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Writer's pictureMaria Williams

How Torvill & Dean changed their sport and won gold at the Winter Olympics



When the music begins, we’re kneeling on the ice with our heads looking down at our shoulders.


We bring our heads up and for one second, I look in Jayne’s eyes. I can see how far we’ve come and how much we’ve sacrificed to get here.


How hard we’ve worked to get to the Olympic ice dance final!


Our arms are swaying, and we keep time with Ravel’s Bolero, just like we’d practised for so long.


I remember the guy at the practice rink scratching his head when he saw us kneeling down for the first time.


“Never seen one of you skaters start a routine like that before!” he said.


“That’s the point,” I said. “The judges won’t have seen anything like this before either.”


Our swaying is getting bigger and bigger, then it’s time to pick Jayne up and place her onto her feet.


She circles around me and I lift her onto my shoulder, then place her back onto her feet. She stretches out her hand.


Every movement we make has been practised until they’re perfect. So many small changes to create the best lines, to make getting in and out of hold even more smooth.


She spins me on my knee and I’m up. We mirror each other’s movements perfectly, skating off into the dance.


We’re in the moment, feeling the music, moving in perfect synchronicity.


Those splits! Linking knees for a spin. Holding Jayne’s shoulders in the spinning lift.


Collapsing back onto the ice.




The roar of the applause. People standing.


Three sixes for technical merit, the rest 5.9. Every single score a six for artistic interpretation – 12 of them.


We’ve won the gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics.

Four minutes that changed the entire sport.


Looking back, I can see we’d come so far from those early practise sessions in Nottinghamshire.


Early morning rink sessions and sheer hard work helped us develop our distinctive ice dance style.


Experienced, expert coaches helped us develop our talents and skills.


We set ourselves goals and were laser focused to achieve them.


It’s a lesson any business or organisation can learn, too. Transformation and change take skill, experienced leaders, and grit and determination – just like winning an Olympic gold medal.


Keeping track of your progress is also so important. My friends at Penarth Management tell me that getting the process online with compliance software like Mango helps to keep things simple and ensures everyone knows exactly what they need to do.


The world has changed a lot since 1984, too!


Does your organisation an expert coach to help you manage change or a business transformation process? Call us on 029 2070 3328 or email info@penarth.co.uk. To find out more about how you could track the progress of business change like an Olympian, using Mango, book a free demonstration which will be delivered via Zoom.







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