2023-2024 Italian Figure Skating

[Dreamer57]

I don't think so. Canada won't release skaters for 2 years if they have represented Canada at major events and Corey has done 4 continents for them. Soucisse and Firus (The ice dance team who now represent Ireland) only got their release by taking Skate Canada to arbitration, and SC immediately tightened their rules and the visibility of those.

I hadn't realised S/F had done this!
I jumped to the conclusion that Corey had already been released and got ahead of myself. 2 years is a long time!

 

[Ruthypegs]

I might add, GB offers zero funding as far as I am aware. There are also not many high level singles skating coaches around here. If Italy can offer more assignments plus some expenses paid then it's a good choice for him

I don't know exactly what the funding situation is in GB, but I understand that it's very, very little, and only for the very top skaters. AFAIK, elite skaters have to fund their own training and expenses, as well as pay for ice time. Most have jobs alongside training. Plus, the government closed all ice rinks during lockdown, so many skaters have lost huge chunks of training time over the last few years.

 

[4everchan]

Nope, I have never forgiven Gabriele for a major tantrum he had while waiting for his FS results at the 2015 Lombardia Trophy.

Yes, I know he was young at the time (13). But, it was still not a good look.

CaroLiza_fan

2015? Really? Let it go Teenagers have tantrums daily. Then they grow up. I see nothing but class in this young man. I also see passion in his skating. A real role model.

 

[4everchan]

I hadn't realised S/F had done this!
I jumped to the conclusion that Corey had already been released and got ahead of myself. 2 years is a long time!

yeah... the rules say 2 years for skaters having represented Canada at 4CC or worlds in the last 5 seasons I believe. So he is not in good shape. Also, there is something vague as well whether it is the last date of international competition. ISU says one year since the last competition. Skate Canada says the release is dated to whenever the skater and the new fed writes to them. I am not sure if this part has been straightened up. In the other case we talked about, the arbitrator went with the ISU rule and explained why it makes sense. Not sure what Skate Canada's policy is at this point regarding the date of release.

 

[4everchan]

seriously, i am considering changing my username for 4everfran .. .only two letters away, shouldn't cost too much money right?

 

[FlossieH]

I might add, GB offers zero funding as far as I am aware. There are also not many high level singles skating coaches around here. If Italy can offer more assignments plus some expenses paid then it's a good choice for him

I would imagine he is staying with Brian Orser as his coach? I haven't seen anything about him actually moving to Italy to live?

In the absence of any official confirmation of him having requested a change of skating nationality, we probably need to be mindful that skaters can compete domestically in countries other than the one they represent. Some of the Irish skaters compete in the UK, including the qualifiers for the GB nationals, but also compete in Irish nationals and represent Ireland internationally.

 

[4everchan]

I would imagine he is staying with Brian Orser as his coach? I haven't seen anything about him actually moving to Italy to live?

In the absence of any official confirmation of him having requested a change of skating nationality, we probably need to be mindful that skaters can compete domestically in countries other than the one they represent. Some of the Irish skaters compete in the UK, including the qualifiers for the GB nationals, but also compete in Irish nationals and represent Ireland internationally.

yes. that's all true. However, there is a kicker. Corey is not listed at Challenge which is next weekend. Which means he will not take part in Canadian Nationals. So whatever he ends up doing, it seems like he is done with representing Canada. There is really no point doing a competition in Italy for fun, and then skip your own Nationals right?

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

2015? Really? Let it go Teenagers have tantrums daily. Then they grow up. I see nothing but class in this young man. I also see passion in his skating. A real role model.

First opinions on people are hard to shift. The way he behaved that day, and the way he treated his coach, was appalling. And it was highly disrespectful towards the officials as well.

He was definitely displaying the Italian passion, but in totally the wrong way!

I often wish there was a video of his FS on YouTube, or that the stream had been archived. Because it would make it easier for people to understand why I find that incident so hard to get past.

For context, he had won the Short Programme, but had a nightmare of a Free Skate.

people grow up, change and deserve a second chance. get over it

I knew you would say that! (Because you've said it before! ) That was actually why I brought it up, to wind you up.

sadly it will happen at the same time as Japanese nationals and Russian nationals...why italian fed? whyyy????

That's strange. It's normally the same week as Four Nationals and the French Championships. And of the three, I usually pick Italy to watch, because there are more skaters that I am interested in.

Mama's love and speaking of singles switching to dance, do we have any news of Mattia Della Torre?

I asked about that a few weeks ago in the Mezzaluna Cup thread, but angled it towards his partner, Elisabetta Leccardi (who I decided that I wanted to adopt immediately after seeing her SP in Singles at the 2015 Lombardia Trophy). Unfortunately, nobody answered.

