Ice Link issue 70 (Page 3) - National Ice Skating Association

Ice
INSIDE
Issue 70 - February 2007
Link
The official voice of ice skating in the UK
World Cup medals for Jon
and Sarah ........p8
Welsh Championships
..........p8
Developing Youth Ice Sport
British Figure & Dance
Championships 2007
....centre pages
If undelivered return to:
National Ice Skating Association of UK Ltd
National Ice Centre, Lower Parliament Street
Nottingham NG1 1LA
On track for success!
Short Track Brits take medals at Sheffield Europeans while Kerrs claim 5th slot in Warsaw Euro Champs
In a superb start to 2007, Britain's top skating athletes have performed
magnificently at the major European Championships. At iceSheffield, where the ISU
Short Track European Championships were held this year, Britain's golden girl Sarah
Lindsay raced to an individual Silver medal in her favourite distance, the 500m, with
the GB Mens Relay Team also in the medals, taking the Bronze in an exciting finish.
Meanwhile, in Warsaw, at the ISU European
Championships, brother and sister team John &
Sinead Kerr, from Edinburgh, claimed a well
deserved 5th place, moving up the Euro rankings
by 3 places on last year and achieved their
target ambitions for the event.
Warsaw European Figure Champs
John & Sinead Kerr attained their best placing
and highest international points score to date in
the Warsaw Championships stated NISA
Performance Manager Cath Barker. "There were
some small mistakes which can be corrected
and without these, the marks showed a 4th
place finish in the OD, but we are all delighted
with this position within the European's as their
development is one towards 2010". She
added, "the Kerr's now have a structure of
support and we will see the benefits of this only
in the longer term towards 2010".
"Their performance of the Free Dance was their
best so far this season. They managed to
portray the story of the Last Mohicans within the
choreography of the programme and this was
captivating on the night."
The week before European Championships Cath
brought in a stylist to work on John and Sinead's
image (hair and makeup) prior to the
Championships to give them 3 different looks in
keeping with the 3 different characters of their
performances.
Cath continued, "This season has been most
important as funding was secured to develop
our sport and our leading skaters and it has also
allowed us to develop wider networks of
support, within the Institutes of Sport (England
and Scotland), British Olympic Association and
importantly within the judges and technical
panel networks. We now have a wide network
of technical support and input from judges,
experienced officials and technical panel
members alike and these partnerships are vital
to the success of our athletes".
Also .... ISU Synchro
World Challenge Cup for
Juniors at NIC
9-10 March ... p9
iceSheffield European Short Track Champs
On her way to the final at iceSheffield, Sarah
Lindsay defeated the 2006 Olympic Silver
medallist, Evgenia Radanova (BUL) but Radanova
struck back in the final and took the Gold medal
with Ekaterina Belova in Bronze. This is Sarah's
first Championship medal in her long illustrious
career.
Performance Director Stuart Horsepool said “this
medal has topped a great 12 months for Sarah,
starting with her 8th place at the 2006 Olympic
Games, 2 top 6 places in World Cups and now
a Championship medallist, Sarah has won many
International medals in the past, she has now
proved she can win at Championships. Sarah
finished in 5th place in the Overall ranking at the
European Championships.
The second medal came from the GB Men's
"It's a sign of strength when we win two
medals at a European Championships and yet
still feel disappointed!"
Relay team. After dominating the qualifying
rounds they were brought down in the final by
the French whilst in the lead and favourites for
the Gold. The French team were later DQ'd, and
left Great Britain with the bronze medal. Great
performances came from the team of Jon Eley,
Paul Stanley, Tom Iveson and Paul Worth.
Stuart Horsepool commented "It has been a
tough weekend for GB with Jon Eley and Sarah
Lindsay both suffering from DQ's which cost
them places in the distance finals and ultimately
more medals, and the men's Relay team being
taken down when looking favourites for the
gold.
It's a sign of the strength of the Short Track
programme when we can come away from a
European Championships with two medals and
feel disappointed with the outcome"
photo: Alison Gilkes
GB Mens Relay
Team take Bronze
medal at
Sheffield
European
Championships
photo: Alison Gilkes
Sarah Lindsay -
European Silver
Medal
Synchro Showcase
A special two page feature on Britain's Synchro Teams and a look forward to the
British RJS Synchro Championships at iceSheffield 19th March 2007 .... p4-5
Sinead & John Kerr 5th in Warsaw
photo: Graham Taylor

Ice Link Issue 70 page 2
Ice
Link Editor's Comment
It's now gone midnight and I sit
staring at an empty Editor's
Comment on my computer screen
- but first thing tomorrow, I have to
take this latest issue of Ice Link up
to the printers in Inverness. My wife
has just asked if I have any intention
of coming to bed tonight, and
suggested I simply type in BIG
letters - "no comment"!
Bryan Morrice - Editor
Writer's block can be a frustrating experience - what
deserves comment? So I review again the news in this
issue. And actually, there really is so much good news.
Our Short Track skaters have performed brilliantly this
season, With Sarah Lindsay building on her Olympic 8th
place in Turin, securing a silver medal in last month's
European Championships in iceSheffield, another silver in
the Netherlands World Cup, and with two more top 10
results, she has finished the season 5th in the 500m
World rankings - the best ever result for a British female
skater.
Meanwhile our Mens Relay Team snatched a brilliant
bronze medal in the European Championships - but are
disapointed! They were actually in the lead when they
were taken out by the French (who were then DQ'd). Just
two weeks ago, Britain's top male speed skater Jon Eley
achieved his first World Cup gold medal, and with another
6th and 8th place has given him a record breaking result
for a Great Britain skater of 2nd in the World Cup
rankings, missing out on 1st place by the narrowest of
margins of just one point. The World Cup rankings are
worked out over your best 6 results from the 8 rounds.
In figure skating, our dance team of Sinead & John Kerr
has improved once again with a fantastic 5th place in the
European Championships and with their first International
gold medal at Oberstdorf last year they are clearly a
force to be reckoned with on the International circuit.
Things are definitely looking up!
Editor/Designer/Layout/Chief Reporter/Dogsbody ~ Bryan Morrice.
Design Assistant ~ Julie Morrice
Photographs ~ NISA Official Photographers - Graham Taylor; Dave Page;
Alison Gilkes Publisher ~ NISA NIC Lower Parliament Street, Nottingham
NG1 1LA Tel: 0115 988 8060 Fax: 0115 988 8061 or e-mail on
nisa@iceskating.org.uk Website: www.iceskating.org.uk
Contributions, articles, news, photos and information from your rinks are
always welcome. If you have a contribution, or would like to help, contact the
editor at 'Brackenlea', Lower Glenhead, Kemnay, Aberdeenshire
AB51 5PR Telephone: 01467 641389 (set to answerphone only
/ no fax); E-mail on - bryan.morrice@btinternet.com
Views expressed in Ice Link are those of the editor and/or contributors
but not necessarily those of the Governing Bodies or Officers.
Copyright is reserved and while all efforts are made for accuracy, no
responsibility can be accepted for printed errors or matters arising
from them. No part of the newspaper may be reproduced without
written permission from the publishers.
