Olympic ice dancers welcome chance to compete after scary fall

The Olympics aren’t new for ice dancers Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland who competed at the Games in 2010 and 2014.

For the five-time British national champions, who train at the Novi Ice Arena, the Olympics which open on Thursday in PyeongChang, South Korea, will be special for a few reasons.

“I think the experience is invaluable. The first time we went in Vancouver we were sort of like wide-eyed deer, just so excited, we completely took everything in. Sochi (2014) was a little more serious because we had pressure with funding goals and targets,’’ Coomes said.

Ice dancing pair to represent South Korea

Now they are thrilled to be able to compete, with Coomes coming back from what could have been a career-ending knee injury.

“I had a serious injury about a year and a half ago, so this one as much as we want to do as well as we possibly can, I almost had that taken away. So for me it’s important to just enjoy being back out there again because there was a time I didn’t think that was possible,’’ Coomes said.

During a practice working on a new entry lift, she fell and smashed her patella.

“I broke my knee cap into lots of pieces. I did a good job,’’ Coomes said who can smile about it now.

Coach Igor Shpilband will have busy Olympics

After two surgeries and plenty of rehab she said she is OK.

Actually they are skating well. They started their season winning gold at the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy where they set new personal bests in all segments and qualified an Olympic spot for Great Britain in ice dance.

They finished seventh at the European championships that ended Jan. 21. Their free dance, which is set to “Battle Remembered” by Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, was choreographed by former ice dancing gold medalist Christopher Dean.

Coomes, 28, and Buckland, 28, have skated together since 2005. They started out training in England and in 2009 moved to New Jersey. They won bronze at the 2014 European Championships. In May 2015 they moved to Novi to train with Igor Shpilband. They are one of five teams that work with Shpilband that have qualified for the Olympics.

Chock and Bates skating their best at perfect time

“We needed a change in our training, we loved our old coach, we used to train in New Jersey

To come here as a team, it makes a difference to train every day with your rivals and also our friends,’’ Buckland said.

The ice dancing teams push each other to succeed.

“It’s very friendly, we’ve trained at a few rinks and this is just the most friendly group of people that I’ve ever known that train together,’’ Coomes said. “Everyone wants everybody to do their best. There’s no nasty words said about anybody, it’s so nice. It’s a great place to train, everyone is lovely.’’

In the 2010 Olympics they finished 20th and in 2014 they improved with a 10th-place finish.

They feel they’ve grown as skaters working with Shpilband.

“He’s such a great taskmaster. I think he’s got like a really great plan of how to prepare for competition and also training with other some of the couples on ice gives you that pressure that you feel at competition and training,’’ Coomes said. “So that’s something when you get to competition you’re almost used to those nerves because it’s simulated in practice in a way. He just brings out an inner confidence in the girls. He’s very much about giving you confidence, telling you how beautiful you are, and to look beautiful and things like that and to really make you shine. He’s been great and we’ve been lucky to train with him.’’

The ice dancers will compete in the short dance on Sunday, Feb. 18, and the free dance on Feb. 19.