This is what I wrote:

I know that I'm biased because I have adopted them, but is anybody else getting concerned that there has been no sign of Elisabetta Leccardi / Mattia dalla Torre at any events this season yet? I would have expected them to have been here at least.

Is Mattia still not fully recovered from his injury? Has there been further injury issues for either of them? Or have they maybe stopped skating together? Neither of them has posted anything skating related since way last season (Elisabetta in September; and Mattia in February).

Mind you, if they are no longer skating together, they are still friends because Elisabetta is with Mattia in his most recent Instagram post, from the start of September.​

Four days later, however, Mattia has posted this:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyeHZieKyIN/

Unfortunately, he did not add a caption, so I have no idea if it is recent, or has some significance, or anything.

Elisabetta, meanwhile, hasn't posted anything at all since September.

I have to admit, I am getting the impression that they have moved on from skating. Particularly from Elisabetta. If her Instagram is anything to go by, she is more interested in being a model. Can't blame her, really. She is absolutely gorgeous after all.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[4everchan]

First opinions on people are hard to shift. The way he behaved that day, and the way he treated his coach, was appalling. And it was highly disrespectful towards the officials as well.

He was definitely displaying the Italian passion, but in totally the wrong way!

I often wish there was a video of his FS on YouTube, or that the stream had been archived. Because it would make it easier for people to understand why I find that incident so hard to get past.

Something someone has done almost 10 years ago, when they were a child, shouldn't define them... Basing an opinion of his persona on this is very short-sighted and rigid, in my humble opinion. Honestly, seeing how he behaves now, and he has had a ton of bad LPs, should show one how much he learned that day and how much he has grown up. I think it's pretty unfair that some fans judge these kids who are exposed on the internet when they are so young and so unequipped socially. Anyway, at this point, I wonder what is worse, fans who are unforgiving of a kid they do not even know in real life, or the teenager himself having a tantrum. YMMV

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Something someone has done almost 10 years ago, when they were a child, shouldn't define them... Basing an opinion of his persona on this is very short-sighted and rigid, in my humble opinion. Honestly, seeing how he behaves now, and he has had a ton of bad LPs, should show one how much he learned that day and how much he has grown up. I think it's pretty unfair that some fans judge these kids who are exposed on the internet when they are so young and so unequipped socially. Anyway, at this point, I wonder what is worse, fans who are unforgiving of a kid they do not even know in real life, or the teenager himself having a tantrum. YMMV

Fair enough. I hadn't thought of it like that.

My main thing that made me turn against him was that, although he was a child himself, he would still have been somebody that the younger skaters looked up to. And so, in behaving like this, he was setting a bad example to them. We all know how impressionable children are.

But, as you say, that was a long time ago. He's now in his 20's, and the fact that he is now in the police sports programme shows that they consider him to be somebody that can be trusted to not bring embarrassment to the force.

I'll give him some slack in future.

Alrght, getting back to Corey.

Yes, I keep harping on the simple fact that being a figure skater in Canada is difficult, not just for the middle tier but also at the top.

I'm not complaining about you harping on. You have every right to, with the way your Fed is treating your skaters. In fact, I'm glad you do, because it reminds everybody that Skate Canada is not being fair on the skaters.

Finally, Corey probably doesn't want to go to the UK. He wants to train with his friend.

Forgive me if I am asking something that should be obvious, but who is his friend?

As fans, we forget that some skaters are very well aware that they will NOT be world champions. They do not have exotic quads or even the desire of getting there one day. They are pretty aware that they may not even compete at the Olympics. Not everyone does ! But they love the sport and they want to practice it for a few years before doing something else.

You're preaching to the choir here. I am the king of "It's not the winning, it's the taking part that matters" mantra. And I have been shouted at many times on here for saying that. For me, the aim for any sportsperson should not be to win, but should be to do the best they can. The position doesn't matter, so long as they have tried their best. Hence, to me, the scores are more important than the positions.

However, at the same time, I want the skaters to get the opportunity to compete at as many events as they want. And positions at Nationals do matter when it comes to getting selected for the Majors. That was why I would have preferred Corey to switch to his birth country (the UK) rather than his ancestral homeland (Italy). Because at the British Championships, the top skaters are around the same level as he is, so he has a chance of beating them to get the 1 slot. But in the Italian Championships, there are 3 or 4 skaters that are pretty much guaranteed to finish ahead of him if everything follows current form.

That said, form can change. And one thing that can help change that is funding. I have to admit, in this respect, Italy is definitely the best of Corey's three options. The British and Canadian Feds just don't get enough money to cover what their skaters need. But Italy has some great funding programmes. Although, a lot of them are tied in with summer jobs, so I'm not sure if he would be able to join one of these programmes if he was still based most of the time in Canada. He would probably have to actually move to Italy if he was to take one of them up.