NISA Diary 2007
The full calendar can be viewed on NISA website
February/(Mar)
26-(4) ISU Junior World Champs
(Oberstdorf, Germany)
March
5 Romford Open
5-6 Alex Palace (Solo Dance
Qualifier)
8-10 ISU Synchro World
Challenge Cup for Juniors
(NIC Nottingham)
9-11 ISU World Short Track
Champs (Milan, Italy)
10-11 Magnum Opens (Scottish
NISA Cup Qualifier)
12-13 Bradford Open (English
NISA Cup Qualifier)
14 Bristol Open
17-18 ISU World Short Track
Team Champs (Budapest,
Hungary
19 British Synchro RJS
Champs (iceSheffield)
19-25 ISU World Champs
(Tokyo, Japan)
25-26 WISA Free Open (Welsh
NISA Cup Qualifier)
26 Solihull (Solo Dance
Qualifier)
28-29 Telford Open
30-31 World Synchro Champs
(London, Ontario)
April
3-5 Blackpool Open
14-15 Dumfries (Scottish Home
Nation Solo Dance Qualifier)
23-24 Bracknell (English Home
Nation Solo Dance Qualifier)
14-15 British Short Track
Champs Nottingham
25-27 Bracknell Open
28 NISA Cup Final Home
Countries International
Aberdeen
May
506 Kyle Open Ayr
6-7 Deeside (Welsh Home
Nation Solo Dance Qualifier)
11-13 Dundonald (N Ireland Home
Nation Solo Dance Qualifier)
12-13 Lee Valley Open
June/(July)
3-4 Nottingham Open
16-17 Deeside Open
19-20 iceSheffield (Solo Dance
Qualifier)
21-22 iceSheffield Open Figure
26-27 Basingstoke Opens
28-29 Bracknell Adult Open
30-(1) WISA Dance Open
July
2-4 Guildford Open
7-8 Hull Open
August
25-26 Ayr Open
September
2-4 Bristol Dance / Adults
18 Chelmsford Open
Oct
4 Swindon Open
8-10 A Palace Open
18-21 ISU Junior Grand Prix
iceSheffield
19 Oxford Open
November
5 Gillingham Open
Letters to
the Editor
Thanks for all your letters after an empty postbag
last issue - keep them coming!
Dear Bryan,
Perhaps through your pages you
could clarify the situation
regarding club insurance through
Perkins Slade. We have received a
questionnaire regarding our
policy and procedures for Child
Protection. We contacted NISA
office and were advised to
download the CP documents
from the NISA website and
amend for our own use. This is a
very complex area and we feel
more guidance should be given
to clubs by the Association. What
are the implications for club
insurance? Please do not identify
our club as you will appreciate
this is a sensitive matter for our
members.
Name & address supplied
Ed: Thanks for your letter. I
have received the following
guidance from NISA General
Secretary Keith Horton:
We are very happy to provide
clubs with information
regarding Child Protection as
and when they ask for it. It is
correct, Perkins Slade are now
insisting that before they will
provide public liability
insurance, clubs should have a
Child Protection policy/
procedure in place. I
personally believe this is very
sensible and that clubs should
be doing this. It is our
intention from August this
year that we will make it
mandatory for clubs who wish
to affiliate to NISA that they
should have a Child Protection
procedure in place. We will
be writing to all affiliated
clubs informing them of this
when we send out the renewal
notices in August. We will
also inform them that we are
very happy as indeed are
Perkins Slade for clubs to
People eople news
We'd like to make this a regular feature in Ice Link, so
please send news of members, happenings, "where are
you now" stories and we'll try and print as many as we can
send to the editor bryan.morrice@btinternet.com
Bernie Ford Inducted
Bernard Ford, former British, European and World Ice Dance
Champion with partner Diane Towler, was inducted into the
prestigious Skate Canada Hall of Fame at the conclusion of the
Canadian Championships in Halifax on January 21st.
Bernard's wife Lindsay
kindly sent us some
photos of the occasion
and proudly stated "some
people had asked me to
send along pictures of
Bernie's induction to the
Skate Canada Hall of
Fame .... and for those of
you who didn't ask I'm
sending them anyway
because as his wife I get
to brag - you know how
Bernie never does so
someone has to!
Bernard has coached in
Canada for over 36 years,
and was honoured for his
contribution to coaching
and choreography in
Canada. He has
successfully trained
numerous Canadian
dance teams since
moving to North America.
MICHAEL ROBINSON
M ichael
Sad News
Photo courtesy of Brett Barden from
www.skatetoday.com
Robinson passed away suddenly
on Thursday 18th January 2007 at the
National Ice Centre Nottingham, where
he used to skate regularly. Michael was a Life
Member of NISA and had been involved in ice
skating for most of his life, mainly Ice Dance.
He competed Internationally partnered by his
wife Catherine in the European and World Ice
Dance Championships from 1957 to 1959 and
placed 2nd in the Europeans and 4th in the
Worlds.
For many years Michael was a National and International Ice Dance
Judge and only gave up Judging to concentrate on his business.
He leaves his wife Catherine (Kay) and son Alistair, and we offer our
sincerest condolences to them at this time.
Kay and Alistair wish to thank the many friends and colleagues for the
messages of sympathy and kindness shown in their very sad and
sudden loss of Michael.
download the NISA Child
Protection policy/procedure
from the NISA website and to
change the NISA references to
their own individual club
references therefore
converting it into their very
own publication.
(Ed: I had a look at the
website and note the NISA
documents are in non-editable
Acrobat PDF format. Perhaps
it would be appropriate to
make editable versions
available to clubs).
Dear Editor,
I was very concerned to read in
iSKATE recently that NISA had
introduced massive increases in
test fees without prior notice
to members. In the iSKATE
article Keith Horton explained
that the increases had been to
bring dance tests fees into line
with figure tests. Why then
increase the fees for most figure
tests (Levels 4-6 up from £20 to
£30 and Levels 7-10 up from
£35 to £45) at the same time.
This simply makes the increases
in dance tests even more
drastic.
Come on NISA, our pockets are
not bottomless pits!
Angry dancer, North London!
Ed: Once again, I have queried
the matter with NISA General
Secretary Keith Horton who
responded:
(As regards) Test fee
increases, I was asked by the
Finance and Operations group
to review the situation and to
see if the objectives of the
increases had been met,
namely, to achieve parity
across all the disciplines. As
you know in the past, dance
test fees have been less than
Figure fees and also to the
best of my knowledge test
fees have not been increased
since 2001. I am in the midst
of completing a review which
again was agreed with Finance
and Operations Group and will
be presented to the group
ahead of the next board
meeting and in turn placed in
front of Board members when
they meet again on 22nd
February for a final decision.
Pam & Jon to tie the
knot in America
After a spell coaching in California last year, former
British Ice Dance Champions Pam O'Connor and
Jonathon O'Dougherty have decided their future
lies over the pond and are moving end February to Blaine,
Minnesota in the US midwest.
Pam & Jon enjoy a sunset on the Great Barrier Reef
Based in a fairly new ice rink that's currently got 8 ice pads
and plans to build another 4 by the end of the year. We're
planning on being all set up by March 1st, and our plan is to
put all the facilities to good use and set up our own ice
dance school. Jamie Burns and Nicola Trippick will be
joining us for the month of April, so we're still keeping an
involvement with British skating. Then on May 1st we're
getting married on a beach in Barbados. So it's safe to say
we've got an exciting year ahead of us.
