John Fry (Junior)

John Charles Fry was born on 19th July 1967 in Birmingham. It’s fair to say that he was born into roller speed skating as his father, John Edward Fry, was already a British Champion having won his first of 18 titles a few months earlier in March.

Fry Junior grew up in and around the sport and followed his parents (his mother Ruth being the club secretary) up and down the country but had little interest in the sport personally. In his early years, aged 6 or 7, he would take to the track at Palm Court in the Alexandra Palace with a glut of other children and race a couple of laps around the track. Regardless of place each child would receive a Mars Bar for their efforts.

Aged 12 he went on his first trip abroad to watch his father win a European title at Zandvoorde in Ostende, Belgium. A year later and he found himself in Masterton, New Zealand, as his father competed in a World Championships. Despite these adventures Fry was still not showing any interest in competing himself. He would much rather go off and explore his environment or have fun with other children who found themselves around a track. Unlike Fry, however, many of these youngsters also raced. The likes of Sean McGeough, Tony and Paul Marriott, Ray Sullivan or the Herne Bay lads Ian Ashby and Simon Burgess. Fry would also be taken to his father’s training sessions at places like Mallory Park in Leicestershire, but he would invariably take a school friend and end up playing in the hay bales or the huge structure that housed the lap counter. Competing simply didn’t enter his head. But all that changed when he reached the age of 15.

Fry was always aware that his father had started skating when he himself was 15 and it seemed like an ideal time to give it a go if he was ever going to compete. He trained through the winter of 1982 with the likes of Ronnie Bennett, ‘Little’ Dave Tildesley, Paul Turner, Derrick ‘Del Boy’ Ritchie, John Toy and of course, his father. Those early sessions were all about just keeping up and by April he was ready to race.

Fry’s first competitive event was on 17th April 1983 at the Moselle Leavers Centre on Somerset Road, North London. The event was a Junior Boys 13-15 years 1500m and Fry would qualify for the final as a fastest fourth. In the final he would cross the line in 5th place but the disqualification of Shaun Birch (Herne Bay Flyers) elevated Fry to 4th. Hugh Doggett (Anglia) won the event ahead of Ashley Harlow (Herne Bay Flyers) and Andrew Newton (Fenland), all vying for a place on the junior GB team.

In those days a skater turned senior on their 16th birthday. Fry would do less than ten races as a junior before moving up into the senior ranks. He would only win one race as a junior, an 800m North London event on Tatem Park on 3rd July. In fairness, the elite juniors were all away with the national team so Fry’s victory was not really reflective of his ability at that time. The weekend did, however, result in his first taste of ‘proper’ teamwork as he and fellow Mercia teammate, Richard Hartley, shared the spoils. Having won the 800m Fry worked for Hartley to win the second event, the 3000m.

17th July 1983 was to be Fry’s last race as a junior. It was the Junior Boys 11-15 years 500m British Championship on Palmer Park, Reading. He would get through his heat and into the final and come away with another 4th place. The first four places in Fry’s last junior race were identical to that of Fry’s first junior race with Hugh Doggett being declared Junior British Champion.

The following weekend the British Championships resumed at Tatem Park. Having celebrated his 16th birthday mid-week, Fry suddenly found himself thrust into the senior age group. His first event was the 300m time trial. It’s fair to say that unlike his father, sprinting was not his forte. He would come home 14th out of 22 starters. His time of 30.84 seconds was exactly three seconds behind eventual winner Ian Ashby (Herne Bay Flyers). The next event, the 1500m, didn’t fare much better. Skating in the first heat he would not qualify for the final. Fry was better suited to the last event, the 10000m, and despite a fall he got up and crossed the line in 8th place, elevated to 7th when Ian Ashby was declassified two places. Mick McGeough (Alexandra Palace) would come home victorious winning his 17th and last British title. A few weeks later and Fry headed off to Zandvoorde for his first taste of international racing. He was pretty inconspicuous throughout the weekend but enjoyed the event immensely and the physicality of the competition. Fry believed that with a hard winters training he would be knocking on the door of medals the following year. How wrong he was.

Fry did just a few more races throughout the 1983 season with nothing to write home about. The first race of the 1983-84 season was on 9th October and was again at the Moselle Leavers Centre. For the senior men it was the 1500m handicap for the North London Trophy. Fry was skating off a 75m handicap so had a decent start on the scratch man. With 27 starters there were three heats and Fry would qualify for the final and take the victory. Finishing just behind him was teammate and veteran skater John Toy. Toy, an ex-world record holder, had taken Fry under his wing during training sessions. Toy had previously won the trophy on two occasions himself, 1959 and 1970 and Fry’s victory meant as much to him as it did to the youngster. On the same day was the Invitation Five Mile, an event where the top twelve senior men skaters only are invited to compete. Fry was named as a first reserve, meaning should anyone drop out he would take their place. Unfortunately, all those invited took to the track, but the knowledge that he was considered a reserve boosted his confidence. Winter training started here.

Fry next took to the track on March 18th 1984, for the 1500m Hewitt Cup at Somerset Road. He would easily qualify for the final but would fall leaving him unable to judge his early season performance.

June 2nd saw the grand opening of the Birmingham Wheels track. The surroundings were still very much a quagmire but Birmingham now boasted the very first purpose built banked track in the UK and was soon to be used for the forthcoming Junior European Championships. Fry Senior and John Mullane had been instrumental in getting it built and this was seen as a major leap for the local club.

