Eight Figure Skaters For 2021/2022 National Team

/in , /by

The Board of Directors of the Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) have selected eight figure skaters to the ISAI National Team for the 2021/2022 season.

The following ISAI members have been chosen to represent Ireland on the international stage at International Skating Union (ISU) events:

Senior Men – Sam McAllister

Senior Men – Conor Stakelum

Junior Ladies – Adare Condon

Junior Ladies – Dracy Condon

Junior Ladies – Robyn Foster

Junior Ladies – Elizabeth Golding

Junior Ladies – Sophia Tkacheva

Junior Men – Dillon Judge

Sam McAllister is the 2019 and 2020 Senior National champion. From Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, he is coached by Margaret O’Neill in Nottingham and Sheffield, England. This will be his sixth season as a National Team member.

“My goals for this season are to finally show my new programmes at an ISU event and get back to safely competing,” McAllister said.

Conor Stakelum is a five-time Senior National champion. A native of Dublin, he trains in Dundee, Scotland with Simon and Debi Briggs. He represented Ireland at three consecutive European Championships (2018-2020).

“My goal for this season is to enjoy the opportunity to get back out there and compete and to show the improvements I have made with the extra time to train this past year,” Stakelum said.

Adare Condon placed fourth in the Junior Ladies event at the 2020 Irish Figure Skating Championships. She trains under Megan Doyle and Tracy Doyle in Elmsford, New York. This is her second season as a member of the Irish National team.

“After a year of being fortunate to continue my training but not competing, my goals for this season are to be able to travel and successfully compete internationally for Ireland,” Adare said. “I plan on including a lot of creative choreography and triple jumps and combinations into my new programmes.”

Dracy Condon is the Junior Ladies bronze medallist at the 2020 Irish Figure Skating Championships. She practices alongside her sister in New York City and is also named for a second season as a member of the Irish National team.

“My goals for this upcoming season are to continue to train hard and improve upon all facets of my skating and make it to the podium as much as possible,” Dracy said. “I want to skate faster, with more strength, and to improve upon my presence on the ice. I’m looking forward to performing well to the new music (excerpts from the Phantom of the Opera) I’ve selected for this upcoming season.”

Robyn Foster trains in Coventry, England under Marina Serova and this will be her second season on the Irish National team.

“I want to become a well rounded skater,” Foster said. “I want to work on the consistency of my triples and keep enjoying my training.”

Elizabeth Golding finished second in the Junior Ladies event at the 2020 Irish Figure Skating Championships. She divides her training time between Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Moscow, Russia. In 2019, she represented Ireland at ISU Junior Grand Prix events in Latvia and Italy.

Sophia Tkacheva is the 2020 Irish Figure Skating Championships Junior Ladies champion. From Gorey, County Wexford, she trains on ice in Northern Ireland and Minsk, Belarus. This is her third season on the ISAI National Team.

“In this season, I hope to achieve consistency in my triple jumps and improve my other elements,” Tkacheva said. “I’m looking forward to having a new free programme and I do hope that nothing will get in the way of my training and competitions this season!”

Dillon Judge won the Junior Men’s national title at the Irish Figure Skating Championships in 2020. Born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, he trains in Sheffield, England.

You can learn more about our national team members here.

McAllister Remains Positive Even as Euros Dream Dashed

/in , /by

On 10 December 2020, two-time Irish senior champion Sam McAllister received word he had been chosen to represent Ireland at the 2021 European Figure Skating Championships. However, later that same day the International Skating Union (ISU) announced the competition had been cancelled due to the worsening situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. In the week when he should have been making his Europeans debut, the Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) talked briefly with McAllister about how he has kept his motivation despite all the setbacks he has faced this season. Read more

Cancellation of Irish Figure Skating Nationals 2021 (ISAI Communication No.9)

/in , /by

The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) Board of Directors has determined that the Irish National Figure Skating Championships will not take place in 2021. Read the full decision in ISAI Communication No.9 below.

ISAI Communication No.9

Bright Spots For Irish Ice Skating Amidst 2020 Challenges

/in , , /by

Despite the past twelve months presenting major obstacles for our association and members, 2020 has not been without its highlights for Irish ice skating.

January was a hectic month with the conclusion of the Ice Skating Association of Ireland’s seasonal Emerald Skate lessons, a test session and the annual Winter Challenge. Internationally, Conor Stakelum represented Ireland at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Graz, Austria, while Ryan and Sean McAnuff flew the flag at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Ava Ryan became the first female short track speed skater from Ireland to participate at the ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Bormio, Italy.

In February, Tara Donoghue continued to make history for Irish ice skating. At the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland, she placed 11th and 18th in the mass start and 3000 metres races respectively, the highest placements ever for an Irish skater at an ISU Championships. The same month saw the Irish National Figure Skating Championships held at Lee Valley, London where five titles were decided. While it turned out to be one of the final domestic events on the Irish sporting calendar to take place before an initial lockdown in March, the effects of the pandemic were already being felt with the shipment of the championships medals from China being delayed.

Tara Donoghue was the recipient of an ISU Development Programme Junior Scholarship in May becoming only the second Irish athlete ever to be awarded.

Odhrán Allen and Clara Peters were welcome additions to the ISAI Board of Directors in July. Later in the month, the ISAI announced its largest ever national team for figure skating and speed skating.

With a slew of events cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic, it was October before Elizabeth Golding and Sophia Tkacheva became the first national team members to compete internationally when they took part in the Budapest Trophy in Budapest, Hungary.