If you wanted to do a piece about what we've been doing
since our retirement from competitive skating, I think
everyone that reads Ice Link will have spotted Pam on
season 1 of Dancing On Ice. Following that we came back
to San Jose to focus coaching, and then we both went
down under for the Australian version of Dancing On Ice. I
was paired with an Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer called
Giaan Rooney (who happened to be 3 inches taller than
me?!?), and Pam was paired with an Australian Rules
Football legend called Dermott Brereton. I was dying to go
head to head against Pam in this environment because
anyone that saw what she did last year with David Seaman
will know how seriously she takes these competitions. But it
wasn't meant to be. Giaan broke her ankle whilst doing
backward crossovers (after the first week), and Dermott
detached his bicep tendon (just before the show went live
on week 3) on a simple lift, and that was the end of that.
We did however have a fantastic long weekend at the Great
Barrier Reef. See attached picture.
Although Pam wasn't pleased to be the first voted out on
the second season of 'Dancing On Ice' (so we don't talk
about that!!), it has meant that we can now get started
setting up a skating school where we can offer skaters the
support that we were lucky enough to receive through our
competitive career. We're thinking that it's going to be a
piece of cake after all the running around that we did when
we were training. I suppose time will tell...............
All the best

Cowling's
Column
The 2006 world pair champions Pang Ting and
Tong Jian of China are desperately hoping to
put their jinxed season as they prepare to
defend their pairs title in Japan. He has yet to fully
recover from a car crash and she is still suffering
from a kidney infection. They have not competed
all season.
*********
And another serious injury in the pairs. It
happened at the recent Four Continents Cup in
Colorado Springs, USA. Canadian Jessica Dube
suffered a scary injury during their side by side spin
in the free programme. She and partner Bryce
Davison were in the third rotation of a camel spin
when Davison began to travel toward Dube,
catching her with his skate. Dube immediately fell
to the ice and clutched at her face as blood
pooled on the ice. Medical staff
rushed onto the ice, put her on a
stretcher and took her to a local
hospital. She underwent surgery the
same night to repair a laceration on her
left cheek and nose. Very reminiscent of
the injury that Olympic Champion Elena
Berezhnaya of Russia suffered in the 1990's when
she was hit in the head by the skate of her former
partner Oleg Shliakov during the same move when
she skated for Latvia.
*********
Coming off his European victory, France's Brian
Joubert remains weary of the Russian men. They
finished a dismal 5th, 16th and 18th in Warsaw,
Poland. Joubert said, "There are still a lot of
Russian skaters and they are training and are going
to be dangerous in the next few years. I expect to
see them next season on the podium."
*********
Multi times World Champion Michelle Kwan of the
James Cowling, Ice Link's
independent sports journalist
brings readers skating news from
around the globe
Bits Bits n'
pieces pieces
United States made her first trip overseas as the
US Public Diplomacy Envoy. Kwan went to China
where she visited two schools in Beijing. She said
that it was amazing to represent her country in a
diplomatic role.
*********
The Grand Prix Final winner, Kim Yu-na of South
Korea, withdrew from the Winter Asian Games in
China in February because of an early-stage
herniated disc in her back. The 16 year old is
expected to recover in time for the World
Championships in Tokyo where she will be vying to
become her country's first World figure skating
champion.
*********
On New Year's Eve, the city of Odintsovo,
near Moscow, unveiled a monument
commemorating the first Russian Olympic
Ice Dance Champions, Ludmila Pakhomova
and Alexandre Gorshkov. The date
would have been Pakhomova's 60th
birthday. The 1976 Olympic Champion died of
cancer in 1986.
*********
Although the Olympic silver medallist Sasha Cohen
pulled out of the US national championships in
January she said she had no plans to retire. In a
statement she said, "I have every intention of
competing in future competitions. My major goals
are the 2009 world figure skating championships
in Los Angeles and the 2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver."
In December, while on an official visit to a high
school in California, Cohen said she was "stunned"
to learn that choir had been ordered to stop
singing Christmas carols at a holiday show because
she is half-Jewish.
Dancing on Ice - The Tour
As smash hit TV show returns the ALL STAR line-up for UK live show tour is revealed
As the hit Saturday evening ITV show returns for a second series, still drawing huge
audiences of nearly 10million, and once again bringing skaters to our ice rinks in their
thousands, the final details of the follow-up live show tour are now beginning to emerge
- and it looks like this too should be a huge success as well!
Blue heartthrob Duncan James, former Steps star Lisa Scott-Lee, rugby legend Kyran Bracken and
actress Claire Buckfield have revealed they’ll be joining the Dancing On Ice live show.
The celebrities are all taking part in the hit TV show right now but will be packing up their skates and
joining Torvill and Dean for four dates at Nottingham Arena between Tuesday 17th and Friday 20th
April 2007.
Bonnie Langford and Stefan Booth made it
through to last year’s final and will compete in
the show alongside Aussie model Lara Bingle
and Jake Wall following their success on the
Australian version of the show. (Readers will
remember that Ice Link spies spotted Bonnie on
the ice with Jayne Torvill and was reported in
the last issue of Ice Link!)
Just like the TV programme, the live show will be
an exciting, interactive celebrity Ice Dancing
competition and of course the region’s most
famous couple Torvill and Dean will be skating
back into the East Midlands.
This will be a real treat for fans who’ll see Jayne
and Chris back on Nottingham’s ice again where
their careers began, performing a few of their
favourite routines.
Dancing On Ice live will be hosted by Andi
Peters and will be a truly interactive experience
with the celebrities performing a series of
routines with their dancing partners and then
you, the audience, will vote for your favourite
couple via your mobile.
The judging panel from the TV show will be rinkside
to add their comments headed up by
Olympic gold medal winner Robin Cousins and
joined by Nicky Slater, Karen Barber and Jason
'Mr Nasty' Gardiner.
Once the votes have been counted, the two
celebrities with the highest amount of votes will
perform a magical finale of Torvill & Dean’s
Olympic Gold medal winning routine Bolero.
Tickets for this fantastic show at Nottingham are
on sale now priced at £32.50 and £40 (plus
booking fee). You can book through our 24hr
Ticket Hotline on 0870 121 0123 or log onto our
website at www.nottingham-arena.com. You can
also call in to the Nottingham Arena Box Office,
Bolero Square, The Lace Market, Nottingham.
If you fancy watching the show in style you can
buy Premium Tickets by calling 0115 853 3008
and if there’s a group of ten or more of you
who’d like to see the show call our Group
Booking line on 0115 853 3095.
Other Tour Dates
NIA Birmingham 31st Mar - 1st April
Wembley Arena 6th - 7th April
Hallam FM Arena 11th - 12th April
MEN Manchester 13th - 14th April
NIC Nottingham 17th – 20th April
Ice Link Issue 70 page 3
NISA official stuff!
Attention all skaters, coaches, judges and officials - this is the page to read to keep
up to date with all the Association's Official Information
For full details also check NISA website www.iceskating.org.uk
Due to lack of space in this issue, we are unable to publish all recent Official and Technical
Announcements. Members are advised to always check the NISA website for full details
NISA Bulletins
Please note that NISA Bulletin 26 is available for download on the NISA website and covers a
number of important issues
Open Competition Result Calculation (from Bulletin 26)
As from 1 January 2008, organizers of Open Competitions will be required to use the IceCalc Result
software in order to obtain a NISA permit. It is proposed to hold a training seminar during the solo
dance final in Nottingham in July 2007. NISA will make the IceCalc dongles available if
clubs/rinks do not own their own copies, as part of the permit fee. More information will be
available shortly.
