INSIDE EDGE. The latest news, views and reviews directly from the ice... THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF DECEMBER 2014

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1 DECEMBER 2014 The latest news, views and reviews directly from the ice... THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF

2 Welcome from the chief Executive Dear Member, We ve had a busy month here at the National Ice Skating Association with many of our athletes competing at events around the world as they get stuck in to the season. We re now at the start of a new four year cycle as we look ahead to the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics and we re already showing signs of strength by ranking high at competitions and winning medals on the European and World stages. Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland put in a strong performance to bring home Bronze last month after their performance in the Rostelecom Cup ISU Grand Prix, while Lucas Kitteridge and Ekaterina Fedyushchenko skated their way to a second place finish in the ISU International Open D Andorra. Two events into the ISU World Cup Series, the GB Short Track speed skaters have already claimed nine top ten overall finishes between them, as well as a Bronze medal in the men s relay in Canada last month. At a European level, they claimed four Gold medals, along with one Silver and one Bronze at the Invitation Cup in Holland at the start of the season. We have some exciting news from the GB Short Track Speed Skating team who have just announced details of an international event which will be coming to Nottingham in January In addition, we re looking ahead to the British Synchronised Skating Championships, also taking place at Nottingham s National Ice Centre next month. Away from the ice, we have now reviewed our safeguarding policies and disciplinary procedures and these will be supported by a new National Lead Safeguarding Officer (Michelle Draper). These policies have been developed in close liaison with the NSPCC. If you have any questions please Michelle at safeguarding@iceskating.org.uk. Finally, I d like to personally congratulate short track speed skater, Jon Eley on being elected to the Athletes Commission of the BOA. It s fantastic news to have one of our own athletes helping to influence decisions that will have a direct impact on our skaters. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas this year. Nick Sellwood Chief Executive National Ice Skating Association

3 british figure skating championships 2014 The British Figure Skating Championships are over for another year, and the level of competition this year was truly exceptional. There were tears of joy and disappointment at icesheffield as our talented skaters took to the ice to compete for a national title. Basic Novice B Ladies and Men s 2014 was the first year these competitions have been run and they attracted an excellent level of entry. The ladies event was won By Elizabeth Matcham (MKN) skating to Moon River scoring 34.23, she was closely followed in second place by Emily Brown (BBN) with Chloe Dempsie (MAG) coming third with The Men s event was won by Greig Smith (ABN) 33.8 whose superior technical elements earned him first place over Jamie Tsanq (NOT) 28.31, with Elliot Thompson (BIL) coming third. Advanced Novice Ladies & Men s A hotly contested ladies event was won by Sophie Jones (GUI) with a combined score of with Isabel Yeatman (SHE) in second and Rebecca Gillespie (NOT) in third. In The Men s event, Luke Digby (SHE) the runner up for the previous two years was a clear winner with a score of Peter Beaumont (SHE) came second with a score of followed by Luke Sidebottom Junior Ladies & Men s The hot favourite, Danielle Harrison (DDE) won the title with a score of but was pushed hard by Anna Litvinenko (GUI) who won the free programme to secure herself second place overall. Lana Bagen (MUR) came third scoring In the men s event the reigning champion, Graham Newberry (LVL) retained his title with a score of In his first season as a Junior, Report compiled by NISA Technical Director Alistair Wilson Josh Brown (NOT) was second, scoring with Hugh Brabyn-Jones (NISA) third with points. Senior Ladies & Men s Dundee took a clean sweep of the podium positions with Karly Robertson gaining her first British Title with a score of after winning both the short and free programs. Michelle Callison was second 99.44, followed Natasha McKay in third place The Senior men s event was a highlight of the championships with both Phillip Harris (COV) and Peter Hallam (SHE) on top form. Phillip Harris s thrilling performance and triple axels propelled him to first place with a score of while Peter Hallam also wowed the audience with his performance to score and second place. Harry Mattick (COV) was third with

