2018 Irish Figure Skating Championships

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The 2018 Irish Figure Skating Championships were held at Lee Valley Ice Centre and featured skaters competing in three different categories.

Conor Stakelum took his fifth Senior Men’s title. His short programme included a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, a triple loop and a double Axel. He was also awarded a Level 4 for a flying sit spin and received a segment score of 56.95. In the free skating, he attempted four triple jumps and had two spins graded Level 4 to earn 100.02 points. He clinched gold with a combined total of 156.97.

Fresh from his debut at the ISU Junior World Figure Skating Championships, Sam McAllister took on his first senior championships. In the short, he went for a triple Lutz, a triple flip-double toe combination and a double Axel. Two spins were graded Level 4 by the technical panel. For the free, he managed to attempt four triple jumps and was given a score of 84.16. A total of 136.38 gave him the silver medal.

Elizabeth Golding picked up her third Advanced Novice Ladies title. She scored 25.66 for her short and 41.23 for her free to finish the competition with a total of 66.89.

Aoibhe Hennigan won her first Basic Novice A Ladies gold. Laura Hegarty also took her first medal in this category by coming second.

Full results for the 2018 Irish Figure Skating Championships are available here.

McAllister 44th At World Junior Figure Skating Championships

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Irish figure skater Sam McAllister has finished 44th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The two-time Irish Junior champion became the first Irish skater since Viv Parnell-Murphy in 2010 to participate at the event when he took to the ice at the Arena Armeec earlier today in the men’s short programme.

Skating to “Nothing The Same” by Gary Moore, McAllister opened with a triple Lutz jump preceded by intricate steps. He fell on a triple flip jump combination, but regrouped to execute a Level 2 change foot camel spin and a Level 3 flying sit spin that garnered a positive grade of execution from the judging panel. His step sequence was awarded a Level 2 and then he went on to attempt a double Axel. He closed his routine out strongly with a Level 4 change foot combination spin.

The Ballymoney, Northern Ireland native earned an ISU season best score of 39.97 points to finish 44th overall.

“I am a little bit disappointed that I was not able to show my absolute best skating today,” McAllister said. “However, I am very proud to have represented Ireland here in Bulgaria this week and what I have learned at this competition will help me a lot as I move up to senior international competitions next season.”

McAllister Bringing Ireland Back To Junior Worlds

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Sam McAllister will next week become the first skater to represent Ireland at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships since 2010.

The two-time Irish junior champion will be one of 49 skaters from 39 countries competing in the men’s singles category at the event which takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria from 5-11 March 2018. In order to qualify for the championships, each competitor had to obtain a set of minimum technical scores at International Skating Union (ISU) international competitions during the previous and/or current seasons. Skaters who have appeared at the event in the past have gone on to represent their countries at European, World and Olympic level.

The Ballymoney, Northern Ireland native is the second skater from Ireland to make an appearance at the World Junior Championships. Viv Parnell-Murphy participated at the event in 2010 when it was held in The Hague, Netherlands.

“My main goal for this season was to make it to Junior Worlds and I am so excited to finally go to Bulgaria and compete for Ireland,” McAllister said. “I am ready to skate my best and make everyone who has supported me proud.”

McAllister will begin his competition in the men’s short programme on 8 March.

Stakelum Nabs Two Personal Bests At Challenge Cup

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Conor Stakelum participated in the Challenge Cup in The Hague Netherlands this weekend and picked up two new personal bests on his way to a 12th place finish.

In the short programme, Stakelum performed to “Red Violin” by John Corigliano. He included a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, a triple loop and a double Axel in his routine and had two of his spins graded Level 4 by the technical panel. His score of 54.77 was a new personal best and put him in 10th place after the short.

Skating to “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, the Dubliner attempted five triple jumps in the free skating and landed two double Axels. All three of his spins were awarded Level 4. He received a free score of 103.56 which left him in 12th place overall on a total of 158.33. The latter mark was also a new personal best.

Last month, the four-time Irish champion became the first male skater to represent Ireland at the European Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Russia.

Stakelum 36th At First Europeans

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Irish figure skater Conor Stakelum has finished in 36th place at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Russia.

Stakelum was the second competitor of the event to take to the ice for his short programme which he skated to “The Red Violin” by John Corigliano. He began positively with a triple toe loop/triple toe loop jump combination that was evaluated positively by the judging panel. However, he then only made a single rotation on his planned triple loop jump and received no score for the element. He recovered with a double Axel jump and continued with a Level 3 flying sit spin. Unfortunately, he went off balance on a change foot camel spin and the element did not count. His step sequence was graded Level 2 by the technical panel and he was awarded Level 4 for his closing change foot combination spin.

The Dubliner scored 43.07 points and, as he did not finish in the Top 24 in the short programme, was not able to advance to Friday’s free skating.

“I am disappointed that I was not able to skate my best today,” Stakelum said. “On the other hand, I am extremely honoured to have represented Ireland on such a big stage and I am going to work even harder to perform better next time.”

Stakelum was the first male skater from Ireland to participate in an ISU European Figure Skating Championships.

Stakelum Second Up In European Short

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Irish figure skater Conor Stakelum has drawn to skate second out of the thirty-seven competitors in the men’s short programme at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Russia tomorrow morning.

He will be the first male skater representing Ireland to participate in the event since the championships began 117 years ago. Stakelum qualified for Europeans by achieving minimum technical scores over the course of the past two seasons.

The Dubliner will start his short programme at 11:59am (8:59am Irish time) tomorrow Wednesday 17 January. He will need to finish in the top 24 after the short to advance to the final free skating segment of the competition.