As the season progressed, however, it was obvious to Fry that he was still very much an ‘also-ran’. There was the odd medal in a relay or a handicap but results were quite sporadic. Qualifying for finals was not a given and any thoughts of an individual medal of any colour was slowly evaporating. He had also taken part in an international competition in Paris in June but struggled to make an impact with 20th being his highest finishing position. On the very last day of the season, 30th September, the remaining British Championships were held. First up was the 5000m 4-man relay and Mercia would finish 2nd behind an elite team from Herne Bay Flyers. Fry was joined with Ronnie Bennett, ex-European Champion John Mullane and his father, Fry Senior. Despite finishing second it was a special moment for Fry to share a podium place with his father. Fry would not get out of his heat in the Jesson Cup handicap but for the final event would come home victorious in the Northern & Midland Counties Championship. It was Fry’s first senior scratch victory but of course, as usual, there was a caveat. The race was made up entirely of Mercia skaters. The only non-Mercia entry, Andy Pullen (Northampton), was a non-starter. Despite there being two heats Mullane and Fry Senior elected not to skate, leaving Fry Junior as the favourite. He did indeed win but was pushed hard all the way by teammate Paul Turner. The biggest thing to happen was that his club, Mercia, changed their name to Birmingham Wheels in the October, but for Fry personally, 1984 came and went with a whimper.

In 1985 he did not really fare much better. In fact, it was almost a carbon copy of the prior year. Fry entered more domestic races than ever and again ventured to the continent. Not even his inclusion in the Invitation Five Mile could bolster his confidence. It was clear, to him at least, that there were plenty of other British skaters simply better than him. He could only manage 3rd in the Northern & Midland Counties, despite it being held on his home track and only having club mates to contend with.

The start of 1986 looked all set to be much of the same. In May, Fry made his now annual pilgrimage to take part in the 50km event in Heverlee, Belgium. Whilst he didn’t come away with any sort of result, he had been skating relatively well, but a couple of falls took him out of the picture. June 22nd was the date set for the Burditt Cup, a North London event over 3000m at Tatem Park. Fry qualified for the final and with a lap and half to go seemed to anticipate a move by the current British Champion and former Junior European Champion, Ashley Harlow (Herne Bay Flyers). The pair drew away and in a sprint to the line Harlow just managed to pip Fry to first place. To many it was just a run of the mill race in a series of many throughout the year, but to Fry it was milestone. After three years of trying he had secured his first ever senior medal in a scratch event. All he needed to do now was ensure it wasn’t a ‘flash-in-the-pan’.

A few weeks later Fry was selected for a forthcoming international to represent Great Britain on a ‘B’ trip. Along with Hugh Doggett, Andrew Newton and Sean McGeough, Fry raced in numerous events across three tracks in Le Mans, Le Lude and Connere in France. His personal performances were fair, but he did help the team secure a few 3rd places in relays and pursuits and achieve 3rd overall. It seemed like Fry was suddenly making progress, albeit in much small amounts than he would have liked.

The first round of the British Championships in 1986 were held at the newly built track in Westbrook Lane, Herne Bay, on the weekend of 19th and 20th July. On the morning of the first day Ashley Harlow’s father, John Harlow, had said to Fry “your dad can’t win unless he is on Birmingham Wheels”. Harlow was known for being outspoken at times and Fry bet him £5 he was wrong. Fry Senior was very much in the twilight of his career and the bet was not a safe one by any means. The first event was the 5000m and Fry Senior duly won. Young Fry was still some distance behind and sauntering to the line when Harlow Senior, true to his word, run onto the track and slapped a £5 note into his hand. It was a nice birthday present, but he would have preferred a medal. He wouldn’t have to wait long.

The following day was the 1500m (which Fry Senior again won – his last of a then record 18 senior men’s British titles) followed by the 10000m. Fry would cross the line in 4th place but the disqualification of 2nd placed skater Andrew Newton (Fenland) meant Fry would be placed 3rd. It was his first individual British Championship medal.

1986 also saw the emergence of another skater from the junior ranks, Tony Marriott. He had been winning everything there was to win as a junior and in August he turned 16 and subsequently made his way into the senior ranks. On 27th September on the Birmingham Wheels track it was the last round of British Championships and the last event of the season. In the Jesson Cup 1500m handicap Marriott would win whilst Fry and Sean McGeough (Alexandra Palace) were dead heated for 2nd. Together, this trio would also make a mark internationally but that was still a few years away. Fry also won the Northern & Midland Counties for his second (and final) time.

In October 1986 (for the 1986-87 season) Ian Ashby joined the Birmingham Wheels club from Herne Bay. Ashby had found work in Birmingham and found himself a place to live within walking distance of Fry. Suddenly Fry had a training partner his own age and someone who he believed was on a similar level. Ashby was considered a sprinter and had already won a British title, been part of the British team and broken an unofficial World Record, so ‘similar level’ may have been a bit of an over statement. That said, in November the duo entered a 2-man relay on the Southend rink and came home with the trophy.

The pair trained together through the winter and came into 1987 full of positivity. On 1st March a squad session was held at Tatem Park and both Fry and Ashby were invited. Ashby fared better than Fry but it was still early season, so no panic.

A week later the Birmingham Wheels club held an indoor event at Rollerworld in Derby. The club had used the facility extensively throughout the winter and had managed to get a sponsor for the event, Labatt’s Beer. The sponsor put up a prize of £1200 in holiday vouchers for the winner which attracted a big entry of 32 skaters in the senior men’s category and all of the major names were present. Ten skaters lined up in two rows for the final which included Fry.

During the draw for positions Fry had drawn the back row whilst Ashby had drawn the front. The pair knew that in training Fry had tended to get away the quickest and invariably was first to the bend. The pair switched tokens putting Fry on the front row, the idea being that Fry would get the start and Ashby would slot in behind him and cover his back. The plan worked perfectly.

Fry hit the front from the gun and Ashby sat directly behind him. The race was over 30 laps and as Fry upped the pace the gap between him and Ashby started to widen.  Realising the danger those behind Ashby tried their hardest to get past but Ashby blocked them at every move. Eventually Fry was almost a half lap up and try as they might, the likes of Harlow, Marriott and Richard Hartley could not pass Ashby. To be fair his tactics were somewhat suspect as he bobbed and weaved his way around preventing any pass to take place. Eventually Ashby started to tire and an attack by Marriott one way and Hartley the other meant that they would get past and give chase. By now there were not many laps left and Marriott chased Fry down like a man possessed. Fry also began to tire and the bell for the last lap could not come quick enough for him. Fry crossed the line just ahead of Marriott. Another lap and it would have been Marriott standing on the top step. Ashby, for his efforts, was naturally disqualified and Ashley Harlow declassified three places.