4 british figure skating championships 2014 Pairs There were six pairs performing at the Championships. Lauren Lowry & Branden Marshall (SHE) took the Basic Novice title with a score of In the Advanced Novice category Emily & Henry Drury (SHE) held of the challenge of Chloe Curtin & Jack Wakelin (CHE) to win the title with a score of The Junior Pairs was a closely contested event with Steven Adcock and his new partner Annie Royapen (CHE) taking the title from reigning champions Mollie Lanaghan & Jake Astill (SHE). A remarkable feat considering Annie Royapen was only a level 1 skater at the beginning of the year. Annie Royapen & Steven Adcock scored with Mollie Lanaghan & Jake Astill scoring There was only one couple competing in the Senior Pairs, Caitlin Yankowskas & Hamish Gaman (NISA) who skated beautifully to a team best of Basic Novice Dance The new pairing of Rebecca Clarke & James Hernandez (SLO) took the title with a score of from last years runners up, Ellie O Connell & Joshua Tarry (NOT) who scored Another new pairing Alice Galvin & Dominic Barter (SHE) were third scoring Advanced Novice Dance Mia Rose Jowitt & Peter Beaumont (SHE) - last years Basic Novice Champions - took the title with a score of They were followed by Sasha Fear & Jack Osman (SLO) in second place scoring and Clare & Tom Whalley (SHE) in third place with points. Junior Dance Fresh from their success in Andorra, Ekaterina Fedyushchenko & Lucas Kitterage (NISA) took the title with a score of Second place went to the new pairing of Robynne Tweedale & Edward Carstairs (NOT) who scored Moving up from Advanced Novice last year Lilah Fear & Jacob Payne (SLO) came a creditable third with Senior Dance With Penny Coomes & Nick Buckland away at the NHK Grand Prix, the door was open for new dance Champions to take the Senior Dance title. With thrilling performances both in the Short Dance and Free Dance, Olivia Smart & Joseph Buckland (NOT) took the title with a score of Carter Jones & Richard Sharpe (NISA) came second with a score of Report compiled by NISA Technical Director Alistair Wilson

5 International Short Track Speed Skating competition to take place in Nottingham We re excited to announce that Nottingham s first ever international Short Track Speed Skating competition has been announced for January The ISU Star Class event will take place at the National Ice Centre, Nottingham between 9 and 11 January 2015, featuring Great Britain s top speed skaters who will be competing alongside elite athletes from Western Europe. The event, which is supported and funded by the International Skating Union and the National Ice Skating Association, will give spectators the opportunity to see Britain s top speed skaters in action at their home rink where they train when they aren t competing. Stuart Horsepool, Performance Director at GB Short Track said: The National Performance Centre for short track speed skating has been based at the National Ice Centre since 2000, so we are all extremely excited to be holding our first international competition here in January. This is a fantastic opportunity for the public to come along and experience some high octane international racing, in what is a very fast paced, exciting and often unpredictable sport. At the start of this year, the squad were competing on the world stage at the Sochi Winter Olympics, so to get the opportunity to see them race live and up close is an opportunity not to be missed. The ISU Star Class Cup will see the athletes race across three distances: 1000m, 500m and 1500m. This will be the third of six events in the ISU Star Class Cup during the season, which culminate with the Europa Cup Finals in March next year. The final will see the fastest eight skaters in each age group category from East and West Europe go on to battle it out for a podium place. Photo by Alex Livesey, Getty Images

6 British Synchronised Skating Championships 2015 Last year s British Synchronised Skating Championships attracted entries from 50 teams and the event - which took place at icesheffield - sold out for the first time so this year, it has been moved to an even bigger at Nottingham s National Ice Centre. The exciting event will take place on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th January and is one not to be missed! Entries are now open to teams wanting to take part, and tickets are available for spectators.

