2016 saw Boston Massachusetts host the World Figure Skating Championships at the renowned TD Garden Arena. Competition week ran from 28 March to 2 April starting with the Ice Dance short program and finishing with the Ladies free program.
Representing team GB were Ice dancers Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland – going into the competition finishing 8th at Europeans in January, Male Singles skater Phil Harris – 18th at Europeans and relative new comer to senior international competition and slight surprise entry; only qualifying the day before the deadline, Female Singles skater Kristen Spours aged 15. The medical representative was Team Physio and ISEH Sports Medicine Clinical Specialist Terassa Taylor-Kaveney who reports a great week of competition.
"Events like these keep the physio’s on their toes attending all practices and competitions, providing recovery support, managing niggles and any other injuries or medical situations that may arise. Work can start as early as 5am and run into the late hours of the night. Organisation is key to success as management of the athletes’ occurred over three sites, which in rush hour could take up to an hour to travel between."
This was Terassa’s 5th international event with Team GB, most often accompanying the Ice Dancers Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland; our greatest medal potentials at PyeongChang Winter Olympics 2018. Terassa says "at these events not only do you develop relationships with your athletes but others on the international circuit, including other countries medical teams."
All athletes performed well with both Ice Dance and Men’s Singles disciplines qualifying through to the free program, finishing with the Dancers achieving 7th and Men’s Singles 22nd place.
The skaters are now back in pre-season training working on choreography, technique, strength and fitness. This includes the medical team completing their profiling and screening regimes, working out those niggles from last season and optimising their athletes physically as much as possible, working as a multifaceted team and all pushing forward for an even more successful 2016-17.