Update on the situation in NI - the date that ice rinks can re-open has been brought forward to 17[SUP]th[/SUP] July (i.e. next Friday).
Well, I think that's the case. Ice rinks were not specifically mentioned on the BBC story. But they were on the RTÉ story:
https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2020/0709/1152303-northern-ireland/
There's no word yet on when the rink in Dundonald will actually open, though.
On a different note, I don't know if you saw the post I put up in the "You Know You're A Figure Skating Fan When..." thread this morning, but yesterday I watched a film in which Benny Hill played an ice rink sweeper. And there was a lengthy skating scene at the start.
When I looked up the IMDB page for "Who Done It?" (1956) afterwards, I was able to find out who some of the skaters were. Unfortunately, not many of the skaters were listed. But of the ones that were, there was one name that I recognised - Jean Alsop.
I then did a search for the names, and Jean was the only one that came up with anything. A few months after the film was released, Jean and 5 other British skaters were pictured before they left for America to join the Ice Capades.
https://www.alamy.com/jul-07-1956-f...day-skating-starlets-leave-image69300750.html
https://www.alamy.com/jul-07-1956-f...day-skating-starlets-leave-image69300766.html
AND ONE OF THEM WAS FROM NORTHERN IRELAND!!!
Vera McColgan, from Portadown, Co. Armagh.
Here are some pictures of her from 1954 at Whipsnade Zoo with another skater, Trudi Nugent:
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detai...e-now-playing-at-londons-news-photo/866729546
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detai...e-now-playing-at-londons-news-photo/866729556
I hadn't come across Vera before, but her obituary makes for very interesting reading. She stayed in America after getting the Ice Capades job, and died in California in 2009.
The obituary says that she became a coach over in America. So, I wonder if she coached anybody that we would have heard of. It would be cool if she did.
And it would be lovely to see some photos of her skating. But unfortunately the only photos I could find are the off-ice ones I linked to.
It's amazing the things you find out after watching a film!
CaroLiza_fan
Well, I think that's the case. Ice rinks were not specifically mentioned on the BBC story. But they were on the RTÉ story:
https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2020/0709/1152303-northern-ireland/
There's no word yet on when the rink in Dundonald will actually open, though.
On a different note, I don't know if you saw the post I put up in the "You Know You're A Figure Skating Fan When..." thread this morning, but yesterday I watched a film in which Benny Hill played an ice rink sweeper. And there was a lengthy skating scene at the start.
When I looked up the IMDB page for "Who Done It?" (1956) afterwards, I was able to find out who some of the skaters were. Unfortunately, not many of the skaters were listed. But of the ones that were, there was one name that I recognised - Jean Alsop.
I then did a search for the names, and Jean was the only one that came up with anything. A few months after the film was released, Jean and 5 other British skaters were pictured before they left for America to join the Ice Capades.
https://www.alamy.com/jul-07-1956-f...day-skating-starlets-leave-image69300750.html
https://www.alamy.com/jul-07-1956-f...day-skating-starlets-leave-image69300766.html
AND ONE OF THEM WAS FROM NORTHERN IRELAND!!!
Vera McColgan, from Portadown, Co. Armagh.
Here are some pictures of her from 1954 at Whipsnade Zoo with another skater, Trudi Nugent:
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detai...e-now-playing-at-londons-news-photo/866729546
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detai...e-now-playing-at-londons-news-photo/866729556
I hadn't come across Vera before, but her obituary makes for very interesting reading. She stayed in America after getting the Ice Capades job, and died in California in 2009.
The obituary says that she became a coach over in America. So, I wonder if she coached anybody that we would have heard of. It would be cool if she did.
And it would be lovely to see some photos of her skating. But unfortunately the only photos I could find are the off-ice ones I linked to.
It's amazing the things you find out after watching a film!
CaroLiza_fan