NISA Training 2007
In advance of the forthcoming season NISA will be organising training in various aspects of the
International Judging System (IJS). The first seminars will provisionally to be held during the week of
19th March in Sheffield.
1. Basic IJS (Previously NJS) Coach Seminar
NISA licensed Coaches who intend to enter, or may possibly enter, skaters into the NISA 2007 IJS
Events and the 2007/8 British Championship should be aware that attendance is compulsory if not
already completed in 2005/6. THERE WILL NOT BE ANY FURTHER BASIC SEMINARS LATER IN 2007
Please contact Joe Collett to register your interest on joe.collett@iceskating.org.uk or 0115 988
8063. More details will be available shortly.
2.Technical Specialist/Data Input-Video Cutter Operators/Results System Operators Training
Following the meeting held at the British Championships applications are sought for those
interested in training to become Technical Specialists, Data Input-Video Cutter Operators and
Results System operators.
All applications are encouraged and more information can be obtained from Liz Littler on
lizsedge@aol.com
Application forms may be obtained from Lynda.young@iceskating.org.uk or 0115 988 8081
GB Team Selection for ISU Junior World Championships 2007
The following skaters have been selected to represent GB at the forthcoming ISU Junior World
Championships to be held in Oberstdorf, Germany:
Ladies: Vanessa James Men: Thomas Paulson (sub David Richardson)
Dance: Leigh Rogers & Lloyd Jones Pairs: Sally Hoolin & Jake Bennett
GB Team Selection for ISU World Championships 2007
The following skaters have been selected to represent GB at the forthcoming ISU World
Championships to be held in Tokyo 19-25th March:
Ladies: tba if qualifying score achieved Dance: Sinead & John Kerr (sub Pippa Towler Green &
Phillip Poole Pairs: Stacey Kemp & David King.
Sk8scotland Board Elections 2007
Board elections for Sk8scotland are due to be held in June 2007.
Full, Life and Coaching members meeting criteria as per Sk8scotland Constitution will be invited to
apply for candidacy during April. Full details will be placed on the NISA website and in the April
issue of Ice Link.
A personal message to all our
members from Haig Oundjian
To all NISA judges, officials and volunteers and those of you who help maintain the skating
clubs, deliver the NISA tests and the supporters of our beautiful sport. I am writing to
thank you all for your dedication and commitment in providing the framework and
opportunity for our young skaters. Without this army of volunteers, our amateur sport would
struggle to survive. Thank you!
To all the skaters and parents, I wish to welcome you to our family and I hope that you will gain from
our sport a true appreciation of the value of human commitment and spirit. Winning is about
personal achievement and therefore, each and every one of you can and will be winners!
Our sport is all about people. From the
companies which operate within our sport to the
rinks which deliver the programmes for our
activities, it is people who make the difference
and it is people who count.
The first contact with our sport is with our
coaches. They are all highly skilled and qualified
and, in memory of my late coach John Pearce, I
would like to take this opportunity of thanking
you for all the work, dedication and care you put
into helping to develop your young skaters.
To all of you....THE FAMILY OF SKATING....I wish
to thank you for your commitment, contribution
and friendship throughout 2006.
Our New Year commenced with the British
Championship in January 2007. It hope as many
of you as possible were able to get together at
the NIC in Nottingham to support and celebrate
the efforts of our young skaters, their coaches
and their parents!
On behalf of my family, including Sylvia and our
late parents (mum would wake up at 5 o'clock
with us and dad would take us to the 11.30 pm
to 1.00 am training session on Friday nights) I wish
you all the very best and healthy skating 2007.
Haig Oundjian NISA Chairman & President

Ice Link Issue 70 page 4
Synchro Showcase
Synchronized skating is now the fastest growing branch of ice skating in the
world - in North America for instance, there are literally hundreds of teams! In
the UK, the discipline is also growing, particularly at grass roots level, with NISA
Board director Judy Clinton, championing its development. A particularly exciting
innovation this year is the British RJS Synchro Championships to be held on 19th March
at iceSheffield. In addition to the IJS event held last November at Deeside, which also
served as the 2006-7 NJS
Championship, the March RJS
Championships are intended to
offer a major competition both
to RJS teams and to the Novice,
Junior and Senior teams who
would normally compete under
IJS rules.
Gosport Allstars (Intermediate)
Aberdeen Bobcats (Elementary)
Competing for the first time at a
UK national event will be no
fewer than 7 Elementary level
teams, with three rinks - Dumfries,
Ayr and Deeside - embracing
Synchro for the first time this
year.
Synchro really does bring a huge
element of fun into ice skating,
and rinks embarking on this
branch of the sport have been
Inverness Moray Seals (Elementary)
astonished at the team spirit and
enthusiasm it has generated.
Parents have even been heard to
comment that the kids are always
bright eyed at 5:00am on
Aberdeen Zariba (Intermediate)
Dumfries Solway Stars (Elementary)
Synchro training days!
So if your rink has not yet thought
about starting a Synchro team,
this is the level to start.
Elementary (previously known as
"Beginner") teams represent the
foundation level in Synchro, and
are required to perform a simple
Bracknell Fusion 2 (Elementary)
1
Isle of Wight Diamonds (Intermediate )
Ayr-o-Dynamic (Elementary)
Bracknell Fusion 1 (Intermediate)
Deeside Dudes & Divas (Elementary)
1 ⁄2 minute program incorporating
four basic elements - a wheel,
circle, line and block. Teams
compete at Open Competition
rather than Championship level.
Many rinks find that the next
development into Synchro would
be the Intermediate category, as
it is more flexible in terms of
ages. In this RJS Championships
category, the teams are required
to perform a Free Programme of
31 ⁄2 minutes.
For younger skaters, the Juvenile
category also offers a
Championship pathway, again
requiring performance of a 3
minutes Free Programme.
Never to be left out, Synchro
also welcomes the participation
of Adult teams, who are
required to perform a 31 This article is a Showcase for all British
Synchro Teams - and thanks to all who have sent
information and photos to make it possible.
Apologies to any who have not been mentioned.
Most of the teams featured on p4-5 will be
competing in the British RJS Championships at
iceSheffield on 19 March - so why not be there!
Elementary teams consist of
9-20 skaters under 21
years, with no member
holding the NISA Bronze
Synchro test.
Intermediate teams consist of 12-20 skaters
aged under 35 years*, 50% of team must hold
NISA Novice Synchro test.
*Not more than 35 years on 1st July preceding event.
⁄2 minutes
Free Programme for their
Championship event.
Other Juvenile Teams
No photos available:
Lee Valley Lightning
Basingstoke Stardust
Aberdeen White Tigers (Juvenile)
Juvenile teams consist of
12-20 skaters aged
under 12 years*, 50% of
team must hold NISA
Novice Synchro test.
*Not more than 12 years on
1st July preceding event.
NIC Silouettes (Juvenile)
Inverness Northern Lights (Juvenile)
Adult teams
consist of
12-20
skaters all
aged over 21
years as of
1st July
preceding
the event
Other Intermediate Teams
No photo available: Lee Valley Isis
Slough Montem Majors (Adult)
Lee Valley Jet Set (Adult)
Lee Valley Eclipse (Intermediate)
Aberdeen Snow Leopards (Intermediate)
Inverness Moray Dolphins (Intermediate)

Ice Link Issue 70 page 5
why not join the fun?
Now ow meet the British Synchro teams who compete at
ISU recognised levels - Senior, Senior,
Junior and Novice.
