By Izzy Clark
It is a bright October morning in Allen, Texas, and an arena is packed to the brim. Hundreds of adoring fans wave banners emblazoned with hand-painted messages of support, eyes scanning frantically for a glimpse of a superstar. This isn’t a concert, or a football match – it’s the beginning of the international figure skating Grand Prix: Skate America.
Figure skating in the UK is an odd sport. For a country with over 50 ice rinks (22 in Scotland) and a history featuring some legendary names – John Curry, Robin Cousins, Torvill & Dean – Britain’s current senior squad seems to be fighting to make a name for themselves. Whilst the Men’s and Women’s divisions have several up-and-coming Junior skaters, and both Junior and Senior Ice Dance are winning respectable medals, it’s the Pairs event – consisting of side-by-side spins, jumps and throws – where Britain has the most to gain.
In 2022, 3-time British National Pairs champions Zoe Jones/Christopher Boyadji were unexpectedly dethroned by an up-and-coming team coached in Dundee, Scotland – Anastasia Vaipan-Law (23) and Luke Digby (19), both former singles skaters in their first year of partnership. The duo would go on to gain valuable competitive experience at 2023 Skate America, when reigning World Champions Miura/Kihara withdrew. Vaipan-Law and Digby took their place and took part in their first international Senior Grand Prix event, where they placed a respectable 7th among a dense field. Later placing 9th at Europeans and 20th at Worlds, Vaipan-Law and Digby made themselves ones to watch.
Fast forward a year to October 2024, and team Vaipan-Law/Digby were back at Skate America, hoping to improve on their previous result. Coming off a successful second place at the Tayside Trophy in Dundee, they stand just a chance of making the final. With coaches Debi, Simon and Jason Briggs in the stands, they stepped onto the ice for the Short Program, aiming for new high scores. With a routine set to “Lighthouse” by Patrick Watson, they placed a respectable sixth ahead of Americans McBeath/Parkman and Finns Väänänen/Clerici and went into the Long Program aiming for a new personal best score. And they’d get it, with their program to “Arrival of the Birds/Carry You” finishing with an overall total of 180.13, sixth place in the Long Program and sixth overall, a new personal best for a Grand Prix event, and the highest placement for a British pairs team at a Grand Prix event since 2008.
Speaking to British Ice Skating after the competition, the team said they were: “truly satisfied and overjoyed that we were able to deliver two programmes to the very best of our ability”, and that it was “a moment [we’re] sure we will never forget.”
Heading into the NHK Trophy in early November and aiming for an even better score before Europeans next Spring, Vaipan-Law and Digby seem to be Britain’s next big hope for Pairs skating. With each season that Vaipan-Law and Digby showcase their exciting progression through the ranks, they attract more fans from their home country to take up their sport. Hopefully, these new stars can help inspire future generations of young skaters to take up the sport and help resurrect Britain’s figure skating scene across all disciplines.
