Caroliza your google skills are very impressive!
As the age of competitive competitors in seniors has dropped we’ve all had to pay more attention to these advanced novices so having bio’s would be helpful to keep track of how they are fairing against their peers and who their coaches are while still maintaining that necessary privacy that 13 year olds should have.
It always kinda worries me to see skaters like US champion Liu and Canadian Gogolev on Instagram.
I thoroughly agree with you, and particularly on that last point. This is going to make me sound like an auld fogey, but I don't think children should be allowed near a mobile phone or social media until they are at least 16. For me, 13 is too low a lower age limit.
That assessment may be a bit biased, because I was in my late teens when the whole mobile phone and social media revolution started to kick off. So, I don't know how essential these things are for teenagers nowadays. But I know that I managed alright without them when I was in my early teens.
And although I found Bebo was great for keeping up to date with people from home when I was at Uni, it wasn't the be-all and end-all. I would have survived happily enough without it.
You know, when I want to create a Fan Fest for a skater that is under 17, I try to hunt down and contact a parent first to ask for their permission. And for the most part, they are more than happy that somebody has noticed the efforts of their child, and wants to raise their profile. But, I do feel uneasy if the skater subsequently contacts me, or sends me a friend request. And I'm thinking:
"What are you even doing on here?! You should be out playing with your friends, not sending friend requests to guys 20 years older than you!"
(OK, so it has only happened once that the skater was that much younger. But, I thought this extreme example would be good for making the point).
As I said before, I am way out of touch with people that are just a few years younger than me, and I don't think I will ever understand their lifestyle.
I have to praise your research skills too Caro_Liza Fan.
I know where to come in future for info on any skaters! That local article was great too, thanks for that. :agree:
Aww, I wouldn't quite say that! I just like finding out things. I would have loved to have done a PhD, but unfortunately there were school mergers going on at the time at my Uni, and my subject's school was downgraded to a department. As a result, they really cut back on the PhD's being offered, and those that were on offer weren't things I was interested in.
But, over the years, I have found fskate.ru to be an absolute godsend for finding out about skaters who have skated for Russia at some stage of their careers. Their Bios are so comprehensive, and you get so much better a picture of the skater's competitive history than you do from their ISU Bios. I just wish all Federations (and the ISU!) would provide this sort of comprehensive Bio.
I don't know how it works for athletes...
I weirdly know more than average about immigration law but not necessarily in relation to sports....
Not going to quote the whole posts, but I think the points both of you have raised in your posts explain everything we need to know. Unlike in other countries, the Home Office doesn't seem to have special rules for sportspeople. They have to follow the same rules as everybody else. Which means that it is more attractive for you to switch to your partner's country.
I wasn't aware of the pair team you are referencing, but I was definitely wondering why Lanaghan & Razgulajevs did not sign up to compete for Britain from the get go. (For that matter, Smart & Diaz might consider it).
With all the different countries that his Dad represented during his career, I wonder just what citizenship Dmitre Razgulajevs has. Because, for me the obvious choice would have been for him and Molly to represent his ancestral homeland of Latvia. Like, I can't think of any Ice Dancers that are currently representing Latvia at either Junior or Senior level. And as Latvia's Singles skating programme has shown, the Fed does have the resources to get good coaches in. With the other options, there is more competition for the international slots, and less chances of getting them.
As for Smart and Díaz , I think they opted for the right country. Because although Spain only has one slot at the moment, both partnerships that came out of the Hurtado / Díaz split are good enough to earn Spain a second slot. And there is no other competition. So, I am sure that one of them having to miss out this season is only going to be a temporary thing.
Well, there you go then. Think Britain would need to develop or bring in some top ice dance or pairs coaching talent then in order to attract these international teams. Hard in a sport like dance where 80% of the athletes tend to migrate toward the same 4 coaching teams or so.
(Italy has managed it, though. With several of their top former dancers going out and coaching under international coaches for several years and now Barbara back in Italy, coaching on her own, and gathering an international group of teams. There was certainly room for someone in Western Europe to do with many of the old European coaching guard retiring and/or on the cusp).
And that is the crux of the whole problem - the lack of top coaches that are based in the British Isles. If we could attract some British coaches to come back home, or even attract some foreign coaches to come, it would make the world of difference.
CaroLiza_fan
For British Ice Skating, as they still are the governing body for Speed Skating too, Long & Short Track.
