Nottingham skaters represent GB

Skaters take part in speed, ice hockey, figure and dance events

More than a dozen skaters from Nottingham's National Ice Centre will represent Great Britain at the World Student Games in China this week.

In total 17 skaters will be among those at the official opening ceremony on Wednesday evening.

The Nottingham Panthers trio of Geoff Woolhouse, Robert Lachowicz and Tom Norton are in the ice-hockey squad.

Woolhouse told BBC Radio Nottingham: "I'm pretty excited and it will be a once in a lifetime experience."

The first training session was an opportunity to feel the ice and get the legs moving

GB coach Matt Bradbury

Nottingham Lions youngsters Stuart Bliss and Marcus Maynard have also travelled to China, and are part of the team who will face Canada, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic and the host nation in the group stage.

Coach Matt Bradbury, who is based at the NIC, said: "All the players are focusing on their jobs as individuals and as a team unit for the whole tournament.

"The first training session was an opportunity to feel the ice and get the legs moving after such a long trip travelling in excess of 20 hours."

The student squad was founded in 2005 by the British Universities Ice Hockey Association as a national representative team for British students (aged 17-28) who are currently enrolled on full-time university degree courses.

The GB students first took part in the tournament in 2007 in Italy.