These are the categories who would normally normally
compete under the IJS scoring system.
Need more information
on Synchro? Contact
Judy Clinton on
jc.excalibur@virgin.net
NIC Icicles (Junior)
JUNIOR
Junior Teams comprise 14-16* members all
of whom must have reached 12 years but
not reached 19 years by 1st July preceding
the event. 75% to hold NISA Prelim Synchro
test and Level 2 Field Moves.
In Championship events they are required to
perform a 2 minutes 50s Short Programme
plus a Free Programme of 4 minutes.
At the British RJS event in Sheffield on 19th
March this will be an Open Competition only
for Junior teams and they are only required
to perform their Free Programme.
*For International events teams must comprise 16
skaters & max 4 alternates
In the first first of a series series of
Synchro Synchro Team Team
profiles, profiles, Ice Link Link
features features our Senior Senior Champions Champions -
Team eam Storm Storm
from from Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke Storm (Senior)
SENIOR
Junior Teams comprise 14-16* members all of whom must have
reached 14 years by 1st July preceding the event. 75% to hold
NISA Prelim Synchro test and Level 4 Field Moves.
In Championship events they are required to perform a 2 minutes
50s Short Programme plus a Free Programme of 4 1 ⁄2 minutes.
At the British RJS event in Sheffield on 19th March this will be an
Open Competition only for Senior teams and they are only
required to perform their Free Programme.
*For International events teams must comprise 16 skaters & a maximum 4
alternates
New to Synchro? Top Tips
In Issue 71 - a profile of the
Nottingham Synchro Academy
Synchro Teams need commitment - get skaters to sign up to the rules
Synchro is fun - but success depends on teamwork and discipline
Know your roles and responsibilities - coach is in charge on ice, team
manager for off-ice matters
Too many cooks spoil the broth - get parents working to support the
teams, not coaching them! (Some teams even bar parents from coaching
sessions)
Costumes should belong to the teams not to individuals
Be positive - there's always a plus
Develop a plan - set ambitions for a few years ahead
Lee Valley Aura (Junior)
NOVICE
Novice Teams comprise 12-20*
members all of whom must be over
10 years and not reached 15 years by
1st July preceding the event.
They are required to perform a Free
Programme of 3 1 ⁄2 minutes.
*For International events teams must
comprise 16 skaters & max 4 alternates
Lee Valley Phoenix (Novice)
NIC Shadows (Novice)
Basingstoke Team Sparkle (Novice)
Four-time Champions Storm ahead!
Storm is Basingstoke's Senior Synchronized Skating Team and the squad comprises of 20 girls aged between
14 and 24 years old plus three rookies who are training alongside the team in preparation for when they are
too old for the Novice squad. Their individual standards vary from Level 1 Free skating right up to Level 8
Free, however all the skaters are working very hard towards their field moves tests and approximately 75% of the
team hold their Inter-Silver field moves.
Storm train for 1 hour 45 minutes on ice plus fitness,
ballet, and programme work off ice. The skaters are also
expected to train on ice individually, on both the
footwork used in the programme and on their field move
exercises as there are now requirements in place for the
field moves standards of the skaters. The girls are
incredibly dedicated to their discipline, and are going
from strength to strength both in their personal skating
skills and as a team.
Storm formed in August 2002 grabbing any ice time that
was available, we spent the best part of two years
training at 11pm on a Tuesday and 4am on a Sunday
morning! Then at the end of the 2003/4 season we retired
our Junior team and concentrated on the Senior
Category. In June 2005 Storm were offered the
opportunity to work with some of the top coaches in
Synchronized Skating at an ISU training camp in Budapest
Hungary. This proved to be fundamental in the progress
STORM ACHIEVEMENTS
British Champions - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2006/7
NISA Team of the Year - 2006
BBC South Female Team of the Year - 2002
Represented Great Britain in the World Synchro
Championships in 2004 & 2006.
Beating the Austrian, Australian, Croatian, French
and Swiss Champions last season.
Being selected to represent Great Britain in the
2007 World Championships in Ontario, Canada.
Performing with John & Sinead Kerr at Somerset
House for the National Lottery Millionaires.
Photos of Novice
& Junior Teams
from Deeside
Welsh
Championships
Isle of Wight Gems (Novice)
that Storm made last season, culminating in them
qualifying for the World Championships and beating teams
that had previously seemed in a different league.
Storm have already had a successful start to the 2006/7
season, as they have regained their title and qualified for
the World Championships having received a personal best
score at Deeside in November. The Team are hoping to
improve on their score in the French Cup to be held in
Rouen in February as well as improving on their final
position at last season's World Championships. Storm are
skating to 'Like a Prayer' by Madonna for their Short
programme and some classic swing tracks performed by
Robbie Williams for their Free programme.
Head Coach Melissa Galvin and Assistant coach Fiona
Gamble are confident that the hard work that the skaters
have invested will stand them good stead and help them
to achieve their goals.
Team Storm at Nottingham Cup International in January 2006

Ice Link Issue 70 page 6
British Championships 2007
Senior Ladies
1Jenna McCorkell (NISA) 2 Vanessa James
(Sheffield) 3 Joanna Webber (NISA)
Senior Men
1John Hamer (Gillingham) 2 Thomas Paulson
(Nottingham) 3 David Richardsonr (Coventry)
Junior Dance
1 Leigh Rogers & Lloyd Jones (Deeside) 2
Penny Coomes & Nick Buckland (Nott)
Photos from the NIC Nottingham British Championships
Senior Pairs
1Stacey Kemp & David King
(Blackburn)
Senior Dance
1Sinead & John Kerr
(Murrayfield) 2 Phillipa Towler
Green & Phillip Poole
(Streatham) 3 Nicola Trippick &
Jamie Burns (Blackburn)
Junior Ladies
1 Karly Robertson (Dundee) 2 Phillipa
Pickard (Dundee) 3 Laura Kean
(Dundee)
Junior Men
1 Jason Thompson (Sheffield)
2 Luke Chilcott (Gillingham)
Novice Men
1 Harry Mattick (Bradford) 2 Jack
Matthews (A Palace) 3 Mark Frost
(Aberdeen)
Novice Dance
1 Sarah & MIchael Coward
(Chelmsford) 2 Danielle Bennett & Josh
Boulton (Guildford)
Novice Pairs
1 Gemma Reeve & Sam Edwards
(Chelmsford)
Junior Pairs
1 Sally Hoolin & Jake bennett (Blackburn)
2 Tameron Drake & Edward Alton (Dundonald)
Photos courtesy
Ice Link Issue 70 page 7
Novice Ladies
1 Sasha Lanser (Coventry) 2
Annabel Colenutt (Basingstoke) 3
Kirsty Richardson (Guildford)
www.digitalphotoevents
e-mail: taylorphoto@ntlworld.com
Tel: 01472 885000

Ice Link Issue 70 page 8
First World
Cup Gold for GB
Short Track
Update
Short Track Skating
News
Results
Debate
The Great Britain Short Track Speed Skating team's record breaking
season continued when Jon Eley last weekend (Feb 3-4), became the first
British Short Track Speed Skater to win Gold at a World Cup competition, the
competition was the 5th in the series of 6 and was held in Heerenveen, Netherlands.
On finals day 1 Jon qualified for his first
final of the competition this was his less
favoured distance the 1000m, where he
finished a very creditable 5th, Jon followed
this up on finals day 2 by winning each of
his qualifying races on his way to the final.