As the skaters rolled around John Harlow shouted to Fry from the stands that he wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for Ashby. Fry responded by telling Harlow that he agreed and that they would split the winnings 50-50. It’s fair to say his response did not go down too well.

Immediately after the event Fry Senior made the comment to one onlooker “money doesn’t make you fast…it makes you first”. The race was also held during a break in a general public session so there was a ready-made crowd and an electric atmosphere. One such member of the public was a 15 year old skater called Sutton Atkins. By his own later admission, he was so enthused by what he saw that day that he set up his own club so he could also compete. Atkins went on to be one of the most successful roller speed skaters ever produced by Great Britain.

Fast forward to June and Fry was now starting to be seen as a half decent skater. He was regularly attending squad sessions, making finals and taking the odd medal but still wasn’t showing any real consistency, unlike Marriott and Harlow and even Ashby. On 7th June was the prestigious Clarke Trophy event at Tatem Park. Fry Senior had a bit of a ‘love affair’ with the trophy having won it no fewer than five times previously. Mrs. Clarke once suggested she may have to let him keep it, but of course that didn’t happen.

Fry, as usual now, made the final and at around half distance made a break away with teammate Ashby. Fry knew that if it came down to a sprint finish, he would not be in the reckoning with the likes of Harlow in the mix. After several laps Ashby tired but Fry still continued to put some distance between himself and the chasing group. Eventually he came round to lap the pack and he knew his victory was secured in this prestigious event. Harlow would finish second and Fry Senior take the bronze.

Fry’s performances, both in squad and racing, had him thinking that there may be a slight chance of making the British team this year but it wasn’t to be. However, his teammate Ashby was selected, along with Harlow, Marriott, Doggett, Tooke and his father, Fry Senior. Fry was disappointed but deep down he was not ready. In fact, his performances in the British Championships in July would vindicate that.

When domestic racing resumed in September Fry had hit some sort of form. He had victories at Birmingham Wheels and also, more importantly (for him at least), he would win the Invitation Five Mile on Tatem Park. This victory meant that Fry became the only skater to have won the Clarke Trophy and the Invite 5 in the same domestic season. And yet a British Championship still eluded him.

The first race of the 1987-88 season opened with an indoor event on 14th November hosted by the newly formed Derby Rollerspeed club at Rollerworld, Derby. Fry was again victorious as he was a month later at the Anglia event at the Hudson Sports Centre.

1988 presented an opportunity for Fry to step out of the limelight of his father. Fry senior had been a staple inclusion of the British team since 1969. He was a multiple European Champion, a multiple World medallist and had won a record number of Senior Men’s British Championships. He was one of, if not arguably the most successful British skaters ever to have graced a track. After the World Championships in Grenoble in 1987 Fry Senior called it a day internationally. He was also winding down on his domestic events and focusing more on coaching the club which would reap huge benefits for all those under his guidance. It’s fair to say that Fry had always had a vision of sharing a place on the British team with his father, but that ship had now sailed and he needed to focus on his own skating career. His goal was to make the team this year, and now he firmly believed that was possible.

Setting out a plan to achieve his goal Fry would revamp his training regime. Now with his father’s full attention it was not unheard of to train in the morning and race in the afternoon. In fact, on one particular occasion in March he raced the Wisbech Half Marathon in the morning, got in the car and raced in an NSA event at the Granby Halls in Leicester in the afternoon.

In April, Fry was part of a Great Britain ‘B’ team that competed in Rouen, France. On the first day the rain was incessant and in the 10000m Fry fell heavily very early in the race. He continued to chase the pack for the remainder of the race virtually skating the full distance on his own refusing to let himself be lapped.

Between April and June, Fry was now placing in most domestic events. He was still playing second fiddle to Marriott and Harlow but he was a lot closer to these guys and thought of himself as the next best.  On 26th June, during the second day of a weekend squad session at Finsbury Park, the British team was announced and Fry was in. Assistant Manager Jim Palfrey would later tell Fry that the Team Manager and selector, Dai Davis, had pretty much made his mind up on Fry after his performance in Rouen. It was now time to put in some real hard work.

Earlier in the year the NSA announced that they were to hold the first ever Indoor British Championship at Leicester’s Granby Halls over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd July, and it was to be televised. On the morning of the first day Fry went out and did a 20 mile bike ride before heading off for Leicester and competing in the 2000m heats and semi-final. He was last away from the gun in his semi-final but just managed to scrape through to the final to be held the following day. The next day Fry went out on another 20 mile bike ride, this time joined by former European Champion Patrick Feetham. Again, mid-morning Fry headed off to Leicester to compete in the 2000m final. He would come away with a bronze medal and gold in the 2-man relay with teammate Ian Ashby. It was a fairly successful weekend but his priority remained on the forthcoming European Championships in August, now just weeks away.

The Outdoor British Championships were then held over the next two weekends, both of them at Tatem Park in London. Fry would be the only member of the British team to walk away without a British title. In fact, he was the only team member to not take an individual medal of any colour. It was a huge disappointment and a significant wake up call for him.

Fry’s first outing in a full GB skinsuit was the European 10000m on the road in Gujan-Mestras, France. He was racing well but with just a few laps to go he fell. Marriott would secure a silver medal behind the Italian, Sarto. The following day was the 10000m elimination. This time Fry put in a poor performance, coming in a lowly 14th. The final day of the road was the 10000m 3-man relay. Along with Tony Marriott and Sean McGeough the team came home 4th. In reality the team were more than capable of a medal but Fry, skating on the same lap as Luca Bagnolini (Italy) gave the Italian far too much credit. The race was wet and the Belgian, French and German teams had started to pull away whilst Fry sat behind Bagnolini fully expecting him to catch the gap back. After all, he was Italian and in Fry’s mind they were far superior to any other team. It was a naïve thought and in fact, the opposite was true. Bagnolini blew a gasket and by the time Fry reacted and went around him the gap was reducing but too big to close. A euphoric Belgium took the title closely followed by France and Germany. Britain had to make do with 4th place and Fry blamed himself for a missed opportunity.

