Skate of the nation
LONG before Robin Cousins was bowing his head to receive a gold Olympic medal he was perfecting his craft on the ice in Sheffield.
Tonight he is back in the city as a judge for the live version of ITV Saturday night favourite Dancing On Ice.
"I've been here many times, to the old Silver Blades Ice Rink. I was much, much younger," recalls Cousins. "Occasionally there would be competitions we would come up to in my early teens. The one thing now about being on tour is you've got three or four days in a city to be able to go and explore again."
Now when the soap stars and singers strap on the skates for Dancing On Ice at Sheffield Arena tonight – they include the 2009 winner of the ITV favourite, Ray Quinn, along with 2007 winner Kyran Bracken, Emmerdale beauty Roxanne Pallet and EastEnder Todd Carty among others – they can ask for fewer better examples than Robin.
"This is our third year in Sheffield but it is the first year we've started the show here. That makes it a little bit more exciting for the audience because nobody is settled into their routines at this point, so there's no complacency. Not that they ever get to that point but certainly at the beginning you've got your returning celebs who know all about the touring situation and you've got this year's 2009 celebs who have never been on the tour before and don't realise the difference in the atmosphere and everything else. So it's gonna make for a good mix."
The latest tour got underway last night and continues in Attercliffe until Sunday night. Robin believes the showbiz performers have an advantage over the sporting types when it comes to touring.
"On the TV show everyone thinks it's the sports celebrities that cope and do really well and that's because they're used to being grilled and coached in that type of situation.
"But when you go on the tour and you're having to do it seven or eight times a week it's the theatre people and the singers who are used to doing eight shows a week. So for the athletes who are at a rugby match once a week suddenly to have to deliver that performance seven or eight times a week... that's the difference, what they have to cope with."
Of course, much of the hard work has been done long before the contestants get to Broughton Lane.
"The first day or the very first show you can tell the ones who can and those that can't. But there are those that can't who through persistence manage to make it work and make it happen and those that can but that's all they do; they can't take it to the next level.
"I know people who are not natural performers who by sheer will and guts and determination become great performers.
"There are those who are naturally adept to being on skis or roller skates and ice skates and it's a question of having the courage to push yourself through to the next level to learn it.
There are others with the best will in the world don't have the it factor or just can't get the concept of that blade underneath."
Robin says one of the factors the celebs have to learn on taking the show on the road is to project it to the audience and to "make it bigger".
As thousands head towards Sheffield Arena, Robin is still amazed at the success of the DOI format as well as the influence it has had on the sport's future stars.
"When ITV came with the idea I thought it would be fun... celebrities falling over etc; I don't think anybody could have had a concept it would take off like this.
"And it's getting lots of young kids into skating. They are Googling YouTube performances of me and Chris Dean and Jane Torvill for the first time as a result of the show going to the local rinks. They could be Olympians of the future – learning and finding skating because of Dancing On Ice."
Certainly it's not because of the outfits. Is it?
"There have been some dodgy ones," admits Robin. "Lycra has been stretched to its limits on our show, but it's all part of the packaging and the look of it.
"The celebs joke about it but give them three or four weeks and they're very happy to get dressed up in the slap."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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