ISAI Communication 13
The Ice Skating Association of Ireland announces measures to ensure the eligibility of individuals applying for ISAI membership.
Soucisse and Firus 28th In World Rhythm Dance
Carolane Soucisse (30) and Shane Firus (31) have finished in 28th place in the rhythm dance at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, United States of America.
The two-time Irish national champions took to the ice in the home arena of the Boston Celtics as the first to skate in Warm-Up Group 4. They began their James Brown medley programme with a Level 2 midline step sequence. For the sequential twizzle sequence Soucisse was given a Level 3 while Firus was Level 2. They earned a Level 1 for their pattern type step sequence, followed it with their choreographic rhythmic sequence and closed with a rousing Level 4 rotational lift. Their score of 58.68 points was not what they had hoped for coming into the event and was unfortunately not enough to advance to tomorrow’s free dance.
“We thought the energy was very good,” Firus said. “Obviously we had two small errors – an error on the twizzle and on the pattern type step sequence. Overall though we are very happy with how we attacked it. It was unfortunate that we did have the errors on those two elements. We couldn’t have been more prepared for this event, so we’ll just have to go back, go home and start working again and hop to it.”
“I think besides our own personal goal also a goal we have had since we started representing Ireland is to bring awareness of the sport and help the next generation to get a better shot,” Soucisse said.
Soucisse And Firus In Quest To Show Season Best At Worlds
Carolane Soucisse (30) and Shane Firus (31) carry Ireland’s hopes in the ice dance event at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships which are being held this week (26 March to 30 March) in Boston, United States of America.
This will be the second time the ice dance duo represent Ireland at Worlds. Last year in Montreal, Canada, they finished 20th and will be aiming for an even better showing this time round. The two-time Irish national champions train in Toronto, Canada with their coaches Carol Lane, Jon Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Marc-Andre Servant.
Soucisse and Firus get their competition under way in the rhythm dance which begins at 15:15 (Irish time) on Friday, 28 March. Thirty-six teams from 27 nations will fight for the 20 spots available in the free dance on Saturday, 29 March. This year’s Worlds carry a special significance in that 19 of the 23 quota places available for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina will be decided in Boston.
“We want to strongly represent Ireland and skate to the best of our abilities,” Firus said. “The Irish community is so present here in Boston that it feels like we are at a home Worlds.”
“Having our best showing of the season is the main goal here in Boston and we hope that if we accomplish that we can place ourselves in the top twenty and secure Ireland a spot for the upcoming Olympic Games,” Soucisse added.
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships were first held in 1896. Ireland made its debut at the championships in 2009 when Clara Peters skated in the women’s event. Peters also participated in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 editions. Last year Soucisse and Firus became the first ice dance team from Ireland to compete at Worlds.
In order to earn entry to the championships, eligible skaters must attain a combined minimum technical element score of both their programmes during the current or preceding season. The championships are held annually and this is the second time they take place in Boston.
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships will be broadcast on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. Geographical restrictions may apply. The results of the championships can be followed on the event results page and on social media via the #WorldFigure and #FigureSkating hashtags.
Irish National Figure Skating Championships 2025
The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) is pleased to announce that the Irish National Figure Skating Championships 2025 will take place between 7-8 June at the Dundee Ice Arena in Dundee, Scotland.
This will be the fourth time the Dundee Ice Arena has hosted the event. Entries are open to competitors in Advanced Novice singles and Junior and Senior singles and ice dance.
The Championship Announcement and Entry Form can be found on the dedicated event page. The entry deadline is 5pm, 2 May 2025.
Membership Renewal
Annual memberships are now up for renewal!
As per ISAI Communication 11, there will be an extended term of 16 month membership for 2025/2026 running from 1 March 2025 till 30 June 2026.
Reflecting the longer membership year, the 2025/2026 membership fee will be €130. Membership can be renewed via the Sportlomo website registration portal.
Judge 12th At Road To 26 Trophy Olympic Test Event
Dillon Judge (Co. Down) has finished 12th at the Road to 26 Trophy, the figure skating test event for next year’s Milano Cortina Olympic Games, in Milan, Italy.