After a rest day came the track. Fry was put in the 5000m on the first day and again was racing well until two laps to go when he fell (again!). This time it was a big crash and Fry hit the deck right in the middle of the racing line on the parabolic track, cutting his head in the process. Racing continued and believing his son to be in danger Fry Senior jumped the barrier and tried to protect Fry from the oncoming skaters. As an official tried to remove Fry Senior from the scene an altercation ensued. In the aftermath Fry was taken to hospital to receive stitches whilst Fry Senior received a reprimand from the European Confederation and a three month ban (in principle) from European competition.

On day two of the track Dai Davis, the Team Manager, insisted that Fry was in no fit state to compete despite his protestations. Davis believed Fry still showed signs of concussion and dropped him from the distance events of that day. It was a huge blow to Fry as distance skating was his forte. As a compromise Davis suggested that Fry could skate the 1500m the following day and depending on how he performed would depend on whether he thought him fit for the relay.

On the third and final day Fry skated in his heat of the 1500m and surprisingly, not least of all to himself, he qualified for the final. The final comprised of nine skaters – three Italians, three French, two Spanish and Fry. He would place 5th and as a result was told he could skate the relay later that day, the last event of the competition.

Again, the British team consisted of Fry, McGeough and Marriott. McGeough started who then pushed Fry and in turn pushed Marriott. This order meant that Fry would skate the last lap and found himself up against former World Champion, Franck Peyron (France) and current World Champion, Oscar Galliazzo (Italy).

As the race unfolded Italy and France started to pull away and were almost half a lap up on the field. The chasing nations were Germany, Spain and Belgium with Britain just sitting in. Then on one of the changeovers Galliazzo caught someone else’s skate and was upended. The Italians were out and France now had a commanding lead much to the joy of the partisan crowd. Then, in the chasing group the Spanish tired and dropped off the back. Britain were now sitting in 4th place. Suddenly Belgium too dropped just leaving the Germans to chase. The gap was getting smaller with every lap but Britain still sat in. In Fry’s head he could now see a bronze medal. Then the unthinkable happened. As Fry came in for a changeover McGeough completely missed him. McGeough carried on for another lap whilst Fry sheepishly stepped off the track hoping that nobody had seen the error. This now meant that should Britain be allowed to continue it was McGeough who would complete the last lap for the team and not Fry.

Germany had now closed the gap completely on France and at the very moment the French were caught Fry Senior ran from the stands to the barrier where the changeovers were taking place and shouted “go straight round them”.  Almost immediately the German team dropped back just leaving Britain and France to battle it out. There were still in the region of 15 laps to go and Britain hit the front whilst the French now sat behind them. The earlier changeover error now meant that Fry was skating against Frank Mallard and McGeough now had Peyron to contend with. Marriott who had previously had Mallard was now battling Serge Garderes. It was now a two horse race between Britain and France.

Mallard was by far the weakest link in the French team and Fry was managing to gap him on the bends. Mallard was taking smelling salts in between changeovers trying to regain his composure whilst Garderes was slowly pulling back Marriott and Peyron simply sat behind McGeough. And that is how each lap played out for the remainder of the race. As the bell rung for the last lap Marriott pushed McGeough and Garderes pushed Peyron. The former World Champion again sat behind McGeough. Fry was convinced, as did the watching thousands in the crowd, that it would be a silver medal for Britain and inevitable that Peyron would overtake the young Brit. As the lap unfolded Peyron still did not make a move. Both skaters exited the last bend and entered the final straight, McGeough sprinting for the line. Incredibly Peyron still did not make a move and McGeough crossed the line throwing his arms aloft. Suddenly a thought flashed into Fry’s mind that there was actually another lap to go. He ran onto the track screaming at McGeough to push him for another lap. McGeough just looked at him blankly and seconds later Marriot joined them both and with a manic look shouted “guys…we’ve just fucking won!!” He was not wrong.

There was disbelief around the stadium. In fact, Assistant Team Manager Jim Palfrey ran to the judges in the middle stating the obvious “the bell rang…it was the last lap…Britain crossed the line first”. The judges just looked at him with an air of confusion and simply said “yes…Great Britain won”.

Fry Senior was also unconvinced that the result was not clear cut and told the trio of skaters to roll around and “milk it”. In other words, make out that the result was valid. The three skaters did just that and rolled around with their arms aloft but it wasn’t needed. Great Britain were European Champions.

Quite why Peyron never moved is a mystery, although the most plausible explanation is that he was confused by the missed changeover. Having previously been skating against Fry he now found himself pitted against McGeough. It’s quite possible that he thought there to be another lap. But all that is irrelevant. At just 21 years of age Fry was the oldest member of the relay team and along with McGeough and Marriott was now a European Relay Champion. It would be another 16 years before Britain would win another gold medal at a major international event.

Soon after the European Championships came the World Championships in Cassano d’Adda, Italy. In Fry’s first World Championship he was first to run in the first event, the 300m time trial. Sprinting was not his thing and he would finish a lowly 34th. In fact, his performances at these championships were pretty non-descript. After the euphoria of a European relay victory the World Championships bought him back down to earth. The European nations had moved up a gear and as he found out, the rest of the world wasn’t too bad either.

The following year Fry had cemented himself as GB’s number two behind Marriott. Ashley Harlow was no longer the force he once was and would quit later that year and the likes of Doggett and Tooke had now been caught up. Marriott had a smooth technique and looked effortless when sprinting, whereas Fry had strength and sustained speed but struggled to accelerate. Marriott was already a multiple British Champion and multiple European medalist and try as he might, Fry simply did not have the tools to beat him, not regularly at least.

In 1989 Fry continued his progress, winning a number of events and regularly placing in the top two or three. The World Championships were scheduled for November and it was announced that due to expense only three skaters, two male and one female, would be selected. Despite having competed in the European Championships in the Azores in August, Fry’s place on the world team was not a given. The final selection would be announced at a team trials weekend in Birmingham on 16th and 17th September. The whole weekend consisted of pursuits and relays and no distance shorter than 3000m. It suited Fry down to the ground and at the end the team was announced. He was in.

