This Is Guernsey

Chloe Dyke and Nick Bianco, her youth couple’s partner in Maidstone. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0542051)

GUERNSEY duo Chloe Dyke and Emilia Bianco fought for the national title in the youth sole dance event at Maidstone in Kent.

Bianco arrived at the championships as defending champion but knowing full well that she would have to put in some outstanding performances to hold onto it. Both the Guernsey girls stormed ahead of the opposition by scoring mid sevens in the compulsory dance section, in which they performed the Keats Foxtrot and Imperial Tango.

The five judges found it very difficult to split them but having totalled the scores Bianco edged ahead of Dyke by the slightest margin. The second part to the championship is the original set pattern, with this year’s tempo being the Samba.

For this lively party dance they both showed quite different interpretations and this indeed became the telling factor and decider for the title.

Dyke skated first and put in a high energy and very difficult programme capturing the very essence of the carnival dance and, in doing so, found herself awarded very high marks for technical and artistic impression. Her top mark was 8.6.

Bianco didn’t let this deter her and again showed her versatility and good body rhythm, which challenged the judges to decide, who would be the victor.

The title-holder was also awarded marks in the eights. However, after all the marks were totalled and the judges’ place marks calculated, Dyke managed to sneak ahead by a majority of three judges to two.

Kelly King was also competing in the same championships and, with having been out of the sport for the last two years, this was her first major championship for some time.

Nevertheless, she demonstrated some good compulsory dances and her samba was also received well by three of the judges, which earned her a final placing of 11th out of the 15 competitors.

Dyke had a busy weekend because five months ago she agreed to partner Nicholas Bianco and although this meant that Nick would have to compete in a higher age group, the young Guernsey couple skated very well in the three compulsory dances for the youth couples championship.

However, disaster struck in the freedance section where Bianco fell in a very difficult step sequence which unfortunately dropped their artistic impression mark .

The drastic consequence of this was that when the points were totalled they found themselves 0.1 short of the standard 6.5 by two of the judges and subsequently dropped out of contention.

Despite this, it was a remarkable effort by this young couple in their first national championships having had only five months’ preparation.

Lucy Ozard was also in action in Maidstone after her own break from the sport.

Competing in the cadet solo she found the opposition quite formidable in the compulsory section and, showing some great footwork and body movement in the Rumba, she placed eighth out of the 21 competitors.

From these championships Dyke and Emilia Bianco have received their official invitations to join the British team to compete in the Cup of Europe in Trieste, Italy, this October.

They will be joining fellow club skaters, Monica Dekker and Jodene Corbin, who will compete at the mini championships.