In November, Golding was back in Budapest for the Santa Claus Cup where she finished fourth.

The ISAI’s Annual General Meeting went online in December with members virtually attending via Zoom.

2021 looks like it will be challenging both domestically and internationally for the foreseeable future with the ISAI’s Emerald Skate lessons for the 2020/2021 winter season and the ISU European Figure Skating Championships next month, for which Sam McAllister had been selected, already cancelled. The ISAI will continue to prioritise the health and safety of its members as we look forward to the day normal activities can be resumed.

 

Cancellation of the 2021 European Figure Skating Championships

/in , /by

On 10 December, the International Skating Union (ISU) announced the cancellation of the 2021 European Figure Skating Championships scheduled to be held in Zagreb, Croatia (25-31 January 2021) due to the ongoing situation with the Covid-19 global pandemic. It will be the first time since 1946 that the annual event will not take place.

The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) had selected Sam McAllister to represent Ireland at the championships shortly before their cancellation was made public.

“After being selected for my first European Championships, it is incredibly sad news to hear that they have been cancelled,” McAllister said. “I believe it is the safest option for everyone, but it’s still hard as a skater not to represent your country at such a prestigious event.

“I want to thank the ISAI for selecting me and my team for helping me get to this point. We will keep grinding and pushing forward and there are many more years to come!”

Golding Fourth At Santa Claus Cup

/in , /by

Elizabeth Golding has finished fourth in the Junior Ladies event at the Santa Claus Cup in Budapest, Hungary with the best performances of her career so far over the course of two days of competition.

The 2019 Irish Junior champion was drawn in the first warm-up group for the short programme. Skating to “Masquerade Waltz” by Aram Khachaturian, she included a double Axel, triple Salchow-double toe loop combination and a double Lutz in her routine. She was also awarded Level 4 for two of her spins by the technical panel and she completed the segment in fifth place with a score of 39.69 points, a new personal best.

Golding was back on the ice the following day for the free skating, but this time she opened up the final warm-up group. She began with a double Axel and a triple Salchow-double toe loop combination. She went on to attempt a triple flip and executed two Level 4 spins. She posted a free skating score of 68.46 to give herself an overall total of 108.15 points and moved up to fourth place. These two marks also represent new personal bests.

“It has been a strange season, so I am glad to end 2020 on a positive note,” Golding said.

Full detailed results for the Santa Claus Cup can be found on the official results page.

2020/2021 Irish Figure Skating Championships Update (ISAI Communication No.8)

/in , /by

In light of the ongoing public health situation, the Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) has published an update on the 2020/2021 Irish National Figure Skating Championships which can be viewed in ISAI Communication No.8 at the link below.

ISAI Communication No.8

No Emerald Skate Courses For 2020/2021 Season

/in , , /by

Due to the current public health restrictions on indoor sport in Ireland, the Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) will not be running our Emerald Skate learn to skate courses during the 2020/2021 winter season.

We look forward to hopefully being able to run Emerald Skate again in 2021/2022. In the meantime, we ask that everyone continues to follow public health guidelines to stay safe and healthy.

You can find out more about the Level 5 restrictions here.

Golding and Tkacheva Conclude Competition At Budapest Trophy

/in /by

Elizabeth Golding and Sophia Tkacheva finished 11th and 12th respectively earlier today at the Budapest Trophy, their opening event of this season, in Budapest, Hungary.

In the short programme, Golding attempted a double Axel, a triple Salchow combination and a double Lutz. All three of her spins were graded Level 3 and she scored 28.55 for the segment to put herself in 11th place overnight after the first day of competition.

The following day Golding began her free skating with double Axel and triple Salchow attempts and went on to land a second double Axel as well as execute a Level 4 Flying Camel Spin towards the end of her programme. She received a free skating score of 56.66 points to give her a combined total of 85.21.

“The competition went okay,” Golding said. “I have many things to work on, but it was great to be back competing after such a long break.”

Tkacheva drew first to skate her short in which she attempted a double Axel, a double flip-double loop combination and a double Lutz. Her Change Foot Combination Spin and Step Sequence were both graded Level 2 by the technical panel and she was awarded a score of 27.30 points putting her in 12th place midway through the event.

In the free, she commenced with a double flip-double loop combination and a double Lutz before attempting a double Axel. She closed her routine with a Level 4 Change Foot Combination Spin and earned a free score of 48.91 points which gave her a final total of 76.21.

“I had a great experience participating here in Budapest,” Tkacheva said. “It has always been my dream to compete at an ISU international competition. I really hope things will go back to normal or improve with the coronavirus soon and I will have regular access to ice to work on my programmes and improve the consistency of my jumps.”

 

Golding And Tkacheva All Set For Season Debut

/in /by

This weekend sees figure skaters Elizabeth Golding and Sophia Tkacheva make their season debut at the Budapest Trophy (14-17 October) at the Vasas Jégcentrum ice rink in the Hungarian capital when they compete in the Junior Ladies event.

Golding is the 2019 Irish Junior champion and she claimed silver at the 2020 Irish Championships in February this year. Tkacheva took her first Junior national title at those championships and this will be the first time that both skaters participate in a competition since then.

They will first take to the ice in the short programme on Friday afternoon, 16 October and will be back on Saturday afternoon, 17 October for the free skating. The event will be live streamed on the Hungarian Skating Federation’s YouTube channel with detailed results on the competition website.