the growing popularity of synchronised skating, something she attributes to interest in the recent ITV show, Dancing On Ice, and the opening of the 1,500 capacity Altrincham Ice Dome earlier this year.

She explained: “I won the Thompson Trophy, one of the last competitions to be held at the old Altrincham rink, but when it closed a lot of people, myself included, had to travel further afield to places like Blackburn.

“The new facility is excellent and we are beginning to see familiar faces drift back. It is also home to the Manchester Phoenix Ice Hockey Team and the Silver Blades support their home fixtures with pre-match performances.

“Some of our younger team members have not been skating that long but we have built up an excellent team ethic and we have also started to plan a Christmas Gala Performance, entitled Spice On Ice. We are all working hard in the approach to the National Championships but whatever the result, I am confident that this is just the start of a successful story for the Silver Blades.”