Corey will probably end up having a much better time representing Italy, will speak the language, will train with his buddy... All of this is wonderful ! And who knows, it is perhaps with these conditions that he will develop further and be even more competitive.

It does sound wonderful, doesn't it? So, although I wanted him to come to the UK, I hope it works out this way.

Hey, let's face it, if you were based in Canada and had to take a trip to Europe every December for Nationals, and were presented with the choice of going to Yorkshire or going to somewhere in Italy, I don't think it would take too much thinking!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[4everchan]

Fair enough. I hadn't thought of it like that.

My main thing that made me turn against him was that, although he was a child himself, he would still have been somebody that the younger skaters looked up to. And so, in behaving like this, he was setting a bad example to them. We all know how impressionable children are.

But, as you say, that was a long time ago. He's now in his 20's, and the fact that he is now in the police sports programme shows that they consider him to be somebody that can be trusted to not bring embarrassment to the force.

I'll give him some slack in future.

Good.

Alrght, getting back to Corey.



I'm not complaining about you harping on. You have every right to, with the way your Fed is treating your skaters. In fact, I'm glad you do, because it reminds everybody that Skate Canada is not being fair on the skaters.

Good

Forgive me if I am asking something that should be obvious, but who is his friend?

Nik Memola.

You're preaching to the choir here. I am the king of "It's not the winning, it's the taking part that matters" mantra. And I have been shouted at many times on here for saying that. For me, the aim for any sportsperson should not be to win, but should be to do the best they can. The position doesn't matter, so long as they have tried their best. Hence, to me, the scores are more important than the positions.

However, at the same time, I want the skaters to get the opportunity to compete at as many events as they want. And positions at Nationals do matter when it comes to getting selected for the Majors. That was why I would have preferred Corey to switch to his birth country (the UK) rather than his ancestral homeland (Italy). Because at the British Championships, the top skaters are around the same level as he is, so he has a chance of beating them to get the 1 slot. But in the Italian Championships, there are 3 or 4 skaters that are pretty much guaranteed to finish ahead of him if everything follows current form.

Yeah but it seems like training in the UK is not a good idea for anyone really right now. Also, who knows if he still has relatives in the UK. It is quite possible that he has stronger ties with Italy. Place of birth is not always something defining... Look at Ye Quan, born in Iceland

That said, form can change. And one thing that can help change that is funding. I have to admit, in this respect, Italy is definitely the best of Corey's three options. The British and Canadian Feds just don't get enough money to cover what their skaters need. But Italy has some great funding programmes. Although, a lot of them are tied in with summer jobs, so I'm not sure if he would be able to join one of these programmes if he was still based most of the time in Canada. He would probably have to actually move to Italy if he was to take one of them up.

He will probably train in Italy to be with his bro Nik.

It does sound wonderful, doesn't it? So, although I wanted him to come to the UK, I hope it works out this way.

Hey, let's face it, if you were based in Canada and had to take a trip to Europe every December for Nationals, and were presented with the choice of going to Yorkshire or going to somewhere in Italy, I don't think it would take too much thinking!

He may be in Italy most of the time...

CaroLiza_fan

 

[RatedPG]

Corey did better in the Free today than in the Short yesterday, well done No 3A, but a 4T (underrotated, but he didn't fall).

But, as I said, if it doesn't work out in singles at the end, he can always go back to Dance - I'm sure there are a few lovely ladies in Italy who would not be opposed to skating with him (and most of all, a few skaters I would not be opposed to going into dance, looking at you, Ginevra - Though she skated well today too, so maybe we can wait a few years ).

And same for Matteo, for whom it has become the usual occurrence at this point. He popped one of the 3As, but managed a 3Lz+3T (instead of 3Lz+2T), and got his Choreo sequence called this time too.

Sorry if this was addressed. But, where do I find the Corey’s recent results? Is there a video?

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Good.

Good

Nik Memola.

Yeah but it seems like training in the UK is not a good idea for anyone really right now. Also, who knows if he still has relatives in the UK. It is quite possible that he has stronger ties with Italy. Place of birth is not always something defining... Look at Ye Quan, born in Iceland

He will probably train in Italy to be with his bro Nik.

He may be in Italy most of the time...

Thank you for the clarification about Memola. I don't really follow who is friends with who. (Hey, it was only by accident that I found out that when she is away from home during the season, one of my kids actually lives with another of my kids! I didn't even know they were close friends! )

I am curious to know more about Corey. Obviously, we know he has Italian ancestry (the surname gave that away long before any of this came up). But, does anybody know about what other ancestry he has? I mean to say, does he actually have British ancestry, or was it just circumstances that led to him being born in Manchester? (I was going to say "à la Ashley Wagner being born in Germany", but that probably isn't a good example as, given her surname, there are clearly German-speakers somewhere further back in her family history. )

Anyway, thank you again.



