<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n When Figure Skaters Online<\/i><\/span> spoke with Jones and Boyadji on the first day of practice at Skate America, the British team was thrilled to be in Las Vegas. \u201cWhen we got the invitation from Skate America, we\u2019re like, \u2018Ahh, we can\u2019t turn this down,\u2019\u201d Boyadji said. \u201cIt\u2019s a Grand Prix, it\u2019s amazing for us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yet, the decision to skate in Las Vegas wasn\u2019t automatic for Jones and Boyadji. For this team, competing is seldom as simple as just packing up and flying to an event.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In truth, Jones and Boyadji\u2019s lives are quite different from those of most of the other pairs competing on the international circuit. Their story is unique in many ways: Zoe Jones is the oldest competitor in the international pairs field, at 39. She returned to elite competitive skating after a 13-year break from the sport. And, significantly, she is the only elite female competitor, in any discipline, who has children (to our knowledge). Yet, despite this unique background, Jones and Boyadji\u2019s story is also familiar. Like many skaters from small skating countries, they struggle with lack of funding and infrastructure. Their experience of competitive pairs skating is therefore both unique and, in some ways, universal.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Top skaters are usually looking for ways to maximize their training. For Jones and Boyadji, the challenge is not so much to maximize, but simply to keep training at all in the face of limited resources of time, money, and energy. It\u2019s a challenge that Jones and Boyadji face every day, yet one they continue to meet, out of love for the sport.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For Zoe Jones, her life in skating began at her local ice rink when she was 5 years old. She was 13 when she started competing internationally for Great Britain. Eventually, Jones won two British Nationals singles titles, but was never fully satisfied with her results.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I was always very good in practice, in warmup,\u201d Jones said of her early career. \u201cCompetition was never a great experience for me. I never lived up to my own expectations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a young skater, Jones was interested in pairs skating and competed in junior pairs for one season. She later tried out with Clive Shorten, the 1999 British men\u2019s champion. However, the British federation didn\u2019t support the partnership. \u201cWe were the top boy and the top girl [at the time],\u201d said Jones. \u201cSo they didn\u2019t want to pair us together, and it didn\u2019t happen. Pairs was always something that I\u2019d wanted to do, but never really got the chance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jones retired in 2001, at 21 years old. She married Canadian professional hockey player Dody Wood and lived in Canada for a number of years. In 2007, she gave birth to twin girls, Zarah and Zinia, now 12. Jones and Wood later divorced.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Returning to Great Britain, Jones settled in her hometown of Swindon, a city in Wiltshire\u00a0 midway between London and Bristol. After her son Zkai was born in 2012, she was looking for a way to get back in shape and turned to skating. \u201cIt was easier to skate. It was what I loved to do,\u201d she said. \u201cI started coaching in Swindon around this time. So after I\u2019d done some coaching, I would skate a little bit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What started simply as exercise turned into something more. Jones decided to compete at the ISU Adult Figure Skating Competition in Oberstdorf (generally considered the most prestigious competition in adult skating).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Being a high-level athlete, you always try and push yourself. And I decided to do the adult competition <\/span>because of Midori Ito,\u201d Jones said. Ito, the 1992 Olympic ladies\u2019 silver medalist, competed at the 2013 ISU Adult Figure Skating Competition. \u201cI thought if she could do it, then why don\u2019t I try? I wanted something to aim for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jones competed at the ISU adult event in Oberstdorf for two years, winning the Masters Elite\u00a0 Ladies I Free Skating event (the highest level of adult ladies skating) in 2014 and 2015.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>My goal was to do a triple. Because I don\u2019t think a girl had ever done a triple there [at Oberstdorf] before,\u201d said Jones. She went for a triple toe loop both years she competed at Oberstdorf and landed it, fully rotated, in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her success in adult competition motivated Jones. \u201cI started pushing myself a little bit more to do all the other triples. On my third attempt of each triple, I was successful. I posted a video on Facebook. And all my friends said, \u2018Oh, you should do [senior] Nationals.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jones wasn\u2019t sure. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to fail,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be the old person that went out there and fell and everyone laughed at. But, I decided to go for it. I had a lot of support from friends. The day of the free program [at 2016 British Nationals], I was the most nervous I\u2019d ever been in my life. I didn\u2019t expect anything, really. But I skated the best I could have. And I won the free program, and I was second.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It was a triumphant moment. At 35, after three kids and 13 years away from the sport, Jones was back on the podium at her Nationals.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yet she wasn\u2019t sure what she wanted to do next. