NATASHA McKay was not even born when Torvill and Dean ice-danced their way into Olympic history, but as she prepares for her own Olympic bow, she’s ready to write a new chapter in British figure skating.

The 16-year-old Scot is one of 15 British athletes heading to Liberec, Czech Republic where more than 1500 athletes from 46 nations will convene for the biennial European Youth Olympic Winter Festival next week.

McKay has long since been earmarked as a potential catalyst in rekindling Great Britain’s golden figure skating generation and she upped sticks three years ago to move from her Dundee home to Coventry where she is coached by Yuri Bureiko, a former world junior silver medallist for the Soviet Union.

Another member of Bureiko’s stable is Jenna McCorkell, who has eight British Championship titles to her name and who flew the British flag at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver last February.

And McKay, who attended St John’s School in Dundee, is hoping a few words of wisdom from McCorkell will stand her in good stead in Liberec.

“I’m really looking forward to going over there and competing,” said McKay. “It’s definitely going to be the biggest event I’ve ever done so the experience is going to be fantastic.

“All I am aiming to do is get out there and skate the best that I can. If I can do that then I’ll be happy with my performance and I’ll have learnt so much from the experience.

“It’s great to be able to train at the same place as Jenna and her husband Kevin van der Perren, who is also a professional figure skater for Belgium.

“She’s such a good skater, so when she does train in Coventry it’s a real inspiration.”

Meanwhile, Arbroath alpine skier Natalie Beattie insists her loyalties lie this side of the Channel – and has vowed to prove it in Liberec.

When training in France Beattie calls the Courchevel resort home and it’s the likes of French Olympians Taïna Barioz and Olivia Bertrand that she rubs shoulders with – rather than British skiing’s pin-up girl Chemmy Alcott.

But Beattie insists she’ll be brimming with pride when she takes her first step on the Olympic ladder with Great Britain – and she believes her recent upturn in form will ensure she leaves Liberec with a smile on her face.

“I had a difficult start to the season and I failed to finish the first nine races but things have got a lot better since then,” said Beattie.

“And so I’m really looking forward to the competition. I’ve done a few international events before but this is going to be on a much bigger scale than anything I’ve done.

“I don’t see the British guys all that much – it’s more the top French skiers that I see.

“But I wouldn’t say that means that I’m less interested in the British team. It’s going to be great to compete in Liberec for Great Britain.”

The BOA prepares the ‘Best of British’ at the summer, winter and youth Olympics. It supports Team GB and National Governing Bodies to enhance Olympic success and is responsible for championing the Olympic values. www.olympics.org.uk  

By Samantha Colebrooke, Sportsbeat