BRITTANY LANGLEY

May 30, 2014

Western Australia’s senior synchronised ice skating team, Infusion, is not cutting any corners in an effort to make it to the World Synchronised Skating Championships in Ontario, Canada early next year.

The next big step is the Australian National Championships in Brisbane late this year where they will find out if they have qualified.

Infusion has been training hard and fundraising in order to be the first WA team to make it to the world stage.

Lift practice

The team consists of 18 young women, most of whom have been on the team for about eight years.

They train on and off the ice, and participate in team building exercises, ballet and overnight and weekend training camps.

Infusion aims to raise $16,000 before September to help get the ice skaters to the world championships.

Each member has to organise one day of fundraising.

Infusion captain Natalie Fardella, 24, said the team participates in all sorts of fundraising activities from sausage sizzles, quiz nights, raffles and selling chocolates and second hand clothes.

The funds raised will cover part of the coaches’ fees, hiring an ice rink to practice overseas, the tour bus, and the deposit on accommodation and flights.

Fardella’s individual fundraising exercise is the selling of second hand clothes through Facebook where she has made more than $1000.

Cooling off after a hard training session

The team spends a lot of their time together even when the skaters aren’t in training mode.

“We refer to each other as family,” Fardella said.

“We’re all the closest of friends and love each other to bits.

“It makes it a lot easier to skate as a team because we all work so well together.”

In 2012, the team travelled overseas for the Mozart and French Cup where they placed twelfth and fourteenth.

“We started off in Steindorf training in a little hockey rink in the alps which made us realise the conditions that other teams must have to train in,” Fardella said.

“Next we travelled to Salzburg for a week of competition at the Mozart Cup.

“We then trained in Germany for a few days before we headed off to Rouen for the French Cup.”

Fardella said it was an amazing and eye-opening experience for the whole team and she learned about the strengths and weaknesses of other teams.

Fardella shows her flexibility and balance

While focusing on the team and fundraising, Fardella along with another team member, Danielle Broughton were recently selected to perform with the Disney on Ice show.

Disney on Ice was being performed in Perth from yesterday until June 2.

Fardella and Broughton have been ice skating for more than 10 years and are ecstatic at the chance to perform with Disney.

“Sometimes it’s hard to believe this is reality,” Fardella said.

“I’ve been skating for so many years now and never thought I’d see the day where I got to skate with Disney.”

Fardella showing off her skills

Another rising Perth ice star, Essex Reid, 22, was also selected for Disney on Ice but had to decline due to a medical condition.

Reid has won many national championships throughout Australia, representing WA. She said it had always been a lifelong dream to skate for Disney.

She said she was disappointed to have to decline but her health was more important.

Reid still continues to coach skaters at the new Cockburn Ice Arena and said it was an extremely rewarding job.

“I love being able to give back to the kids and [it] gives me the chance to still be a part of the sport,” she said.

“I’ve been skating for 19 years now and there’s nothing better than watching people achieve their goals and win competitions.”