Dale Farm commercial director Mr Nethercott said that Barnes was the "latest success story to come out of these awards following the achievements of previous winners ice-skater Jenna McCorkell and cyclist Ryan Connor".
Alistair Wood of Vanderbilt University, who chaired the panel, joked that perhaps there should be new ads in which a famous figure skater with arthritis drops on the ice from a heart attack.
In her idle moments she daydreams about becoming a figure skater like those she has seen on television, gliding effortlessly across the ice in a flash of sequins.