Starting from lane 2 in the final he raced to
the front, never to be headed and took the
Gold in the fastest time of the competition.
Jon said "It is great to finally win Gold, I am
extremely pleased with my performance
throughout this competition and hopefully
this medal is the start of many more for the
future".
Sarah Lindsay also continued her medal
winning streak, after her first Championship
medal two weeks ago at the European
Championships on home ground in
Sheffield, Sarah took Silver in the Ladies
500m, the first female in Great Britain Short
Track history to win a medal at a World
Cup. This performance now consolidates
Sarah's place in the top 8 in the World
rankings, with two rounds of 500m to go in
the World Cup series.
The record breaking squad didn't stop
there with three other skaters claiming top
10 places, Tom Iveson, Paul Stanley and
Oliver Horsepool. During the competition
Oliver despite finishing 3rd broke the
1500m British Record in what proved to be
the fastest 1500m race of the season.
The Men's Relay team also skated well,
qualifying to the World Cup Final but just
missed out on a medal when they finished
in 4th place.
The Team now moves to Budapest, Hungary
for the 5th and final competition in the
World Cup series, it may be tough to repeat
last weekends performance, as two of the
top Asian teams (South Korea and China)
who missed last weeks competition return
to the World Cup scene after competing in
the Asian Games in Changchung, China.
Reporting by Mina Machin
Photos courtesy Alison Gilkes
Jon Eley stands in top spot!
Sarah proudly wearing her second silver this year
Invite you to join them for 4 hours ice-dancing including
a Workshop
with Master Coach
VIVIENNE DEAN
&
DUNCAN LENARD / LYNN BURTON
Plus an Ice Dance Social with 2 competitions at
SOLIHULL ICE RINK
Hobs Moat Road, Solihull B92 8JN
SUNDAY 13th MAY 2007, 4.15.pm to 8.15.pm
PROGRAMME
4.15 - 4.45pm Social Dancing
4.45 - 5.15pm Competition-Mercian Shield (ages added together over 80) dance: Golden Skaters Waltz
5.15 - 6.45pm Workshop with Vivienne, Duncan & Lynn. Workshop to help all standards of Ice Dancers
6.45 - 7.15pm Competition - Greenhough Trophy - couples original dance
7.15 - 8.15pm Social Dancing
8.15 onwards Drinks available in the Bar ( not included in the cost)
PRICE: Payable on the door
£15 PER SKATER £ 1 PER SPECTATOR
Those taking part in competitions need to complete application forms prior to event £5 per
couple, email for details: mercian.icedanceclub@btopenworld.com
IMPORTANT RESERVE YOUR PLACE, CALL OR EMAIL details of Name, Club and Contact
Number, plus CURRENT STANDARD, in order to organise relevant coaching for three
groups.
www.mercian-icedanceclub.com
Chairman MIDC - Mobile 07836 200963
Home Countries Focus
A roundup of news from the Home Countries
2006 Welsh Open
Championships
prove a great success
The Welsh Ice Skating Association was delighted to host the first NJS competition in Wales,
and the first Welsh Open Championship, from 19 to 24 November 2006 at Deeside Ice
Rink. This was the third and final event in the NISA NJS calendar and the final chance for
skaters to qualify for the British Championships to be held in January 2007.
Many of the UK's top figure skaters competed
for the Welsh title, and the Welsh Association
was particularly pleased at how well Welsh
skaters fared, now that the competition has
been opened.
Members of the Welsh Ice Skating Association
who medalled included Junior Ladies
Champion Katie Powell, who successfully
defended her crown; Junior Dance Champions
Leigh Rogers and Lloyd Jones; Senior Ladies
silver medallist Joanna Webber, Novice Ladies
silver medallist Toni Murray and Senior Dance
bronze medallists Louise Walden and Owen
Edwards.
The competition also incorporated the 2006
British Synchro Championship, which was held
on Sunday 19th.
“The event was supported by the Sports
Council for Wales and other local sponsors to
whom we are most grateful,” said WISA
Chairperson Pat Humphreys.
Welsh couple Senior Dance Louise Walden & Owen
Edwards from Deeside celebrate Bronze with 2nd
placed Chrissie Chitwood & Mark Hanretty. (Not
pictured winners - Pippa Towler Green & Phillip Poole
WISA member Toni Murray wins Novice Ladies silver
medal. Winner Jessica Roebuck (Hull) 3rd Rowena
Mackessack Leitch (Elgin)
Murrayfield show a success but misses Kerrs
Approximately 300 people made an early
morning visit to Murrayfield Ice Rink on
Sunday 4th February to see the Club's
Annual Exhibition Show, writes Club Chairman
Noel Grimshaw.
The club aimed to provide an opportunity for
members, including some from Aberdeen ,
Dundee , Paisley and Perth, from beginner to
expert, young and not so young , to perform
their competition or exhibition routines in front
of a live audience.
Club Chairman and MC Noel Grimshaw told the
audience that the Club celebrates its 50th
Anniversary in 2007 and were particularly
pleased in this memorable year to applaud the
achievements of its two most talented members
Sinead and John Kerr on their magnificent 5th
place at the European Championships in Poland
the previous week and their 4th British Senior Ice
Dance Championship in January.
He regretted Sinead and John couldn't take part
WISA member Katie Powell wins Junior Ladies title. 2nd
Laura Kean (Dundee) 3rd Sasha Lanser (Coventry)
WISA member Joanna Webber (left) wins Senior Ladies
silver medal with bronze medallist Sarah Daniel. (Not
pictured - winner Karly Robertson Dundee)
with Pat Humphreys (WISA Chair) & Joan Noble (WISA VP)
Welsh winners Junior Dance Leigh Rogers & Lloyd Jones
from Deeside. 2nd Rebecca Forsyth & Chris Hockaday 3rd
Sophie Yates & Jon Hodgkinson
with Mrs Bennett (sponsor) & Pat Humphreys
in the Show this year, as they were appearing in
Art on Ice with Evgeny Plushenko and a host of
world class stars - an offer they couldn't resist!
However at very short notice two of the UK's
most talented ice dancers Mark Hanretty and
Chrissy Chitwood stepped into the gap and
crossed the border from their training base in
Sheffield to delight the spectators with their
skills.
The couple brought an International flavour to
the show as Mark is originally from Glasgow and
Chrissy is from Colorado Springs USA.
A wide range of disciplines were performed by
the 40 plus skaters on show from compulsory,
original and free dancing to free skating and
group numbers all of which kept the audience
entertained throughout the morning.
Everyone appeared to go away happy in the
knowledge they'd seen some fine free skating
and some top class 'dancing on ice' during their
visit to Murrayfield Ice Rink.

NIC set for Synchro
World Challenge Cup
For the past 2 years the National Ice Centre in Nottingham has hosted a
prestigious International Synchro Competition, the Nottingham Cup,
which attracted teams at Novice, Junior and Senior levels from Europe
and the USA.
In March 2007 however, the venue goes one better and will be host to what
is effectively the ISU Junior World Championships, the World Challenge Cup for
Juniors, with 17 teams from all over the world competing for the coveted title.
Representing Great Britain at the event will be Lee Valley's Junior team "Aura"
who were selected following the IJS
Synchro Championships event held in
Deeside last November. In what was an
incredibly close event, Aura scored just
0.03 of a point over NIC Icicles to secure
the coveted spot.