The 1990 domestic season was similar to the previous one for Fry. He was now well established and was again selected for the European team for Inzell, Germany. Also selected was an 18 year old Sutton Atkins who had shown good form throughout the season. Britain elected not to send a team to the World Championships which were in Barrancabermeja, Colombia, believing it to be too dangerous. Fry was less than impressed and thought it a cop-out, especially as much of the rest of the world made an appearance.

One could argue that 1991 was Fry’s best year both domestically and internationally when analysing performances. In April, Fry took his first individual victory in an international by winning the 10000m in Rouen, France. At the British Championships at Tatem Park in early July he single handedly took on a strong North London team that consisted of Marriott, Adrian Wordsworth and David McFarlane. Up to this point Marriott had pretty much been a lone skater but with Wordsworth and McFarlane now joining him North London were indeed formidable. Fry came close on several occasions to beating the guys and winning a title, but each time he just came up short.

The 1991 World Championships in Zandvoorde, Belgium, also heralded Fry’s best results. He would cross the line 9th in the 10000m points event and skate the last lap for the British team to come home 5th in the relay alongside Wordsworth and McFarlane.

As 1992 approached Fry was fully aware that he had been competing for almost a decade and had still to win an individual British title. By contrast, Marriott had been so dominant and already had 15 titles to his name (soon to be 16) but recent illnesses meant he was not in great form. Sutton Atkins, however, was starting to establish himself as another skater to beat, at least domestically.

Marriott had been a lone skater for some time whereas Fry had sometimes had a team around him. The likes of Simon Davis, Andrew Lyndon, Rob Shemsan and a young Chris Stafford all worked hard to try and get a win for Birmingham Wheels. Knowing that Marriott had both strength and speed the Birmingham Wheels team would put in attack after attack and try and break the North London skater. Most of Fry’s victories over Marriott came from these tactics. He knew if it came down to a one on one sprint it would invariably result in just one outcome. A victory for Marriott. Marriott would always give chase to these attacks and more often than not would pull the gap back and go on to win. However, at one particular event on Birmingham Wheels, Atkins sat in the pack watching all this unfold. He sat patiently and waited to pick his moment. When it looked like the others were spent he put in his own effort that took him clear. Not even Marriott could catch him. Suddenly there was another eventuality and another skater for Fry to consider.

The first round of the 1992 British Championships were at Birmingham Wheels, Fry’s home track, on 20th and 21st June. The first event was the 300m time trial. As usual Fry was not expecting anything from the event. After all, it was the only British Championship event he had never taken a medal in. In fact, he was lucky if he ever broke into the top ten, although he had taken silver medals in the 500m. Sprinting simply wasn’t his thing and nor would it continue to be. However, in the time trial Atkins would take his first British title, a full ten places ahead of Fry. To make matters worse Atkins would also go on and win the 1500m and the sprinter, Errol Spence (Northampton), would take the 10000m. The following day, Fry’s teammate, Chris Ampaduh would win the 500m. The weekend was turning out to be a disaster. Fry did not qualify for the 500m final and watched from the sidelines. As Ampaduh crossed the line Fry turned to his teammate Simon Davis and dejectedly stated “I can’t believe it…Chris is a British Champion before me”. Davis, in his usual unsympathetic manner rolled his eyes and simply responded, “oh here we go”.

For the next event, the 5000m, the Birmingham Wheels team decided they needed to do something different. Rather than attack they would go to the front and keep a sustained pace, giving one of them a lead out. Only Fry, Davis and Stafford were really capable of this and the trio drew lots for who they would set up to try and take the victory. Fry got the nod.

The first half of the race unfolded pretty uneventfully, then with around 10 laps remaining the trio of skaters moved to the front, Stafford first, followed by Davis and then Fry. Stafford gradually took the pace up to prevent any attacks from the opposition. With four laps to go he was spent and moved over to let Davis take up the running. Davis increased the pace further with Fry on his back. Behind them there was mayhem in the pack as skaters jostled for positions recognising what was unfolding. As they approached the bell for the last lap Sean McGeough made a move on the outside. Davis moved wide to let Fry through and stopped McGeough dead in his tracks. Fry was left with the last lap and sprinted down the back straight. Behind him was sprinter and new 10000m champion Spence. As they came out of the last bend it was a straight race for the line. Fry stretched and won, Spence just inches behind. Fry’s relief was immeasurable. He had his Championship. As Marriott crossed the line, he congratulated Fry and lifted his arm aloft. The pair had never really been on the best of terms for obvious reasons, but this sporting gesture wasn’t lost on Fry.

As the World Championships in Rome approached it was announced that the use of inlines would be allowed for the first time. At the World Championships in 1991 Fry Senior had noticed Doug Glass (USA) was training on inlines. A discussion ensued and Glass told him that everyone in America was now using these. Immediately Fry Senior set about getting inline skates for the Birmingham Wheels club and integrated their use into some of the training sessions. He firmly believed that the sport would soon evolve. He was right. In Rome Fry would use inlines to great effect. He would qualify for the 10000m points final and come home 15th in the new marathon event. Despite this, the British federation were still reluctant to see them used in domestic competitions.

On October 4th, a month after the World Championships, Fry took part in an unsanctioned event, the Humber Marathon. It was a gruelling 26 mile course that took the athletes from Hull to Grimsby across the Humber Bridge. Fry decided that he would skate the course on inlines whereas all other skaters opted for the traditional quad skates. Fry crossed the line a full 20 minutes ahead of the next skater. In fact, such was the unexpected speed difference that when he approached the finish line, they had only just finished setting up the gantry.

1993 was to be an eventful year for Fry for all the wrong reasons. In April he had attended the ‘Trois Pistes’ event in France to skate on the track for the forthcoming European Championships in July. In May he had entered the Belgian Inline Championships at Kessel-Lo in Louvain as further preparation, but he was struggling for form. Fry just scraped into the team for the European Championships by the skin of his teeth and although he would finish the best out of the British contingent, his place on the team for the World Championships in Colorado, USA, was far from certain.

