Christine on Ice!
Fifty laps of an Ice Rink would not have fazed Christine Constantine at one time in her life. She first stepped onto the ice at the age of 11 and instantly fell in love. Christine took to it like a pro, and between the age of 11 and 15, she visited the ice rink on a regular basis, finding a hobby she not only loved but was good at.
During her mid-teens, Christine sadly lost her Nan, whom she was extremely close to. Through her grief, she lost all interest in her once-loved hobby and stopped skating all together. This was followed by her own personal struggle with her health, after being diagnosed with a chronic stomach condition, and as time went on she lost hope of ever returning to the ice rink.
However, Christine was determined not to give up. Having completed challenges, such as Zipwires, for other charities in the past, the now 23-year old skater decided to face her fears and tackle the ice one more time in a sponsored skate! Christine chose to use her challenge to raise money for Woodlands Hospice, in honour of its staff who she feels play a vital role in supporting patients and their families through difficult circumstances.
The challenge took place on 26th August at Blackpool’s Ice Rink. Christine challenged herself to complete 50 laps and decided against any training beforehand! She commented,
“I decided if I was going to do it, then I’d just go for it. I didn’t want to have a slip or a fall when training that would break my confidence – even though my family thought I was mad! A few days before the challenge I was getting quite nervous as I was thinking it's been 6 years not being on the ice and so much has changed sadly with my health and being diagnosed with chronic illnesses, but with great support from family, friends and even my consultants I was determined to complete the challenge.”
Despite her nerves, Christine clearly hasn’t lost the magic touch and smashed her target achieving the 50 laps in just 20 minutes!
She added,
“It was a brilliant day and more of a privilege to raise money for the Hospice. I had wonderful support from the staff and skating coaches at the arena especially when they knew it was a challenge for charity and with encouragement from my coach that taught me to skate over the years I ended up more excited than nervous! I took one glide on the ice and it was the best feeling. I surprised myself but I was delighted that I completed it in record timing. I put off going back on the ice for a long time so I knew now was the perfect time to get back on it and why not do a challenge by raising money for a charity. I enjoy fundraising and raising money for different charities but picking Woodlands as my chosen charity was an absolute pleasure. I will definitely be raising money for the Hospice again very soon.”
A huge thank you to Christine for taking on her challenge for us and we hope this is the start of a new beginning for you on the Ice!