Competition will be intense at the
Challenge Cup with teams from Canada,
Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany,
Hungary, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland
and the USA, as well as Britain's Team Aura.
If you want to see the very best of Synchro
Lee Valley Aura (Junior)
skating make sure you get along to the NIC
in Nottingham. Competition takes place on Visit www.national-ice-centre.com for full details
9-10th March, with practices on 7th & 8th. and tickets or phone 0115 853 3000
Quiz - Win Tickets for the Synchro World Challenge Cup
If you want to win free tickets to the Synchro
World or a host of other top skating prizes,
then why not take part in the on-line Synchro
Quiz. The question is simple so why not give it a
try -
How many skaters are on the ice during a
Junior Team Performance at the Skating World
Challenge Cup for Juniors in Nottingham on
March 9-10th?
To enter click onto any of these main websites:
NISA - www.iceskating.org.uk
BITA - www.bita-uk.com
Guildford - www.guildfordicecoaches.co.uk
and - www.sineadandjohn.com/news
SUPER PRIZES
�Four event tickets to Synchro World Challenge
Cup for Juniors in Nottingham 9-10th March
�Four event tickets to NISA RJS Synchro
Championships Sheffield 19th March
�Two tickets for Torvill & Dean Dancing on Ice
Tour Nottingham 17-20th April
�One year's subscription to iSKATE magazine
�One NISA Team track suit
Last entries Saturday 3rd March
NISA staff, Board & Technical Committee members,
judges and their families are ineligible to enter. Entries
limited to one per household
NISA Cup 2007
The 2007 NISA Cup competition is once again underway with qualifying
events scheduled for 9-10 March (Magnum / Scotland), 12-13th March
(Bradford / England) and 25-26th March (Deeside / Wales).
Selections for Home Country Teams will
be made following these events, with
up to 5 skaters at each of Levels 7-10
eligible to be selected for their
National Team.
The Home Country International Final
this year will be held at Aberdeen's
beachfront ice arena, where the
Scottish Team will undoubtedly be
aiming to retain the title on home
territory.
right: Scottish NISA Cup Team
victorious at Lee Valley in 2006
Adult News
ISU Adults Competition 2007
The ISU have announced details of the 2007 ISU
International Adult Figure Skating Competition
to be held in Oberstdorf, Germany on 24-27th
May 2007. Closing date for entries is 1st April
2007.
World Ice Challenge Cancelled
Due to lack of entries for the World Ice
Challenge in Leukerbad Switzerland - 31st
March/1st April 2007 it has had to be cancelled.
By the closing of 15th December there were too
few entrants, especially from Great Britain. Time
was too short to rearrange the competition in
Slough for this summer but the competition will
be held again in Slough in the summer of 2008.
Ice Link Issue 70 page 9
Photo at Last!
We are pleased to print a photo of Sarah Cunliffe
& Fergus Finden Brown of Guildford, winners of
the Sk8scotland Novice Dance Championships

Ice Link Issue 70 page 10
Learning to
skatewith
TechFile
You can use the three turn to
turn from forwards to
backwards or vice-versa. You
turn from one edge to the
opposite edge on the same
foot and rotate in the same
direction as the
curve you are
skating on.
Vacancy for Professional
Ice Skating Coach
We are currently seeking applications from committed,
professional ice skating coaches to develop and
enhance our coaching team at Aberdeen's beachfront ice
arena.
Minimum NCCP 2 qualified
Please apply by Friday 16th March 2007 with CV to:
Ice Figure
Ice Dance
In the start position
1for the three turn
your heels are
together and
you should
bend strongly
before you
push off
Once you have mastered skating forwards and
backwards, you need to learn how to turn. There are
many different turns - the mohawk, choctaw, bracket,
counter and rocker. In this issue we will look at the
commonest turn - the Three Turn
Push off and
2skate forwards on
the outside
edge. Make
sure the skating
side of your
body is in
front
Duty Manager
Linx Ice Arena
Beach Esplanade
ABERDEEN AB24 5NR
For further information call 01224 655455
3 Before
you start
to turn, slowly rotate
your arms and
shoulders until the
opposite ones are in
front. Bring your free
foot in to form a 'T'
shape with your
skating foot
Ice Arena
Synchro
Adults
SKATE UK is NISA's flagship 'learn to skate' programme designed to
ensure beginners to the sport receive the very best instruction,
delivered by fully qualified coaches, in a fun and enjoyable way.
Every turn must be done without
scratching, flow easily and skated on
correct edges - it requires tremendous
control of your hips, shoulders
and body weight
The Ice Tracing
'T' positions
The tracing on the ice should be in the shape of a number
three, as above. Note the 'T' positions your feet should be in.
Quickly turn from
4forwards to
backwards and skate
on a backward
inside edge. Keep
looking in the same
direction. Make sure
your feet remain in the
'T' position.
Continuing our repeat of this popular series, we are
pleased to continue our series of 'Technical Tips' and
introducing more advanced techniques for the SKATE
UK skater
5 After
the three turn,
close your feet
and change your
feet so that the
free foot
becomes the
skating foot.
Glide backwards
on the outside
edge.
"First Steps" adapted
courtesy of Peter Morrissey
and Dorling Kindersley
Publishing
Kyle Figure Skating Club
Open Competition
5-6 May 2007
Venue: Ayr Ice Rink
Limekiln Road, Ayr
Further details can be obtained from the Secretary,
Mrs Rosemary Otterson
Tel: 01292 283455
Although now out of
print, The Young Ice
Skater by Peter
Morrissey may be
available from good
book shops or from the
website
www.amazon.co.uk,
and not from the NISA
office - amazon.co.uk is
an excellent site
providing information
and details on many
hundreds of books on
ice skating.
To help in your search
it may be useful to
quote the ISBN number
of the book which is 0
7513 5808 8
Also why not try ebay?

Aussie Youth Olympics a memorable
writes Team Leader Dawn
experience for GB Team Peckett
The Australian Youth Olympics 2007 has been one of the most successful learning curves our
junior skaters have ever experienced. The BOA have a achieved a fantastic opportunity for
all athletes, including figure skaters, to replicate future Olympic Games winning many
medals for Great Britain.
Upon arrival, we firstly received an invitation to attend the home of the Australian Consul which was
a wonderful reception for all the athletes. Where the announcement of the flag bearer for Great
Britain was taken place along with drinks and light refreshments.
Tues (17th) was the spectacular opening ceremony in the Sydney Entertainment Centre, commencing
with all the different countries marching through the packed arena, then a brilliantly organized gala
displaying singing of the national anthems, fabulous floor displays, trapeze and gymnasts and finally
L to R: Simon Briggs, Ann Findlay, Jason Thompson, Vanessa James, Matt Parr
and Dawn Peckett
the official lighting of the Olympic torch – A truly
memorable experience for all the future
Olympians.
Our team of figure skaters Vanessa James, Matt
Parr, and Jason Thompson took the following
four days to be a chance of a lifetime and used
every practice session to their full advantage,
skating with some of the technically strongest
future Olympian athletes of the world. The
competition the followed also proved to be an
amazingly positive experience and all three
skaters finishing in the top 6, with exceptionally
well performed programmes.
Ann Findlay, our GB judge, was without
exception a most valuable asset to the team and
worked extremely hard during her time there
and always had a positive word for all of the
skaters and coaches alike. A special thank you
goes to Anne from the Great Britain Team.
