Have you every dreamt of twirling in an endless white of snow? A group of passionate individuals who are willing to do anything to realise their dreams, dared to do so. In the process, they became one, motivated by a common cause.
This is the case for Figure Skating Egypt, which is a diverse group of passionate athletes who struggle to receive the recognition they deserve, due to society’s lack of awareness about the sport and because it is not one of the popular sports in the region.
Figure skating is one of the most challenging yet beautiful sports in the world, it’s athletes perform moves, spins and jumps on ice, while balancing on two millimeter blades and yet they try to make it seem easy with a smile on their faces. When we hear figure skating we can’t help but think about the movie Ice Princess, and yes as in the movie if you are passionate about this sport then the sound of your blades on ice is your escape from the world.
VIA Figure Skating Egypt
“Due to the lack of ice rinks people don’t even know figure skating is practiced in Egypt and since we are the team practicing it here in Egypt, we are trying to spread awareness about the sport. Also, many people regard figure skating from the point of view of being artistic more than a sport, and this can be one of the reasons why Winter Olympics are not widely watched,” Figure Skating Egypt’s first member, Shaimaa El Adl said.
Due to the lack of rinks along with the lack of private rink time, the team has to practice in public sessions with kids all around. Also, the lack of proper ice rink maintenance and the lack of services like skates sharpening, are some of the most challenging aspects for the team.
“This is a story about young people that fight to escape their busy lives for a couple of hours each week to make a dream come true, to enjoy the rush and the passion they feel on ice. Although we have very limited resources and we have to skate in public rinks, we will still go for it whatever it takes. We believe in ourselves and in our coach and work hard and that’s what it takes,” El Adl added.
All team members are self-funded, as they are willing to sacrifice as much as they can to achieve their goals. Also, the recruitment process was difficult as it is a sport that requires talent, passion and hard work, so finding all three combined in someone is not that common especially with the lack of awareness about the sport.
VIA Figure Skating Egypt
Figure skating has various health benefits as it works on fitness, flexibility, toning, balance, lean muscles, joint flexibility as well as cardio. In addition, professional figure skaters need to exercise daily off-ice exercises, because it requires all body muscles to be alert and the body to be fit.
The team of skaters were brought together by their love and passion of a sport that is not at all common and not very understood in Egypt. They had the dream and the fantasy watching figure skating movies as kids, and one by one they discovered Ahmed Saad, who was a game changer.
“Saad is a great coach, he is extremely passionate himself, and spots skating talent whenever he sees it. He is the person who revived the dream and created the team, and we are currently around 20 skating enthusiasts who aim to spread awareness about the sport and create a suitable environment for competition and for enthusiasts to follow their passion,” El Adl explained.
