British and Irish Figure skating 2021-2022

[litenkyckling]

Torvill & Dean launch British Ice Skating Academy of Dance​

BIS announced today the British Ice Skating Academy of Dance - to be based in Sheffield, Torvill and Dean will be the head coaches and mentors. Glad to see this be launced - I've felt for a long time that this is how their legacy should be used! Interested to see how it does, and if it will lead to being government funded again.

The BBC aired an interesting documentary the other night about the Olympics and government funding - mostly about how increasing funding has led to more medals. Makes you wish they would fund skating properly! It is a 3 part documentary, with the second airing tomorrow.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Torvill & Dean launch British Ice Skating Academy of Dance​

BIS announced today the British Ice Skating Academy of Dance - to be based in Sheffield, Torvill and Dean will be the head coaches and mentors. Glad to see this be launced - I've felt for a long time that this is how their legacy should be used! Interested to see how it does, and if it will lead to being government funded again.

Back in the late 1980s, when the rink in Slough was first built, Betty Callaway presided over the International Academy of Ice Dance there. It was fabulous, with ice dance being taken really seriously, top British dancers training there, couples coming in from all over the world to train. My time there was amazing and it really took my dancing to a much higher level. I've been hoping that something like this would happen again.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

There's a big 2 page spread about 2008 British Junior Ladies Champion Karla Quinn in today's Belfast Newsletter.

Here's the link to the online version:

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/health...lister-named-nis-top-personal-trainer-3346034

Enjoy!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[GiGi23]

Sophia Tkacheva makes her JGP debut for Ireland in Slovakia

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Sophia Tkacheva makes her JGP debut for Ireland in Slovakia

Yep. Very promising young skater from Gorey in Co. Wexford. (For those unfamiliar with her background, she was born in Dublin to a Belorussian mother and a Russian father).

But she is not the only Irish skater making their Junior GP debut in Slovakia. Dillon Judge, from Lisburn in Co. Down, will also be skating in Košice.

When you add in Elizabeth Golding (who I expect will be getting a Junior GP slot too), it is so good to see a group of promising young skaters from this island coming through at the same time. I can't actually remember that happening before. Admittedly, there was a time in the early years of this Millennium when there were a group of Northern skaters competing internationally. But they did not come through at the same time. That was more of a transition period.

So, what we are seeing now is looking good for the long term future!

All the best to them!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[GiGi23]

Yep. Very promising young skater from Gorey in Co. Wexford. (For those unfamiliar with her background, she was born in Dublin to a Belorussian mother and a Russian father).

But she is not the only Irish skater making their Junior GP debut in Slovakia. Dillon Judge, from Lisburn in Co. Down, will also be skating in Košice.

When you add in Elizabeth Golding (who I expect will be getting a Junior GP slot too), it is so good to see a group of promising young skaters from this island coming through at the same time. I can't actually remember that happening before. Admittedly, there was a time in the early years of this Millennium when there were a group of Northern skaters competing internationally. But they did not come through at the same time. That was more of a transition period.

So, what we are seeing now is looking good for the long term future!

All the best to them!

CaroLiza_fan

Yes all 3 of those skaters will be at JGP according to the Irish federation's website. With the closure of the only rink in the Republic in 2010 a generation of budding young skaters was lost.

 

[Ruthypegs]

Wonder if anyone can help answer a question, please? I've checked the Lombardia entries and only Graham Newberry is competing in the Mens - not PJ Hallam (who's the current British Champion).

Also no ice dancers listed from GBR.

Doesn't PJ need to compete at Lombardia to get the tech requirement for the Olympic spot? Also, doesn't a second ice dance team need to compete at Lombardia to get the second Olympic spot that Britain have thanks to Fear and Gibson coming 7th at Worlds?

Thank you!

 

[Gia_Sesshoumaru]

Wonder if anyone can help answer a question, please? I've checked the Lombardia entries and only Graham Newberry is competing in the Mens - not PJ Hallam (who's the current British Champion).

Also no ice dancers listed from GBR.

Doesn't PJ need to compete at Lombardia to get the tech requirement for the Olympic spot? Also, doesn't a second ice dance team need to compete at Lombardia to get the second Olympic spot that Britain have thanks to Fear and Gibson coming 7th at Worlds?

Thank you!

Lombardia is not the Olympic Qualifier - that's Nebelhorn.

If whoever is selected to compete at Neblehorn places high enough to get an Olympic spot (top 7 if I'm not mistaken for the men), then they would have time to gain the tech minimum before having to relinquish the spot. I believe the deadline is December.

 

[Ruthypegs]

Lombardia is not the Olympic Qualifier - that's Nebelhorn.

If whoever is selected to compete at Neblehorn places high enough to get an Olympic spot (top 7 if I'm not mistaken for the men), then they would have time to gain the tech minimum before having to relinquish the spot. I believe the deadline is December.

Thank you @Gia_Sesshoumaru - I'd confused the two events!

 

[Weathergal]

Lombardia is not the Olympic Qualifier - that's Nebelhorn.

