By PAUL AGNEW KAREN Barber once got cold feet....unsure whether her career choice was little more than a dream.

When Karen, then 14, informed her schoolteacher responsible for such matters that her goal was to become an ice dancer the response was, well, icy!

"Ah," came the frosty reaction from said teacher, thumbs twiddling furiously and brow furrowed, "so what about your second choice?"

Karen didn't have one. It mattered not, her mind was made up.

The reservations expressed in that particular interview service only to stimulate extra determination from the schoolgirl who was to reach if not the top of the ladder then certainly the next rung down.

Olympic Games, World and European Championships, medals for the cabinet, a position as British number one....

With partner Nicky Slater, Karen enjoyed considerable success in a glittering spell....even though they were very much the bridesmaids in a sport dominated by a couple who took ice dancing to a dimension never previously thought possible.

Barber and Slater became well known....Torvill and Dean became legends.

Fate deemed that the two duos should be around at precisely the same time but the media were obsessed with T and D in much the same way they now home in on Manchester United in soccer.

Karen and Nicky shred the same rostrum as their illustrious higher-profile rivals many times, rarely though did they step out from under the shadows.

Reflecting, years on, there's still not a trace of bitterness: "Torvill and Dean came first in the British Championship six times....we finished runners-up the same number - now that must be some sort of record," smiles Karen.

"They took a lot of the glory, but why not? They were after all top of the tree. We didn't feel we suffered as a consequence. It was a fantastic time to be involved in British skating, the public lapped it up, support generally was tremendous and so was the coverage on television.

"It was great to be a part of all that and we had our moments too, finishing British Champions, third in Europe and fifth in the world."

Not a bad record for a career that may never have got off the ground. Hands up all who still think teacher knows best!

It's ironic then that Karen, once the pupil, should now be the tutor.

Right here in Blackburn at the Arena, spending endless hours encouraging would-be stars of the future that, above all else, they must keep their dreams alive.

"I've been at the Arena since it opening in 1990, heavily involved in youth development. There are some very good kids coming through the ranks and there are a number of reasons for that, not least the quality of the rink here.

"Some of the credit goes to the coaches, but it's a real team effort and the management are excellent in the way they allow us to use the ice for as long as they do.

"It takes a very long time to build up to the point where an individual is ready to compete. Patience and hard work the combination required.

"I find it immensely satisfying watching kids progress from holding on to the barrier for dear life to free skating, and then, hopefully, going on to compete in championships.

"It's difficult to compare how it feels to win medals yourself as against watching kids you've coached going out and doing the same thing. Perhaps they are of equal importance.

"The difference is that now I'm doing it for someone else, helping others succeed. They get all the praise and so they should, but I still feel proud to have helped them get there. If my experience can help then great, that'll do for me."

When it comes to professional ice skating, the Arena actually has one of the best talents in the country. Steven Cousins - Britain's only skater in this year's Olympic Games - is President of the Skating Club, and regularly trains at the Arena.

"Like us all Steven appreciates the facilities on offer in Blackburn. The rink is an Olympic size pad, a definite advantage when you are training for major competition.

"We attract skaters from all over Britain because of it. People travel in from places like Aberdeen on a weekly basis, and we've even had people relocate to Blackburn so they can train at the Arena.

"When I started, it was because I enjoyed it - simple as that! I wasn't even particularly good at it until I was about 14 when everything suddenly took off. I just used to plod away every week until I won the Primary Championships. Within 10 months I'd won the national Junior Championships and then I was placed second in the Junior World Championships. I knew then which direction my life was going.

"I spent years competing in European and World Championships before the Olympics in 1980, which rates as one of the high points in my life. The feeling you get in the opening ceremony is incredible, walking in behind the flag really meant the world to me."

While Torvill and Dean went on to even greater fame with their showbiz career. Karen chose the opposite route, putting in the time at grass roots level and turning her back on the fame and fortune. No regrets?

"No, I've done all the shows and the tours I was part of T and D's first company for about 18 months and toured the world. I also did Holiday on Ice but, to be honest, I always wanted to coach.

"It's important to keep the development and the momentum going. Ice staking has always been popular in this country, but it's never had mass appeal. Torvill and Dean really lifted the support, and they were great for the sport because they wrapped the whole country up in the romance of it.

"But as a country we always like to concentrate on particular individuals, and on names and faces. So until someone else breaks through the spotlight often turns away from us."

Karen is working hard to make sure that that day comes sooner rather than later. And who knows....the next Torvill and Dean or Barber and Slater might be down at Blackburn Arena this very weekend.

Now then, what's that teacher's name and where's his phone number....

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.