Judge opened the men’s event in the short programme yesterday evening with a triple Lutz that he unfortunately stepped out of the landing. He landed a triple Salchow-double toe loop combination and performed a Level 3 change foot camel spin and a Level 3 change foot combination spin. He came unstuck on a double Axel having to put a hand down to save the landing. He closed out the routine with a Level 4 flying sit spin and a Level 2 step sequence. He scored 46.37 points which put him in 12th place overnight.
The 2023 Irish champion was back this evening to take on the free skating inside the Unipol Forum. He got off to an excellent start nailing a triple flip and a triple Lutz with both receiving postive grades of execution from the judging panel. He popped a second triple Lutz into a single before completing a Level 3 flying sit spin and clean triple Salchow. The programme then began to unravel for him after that and he had issues on all three of his final jumping passes. He ended with a Level 3 change foot combination spin. He earned 79.98 points for his free which gave him a combined total of 126.35 points.
Judge 14th; Tkacheva 23rd At Merano Ice Trophy
Figure skaters in two different categories represented Ireland at this weekend’s Merano Ice Trophy in Merano, Italy.
This was Dillon Judge’s 2025 debut and he took on the Senior Men’s short programme yesterday afternoon. He fell on an opening triple Lutz at the start of his routine to “Northern Attitude” by Noah Kahan and Gabe Simon. He was just about able to eke out the landing of the first part of a triple flip-double toe loop combination and then was given a base level for his change foot camel spin. He was awarded Level 3 for a subsequent change foot combination spin. He had to put a hand down to save a double Axel and closed out with a Level 2 flying sit spin and a Level 2 step sequence. He scored 40.50 points and was in 15th place overnight.
Earlier today the Irish champion was back for the free skating portion of the event. He started his programme to “My Homeland” by HAVASI and Peter Pejtsik with a fall on a triple flip. He hung on to the landings of both a triple Lutz-double toe loop combination and a solo triple Lutz. He achieved Level 3 on a flying sit spin and nailed a triple Salchow. A change foot camel spin was just as in the short adjudicated to be base level and he ended with elements that included a triple Salchow-double toe loop combination, a Level 2 step sequence and a Level 3 change foot combination spin. He came 14th in the free with a score of 85.44 points to finish with a total of 125.94 points in 14th place overall.
It was an early start for Sophia Tkacheva as she was entered in the Junior Women’s event. In her short programme, she put a hand down on a double Axel and fell out of a planned triple Salchow jump combination. She was earned a Level 4 for a layback spin and got Level 2 for a flying camel spin. She also landed on a double flip and picked up a Level 3 for her step sequence. She concluded with a Level 3 change foot combination spin. Her score of 31.88 points put her in 22nd overnight.
Tkacheva began her free skating this morning with an attempted double Axel-Euler-double Salchow jump sequence. She fell on a triple Salchow, but settled down with a double Lutz-double toe loop combination. She performed a Level 3 flying change foot sit spin, a double loop. She had a blip when she fell on a double Axel. She rounded out her programme with a Level 2 layback spin and a Level 3 change foot combination spin. With a score of 52.46 points she took 24th place in the free and was 23rd overall with a total of 84.34 points.
Peterson 19th At European Youth Olympic Festival
Allie Peterson (Co. Galway) has finished 19th in the Junior Girls’ event at the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Bakuriani, Georgia.
The Irish Junior champion opened her competition yesterday in the short programme. Skating to “Right Now” by The Pussycat Dolls (NBA Version), she began with a double flip and hung on to the landing of a double Axel. She next executed a Level 3 sit spin and a Level 2 step sequence. The first part of her triple Salchow-double toe loop jump combination was deemed to be under rotated by the technical panel. She closed out her routine with a Level 3 flying camel spin and a Level 3 change foot combination spin. Her score of 39.87 points left her in 22nd place overnight.
Peterson took to the ice earlier today for her free skating and skated last in Warm-Up Group Two. She started with a double Lutz and then stepped out on the landing of a triple Salchow. She fell on a double Axel that was downgraded. She fought back with a Level 4 flying change foot combination spin and put down a triple toe loop, but was only able to tack on a single toe loop in combination. She also went for a triple Salchow-double toe loop combination and a solo triple toe loop, falling on the latter. She earned a free score of 68.85 points which gave her a final total of 108.72 points and moved up to 19th place.
“It was not my best performance today, jump wise, but I think the overall performance was pretty strong,” Peterson said about her free. “I think I definitely have improved from my competitions in the beginning of the season, so I’m pretty happy overall.
