Ice rink maestros set for Murrayfield masterclass

The Kerrs will return to Murrayfield to teach a masterclass

The brother and sister team, who now live in the US, are to teach a Christmas session to high-level figure skaters at Murrayfield ice rink – where they learned the sport as children before rocketing to the top of international competition.

The duo, from Livingston, left Edinburgh to work with coaches in the US shortly after the Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006. However, they have maintained a close

relationship with the rink where they trained for the first part of their competitive career, which saw them earn two European bronze medals and seven British national titles between 2004 and 2010.

Sinead Kerr, who, with her brother, retired from competitive skating in 2011 after placing eighth at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, said: “John and I are both coming home for Christmas this year and thought it would be great – while we are both together – to do something with the Scottish skating community. We chose Murrayfield as it is our home rink and where we trained throughout our competitive career.

“The thought of a masterclass was very much spur of the moment, so we are delighted with the response it has been met with. We definitely hope it will be the start of something and the first of many more to come.”

She added: “We would love to give back to Scottish skating even though we currently live in the US. We both come home a few times a year to visit our family so it would be nice to do this more often if it is a success. Our aim is to pass on our knowledge and passion of the sport to a new generation of Scottish figure skaters.”

The Kerrs, who were coached by Russian skater Evgeni Platov during the later years of their career, were the first British ice dancers to medal at the European Championships since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean 15 years earlier. After retiring from competitive skating, they performed with the Ice Theatre of New York, appearing in an episode of TV hit series Glee.

Sinead teamed up with John – who took to the ice aged 11 after watching his sister train – in 2000.

Richard Stirling, managing director at Murrayfield Ice Rink, said: “The Kerrs have always maintained a close relationship with the rink and we will be delighted to see them back on December 23 to hold a masterclass on home ice. We expect there will be many skaters from all over Scotland interested in enrolling.”

The current British ice dance title is also held by a Scot, Lewis Gibson, and his partner Lilah Fear.