Kendal skates to victory after recovery from crash

Talented skater Kendal Mckenzie is so ice cool when it comes to the rink that you would never guess that less than a year ago she was confined to a wheelchair.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Apr 2018, 18:38 GMT
Updated 3rd Apr 2018, 18:41 GMT
Young ice dancer Kendal McKenzieYoung ice dancer Kendal McKenzie
Young ice dancer Kendal McKenzie

The nine-year-old Sutton schoolgirlsurvived a horror smash which left her leg broken above the knee.

However, the young ice dancer has shown courage and determination since the crash near Dundee in August 2016 – and now she is back up to tough competition standards.

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Kendal, a pupil at Dalestorth Primary and Nursery School recently skated to victory at the under 10s national dancing championships in Bradford.

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Chelsea McKenzie, aged 45, her mum, said: “We are so very proud of Kendal.

“She is a very tough girl and has great strength of character.

Kendal has so much determination for the future in skating – she wants to represent her country.”

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Chelsea, a former dancer who has worked with Michel Flatley, suffered whiplash and smashed her head on the windscreen of their Citroën C2 car in the smash, while grandmother Sharon Muldoon suffered severe bruising.

Her family were taking her up to Dundee to an under-nines competition when the crash happened.

Chelsea said: “I didn’t realise at the time she also had a broken femur.

“It was very traumatic – Kendal was frightened her grandma was going to die.”

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Mum and daughter were reunited in Sutton after an ambulance crew transported Kendal to King’s Mill Hospital’s orthopaedic unit,

Kendal had an operation on her leg and pins inserted into her kneecap which were removed nine months ago.

Chelsea said: “It was so very upsetting for Kendal – her leg was completely broken above the knee and she has had to have two operatons.

“She was on crutches and then in a wheelchair. She couldn’t bend her leg properly for months.

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“And when they discharge you from the hospital you need different kind of exercises to get full motion back.”

Kendal trains five times a week in Sheffield, getting up at 4.45am. The family are now hoping to find a sponsor for the training and frequent competitions which can cost them more than £250 a week.

n Anyone interested in sponsoring Kendal is asked to email Chad reporter Kevin Rogers at [email protected]

Related topics:SuttonDundee