“I am so excited to finally be here,” Stakelum said. “Making it to Europeans has been my goal ever since I began skating and it is an honour to be the first man from Ireland to do so.”

The results for the championships will be available here. There will be live streaming of the championships online on the Eurosport Player (paid subscription service). On social media, you can follow the event through the #EuroFigure hashtag.

Irish Figure Skaters Compete At Denkova-Staviski Cup

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In what is shaping up to being its most successful season ever, the Irish figure skating national team take to the ice this week at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Conor Stakelum is entered in the Senior Men’s event. At last month’s Nebelhorn Trophy, he attained the technical minimum free skating score required for the European Figure Skating Championships to be held in Moscow, Russia in January. Stakelum is the first skater to achieve this standard since 2012.

Sam McAllister is participating in the Junior Men’s category. The two-time Irish Junior champion secured the technical minimum free skating score for the World Junior Figure Skating Championships which will be held next March at the same rink as this week’s competition. The last time an Irish skater took part in the championships was in 2010.

Elizabeth Golding is making her debut as a member of the national team in the Advanced Novice Girls event. She is already the two-time Irish Advanced Novice champion.

The Denkova-Staviski Cup is an annual international figure skating competition named after two-time World champion ice dancers Albena Denkova & Maxim Staviski of Bulgaria. It is held annually in November and December.

Denkova-Staviski Cup Competition Schedule & Results

Figure Skating National Team 2017-2018

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The selection of the Irish Figure Skating National Team for the 2017-2018 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 – Conor Stakelum

Junior Men – Sam McAllister

Advanced Novice Ladies – Elizabeth Golding

 

Conor Stakelum is a four-time Senior National champion. A native of Dublin, he trains in Dundee, Scotland with Simon and Debi Briggs.

Sam McAllister claimed his second Junior title this year at the Irish Figure Skating Championships. From Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, he is coached by Margaret O’Neill in Nottingham and Sheffield, England.

Elizabeth Golding has taken the Advanced Novice title at the Irish Figure Skating Championships for the past two years. This is the first time that she has been selected for the National Team.

Junior Figure Skaters Compete At Triglav Trophy

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Irish Junior figure skating national champions Ciara Hoey and Sam McAllister closed out their international season this weekend when they competed at Triglav Trophy in Jesenice, Slovenia.

McAllister was the first in action in the Junior Men’s short programme. He attempted a triple Lutz combination and also cleanly landed a double Axel, as well as receiving a Level 4 for his change foot sit spin from the technical panel. He extended his own Irish junior record to 40.62 points which put him second place.

In the free skating, McAllister landed a triple Lutz at the start of his “Sherlock Holmes” routine and executed a double Axel and a triple Salchow in succession before attempting a second triple Lutz. He posted another new personal best of 76.17 and won the silver medal with a total of 116.79.

Following her fourth consecutive title at the Irish Figure Skating Championships last month, Hoey skated in the Junior Ladies short. Among the elements she attempted in her programme, there was a double flip-double toe loop combination and double loop. She was also awarded a Level 3 for her change foot combination spin. She scored 21.36 points which put her in 18th place after the short.

Skating to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade”, Hoey included seven jumping passes in her free routine. She also performed a flying camel spin, a sit spin, a step sequence and rounded things off with another Level 3 change foot combination spin. She earned a score of 42.91 which saw her move up to 16th overall with a total of 64.27.

2017 Irish Figure Skating National Champions Crowned

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The Irish Figure Skating Championships were held over the course of two days at the Lee Valley Ice Arena in London with champions decided in seven categories.

Conor Stakelum began his journey to a fourth Senior Men’s national title with a final outing of his “East of Eden” short programme. He landed a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, a triple Salchow and a double Axel to earn a best ever score in competition of 52.02 points.

In the free skating, he executed triple Salchow-double toe and triple toe-double toe combinations, as well as a triple toe and two double Axels. He closed out his “Chasing Cars” routine with a Level 4 change foot combination spin and received a free score 87.71 for an overall total of 139.73.

Sam McAllister took home the Junior Men’s title for the second year in a row. In the short, he attempted a triple Lutz combination and performed one Level 4 and two Level 3 spins to “The Mask” soundtrack. He received 43.73 points.

His free routine to the “Sherlock Holmes” soundtrack included attempts at a triple Lutz, two triple Salchows and two double Axels. The technical panel also graded his flying change foot sit spin Level 4. He netted 75.12 points for his free which left him with a total of 118.85.

Ciara Hoey added a fourth Junior Ladies national title at the championships. In her short, she attempted a double flip-double toe, a double Axel and a double loop. Two of her spins merited Level 3 and she scored 22.44 points.

Skating to “Samson and Delilah” for her free, Hoey went for two jumps combinations and a double Axel out of her seven jumping passes. She closed out with a strong Level 3 change foot combination spin to wind up with a score of 43.32 for a total of 65.76.

Elizabeth Golding reclaimed her Advanced Novice Ladies title. In her short, she inserted a single Axel, a double Lutz-double toe combination and a double flip and was also awarded Level 2 for a layback spin. She posted a score of 20.25.

For her free routine to “Carmen”, Golding opened with a double flip and double Salchow. She also went for a double Axel in the course of her programme and finished up with a Level 3 flying camel spin. She scored 40.48 which gave her a total of 60.73.

The Basic Novice Ladies gold went to Sophia Tkacheva for the third year in a row. She scored 28.53 points. Grace Hegarty finished in second place with a score of 10.81.

The closest competition of the day was the National Gold Girls event. Aoibhe Hennigan emerged the winner scoring 17.36 points with Laura Hegarty taking silver just narrowly behind on 16.64.

Kevin Hegarty took the National Silver Boys title with a score of 11.29 for his free.