SACRIFICES are made by most parents from day one of their children’s lives.

But for the Appleby family, their commitment to figure skating comes with no compromises.

Their dedication is apparent before a visitor even sets foot through the door of their home in Wivenhoe.

A row of trophies glimmers from the living room window sill.

Step through the door and hanging up are several costumes, while in a side room suitcases are poised for another expedition, all for the love of figure skating.

The house virtually breathes the talent of Alexandra, 16, Elliot, 14, and Edward, 12, who between them have amassed so many trophies they’ve given up counting them.

Such is their dedication to their unusual choice of sport, free time is something of a rarity for the dedicated band.

Mum Linda, who tends to find the competitions for her brood to enter, and dad Steve, between them juggle getting the children to around 12 hours of rehearsals a week, mostly 30 miles away at Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre in Chelmsford - the nearest available rink.

Sometimes these take place twice in a day.

Four mornings a week (including Saturday and Sunday) are 4.45am alarm calls for a 6am training start.

Once a week in the evening the trio train at the Lee Valley Ice Centre near Stratford, East London.

“Once or twice we have not heard the alarm go because we have been so tired but never have we not wanted to do this,” says Linda, as the family gathers round to share their enthusiasm.

The siblings, who are just back from another morning's training in the Easter holidays, tell me they manage to see friends either at skating, school or during school holidays.

“Without that degree of commitment, you cannot progress,” says Linda, who works part time at Essex University.

The children are competitive figure skaters meaning their skills lie in technical tricks like jumps, as opposed to ice dancers who are judged more on the precision of their footwork.

The unusual choice of sport for young adults inevitably conjures up images of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean and that iconic routine to the Boléro in the 1984 Winter Olympics.

But Linda admits despite their successes, the children - who are a little more reserved about their talents, all have years of hard work ahead of them.

Alexandra's long term goal would be to make it to the European Championships and in the short and medium term wants to complete junior and senior level tests.

Linda adds: "Ed and Elliot are aiming to represent Great Britain at junior level in the relatively short-term, and to go to the Junior World Championships, and in the long term to progress to senior level and represent their federation and country at the World Figure Skating Championships.

"Their dream would be to compete at the Winter Olympics."

"Both boys have been allocated to represent Great Britain since 2015, variously at pre-novice level and presently at Advanced Novice Level.

"Ed is presently ranked first in NISA's (National Ice Skating Association) Advanced Novice Men National Rankings and Elliot is ranked second. They are both members for NISA's development squads for the 2016/17 season."

For the boys, who got into skating after watching their sister, their ages mean they currently compete in the same events.

But they and Linda insist it doesn’t lead to rivalry.

“You just want to get the highest score you possibly can,” says Edward, who like his brother attends Colne Community School in Brightlingsea.

Linda adds: “You go and do your best and if you come back with a new Personal Best you cannot do anymore.”

It was after Colchester Sixth Form College student Alexandra watched a film called the Ice Princess that the already sporty youngster said she wanted to learn to skate with a friend.

Lessons for the then eight-year-old were just 30 minutes a week – a far cry from the commitment the family has taken on now.

But for Alexandra, her dedication has not come without its setbacks.

In 2015 she hurt her back with the injury rearing its head at a crucial moment for her.

“It was just before I was due to do a gala in Austria and I had to withdraw.

“And this summer I was doing a triple Salchow jump [involving three turns] and my foot rolled over onto one side and I slid down on it.”

Alexandra had pulled ligaments and this second injury put her out for three months and while frustrating it, it didn’t take long for her to rebuild her confidence.

All three agree fear is something that can’t exist to progress in what they do.

The family struggles to quantify how many competitions the children have done but a rough tally of podium places tops 90, since they began skating competitively as beginners in 2011.

Their determination has taken them abroad to France, Latvia and Austria to name a few with the parents having to fund the trips themselves.

This also includes paying for coaches to attend.

Inevitably it means there is no spare cash for luxuries such as holidays.

Linda says: “That’s why you have to commit to it because without the lessons you wouldn’t progress.”

Husband Steve, a full-time research engineer for BT, adds: “My only concern is can we fund them to get to where they can get to.

“They are putting everything into it so as parents we want to do everything we can to support them”.

Linda adds: “I think they have all learned so much by competing, whether it is having a go at a language because they need to order their lunch, or the discipline. Their work ethic is second to none. If you don’t train, you don’t progress.”