On Friday 16th January, pupils from our Infant and Junior School enjoyed a fantastic trip to Sheffield Arena to attend the ISU European Figure Skating Championships. This was a particularly exciting trip for our girls, offering them the opportunity to watch an elite international competition and to support our very own Sheffield Girls’ alumna Olivia Smart.
Olivia, who began her skating career at Ice Sheffield before moving to the world-renowned Ice Academy of Montreal (IAM), represented Spain alongside her partner Tim Dieck. The pair, who placed 6th at last year’s World Championships, performed their Rhythm Dance to a medley of ‘Freedom!’ and ‘Let Me Entertain You’ and took inspiration from the film franchise Dune for their Free Dance on Saturday. The pair walked away from the competition in seventh place with an incredible 196.44 points.
Olivia has long been an inspirational alumna for our pupils, many of whom have been enjoying attending practise ice skating sessions at Ice Sheffield in the hopes of following in Olivia’s footsteps. Back in December, our Elite Junior Gym girls also took inspiration from Olivia’s competition routine at our annual Movement Evening.
Year 6 pupil, Giovanna, commented: “Olivia was so confident doing her lifts and her courage has really inspired me”, whilst Alexandra added, “I loved her routine as we use the same music in our gymnastic routines!”
Our pupils also had the opportunity to support fellow GDST alumna Lilah Fear (South Hampstead High School), who represented Great Britain at the same competition and came home with a Bronze medal with her partner Lewis Gibson.
Watching two GDST alumnae competing at the highest level of international sport serves as a powerful inspiration for our Infant and Junior pupils, reminding them that anything is possible in a school where girls learn without limits.
Olivia continues to be an exemplary ‘Girl of Steel’, demonstrating the courage and hard work required to succeed on the world stage. She continues to inspire the next generation of Sheffield Girls’ pupils to dream big, work hard and lead with positivity, kindness and courage. Olivia visited the school a couple of years ago during her participation in ITV’s Dancing on Ice and shared her memories of time in class as well as providing some advice for our younger aspiring athletes. We look forward to welcoming her back again soon.
We are incredibly proud of both Olivia and Lilah and wish them the best of luck for the remainder of the season.