“I really want to thank the Olympic Federation of Ireland, the Irish Skating Association of Ireland for supporting me. And also my coaches in Colorado, Tammy Gambill and her team, and of course my mom, for being here with me and supporting me.”
“Despite some obvious mistakes in today’s free programme, she maintained her presence of mind, fighting through each element and delivering a strong performance to the end,” EYOF Figure Skating Team Leader Andrew Smith said. “That resilience is a testament to her team in Colorado, who have prepared her well for these events and conditions.”
Peterson Embarks On European Youth Olympic Festival Journey
Allie Peterson (Co. Galway) becomes only the second figure skater to represent Ireland at a European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) as she takes to the ice later this week at the 2025 edition hosted by Bakuriani, Georgia. The ice skating events will take place in the Black Sea coastal resort of Batumi.
Peterson’s competition begins on Wednesday, 12 February with the short programme. The free skating will be held the following day on Thursday, 13 February. The 15-year-old, whose maternal grandparents are from Galway, was born outside Boston, and relocated in 2021 to Colorado Springs to train with Olympic and World coach Tammy Gambill and her team.
“Being selected to represent Ireland at the EYOF is an incredible honour and a dream come true,” Peterson said. “It is the result of hard work, dedication and the support of my family and coaches. Wearing the Ireland jacket on an international stage is a privilege and I am excited to compete against some of the best young athletes in Europe. I hope to make my country proud and gain invaluable experience that will help me grow as an athlete.”
The EYOF is a multi-sport competition that takes place every two years. Run by the European Olympic Committees (EOC), it is an important step in the development of athletes who may be targeting senior events. This year’s competition will bring together 865 athletes from across Europe to compete in 37 events. In addition to Peterson, Ireland will be represented by three other athletes in Alpine skiing.
EYOF Bakuriani 2025 will be streamed by the EOC on https://eoctv.org/live/ with updates on the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) social media channels.
Competition Schedule (Figure Skating)
12 February – Girls Short Programme (Peterson)
13 February – Girls Free Skating (Peterson)
Soucisse and Firus 18th at European Championships
Carolane Soucisse (29) and Shane Firus (30) have finished in 18th place for Ireland at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia this afternoon.
In the rhythm dance, the pressure was on for the two-time Irish national champions and they faced a battle in a deep field to secure one of precious berths in the final round. There was a dicey moment when it looked like their advancement was in question.
Soucisse and Firus began their routine to music by James Brown and Betty Davis with a confident Level 2 midline step sequence. However, in the sequential twizzle sequence that followed Soucisse put a foot down to steady herself and the duo received a negative grade of execution for the element. To their credit, they did not let the error affect the rest of their programme and earned a Level 1 for their pattern type step sequence, strong grade of execution scores for their choreographic rhythmic sequence and a powerful Level 4 rotational lift to close. Their score of 61.56 points was well down on their season best, but they were philosophical about it after they ended.
“There were definitely some highs and some lows,” Firus said. “There was a mistake on the twizzles so that was disappointing. We’re happy that we didn’t let it affect the rest of the programme and made it through to the free so that was good.”
“I think everything else went great,” Soucisse said. “If there is something to be happy about, it’s that we didn’t let go and we got in all the points that we could. That saved us to go through to the free.”
Soucisse and Firus skated second in the free dance portion of the event out of the twenty teams that qualified from the rhythm dance. Performing to music from the “When Harry Met Sally” soundtrack, the husband and wife duo produced a Level 4 stationary and rotational lift combination to open and continued with Level 2 one foot turns for Soucisse and Level 1 for Firus. They next included a choreographic step sequence and a Level 4 dance spin. Their serpentine steps were Level 2 and they next reeled off Level 4 synchronised twizzles. They ended with a choreographic assisted jump, a Level 4 straight line lift and a choreographic dance lift. Their score of 100.20 was the 17th highest score of the event and it gave them a final total of 161.76 points.
“It felt very good,” Soucisse said of their performance. “Overall, we’re really happy with how the programme turned out. It’s been really solid for us this season so we just kind of wanted to keep that train going and get a bit more feedback on certain elements that we changed. It was a little bit tough out there. It was a bit dry, but other than that it was good.
“We had a lot of fun,” Firus added. “The crowd really got behind us and there were lots of Irish flags. We really felt the support and that was great.”