If whoever is selected to compete at Neblehorn places high enough to get an Olympic spot (top 7 if I'm not mistaken for the men), then they would have time to gain the tech minimum before having to relinquish the spot. I believe the deadline is December.

Also my understanding is that when a skater wins an Olympic spot at Nebelhorn, he/she is winning it for his/her country not necessarily for him/herself, although in many skaters they might really be their country's only Olympic-eligible skater. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Gia_Sesshoumaru]

Also my understanding is that when a skater wins an Olympic spot at Nebelhorn, he/she is winning it for his/her country not necessarily for him/herself, although in many skaters they might really be their country's only Olympic-eligible skater. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Correct! As long as the skater has the minimum scores and is old enough, the country can send whoever they want.

 

[La Rhumba]

Is anyone going to Sheffield next week? (I can't believe the 2nd Qualifier in October is also in Sheffield!)

Results Page http://www.iceresultsuk.org.uk/BIS/2021/BritishChampionships/Qualifier/index.htm

The Torvill & Dean debut Dance Camp takes place after the Qualifier next week.

 

[Ruthypegs]

Is anyone going to Sheffield next week? (I can't believe the 2nd Qualifier in October is also in Sheffield!)

Results Page http://www.iceresultsuk.org.uk/BIS/2021/BritishChampionships/Qualifier/index.htm

The Torvill & Dean debut Dance Camp takes place after the Qualifier next week.

Yes, absolutely - I'll be going! Really looking forward to seeing Lilah and Lewis skating.... and the other teams and singles, too.

 

[ladyjane]

Have Robynne Tweedale and Joseph Buckland stopped/retired? I don't see them on the ID list (or will they be at the second qualifier? I don't know how the British system works). I'm also missing Natasha, as well as Zoe and Christopher (I do hope they are still skating).

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Have Robynne Tweedale and Joseph Buckland stopped/retired? I don't see them on the ID list (or will they be at the second qualifier? I don't know how the British system works). I'm also missing Natasha, as well as Zoe and Christopher (I do hope they are still skating).

There has been nothing posted on Zoe's or Chris' Instagram pages since Worlds. But I just had a look through their Facebook profiles and their Fan Page, and there have been posts since then. And I can't see anything indicating that they are retiring.

As for Natasha, she posted clips of her new Short Programme on her Facebook profile at the end of June. (She may have done so on Instagram as well, but by checking out Zoe and Chris first I've exceeded the number of profiles I can view). So, she is definitely continuing.

Don't know about Robynne or Joe.

Hope this helps

CaroLiza_fan

 

[ladyjane]

Thank you @CaroLiza_fan ! It definitely does. I didn't expect Natasha to quit after getting that Olympic spot for the UK at the WC but good to know she's still at it! And about Zoe and Chris too.

 

[SnowWhite]

Have Robynne Tweedale and Joseph Buckland stopped/retired? I don't see them on the ID list (or will they be at the second qualifier? I don't know how the British system works). I'm also missing Natasha, as well as Zoe and Christopher (I do hope they are still skating).

Looking through the JGP bios, I noticed that Robynne is listed as one of the coaches and choreographers for Karl/Hoferichter, a german dance team training in Berlin. The others coaches listed are Stefano Caruso, Catherine Papadakis, and Malte Brandt. Don't know for sure that she's a full time coach for them, but it seems like she might be coaching in Germany right now.

 

[LoisAGOEs]

Robynne has been coaching in Germany with Stefano for over a year now. She and Joseph haven’t announced a split, but they were unable to train together during the pandemic and it seems somewhat unlikely they’ll rejoin at this point. Zoe and Chris had some summer training abroad with Ziegler/Kiefer, obviously hoping to get back to a more competitive form than they were in at Worlds when they’d had barely any time to train.

 

[La Rhumba]

Yes, absolutely - I'll be going! Really looking forward to seeing Lilah and Lewis skating.... and the other teams and singles, too.

Great news! Would love to hear your news & impressions for those of us dying to be there but unable.

Would appreciate anything!

 

[Ruthypegs]

British Qualifiers - Part 1: (I was only able to attend part of the event)

There was no Senior Pairs competition, (so no Lydia Smart/Harry Mattick nor Anastasia Vaipan Law/Luke Digby) - as all competitors had withdrawn.

Senior Men (PJ Hallam had withdrawn due to illness). 2 competitors - Graham Newberry and Elliott Thompson. Apparently, PJ already has enough to qualify for the British Nationals.

Graham - one wobble from a jump, otherwise no problems - very nice skate. Score: 71.68

Elliott - (he's very tall - possibly even taller than Nic Nadeau). In the words of Ted Barton: good job - he got it done. Score: 56.40.

Senior Ladies - I only saw the first five skaters (there were 9 or 10 more later)

Nina Povey - 53.39
Cerys Godman - 26.32
Danielle Harrison - 47.57
Emily Gibson - 24.85
Emily Haywood - 33.95

***Very exciting for me though, Robin Cousins was there a few rows away - he's one of my childhood heroes!***

I'll be going back for the Ice Dance later - really looking forward to Lilah and Lewis - they're skating to Rock and Roll All Nite.