McAllister and Stakelum Kick Off Season At Tayside Trophy

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This week sees Irish figure skaters Sam McAllister and Conor Stakelum commence their season when they compete at the inaugural Tayside Trophy in Dundee, United Kingdom (12-13 August).

McAllister and Stakelum will first take to the ice for the Senior Men’s short programme tomorrow (12 August) which begins at 17:35. The following day (13 August) they will perform in the free skating from 12:19 to conclude the event.

McAllister is the reigning Irish national champion. Born in Ballymoney, County Antrim, he divides his training between Nottingham and Sheffield where he is coached by Margaret O’Neill.

Five-time national champion Stakelum will not have far to travel as he trains at the Dundee Ice Arena where the Tayside Trophy will be held. The Dubliner trains with Simon and Debi Briggs.

There will be a live stream for the short programme and the free skating. You can also follow the competition via the event results page.

 

2019-2020 Irish Figure Skating Team Announced

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The selection of the Irish Figure Skating National Team for the 2019-2020 season has been made by the Board of Directors of the Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI).

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 – Elizabeth Golding

Advanced Novice Ladies – Sophia Tkacheva

Sam McAllister won his first Senior National title in April this year in his first full season as a senior competitor. From Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, he is coached by Margaret O’Neill in Nottingham and Sheffield, England.

Conor Stakelum is a five-time Senior National champion. A native of Dublin, he trains in Dundee, Scotland with Simon and Debi Briggs. He finished 33rd at this year’s European Figure Skating Championships in Minsk, Belarus.

Elizabeth Golding picked up her first Junior Ladies title at the Irish Figure Skating Championships in April. She is coached in Moscow, Russia by Alexandra Chistiakova.

Sophia Tkacheva has been selected for the first time as a member of the Irish National Team. From Gorey, County Wexford, this year she claimed Irish Championships silver at Advanced Novice level.

Figure Skating Technical Specialist Seminar

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) is holding a training seminar for Figure Skating Technical Specialists on 13-14 July at the Hilton Garden Inn Dublin Custom House.

ISAI members in good standing seeking to qualify as a Technical Specialist should :

a) Have reached the age of 24 in the calendar year.
b) Be from the pool of coaches and former national competitive skaters / Be actively involved, on a weekly basis, for the discipline concerned / Have been a former National Team member.
c) Have the highest level of knowledge of the discipline concerned with regards to the technical aspects.
d) Have good communication skills.
e) Be able to take directions and work in a team environment.
f) Have passed the Technical Specialist Exam with a minimum score of 70%.
g)Have ended their competitive skating career, having withdrawn from competitive skating for a minimum of two seasons prior to application.

Those interested in participating in the seminar should email info@isai.ie for further details.

2019 Irish Figure Skating Championships

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The 2019 Irish Figure Skating Championships concluded earlier today at the Lee Valley Ice Centre in London with titles up for grabs in five different categories.

Sam McAllister won his first Senior Men’s title. The Ballymoney, County Antrim skater had a strong showing in the short programme where he scored 57.16 in a routine that included a triple Lutz, a triple flip-double toe loop combination, a double Axel and two Level 4 spins. He opened his free skating with a triple Lutz and went on to land triple Lutz-double toe loop and double Axel-double toe loop combinations. He earned a free score of 94.35 to give him a total of 151.51 for the gold medal.

Conor Stakelum was looking to bag a sixth senior title and came very close. The Dublin native attempted a triple loop and a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination in the short and received a score of 47.38. He rallied in the free skate to win the segment with a score of 101.66, but had to settle for second place overall with a total of 149.04.

Elizabeth Golding claimed her first Junior Ladies title with an overall score of 73.37.

In his first appearance at an Irish Championships, Dillon Judge picked up the Advanced Novice Men’s title with a total of 70.03.

There was also a first title for Robyn Foster in the Advanced Novice Ladies category as she amassed a total of 73.54. Sophia Tkacheva came second with overall score of 61.57.

After silver in 2018, Laura Hegarty took the Basic Novice Ladies title with a total score of 16.60.

Full detailed results for the 2019 Irish Figure Skating Championships are available here.

Member Workshop

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A two hour members workshop will be held from 14.00hrs at the Premier Inn London Stratford Hotel, London on Sunday, 31 March. The workshop will cover membership of the Ice Skating Association of Ireland, rules and regulations, competitions and national team selection. Please contact info@isai.ie for further details.

Sam McAllister 6th At Tallink Hotels Cup

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This weekend saw Ireland’s Sam McAllister competing at the Tallink Hotels Cup in Tallinn, Estonia.

In the short programme, McAllister executed a triple Lutz-double toe loop combination, a triple flip and a double Axel to record a new personal best of 55.58. His routine to “Take Five” put him in sixth position overnight.

The following day the County Antrim native performed in the free skating to “The Lady and the Hooligan” by Dmitri Shostakovich. He included two triple Lutzes and two double Axels in his programme to earn a free score of 98.51. This gave him a total of 154.09 and he remained in sixth place overall.