CaroLiza_fan

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Provisional entry lists for Nationals have been published. Still no Daniel, but Corey will indeed compete.

https://www.fisg.it/backend/documents/get_document.php?id=24867

 

[4everchan]

Provisional entry lists for Nationals have been published. Still no Daniel, but Corey will indeed compete.

https://www.fisg.it/backend/documents/get_document.php?id=24867

So Corey, at worse, will be top five.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Provisional entry lists for Nationals have been published. Still no Daniel, but Corey will indeed compete.

https://www.fisg.it/backend/documents/get_document.php?id=24867

Thank you for posting this, @CrazyKittenLady.



So still no sign of Emanuele Indelicato in Senior Men, or Elisabetta Leccardi / Mattia dalla Torre in Senior Ice Dance.

As for the Joos sisters, Sarina is there in Seniors, but Noemi is not there.

I can't help thinking there is somebody else significant that I haven't noticed is missing. But I can't think who! (I'm allowing for Daniel).

What is it you were telling me about old age, @elektra blue...?

CaroLiza_fan

 

[elektra blue]

Thank you for posting this, @CrazyKittenLady.



So still no sign of Emanuele Indelicato in Senior Men, or Elisabetta Leccardi / Mattia dalla Torre in Senior Ice Dance.

As for the Joos sisters, Sarina is there in Seniors, but Noemi is not there.

I can't help thinking there is somebody else significant that I haven't noticed is missing. But I can't think who! (I'm allowing for Daniel).

What is it you were telling me about old age, @elektra blue...?

CaroLiza_fan

the truth? it looks like Daniel took the entire yeat of, i hope he can gets his things together and his position clear. trying to be optimist here...which is not my strong suit...

 

[FlossieH]

Thank you for posting this, @CrazyKittenLady.



So still no sign of Emanuele Indelicato in Senior Men, or Elisabetta Leccardi / Mattia dalla Torre in Senior Ice Dance.

As for the Joos sisters, Sarina is there in Seniors, but Noemi is not there.

I can't help thinking there is somebody else significant that I haven't noticed is missing. But I can't think who! (I'm allowing for Daniel).

What is it you were telling me about old age, @elektra blue...?

CaroLiza_fan

I think Noemi Joos is still a junior? All the juniors appear to be missing, except for ice dance...

 

[Andrea82]

I think Noemi Joos is still a junior? All the juniors appear to be missing, except for ice dance...

Junior nationals for single and pairs will be held in early February.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I think Noemi Joos is still a junior? All the juniors appear to be missing, except for ice dance...

Junior nationals for single and pairs will be held in early February.

I'm an idiot! I didn't even notice that there were only 5 categories listed!

I guess the inclusion of the Junior Ice Dance confused me. And I must have thought that I had seen the other Junior categories as well.

Plus the fact that most years all the Junior and Senior cateogies are held together, with only the younger categories being held as a separate event. On those few occasions in the past when the Juniors had a stand-alone event, I was putting it down to there being a bumper number of entries that year compared to usual, and the organisers not being able to fit everything into the timeframe that they had the rink for in December. Which is probably not far off the mark.

But, this time, I suspect it is all down to this crazy decision to hold Nationals on Christmas week. They want the event over quickly, so that everybody can be home for Christmas.

Holding Nationals the week around 25th December works in Russia because the Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar, so Christmas is in January for them. And holding Nationals the same week in Japan works for them, because Christmas isn't an official holiday there. But it just doesn't work in countries where Christmas is celebrated that week.

Hopefully this year's experiment will make the FISG realise that, and the Italian Championships will go back to their traditional format and slot next year.

Sorry about the rant. I just had to get that off my chest.

---

Anyway, getting back to the original point I made, with all the talk about country switching and releases, I actually thought that Noemi's absence might have had something to do with the date of her last international competition for Switzerland being 10 days later than Sarina's:

• Sarina's last competition was the Warsaw Cup (17–20 Nov. 2022; Senior Ladies FS on 20th Nov. 2022)
• Noemi's last competition was the Santa Claus Cup (28 Nov. – 04 Dec. 2022; Advanced Novice Ladies FS on 30th Nov. 2022)

Given that the entry forms usually have to be in about a month before an event, I wasn't sure if these dates would have played into it. I just checked the page for Christmas Nationals on the FISG website, and the deadline for getting entries in is 23:59 on 30th November 2023 (i.e. tonight).

Of course, now that I know that Junior Nationals are in February, this doesn't affect things. But, for future reference, what is the date that your embargo has to be over by?

• The date the entry forms for the event have to be in for.
• The date you turn up and register that you are at the event.
• The date you do your first programme at the event.

It's not something I've ever thought about before. But, it is important if a skater wants to get back to action straight away.

CaroLiza_fan