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Dutch Figure Skating 2025-26

The time has come, and not in a good way. Daria and Michel have not managed to achieve the minimumscore the Dutch Olympic Committee had required on top of the international qualifaction. At the golden Spin they were 8th with 160.38 points, more than 10 points short.

This will mean they won 't be able to go to the Olympics despite having qualified directly through the World Championships in Boston at the beginning of this year.

I am so sad for them. And simultaneously so angry :angry: with the Dutch Olympic Committee who supports speed skating in a big way (as does the Skating Federation) but puts ridiculous demands on Figure Skaters. It isn't even the demand for a minimum score, it's the way they go about it, and then say: 'we are reasonable, all the athletes know these requirements'. That's not the point.

Sorry, rant over. Just sadness remains. 😢😢
 
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The time has come, and not in a good way. Daria and Michel have not managed to achieve the minimumscore the Dutch Olympic Committee had required on top of the international qualifaction. At the golden Spin they were 8th with 160.38 points, more that 10 points short.

This will mean they won 't be able to go to the Olympics despite having qualified directly through the World Championships in Boston at the beginning of this year.

I am so sad for them. And simultaneously so angry :angry: with the Dutch Olympic Committee who supports speed skating in a big way (as does the Skating Federation) but puts ridiculous demands on Figure Skaters. It isn't even the demand for a minimum score, it's the way they go about it, and then say: 'we are reasonable, all the athletes know these requirements'. That's not the point.

Sorry, rant over. Just sadness remains. 😢😢
Are there any more competitions to enter to get the scores?
 
Well, I am coming back now to the other Dutch skaters (who hadn't qualified in for the OG in any case)

Niki Wories was 14th at Golden Spin with 142.68 points
Jolanda Vos was 28th at Golden Spin with 106.67 points
Chelsea and Sherim were 18th in ID at Golden spin with 132.22 points.

Well done everybody! :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:
 
A small light in the continuing story of Daria and Michel going to the OG or not. The Dutch Skating Federation has put forward a request to the Dutch Olympic Committee to let them go regardless of additional requirements and demands. This request was motivated, but I don't know what reasons were put forward. Probably, something like there not being any other competing candidates, and that they had qualified directly at World's in Boston. Not letting them go, would mean giving an earned spot away. Source (in Dutch but the gist was above):


The Dutch Olympic team (at the moment consisting only of long- and short track speed skaters afaik) will be presented on the 5th of January. I am hoping and 'thumbing'.
 
I was happy when I found out on holiday, and I wish to celebrate this with a more lengthy post now I am back at home with a purring cat on my lap.

On the Dutch Skating website there was some elaboration. Daria and Michel were delirious that can go after all. It's a life long dream that now has become reality. They want to thank everyone who has supported them, and also thank the Dutch Skating Federation and the Dutch Olympic Committee for their faith in them. They are going to be the first pair in history to represent The Netherlands, and they are proud to do so. The Dutch Olympic Committee thought their were sufficient grounds to send them, despite them not achieving the additional requirements. They had already qualified according to the International rules (and Daria had already got her Dutch citizenship earlier on).

Article in Dutch (gist of it above).
 
At the Sofia Cup in Bulgaria the week of January 6th - January 11th (in the new year) Saskia Oudejans will be skating in the Sr Women, and Juliet van Kleef will take part in the intermediate novice girls. In the basic novice girls II (born between 1st July 2013 and 30th June 2014) Anastasia Zentveldt will compete. In ID Chelsea and Sherim will compete as well.

As far as I can see now, it's a singles only competition. No ID competition, as was originally planned. Lots of Bulgarian (logical in Sofia) but also Turkish entrants.

Edit: there is ID after all!
 
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Time to write a small post on Europeans, as we will have representation in three disciplines: women, pairs and ID. No substitutes alas. There are more women competing at the senior level, but they probably haven't got the minimums. Sadly, Julia van Dijk, of whom I am not sure if she's got them, is injured. We have a young talent among the boys, but he is far too young and will only be making the switch to juniors this year.

Niki Wories will be there in the Women's discipline.
Daria Danilova and Michel Tsiba are there for the Pairs.
Chelsea Verhaegh and Sherim van Geffen are there for Ice Dance.

I wish them luck! :cheer: :hap10::wave2::laugh3:
 
If you needed confirmation, here it is. At the presentation of the Dutch Olympic team Daria and Michel are both 6th from the left in the team photograph. One in the back, the other kneeling in the front.The most of the article is about the emotions, the undeserved hate messages and the ridiculous Olympic Qualification Tournament for the long track speed skaters (we've got so many speed skaters), but seeing Daria and Michel on the picture is heart warming. There are mostly speed skaters but besides the figure skaters there's also a skeleton athlete, as well as two snow boarders. There are still 2 short track skaters to be added.

 
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At the Sophia Cup Chelsea and Sherim are in 7th place with 57.01 points after the RD.
Summer Wijkhuizen in Advanced Novice (in the earlier info, I hadn't mentioned her, I saw it all too late) was second (🥈) with 103.06 points. Well done Summer! :points::cheer:
 
At the Sophia Cup Saskia Oudejans was 11th with 105.85 points.
Juliet van Kleef was 20th in the intermediate novice with 23.82 points.
Anastasia Zentveldt was 12th in the Basic Novice II with 33.36 points.

Chelsea and Sherim were 6th in ID with 152.07 points.

Well done! :hap10: :hap10:
 
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At Crystal Skate in Otopeni, Romania (a singles only competition taking place simultaneously with Euros) in the Junior Women, Roos Harkema is listed to compete.
 
Sadly, Daria and Michel had a sh*t short programme (Daria's word) but their Free was a bit of a redemptive skate. They still can do better of course. But...on the whole their FS wasn't bad. They were 15th at Euros, with 149.33 points. They actually were 13th in the FS. But they can do so much better!

Regrettably Niki won't get to do the FS. She was 28th in the the SP with 48.14 points. She can do better too! But, according to herself, it could have been like last year and that was a lot worse.

Well done guys! :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:
 
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