You can find full results for the Tallink Hotels Cup here.

Conor Stakelum Skates For Ireland At European Figure Skating Championships

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Conor Stakelum (25) competes at the European Figure Skating Championships this week in Minsk, Belarus (23-27 January). This is the five-time Irish champion’s second consecutive participation at the event following his debut last year in Moscow, Russia where he became the first Irish male figure skater to compete in the 118 year history of the championships.

Stakelum will first take part in the short programme which will be held on the afternoon of Thursday, 24 January from 12 noon local time (9am Irish time). He drew to skate 11th of the 36 men competing and will be on the ice at 1:42pm local time (10:32am Irish time). He will perform seven required elements and if his scores place him in the top 24 skaters he will advance to the free skating on Saturday, 26 January.

“I am excited to be back at Europeans again,” Stakelum said. “Last year I was a little bit overawed by the sheer scale of everything. This year I feel more comfortable competing at this level and I hope that will reflect in my performance.”

You will be able to follow Stakelum’s progress in Minsk live on the Eurosport Player (subscription service), the competition results page and on social media using the #EuroFigure #FigureSkating hashtags.

The European Figure Skating Championships are being held in Minsk for the first time ever. Stakelum will be one of 145 skaters from 34 countries who will participate in the event.

2018 Review: A Year Of Milestones For Irish Ice Skating

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2018 got off to a bright start with Elizabeth Golding claiming gold in the Advanced Novice Ladies event at the FBMA Trophy (Abu Dhabi, UAE) in January. Conor Stakelum took home Senior Men’s silver at the same event. Later on in the month, Stakelum also became the first male skater from Ireland to compete at a European Figure Skating Championships when he took to the ice in Moscow Russia. He finished in 36th place. Sean McAnuff made his debut at the European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dresden, Germany where he finished 28th overall and thus secured two spots for Ireland in the 2019 championships.

In February, Stakelum set two new national senior records in the short programme (54.77) and total score (158.33).

March saw Sam McAllister become the first Irish skater since Viv Murphy in 2010 to compete at a World Junior Figure Skating Championships when he placed 44th in Sofia Bulgaria. Ryan McAnuff raced to 35th place overall at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Montreal, Canada over St. Patrick’s weekend.

The 2018/2019 season got off to a magnificent start in August when Elizabeth Golding set a new set of Irish Junior records at the Junior Grand Prix in Linz, Austria. At the age of 13, Golding also became the youngest Irish skater to ever participate in the series.

In October, Tara Donoghue broke the Irish women’s 1500 metres speed skating record in Berlin, Germany. Her time of 2:11.76 also qualified her for the Junior World Cup Final and World Junior Speed Skating Championships in February 2019.

Sean McAnuff broke both the 500 metres and 1000 metres senior Irish records at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Calgary, Canada in November. Tara Donoghue smashed her Irish 3000 metres record at the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland by eight seconds to also qualify herself for that distance at the Junior World Cup Final and World Junior Speed Skating Championships in February 2019. Conor Stakelum posted a new set of Irish senior records on his way to a fourth place at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Thanks to everyone who supported Irish ice skating in 2018!

 

Top Eight Finishes For Stakelum And McAllister At Denkova-Staviski Cup

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Conor Stakelum (25) and Sam McAllister (20) have concluded their campaigns earlier today at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria with both placing in the top eight at the competition.

On Day One, Stakelum and McAllister skated their short programmes. Stakelum executed a triple loop, a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination and a double Axel in his routine. He received a new personal best and Irish record score of 55.65 to place fourth overnight. McAllister attempted a triple Lutz, a triple flip-double toe loop combination and a double Axel in his performance. He scored 51.67 to give himself an intermediary placing of seventh.

In the free skating, Stakelum included five triple jumps and had two spins graded Level 4. He recorded two more personal bests and Irish records for his free (114.36) and total (170.01) scores. He placed third in the free, but remained in fourth overall. McAllister tried four triple jumps in his free routine and was awarded Level 4 for change foot combination spin. He earned 97.60 for his free which left him in eighth place overall on a total of 149.27.

Full detailed results for the Denkova-Staviski Cup 2018 can be found here.

McAllister And Stakelum Ready For Denkova-Staviski Cup

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The senior Irish national figure skating team head to Sofia, Bulgaria this week (28-29 November) to participate in the Denkova-Staviski Cup.

Sam McAllister (20) and Conor Stakelum (25) are both entered in the senior men’s category at the competition. At last month’s Halloween Cup in Budapest, Hungary, Stakelum finished 6th and McAllister came 8th. This is the second year in a row both skaters will compete at the Denkova-Staviski Cup. Last season McAllister won the junior title at the event, while Stakelum finished 10th in seniors.

Both athletes will skate their short programmes on Wednesday 28 November. They will conclude their competition with the free skating on Thursday 29 November.

Denkova-Staviski Cup Official Website: http://www.clubdenkovastaviski.com/cup_denkova_staviski.html

Sam McAllister ISU bio: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00101056.htm

Conor Stakelum ISU bio: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00054307.htm