Mick McGeough was now chief coach and selector and held a training session at Tatem Park for the team prior to the European Championships. Also in the team was Sutton Atkins. A disagreement between Fry and Atkins resulted in an altercation and the pair had to be separated. The team returned on 26th July and on Sunday 1st August the British Federation of Roller Skating (BFRS) held their AGM at Lilleshall Sports Centre. Afterwards the BFRS Roller Speed Committee held a separate meeting. Fry had attended the AGM and was now milling around outside the venue with some other skaters who had also been to the AGM. It soon became apparent that they were standing outside an open window to the meeting room where the Committee were holding their meeting. Naturally Fry and the others thought it would be fun to eavesdrop, but what was discussed would drop a bombshell. It was proposed and accepted by the Committee that due to the events of Tatem Park Fry was to receive a nine month ban from all competition. This was a huge blow and would mean that Fry was not eligible for selection for the forthcoming World Championships. Fry returned home unsure of what to do next.

Fry had previously been notified that the team selection for Colorado Springs would take place at a trials session at Tatem Park on Sunday 8th August. On Friday 6th August Fry received his letter formally notifying him of his ban. Fry travelled to London and turned up to the trials armed with a letter of appeal. In his letter he made reference that according to the rules, until his appeal was heard he believed he should be able to take part in the trial session. A number of the BFRS Committee were present who discussed the matter and it was agreed that Fry could take part.

At some point in the trial Fry was talking to Errol Spence who let it be known that he was using this as a training session and had no intention of going to the World Championships. On the start line for the next distance Fry asked McGeough if he thought it right that there were skaters present who had no intention of being selected. He raised the concern that one of these skaters might injure or impede another skater who wants to make themselves available for selection and didn’t believe this to be fair. McGeough asked the assembled skaters “who here doesn’t want to go to the World Championships?” A number of hands were raised, and surprisingly one of them was McGeough’s own son, Sean. It was an awkward moment and McGeough Senior told the assembled skaters to just roll around the track whilst he spoke to the other members of the BFRS Committee that were present. After a few minutes the skaters were all called together and had it explained to them that McGeough had resigned his role as had three other members of the Committee with immediate effect. Chloe Ronaldson, the Chairman of the BFRS Roller Speed Committee, was also present and was asked what should happen now? She asked those skaters present who did want to go to the World Championships. Fry, Adrian Wordsworth, Ian Ashby, Michael McInerney, Bidhan Roy, Robert Rose and Alison Hartley all raised their hands. (Roy and Hartley would later withdraw). Ronaldson’s response was “well…there’s your team”. Fry’s appeal was never heard and his nine month ban was never served.

Throughout 1993 and 1994 Fry found it increasingly difficult to hit or maintain any sort of form. For a number of years he had juggled work and his further education commitments with his attempts at skating success. Not only was he in full time employment but he was also studying for an Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering. As the intensity of that increased he was finding it difficult to get the balance right. He was becoming a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none. By the time he made the British team for the 1994 World Championships in Gujan-Mestras, France, he also now had a partner who was expecting their first child and the pressure was mounting.

Fry was only selected to race in the track events, by now all races were on inlines. He had limited performances but he did manage to make the semi-finals of the 1500m, a race eventually won by a 16 year old newcomer by the name of Chad Hedrick (USA).

For the marathon the British team could enter up to eight skaters. In the build up to the event Adrian Wordsworth had secured a number of sets of what were believed to be “the wheel” for the event, Hyper Shocks, and was prepared to dish these out to the British team. The Hyper Shock was a relatively new type of wheel that had a pre-tensioned rubber band buried inside the urethane. It was believed to provide extra rebound and ultimately more roll for these long distance events. Unfortunately for Fry, when he approached Wordsworth, it appeared he was late to the party and all the sets had gone. Disappointingly this meant Fry had to opt for a different type of wheel, the inferior Labeda. Or at least that was the general perception. Curt Labeda was sponsoring Fry at the time and had provided him with a set of prototype low-profile frames to use at the Championships. Fry was happy to do so, but having the correct wheels was a different matter.

Around the half way stage Fry crossed paths with Wordsworth and the two discussed how they were feeling. Wordsworth was feeling the pace but Fry stated he still felt quite fresh. It appeared that the Labeda wheel was working much better than the Hyper Shock. As the race entered the stadium which would conclude with a lap of the road circuit, Fry was well up with the leading group. He would cross the line in a bunch sprint just seconds behind eventual winner Derek Parra (USA). In winning Parra set a new World Record whilst Fry’s time would be a new British Record, although that was still to be established.

Shortly after his return from France Fry injured his back to the point that he was bed bound for some time. Some months earlier his club President, Leon Goodchild, had given him a series of old NSA handbooks that dated from the early 1950’s up until 1969. It appeared that in each of these handbooks was published the current British records as recognised by the NSA for that year as well as a list of every British Champion since the sport was formally recognised in 1894. In 1970 to reduce costs the handbook was vastly reduced in size and the list of records and indeed past British Champions ceased to be published. It was now almost 25 years later and having always been one for data and analysis Fry felt that he had to do something about it. Whilst still a challenge, generating a list of champions was easier than determining British records. Over the next 18 months Fry painstakingly researched old handbooks, old results and old race programmes to support his project. By the end of it he had a list of British records for each age group. Whilst he could not vouch 100% accuracy for that initial list due to records having not been kept for many years, he felt it could still be used as a baseline for future records to be established. He sent his proposal and data to the BFRS, the forerunner to the Federation of Inline Skating (FISS), who duly accepted the proposal and which is still used to this day for British record recognition.

In 1995 Fry knew that his time was almost up. He made it known he was not up for selection for the European Championships in Spain and he had made his mind up that should he be selected, the World Championships in Perth, Australia, would be his last. Fry was selected but his performances were mediocre at best. He completed the marathon and stepping off the circuit decided it was time to call it a day.

Fry eventually moved to Milton Keynes and threw himself into work. He still attended race meetings but was now enjoying commentating on races rather than taking part.