Another special mention must also go to the
BOA who have turned every athlete’s dream into
reality with the extremely professional
organization of such a huge event. Never once
did our time table fail to comply with our
Blackpool celebrates 60 years
AGala to celebrate 60 years of
Blackpool Ice Dance Club was
held at the Blackpool Pleasure
Beach Arena on Saturday 27th
January 2007.
The event was a great occasion for current and
past members of the Club to meet up and enjoy
an evening's entertainment. Queues began
formng an hour before the doors even opened
and the Arena was 95% full. The atmosphere
was electric and the skaters taking part all
commented how they enjoyed performing to
such an audience.
There was a varied programme of numbers with
local skaters performing alongside skaters from
Blackburn and Deeside. The youngest skater,
Destiney Partington at four years of age was the
first soloist of the night and received rapturous
John Holden
reports
schedule and we can only send the highest
praise to Mark England and his excellent staff
without whose help none of this would have
been possible.
The Team Kit which was supplied to the GB
Team was outstanding and many comments
were made regarding how impressive the entire
GB team looked.
A huge thanks also to Simon Briggs with whom
we had a brilliant time and made the
competition relaxing and enjoyable for
everyone.
Finally I have to add that the help we received
from all the volunteers working for the Australian
Olympic Committee from the minute we
stepped off the plane to all the help we
received in the ice rink, was second to none,
and because our skaters were such good
ambassadors for Great Britain we were even
taken on an unscheduled evening trip by the
parents in the ice rink to Darling Harbour and
Sydney Opera House- an absolute experience of
a lifetime in every aspect and one which will stay
with us forever.
applause.
The audience also enjoyed solo artists,
pair skating, group skating, a show
numbers from the Christmas Ice Show
and the Blackpool Ice Twirlers.
The Dance Club were privileged to have skating
for them Mathew Grimsted who is currently with
Disney on Ice and agreed to perform in his local
rink whilst on a break and also Louise Walden
and Owen Edward, who had recently competed
in the British Ice Dance Championships. Louise
and Owen performed a wonderful free dance
routine they had put together especially for the
event, and brought an element of grace and
pure class to what John Holden the event
organisor considered to be "The best gala he
had ever put together".
Ice Link Issue 70 page 11
GB skaters on Grand Prix trail
Pairs team Stacey Kemp and David King
had an exciting end to 2006, sent to
China to represent GB at the ISU Senior
Grand Prix event in Nanjing - Cup of China,
accompanied by British judge Richard
Grainge, himself on his first international
assignment.
Two weeks later, Stacey and David were
jetting off to the Far East once again, this
time to the NHK Trophy, another Senior GP
event, along with Jenna McCorkell,
competing in the Ladies event.
Pictured at the NHK Banquet:
Stacey, David, Jenna with Garry Hoppe
(judging for Israel) and GB Team Leader
Dawn Spendlove.
Students are first Brits to skate at
Winter Universiade
There was no time for jet lag, as having landed
late at night, we were training the next morning. It
soon became clear that our training in San Jose
would be very different from how we had trained
for most of the year. There was much more of it
for a start and whenever we were on the ice, Jon
was with us. We were getting four to five hours of
ice time and coaching a day, more coaching than
in a week back at Blackburn. There was very little
shortage of ice available either, with four ice pads
in the Logitech Arena and another pad down the
road in Freemont. As the renovation of our skating
style and programs began, we were extremely
impressed with Jon's enthusiasm, knowledge and
organization. Not only were we receiving
excellent coaching but our preparation for the
British Championships was being planned and
managed with us.
The skating community in San Jose is large and
very friendly. Everybody showed a real interest in
getting to know us as ice dancers and friends.
When we rehearsed our full programs, the other
skaters would stand by the barriers, watch and
applaud. All the skaters of all ages and abilities
really seemed to enjoy their skating and made us
feel very welcome. We were also fortunate that
Marina Klimova & Sergei Ponomarenko, the 1992
Olympic Ice Dance Champions and a number of
judges are based in San Jose, all of whom gave us
positive and constructive feedback.
We did most of our training in the mornings and
early afternoons, so had the rest of the day to
explore California, when we had any energy left.
As well as enjoying San Jose, we visited nearby
San Francisco, experiencing Alcatraz Island, the
Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San
Francisco. Being a fan of American Sports, Jamie
also enjoyed going to watch the 49ers (NFL) and
San Jose Sharks (NHL). We realized that the happy
bug wasn't just in the Californian skating
community, it was all around.
After two weeks of training in San Jose, we
returned to Britain, where we continued to work
with Jon O'Dougherty, Keith Hudson and Pam
from the 2007 World University Games in
Turin 17 - 27th January
Great Britain this year fielded a team in this event for the first time, one of the biggest
events in the sporting calendar and one of the most prestigious tournaments in the
world. It is by no means a weak event as previous winners lists - including Evgeny
Plushenko - have shown, and this year had 21 countries participating in the Men's event.
In order to participate in the competition skaters must have the required educational background
and currently be in education. Two Team Skate GB figure skaters were selected, David Richardson
and Thomas Paulson along with three Short Track skaters who currently train at the NIC – Gemma
Cooper, Anthony Douglas and Sarah Henderson.
This was the first time the skaters had competed in front of capacity crowds with the Olympic
stadium filled to the top for the events.
Thomas unfortunately was taken ill at the event but despite this, still elected to skate. He placed
24th out of 32 in the Short Programme and 20th in the Free Programme to pull up to a final placing
of 21st. In the Free Programme for the first time this season in competition, he executed
successfully his triple flip and triple triple sequence.
David also thoroughly enjoyed the experience and placed 25th in the Short Programme and
improved his Free Programme placement to 24th finishing 25th overall. In both the Short and Free
Programme David once again executed his triple triple combination, improving his consistency in this
new element area this season.
Cath Barker, NISA Performance Manager said "The WUG international competition is now a
fundamental within our calendar of Squad events. It is a key senior international which has high
calibre competitors currently and within its history. The event is one which we will continue to
support and participate in as it provides our senior skaters with vital experience towards competing
at ISU World Championship levels."
Dancers head for San Jose
In late November, while training for our first British Championships together, it became apparent
that the coaching time available to us in Blackburn did not reflect our ambitions. Therefore,
when the chance to go and train in San Jose, California, with 2002 British Ice Dance Champion
Jonathon O'Dougherty, presented itself, we were very keen and just two weeks later we were
landing at San Jose airport.
Nicola Trippick & Jamie Burns send us their
story from California
Nicola & Jamie at this year's British Championships
with Jon O'Dougherty (left) and Keith Hudson (r)
O'Connor, whenever she had time off Dancing On
Ice. Our whole team worked extremely well
together and rather than relaxing over Christmas,
our drive and training intensity increased further.
As a result of all the work, effort and planning, we
entered the Championships feeling properly
prepared. Taking to the ice in Nottingham, we felt
proud and confident to have Jon and Keith on the
other side of the barrier with us. We executed our
plan at the Championships, achieving the
performances, marks, third placing and bronze
medals that we had aimed for.
Preparing for a new competitive season, we have
set new plans and goals. But much continues. We
look to continue to move up the national and
international ranks and will continue working with
Pam & Jon in America, this time for a much longer
period, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
We would also like to take this opportunity to
thank Pam & Jon, Keith, our parents, Des Finley the
manger of Blackburn Ice Arena & everybody who
has supported us, especially at the
Championships.

Ice Link Issue 70 page 12
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