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I could keep going as a single lady, because the standard is obviously quite high,\u201d said Jones.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n During her trips to Oberstdorf and British Nationals, Jones had met Christopher Boyadji, a pairs skater who was training in Germany at the time with his partner Amani Fancy. Boyadji had been born in France and competed as a singles skater before switching to pairs. In 2013, Boyadji began competing for Great Britain with Fancy. However, the partnership ended in early 2016, not long after Jones\u2019s silver medal at British Nationals.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Boyadji posted online that he was looking for a new partner, Jones decided to reach out.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I received a message from Zoe, telling me that her dream was always to do pairs,\u201d Boyadji said. \u201cAnd she\u2019s sorry that I have no more partner, and she was wondering if I would consider trying out with her, because she had done pairs when she was younger, and she used to love it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I didn\u2019t actually expect to get a reply from him,\u201d Jones admitted.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But Boyadji invited her to try out with him in London. \u201cSo she came, and we tried together, and it went very well,\u201d Boyadji recounted. \u201cAnd that\u2019s it. I took my stuff and moved to Swindon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A first order of business was to find a coach. There were no pairs coaches available in Swindon. \u201cPairs isn\u2019t a big thing in our country. So there\u2019s not really many pairs coaches,\u201d Jones explained.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Boyadji turned to Facebook for help–specifically, the Facebook page of the British Ice Teachers Association (a coaches\u2019 group). \u201cI posted on this group [to see] if there was any coach who could help us, even an ice dance coach. Just to have someone,\u201d said Boyadji.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ruth Woodstock, a British coach and former pairs skater, replied to the post and agreed to become Jones and Boyadji\u2019s coach..<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The partnership grew quickly. \u201cBecoming a team was easy, because we get along very well,\u201d said Boyadji. \u201cWe don\u2019t argue, ever. We\u2019re not this type of team that argues. And because we don\u2019t have so much time to skate, we don\u2019t waste time on things. If we can only skate one hour, we\u2019ll skate one hour, because we know it\u2019s the only time we have.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Boyadji added: \u201cTwist was a hard element for us. I think it is easier when you have a height difference. And I\u2019m not a very tall boy,\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cAnd Zoe\u2019s not the shortest. So it\u2019s a bit tricky for us. But we do what we can.\u201d Jones stands 5\u20192\u201d, while Boyadji is 5\u20199\u00bd\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jones and Boyadji started competing together internationally only three months into the partnership. In their first season, they qualified for both Europeans and Worlds. In their second season, they were invited to compete at Internationaux de France (their only Grand Prix event prior to Skate America), and again skated at Worlds.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yet, although Jones and Boyadji were competing at the international level, it was–and remains–an ongoing challenge for the couple to find the money and time necessary to train.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>We have no funding from the British federation,\u201d Boyadji said. \u201cThe only funding you can get [in Great Britain] is from the UK Sports Ministry. And the only way they will give you money is if you win a medal at the World Championships. Then, they will fund you for the Olympics. So when I say no funding, I\u2019m saying zero dollars. They pay nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jones and Boyadji launched a social media crowdfunding page in their second year together to try and raise money for training. However, the remaining funding comes from their own coaching work. They coach together at the Swindon rink, often seven days a week, sharing most of their students. They are on the ice coaching at 6:00 am daily.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>It makes [for] a long day,\u201d said Jones. \u201cBut that\u2019s how we live–that\u2019s how we fund ourselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Yes, that\u2019s how we fund our skating,\u201d Boyadji agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Boyadji recently co-founded the Elite Skating Company<\/span><\/a><\/span> to sell a new training tool that he designed for skaters. His product, the Elite Spinner, has received favorable mentions on social media from prominent skaters like Nathan Chen<\/a> and Jason Brown<\/a>. Boyadji hopes the product will become popular among skaters (and eventually profitable).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Finances are an ever-present concern for Jones and Boyadji. They cannot always afford to have their coach come with them to competitions, as her hotel and airfare expenses would add to costs. For example, Jones and Boyadji skated the first day of practice at Skate America by themselves, because it was more affordable for their coach to fly to Las Vegas on a later flight. Having their own airfare covered by the Skate America organizing committee was a significant benefit to the team. Normally, they must consider costs carefully before deciding to do a competition, or any type of event.