In 1997 former teammate Chris Stafford made it known that he was up for selection for the World Championships in Mar del Plata, Argentina, should Britain wish to send a team. The BFRS were originally reluctant as they could not provide a manager or delegate. Hearing of this, Fry offered his services and together with Stafford made his way to South America.

In early 1999 Fry received an invite from the South African federation to send a delegation to Johannesburg and Pretoria for an international competition. He approached the BFRS who suggested that he take a mix of junior and senior skaters for the experience as a Great Britain ‘B’ team. They agreed and Fry took away a team that consisted of Chris Orgill, Jamie Flanagan, Adrian King and Sutton Atkins. On their return the BFRS asked Fry if he was willing to take on the vacant position of National Team Manager. Fry accepted and set about organising squad sessions and further international ‘B’ trips for the British squad. During one such session Fry and Atkins once again disagreed on how things should be conducted. It was well known that there was no love lost between the duo but this time it was Fry who held the ace, or so he believed. In no uncertain terms Fry told Atkins that he was now in charge and that Atkins should either toe the line or ship out.

On 9th May at Birmingham Wheels race event Fry was called to a meeting with the (now) FISS Committee about a petition they had received. The petition was signed by a number of people that stated Fry was not fit to be Team Manager and that his methods were “too dictatorial”. Fry told the Committee to back him and leave it with him and that he would deal with it. The Committee were torn believing that Fry might cut his nose off to spite his face. Sensing their reluctance Fry made the decision for them and resigned.

Fry immediately reflected on whether he should have or could have done things differently. The answer was ‘possibly’, but it was irrelevant now. He was out of the picture and a new Team Manager would have to be appointed. The whole scenario stung Fry and within days he decided that he wanted to prove a point. His belief was that this current generation of skaters, barring one or two, were blinded by their own domestic successes. He was of the opinion that they did not have what it took to be successful on an international stage. Membership numbers in Britain were low and he felt that many thought they had a God given right to be on the team. He wanted to set out and prove that if an old has been like himself could rub shoulders with them, what hope had they got against the European and World elite. Fry dusted down his skates and started to train once more.

Throughout the winter of 1999 he set himself a training program. He even reconciled briefly with FISS and agreed to be Team Manager, again to lone skater Chris Stafford, for the World Championships in Santiago, Chile. In early 2000 he entered the indoor series. Now skating for Team Verducci, on 23rd January at the Rollerdrome in Leicester Fry once again stood on the podium for the first time in five years. Following on from that he went and raced in South Africa.

Fry’s teammate, Chris Stafford, was now recognised as the British number one. In March, Fry and Stafford secured a silver medal in the Indoor British Relay Championship at the N.E.C. Birmingham. To be fair, Fry had been carried by Stafford for much of the race but the feeling of having a medal around the neck was still an enjoyable one.

After a long lay-off Fry was beginning to find his form again. Obviously at 32 that was now relative. On 1st May at a squad session at Tatem Park the GB team was announced for the forthcoming European Championships in Latina, Italy. Not only was Fry back in the team but he was given the accolade of team captain. In June, however, he very nearly scuppered all the hard work that he had put in.

The British Championships were held on Palmer Park, Reading on 25th June, just days before the team were to leave for the European Championships. There had been some animosity between Team Verducci and Team Salomon that had been brewing for some time. It had largely been between Stafford and the other Salomon members. Stafford was strong and successful and the Salomon team worked collectively hard to disrupt him, and on occasion were successful. This invariably led to some ill feelings between the clubs, but Fry, not really in that league, had largely been unaffected by it. During the 10000m elimination Fry was sprinting for the line in his bid not to be eliminated. Alongside him was a Team Salomon skater. He beat Fry to the line and Fry was eliminated. At that point the Salomon skater turned his head and whilst waving said “bye bye Fry”. Goaded, Fry responded, perhaps somewhat childishly, by saying “I’ll see you in Latina…oh I forgot…you’re not going are you?” (it was widely known that the skater had fallen foul of the selectors and was not included in the team due to concerns over his perceived poor attitude). The skater spat on Fry. Incensed Fry chased after the group and threatened to “knock him out”. The incident was an unsavoury spectacle for the many skaters, parents and children who witnessed it, and both skaters were severely reprimanded.

The European Championships came and went. Fry’s performances were mediocre to poor but he believed that after a five year lay-off this was to be expected and should be used as a stepping stone. Britain would not send a team to the World Championships in 2000 (Colombia) so Fry focused once more on his training. In August he travelled to Germany and took part in the HEW Classic cycle race in Hamburg, Germany. He completed the 170km course in just over 4 ½ hours. A week later he raced the Zandvoorde International.

In 2001, Fry was once again having some domestic success. Not quite the same as he had enjoyed ten years earlier, but enough to make him want to keep going. He went and raced in Mar del Plata, Argentina and on his return was once again taking the odd domestic medal. He even won a Category 1 event at Tatem Park beating Britain’s current elite, almost 15 years his junior. The danger was Fry was now starting to fall into the same trap that his competition had fallen into. That he believed he was better than he actually was. After the events of May 1999, he had set out to prove a point, to himself at least, that Britain’s current elite were full of self-importance and delusions of grandeur regarding international competition. He now believed he had made that point, but rather than stop he failed to recognise that he too would suffer the same fate at the hands of the world’s elite should he continue.

Fry started to prepare as he had done the year previous. He made it known that he did not wish to be considered for selection for the European Championships in Portugal. Instead, he wished to focus on the World Championships in Valence d’Agen, France in September. He was again selected and again made team captain. By way of preparation Fry was selected to represent Great Britain as a ‘B’ team at the forthcoming Zandvoorde International.

On Friday 10th August he took part in the first event, an 8000m race. Fry wouldn’t get to half distance before he was caught and lapped off on the 200m track. The disappointment hit him hard. He stepped of the track and immediately called his father to tell him it was over. Fry Senior responded that “when the call comes it is usually loud and clear”. Fry went and informed his Team Manager, Alan Moore, and did not take any further part in the weekend. Moore understood but suggested he sleep on it.

