Conor Stakelum Skates For Ireland At European Figure Skating Championships

/in , /by

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

/in , , /by

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

/in , /by

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

/in , /by

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

Sam McAllister 17th At Volvo Open Cup

/in , /by

Sam McAllister participated at the Volvo Open Cup in Riga, Latvia this week in his third competition of the season.

McAllister began with his short programme where he recorded a season best score of 53.60 points. He included a triple Lutz-double toe loop combination, a triple flip and a double Axel as well as a Level 4 flying sit spin in his routine to put himself in 12th place at the interim stage of the event.

The Ballymoney, Co. Antrim native attempted four triple jumps in his free skating programme and the technical panel graded his change foot combination spin Level 4. He scored 89.18 points to give himself an overall total of 142.78 and 17th place.

“I am pleased with the new season’s best in the short,” McAllister said. “I am looking forward to an even better performance at my next event in a few weeks time.”

Sam McAllister Competing At Volvo Open

/in , /by

In his third competition of the season, Sam McAllister will be representing Ireland at the Volvo Open Cup in Riga, Latvia this Thursday and Friday (8-9 November).

This season has seen the Ballymoney, Co. Antrim native take a big step up to compete fully in the senior ranks. September saw him participate in the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Canada where he finished 17th. At the Halloween Cup in Budapest, Hungary last month, he broke into the top 10 at the event by coming 8th.

“This has been my first season competing entirely as a senior and I have already learned so much,” McAllister said. “I am looking forward to building on that in Latvia this week.”

McAllister will skate in the short programme (from 18:20 Irish time) on Thursday 8 November and in the free skating (from 19:30 Irish time) on Friday 9 November. The competition will be streamed live at http://tv.istream.ee/ and you can follow the results here.

Stakelum And McAllister Top Ten At Halloween Cup

/in , /by

This weekend saw Ireland’s national figure skating team compete at the Halloween Cup in Budapest, Hungary with Conor Stakelum and Sam McAllister both earning top ten finishes in the senior men’s event.

Stakelum was the first to take to the ice in the short programme on the first day of competition. The Dubliner included a triple loop, triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination and double Axel in his “Clair de Lune” routine and also executed three Level 4 spins. He received 51.80 points to put himself in sixth place.

McAllister was the final skater to compete in the short. Skating to “Take Five” by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, the Ballymoney, County Antrim native opted for a triple Lutz, triple flip-double toe loop combination and a double Axel for his jumps. He was also awarded a Level 4 for his flying sit spin and accrued 52.17 points to slot himself in fifth place midway through the competition.

In the free skating, Stakelum performed to “The Show Must Go On” and rotated five triple jumps as well as two double Axels. His change foot combination spin was also graded Level 4. He scored 100.85 points for his free to accumulate a total of 152.65. This left him in sixth place at the conclusion of the event.

McAllister skated in the final group for the free to “The Young Lady and the Hooligan”. He attempted three triple jumps and two double Axels. The technical panel deemed his change foot combination spin to be Level 4. A free score of 94.30 points gave him a total of 146.47 points and eighth place.

In only her second competition since moving up to the junior ranks, Elizabeth Golding finished in 14th place in both segments of her event. She scored a total of 85.00 points for 14th overall.

You can view the full and detailed results for the Halloween Cup here.

Figure Skating National Team Take On Halloween Cup

/in , /by

The Irish national figure skating team head to Budapest this weekend (19-20 October) to participate in the Halloween Cup in Budapest, Hungary.

Sam McAllister (19) and Conor Stakelum (25) are both entered in the senior men’s category at the competition. At last month’s Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Canada, Stakelum finished 11th and McAllister came 17th and they will be aiming to improve on the personal best scores that they set there.

Elizabeth Golding (14) made her ISU Junior Grand Prix debut at the end of August in Linz, Austria. The youngest member of the Irish national team will be back on the ice again in Budapest this weekend in the junior ladies event.

All athletes will skate their respectives short programmes on Friday 19 October. They will conclude their competition with the free skating on Saturday 20 October.

Halloween Cup Official Website:

Sam McAllister ISU bio:

Conor Stakelum ISU bio:M

Elizabeth Golding ISU bio:

Stakelum 11th and McAllister 17th At Autumn Classic

/in , /by

Conor Stakelum (25) and Sam McAllister (19) competed in the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Canada where they finished 11th and 17th respectively.

In the short programme, Stakelum included a triple loop, a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination in his routine to “Clair de lune” by Claude Debussy. He also had all three of his spins graded Level 4 and he earned 54.71, a new International Skating Union (ISU) personal best, to position himself in 10th midway through the event.

McAllister skated his short to “Take Five” by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. He attempted a triple Lutz-double toe loop combination, a triple flip and a double Axel in his programme. Two of his spins received Level 4 from the technical panel. His score of 47.89 was also a new ISU PB and it put him in 13th going into the free skating.

Stakelum began his free to “The Show Must Go On” with a triple Salchow-double toe loop combination and he attempted a triple flip, a triple toe loop-double toe loop combination and a solo triple toe loop among other jumps during the course of his skate. He posted a free score of 99.19 to give himself a total of 153.90 and two more new ISU PBs to end the event in 11th place.

McAllister performed his free to “The Young Lady and the Hooligan” and attempted a triple Lutz on its own and in sequence, as well as a triple flip and a double Axel. He received a Level 3 and positive grade of execution for his flying sit spin. He scored 78.42 for his free which gave him a total of 126.31. The latter mark was a new ISU PB and meant he finished 17th overall.

McAllister and Stakelum to make season debut at Autumn Classic

/in , /by

This weekend (21-22 September) sees Irish figure skaters Sam McAllister (19) and Conor Stakelum (25) take to the ice at the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Canada for their first international competition of the 2018/2019 season.

Both athletes are coming off the back of the greatest successes of their skating careers yet. In January, Stakelum became the first Irish male skate to participate in the European Figure Skating Championships which were held in Moscow, Russia. In March, McAllister represented Ireland at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. He was the first Irish skater to do so since 2010.

As McAllister has aged out of the junior ranks, this will be the first time that two Irish figure skaters are entered into the senior category at the same international competition. They will also compete alongside a high calibre field that includes two-time Olympic gold medallist Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan and 2015 U.S. champion Jason Brown.

“I am excited to have made the move up to seniors this season and to be skating at an event with so many amazing skaters,” McAllister said.

“I am looking forward to building on my accomplishments from last season and bringing my skating up another level,” Stakelum said.

The two Irish skaters begin the competition with the short programme begins at 6:13pm on Friday 21 September and finish with the free skating at 5:28pm on Saturday 22 September (all Irish time and subject to change). You can follow their progress live and with full detailed results here or through the #ACI18 hashtag on social media.