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>We can\u2019t even really go and do a [pairs] camp in the summer,\u201d Jones said. \u201cBecause one, obviously, it\u2019s a lot of money. And then, two, if we\u2019re away at camp\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>We can\u2019t teach,\u201d said Boyadji. \u201cWe lose on both sides.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Even if we had the money to go to the camp, then we wouldn\u2019t be earning a wage,\u201d Jones concurred.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Money may be in short supply. But for Jones, as for many parents, perhaps the scarcest resource is time. With three kids to manage, Jones\u2019s daily routine is packed. After early-morning coaching at the rink, it\u2019s time to get the kids ready for school.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>School run, training. Then gym, lunch, training, school run, coaching,\u201d Jones said, laying out the daily schedule. In addition, there is homework and meals to manage.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jones\u2019s three children all participate in athletics (track & field) and figure skating. Her twin daughters skate competitively at the Basic Novice level in Britain. Her son does not yet compete but takes lessons. Boyadji serves as the children\u2019s coach, with Jones choreographing the girls\u2019 programs.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I make the programs up. That\u2019s hard enough,\u201d Jones said with a smile. \u201cMother and daughter on the ice– it\u2019s not a great combination. So I leave all the other stuff to him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The schedule is workable in part because they\u2019re all at the rink much of the time. \u201cWhile we teach, the kids skate,\u201d Boyadji said. \u201cIt\u2019s not like if she was working in an office or something. It\u2019s a place where they\u2019re comfortable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>We get a lot of support from the parents of our other students,\u201d Jones added. \u201cBecause my kids go to the same schools as some of our other students. Sometimes the parents bring the kids from school to the rink. But not always. Sometimes it\u2019s a mad dash–I take my skates off, run to the car, zoom there, pick them up, and run back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jones\u2019s mother lives near Swindon and can provide assistance with child care. \u201cWithout the family support, it would be very difficult,\u201d said Jones. \u201cWe\u2019re lucky in that way, that we have people to help us.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With the children settled in school, and family and friends nearby, leaving Swindon to train elsewhere is not a conceivable option right now for Jones and Boyadji. So they carry on, although the training situation is rather less than ideal. There are no other pairs teams training at Swinton, and their coach Ruth Woodstock is based elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>For us, literally, the only time we see other pairs is when we come to competitions. We train on the ice with adult skaters, and small kids sometimes. Our coach comes to see us twice a week. And the rest of the time, we train by ourselves,\u201d Jones said.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>For her, it\u2019s a big commitment,\u201d Boyadji noted of Woodstock. \u201cShe drives two hours to come and see us, and drives back the same day, just to spend two hours with us and do the best she can. She\u2019s trying very hard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In addition to time and money pressures, Jones and Boyadji have also faced injury problems. Jones dealt with a hamstring injury last season, which got reaggravated during the off-season. She\u2019s also been dealing with ankle issues.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As an older athlete, Jones recognizes the need for more recovery time, but doesn\u2019t always find it easy to comply. \u201cIf it\u2019s not been a good day on the ice, I want to go to the gym and make sure I do my work in the gym. Which isn\u2019t always the best thing,\u201d she said. \u201cI have to try and pull back a little bit. I\u2019m starting to find a good balance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Heaney-2019-1018-1377-MLH_2951_Feature-1.jpg\")
<\/a>But for Zoe Jones and Christopher Boyadji of Great Britain, the competition meant much more. Jones and Boyadji were a late addition to Skate America after a pair that was already on the roster withdrew. The British team was excited to receive an invitation to a top-shelf ISU event. For Jones and Boyadji, the trip to Las Vegas provided, among other things, a much-needed jolt of motivation; a rare opportunity to skate with other pairs; and, not least, a chance to compete without incurring too much expense. (Plus, it gave Boyadji an excuse for his first-ever trip to the United States!)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Lifts were the most challenging element for the new team to master. \u201cNot getting the lift up; it was the changes in position,\u201d Jones explained. \u201cEven though it\u2019s only three and a half rotations [per lift], just changing and trying to count–I\u2019d always come down too soon or not soon enough. For me, this was the worst part, the most stressful bit. Obviously, first starting on throws \u2026 I remember literally feeling my heart beating out of my chest. But they were never really an issue, once they got going.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\n(Note: A few weeks after this article was published, the British Ice Skating Association announced a small retrospective financial contribution to all British figure skaters who competed in major ISU championships during the 2018-2019 season. See their statement on Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B5ut336HN6V\/?igshid=u345pq8lzj9m<\/a>.)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n