Fry returned home and a week later once again took part in the HEW Classic in Hamburg. This time he would stop after just 110km. He continued to train and even managed a victory in the 10000m points race on Birmingham Wheels. Feeling a bit refreshed Fry made the call to Alan Moore and asked that if permitted could he still join the team in France and just take part in the World Championship 84km (52 mile) Double Marathon? Moore agreed and Fry donned the GB skinsuit for one last time.

The World Championships started on 8th September on the track. Fry kept himself ticking over by early morning skate sessions and then on the final day of the track the world was rocked by the events of 911. It was a testing time, especially as there was a nearby military airport and nobody knew what was going on or what the consequences might be. Despite this the Championships continued.

On September 16th it was time for the last event, the Double Marathon. It was two laps of a 42km circuit with steep hills, both up and down. Juniors and Seniors were mixed. On the start line Fry looked around. He looked at one particular junior skater and thought “I’m sure I raced your dad”. The gun went and it was immediately a race down a very steep hill with a sharp left hand turn at the bottom. Not all skaters managed to get round unscathed but Fry managed to cling on. Very soon he was dropping further and further back. At around the 20km mark there were very few skaters visible in front of him. He looked behind him and a few yards back was the ‘meat wagon’, the vehicle that picked up stragglers. In that one moment Fry thought “what on earth am I doing?” He stopped, turned around and climbed into the van. He removed his skates and his international career was now well and truly over.

A week after that event was the British Marathon Championships at Hillingdon. Fry put his skates on but there was no real desire to compete. It was cold, wet and windy. He did just four laps and walked away from competition for good. Well, almost.

Shortly after his return from France, Fry attended a roller disco at a local leisure centre. There, he and fellow Verducci skater Alexandra Geen, noticed a young lad whizzing around and looking very skilful on his skates. Fry approached him and asked if he would like to race. That youngster was Danny Cox. Cox asked if his mates could also come along and very quickly Fry found himself coaching a number of local youngsters that included Cox, his younger brother Lewis, Steve Ketteridge, David ‘Harry’ Butler, Roger Clarke as well as a former junior skater, Alice Dobell. The youngsters all enjoyed success winning British titles and medals and suddenly Fry had a means with which to enjoy success once again.

By 2003 Fry was part of the FISS Committee. Believing the current British Championship format was outdated he put a proposal together. He stated that there should be an equal number of races for women as there were for men and that the Northern & Midland Counties and Southern Counties Championships (which were only open to senior men) should be scrapped. The trophies could be reallocated to British Championship events that had no trophy awarded. The FISS Committee accepted his proposal and equality was finally bought into the sport for the first time since the first female British Championship was competed for some 80 years earlier.

On 19th October 2005 Fry went to watch a race meeting in Ipswich held by FISS as part of their Indoor Series. Entry numbers were low and Fry just happened to have his skates with him. He entered on the day for fun and was placed in Category 2 with Dan Ibbotson, Robert McDonald and Alice Dobell. After the three race event Fry secured the overall bronze medal. Leaving the track he commented “I have just been given a run for my money by a girl, a 15 year old boy and an ex ballet dancer!” Fry never put his skates on competitively again.

For a number of years Fry was recognised as the Records Officer for FISS and was consulted regularly for matters corresponding to the attainment of British Records. He had set up the system for FISS some ten years earlier and was now administering it. He took a brief hiatus in 2007 when a new FISS Committee was appointed, but their administration of the records was haphazard and Fry picked it up once again.

In 2019 Fry noted that one record claim by a young skater was an unrealistic achievement and was actually faster than the current senior world record. Fry made reference to this on a Facebook page which in hindsight may not have been the most sensible thing to do with social media being what it is. The father of the young skater simply wrote the word “C**T”. Fry was amused by the irony in that single statement. The father may well have had a point and he may well have been correct, after all some of his fiercest rivals had the guts to say it to his face. But in that very instant Fry decided that it was time to let someone else take up the mantle. This was not his generation.

Fry now focuses on the history and historical records of the sport, primarily within Great Britain, but also with a nod to world and European competition, purely for his own pleasure. His passion (obsession) means he spends days on end in the British Library or trawling the internet for anything to do with British skating history. He also interviews past heroes of the sport, some now sadly no longer with us, firmly believing in capturing these people’s experiences for posterity. His belief has always been that “without their history there will be no future”.

Fry also has a huge collection of memorabilia ranging from World Championship jerseys and medals, old trophies, old race programs dating back to the 1920’s and all manner of skating artefacts that some would question “why exactly?” He is widely recognised globally for his work and can still be seen on occasion on the international circuit sharing a laugh and a joke with those he once competed against.

Fry was never the best skater in the country, he always seemed to play second fiddle whether that be to Tony Marriott or Sutton Atkins or indeed anyone else who believes they were better than him. With a single European relay gold medal, a single British Championship and a single British record he certainly doesn’t class himself as a legend. In fact, the famous Bill Begg once jokingly remarked that he wasn’t fit to wear his dad’s underpants. There may be some truth in that statement but he always wanted to be the best he could be. Whether he achieved that is something that only he will know.

What is certain is that Fry was fortunate enough to rub shoulders with some real legends of the sport, firstly through his father with the likes of Cantarella, Crucciani, Begg, Subiledt, Van Cauwenburghe, Lambrechts and such like. And then through his own racing exploits where he could claim to have stepped onto the same track and raced with the likes of Kaiser, Van Patter, Van de Perre, Di Persio, Sarto, Galliazzo, Giannini, Sanfratello, Dante and Tony Muse, Parra, Hedrick, Escobar, Guillermo and Jorge Botero, Gicquel, Whyte… the list goes on and on. Many of these he can claim to call friends and all without exception held a passion for the sport.

Often outspoken, sometimes confrontational and with arguably a hint of arrogance, his once adrenalin fuelled competitiveness with what he believed were his fiercest rivals has since mellowed into mutual respect. Despite this he still has a burning passion for the sport that he was literally born into. After almost six decades of involvement Fry continues to have his say and push the sport to be better for the benefit of all and not just a chosen few. And he has no desire to stop that any time soon.