7 Coomes and Buckland compete on World stage Great British figure skaters, Penny Coomes and partner Nick Buckland, competed in the final event of the 2014 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The event, named the NHK Trophy, was the sixth competition in the Grand Prix Series and took place last weekend (28th- 30th November) in Osaka, Japan. Coomes and Buckland were invited to two Grand Prix events and skated their way to a Bronze medal in their first event The Rostelecom Cup of Russia two weeks ago. The team were looking for a similar result in Japan to secure a place in the Grand Prix finals. The pair started the NHK Trophy well finishing in second place in the Short Dance. Unfortunately, they fell in the Free programme which meant that they finished in fifth place overall. Although they placed well against the world s top figure skaters, they just missed out on qualifying for the ISU Grand Prix Final in Barcelona which was held last weekend. Robin Cousins, High Performance Programme Manager said: Penny and Nick had a good weekend in Japan. They started the competition on top form finishing in second place in the short dance. Unfortunately their fall contributed to a sixth place in the free programme and a fifth place finish overall. It was a setback for them, but in the grand scheme of things they are still on track. Their performance over the weekend was still up there and the fact that they had been invited to compete on the Grand Prix stage was a fantastic achievement. Up next is the European Championships which will be very exciting. ISU European Figure Skating Championships will be taking place in Stockholm, Sweden from 28th January to 1st February 2015 (practice sessions begin from 26th January).

8 UK to host international inclusive skating competition We recently announced that 2015 will see the UK host its third Inclusive Skating competition, thanks to 10,000 in funding from the National Lottery s Awards for All programme. The international event, which will take place at Scotland s Braehead Curling Ice Rink in April 2015, includes competition in Figure Skating, Solo Ice Dance and Speed Skating. The competition will be organised by Inclusive Skating, who provide opportunities for skaters with a range of physical or mental impairments to participate in the sport and take part in competitions and events. Skaters with any form of impairment can enter the competition, including visual, hearing, biochemical, intellectual or any impairment that functionally limits ice skating capability. Margarita Sweeney-Baird, Founder of Inclusive Skating said: Our end goal is to develop a programme that will include all skaters with an impairment and allow them to participate in all competitions and events on an equal basis. This funding has allowed us to do just that as for the first time since the event s inception, we are able to extend its scope, opening up the competition to some of the most seriously impaired athletes. The 2015 event will include the third Special Olympics GB National Championships in Figure and Speed Skating as well as the first ever NISA British Inclusive Skating Championships.

9 Congratulations to GB Short Track Speed Skater, Jon Eley on being elected on to the BOA Athletes Commission Congratulations to GB Short Track speed skater, Jon Eley, who has been elected on to the BOA s Athletes Commission after a vote by fellow British athletes. Jon has been elected alongside Claire Hamilton (curling) and Nathan Robertson (badminton) to join the Commission for the first time. They will be joining Sarah Gosling (sailing) and Goldie Sayers (athletics) who have been re-elected to the post. The Athletes Commission is an advisory group set up to ensure the viewpoint and interests of all Team GB competitors are at the heart of everything the BOA does. It looks to represent the interests of past, present and future Olympians by helping the BOA provide better services and support both during competition and after retirement. Photos by Alex Livesey, Getty Images

10 Robin Cousins inspires talented young athletes at AASE induction weekend The AASE (Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence) induction weekend took place last month at Loughborough University. The qualification is funded by skills active and run in conjunction with the Institute of Swimming. AASE is a sports performance programme providing training and development for talented young athletes aged Our second year athletes were also invited to attend - they participated in Goal Setting and Mental Skills workshops and they were also treated to dinner and a talk by Robin Cousins, NISA s High Performance Programme Manager and 1980 Olympic Champion. Available to up to 12 ice skaters every year, the AASE course covers topics including technical and tactical skills, nutrition, lifestyle management, career planning and coaching. It can take between six and 24 months to complete and the programme supports athletes to achieve a Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance. There are more than 2,500 athletes on the AASE programme throughout England and more than 20 sports from rugby union to rowing, boxing and tennis are currently involved in the AASE. Past AASE athletes include double Olympic gold medallist swimmer Rebecca Adlington, Olympic bronze medal diving star Tom Daley and Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere.