Meet two of the country’s most exciting ice skating prospects.
Matthew and Abigail Samuels have all the qualities of future Olympic champions. They’ve already clinched several prestigious titles between them.
They are destined for greatness. And they hail from Atlantis.
This brother-and-sister figure-skating pair’s background is as interesting as their love affair with the ice.
Born in Atlantis, Matthew (18) and Abby (16) moved to Summer Greens at a young age. But watch any of their many videos on the Team Samuels Figure Skating Facebook page – and you’ll always hear them proudly say: “We’re from Atlantis!”
It was about 12 years ago, on a family outing to the Grandwest ice rink, that the sport took over their household. Since then the enjoyable hobby has become a professional obsession for the siblings with seven days a week training regimes. For their parents, Wayne and Suzette, it’s been a never-ending struggle to come up with the cash to keep the ice skating dream alive. “I’ve got fundraising coming out of my ears”, laughs Suzette, a former Avondale Primary secretary. Their father Wayne was a Golden Arrow bus driver in Atlantis for many years. After a 9-5 workday, they go into fundraising mode. Karaokes, selling braai plates, any and every cent helps to keep the kids on the ice. Training is ridiculously expensive. And even just the use of the rink runs into thousands of rands a month. And we’re not even talking about the international competitions yet. Plane tickets, accommodation, meals.
Matthew and Abigail have competed all over the world. And their trophy cabinet is overflowing. The family puts a lot of their success down to the community’s help. It’s been the help of friends, family, neighbours that has carried them through more than a decade of professional skating.
So when next you see the Samuels kids on the podium on TV at a major international competition, then know it was thanks your contribution to a plate of braai, or to a raffle that got them there!
