2023 Another Remarkable Year For Irish Ice Skating

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2023 witnessed ice skating in Ireland continue its forward progression as more milestones were achieved.

The year began in sensational fashion in January at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Gdansk, Poland. Sean McAnuff became the first athlete from Ireland to nab a place in the main session of the championships when he advanced to the 500 metres quarterfinals. Liam O’Brien then went on to do the same by booking himself a spot in the 1500 metres semifinals. Later in the same month, Sam McAllister finally made his ISU European Figure Skating Championships debut at the third time of asking in Espoo, Finland. He finished in 28th place. At home, the ISAI board announced the appointment of Karen O’Sullivan as Chief Executive Officer and Yvonne Brett as Chief Financial Officer. The first post-Covid Emerald Skate test session was held at Dundrum On Ice.

February saw our short track speed skaters Sean McAnuff and Ryan McAnuff in action at events in Germany and Canada respectively, while figure skaters Dillon Judge and Laura Hegarty and Kevin Hegarty competed in the Netherlands at the Challenge Cup.

Liam O’Brien participated in the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships for the third consecutive time when the event was held in Seoul, South Korea in March. Sam McAllister announced his retirement from competitive skating during the month.

Four-time European competitor Conor Stakelum was appointed ISAI Anti-Doping Officer in May.

Rounding out the 2022/2023 season, the Irish Figure Skating Championships were held for the second at the Dundee Ice Arena in June. Titles were decided in five categories with Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus becoming the first ever Senior Ice Dance champions in the history of the event.

The 2023/2024 season got into full swing in September with two-time Irish Junior Champion Sophia Tkacheva competing at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Istanbul, Türkiye. The appointment of Stephen Judge as ISAI Privacy Officer was announced. Margery Hilko became the first person from Ireland to qualify as an ISU judge when she passed the ISU examination in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Ciera Turner-Frick represented Ireland at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Yerevan, Armenia in October. Dillon Judge made his international senior debut at the Tayside Trophy in Dundee, United Kingdom where he was joined by Sophia Tkacheva who skated in the Junior Women’s event. The season got under way for our short track speed skaters at World Cup 1 in Montreal, Canada where Ryan McAnuff and Liam O’Brien raced. O’Brien also entered World Cup 2 again in Montreal where he not only set a new Irish record in the 1000 metres, but also advanced to the 1000 metres quarterfinals.

In November, the 2023/2024 Emerald Skate learn to skate lessons commenced at Dundrum On Ice. Dillon Judge competed at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria where he finished 10th. The ISAI Annual General Meeting was held on 29 November in Dublin. It was the first in-person AGM since 2019.

Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus kicked off December and their season when they participated in the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul, Türkiye. The second World Ice Skating Day took place on 3 December with bigger and better celebrations than in the previous year here in Ireland. Soucisse and Firus and Dillon Judge took part in the ISU Challenger Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia. Liam O’Brien was named as a recipient of a Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Scholarship and wrapped up 2023 with back to back World Cups in China and South Korea.

2024 promises to be an even more exciting year for the ISAI as the pace picks up on the development of Ireland as an ice skating nation both domestically and on the international stage.

Soucisse/Firus Selected To Represent Ireland At 2024 Euros

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Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus have been named to the Irish team for the 2024 ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania (8-14 January). This will be the first time Ireland will be represented in the ice dance category at the event.

Soucisse and Firus have been skating together since 2016. They are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane, Juris Rasgulajevs and Marc-Andre Servant at the Scarboro Figure Skating Club in Toronto, Canada. They won their first Irish national title in June 2023 and made their international debut for Ireland at the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul, Turkey at the beginning of this month.

“It is such an honour to be selected to be part of the team representing Ireland at our first European Championships,” Soucisse said. “We aim to make the most of this experience and make Ireland proud!”

“We are ecstatic to be selected to represented Ireland at this coming European Championships,” Firus added. “We look forward to performing our programmes at such a prestigious event.”

Europeans are the oldest ISU championship event having first been contested in 1891. 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. In 2018, Conor Stakelum became the first Irish male figure skater to perform at the championships and he subsequently made appearances in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Sam McAllister represented Ireland at last year’s Europeans in Espoo, Finland.

In order to earn entry to the championships, eligible skaters must attain a minimum technical element score in both of their programmes during the current or preceding season. The championships are held annually and this is the first time they take place in Lithuania.

Soucisse/Firus 12th; Judge 14th At Golden Spin

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Three members of Ireland’s national figure skating team were in action this weekend at Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia with entrants in both the men and ice dance categories, a first for Irish skating in an ISU Challenger Series stop.

Dillon Judge was the first of the Irish skaters to compete when he took to the ice for his short programme on the first evening of the event. He opened up with a triple Salchow that he stepped out of and then he fell on a triple Lutz attempt. He executed a Level 2 change foot camel spin before completing a Level 4 change foot combination spin. He landed a clean double Axel which he followed with a Level 3 flying sit spin and a Level 2 step sequence to close out his routine to “Smile” by Nat King Cole. He scored a new ISU personal best of 44.93 points.

Judge was back the following day for the free skating segment. He commenced with a triple toe loop that he fell on, a step out of a triple Lutz and another fall on a double Axel. After that rocky start, he settled himself with a Level 3 flying sit spin and hung on to the landing of a triple Salchow. He garnered Level 2 for a change foot combination spin and continued with a choreographic sequence in his programme to “My Homeland” by Havasi, performed by Peter Pejtsik. He fell out of the landing of a second triple Salchow and opted for a double Lutz and a double loop as his final two jumping passes. He received Level 2 for a step sequence and Level 3 for a change foot combination spin. Despite feeling he did not skate to his full potential, his free score of 71.11 and total of 116.04 were both new ISU personal bests.

“In both programmes it did not go the way that I wanted and had been practicing which was disappointing,” Judge said. “For the first time ever, I felt nervous and some pressure to perform which I think did not help, but this year is a year of development so sometimes it’s two steps forward and one step back. In the New Year, I aim to add some more technical content for my next competition as this one was not a true reflection of my abilities and I feel I can do more.”

Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus took on the rhythm dance on the third day of the event. Skating to a Rick James medley as their 1980s theme, the duo began with a midline step sequence for which they were both graded Level 2 by the technical panel. They encountered issues with their sequential twizzle sequence due to some bobbles and again each of their efforts were given Level 2. Their pattern dance type step sequence was deemed base level and that element was followed by a choreographic rhythm sequence. They wound things up strongly with a Level 4 rotational lift and scored 54.04 points for the segment.

On the final day of competition, Soucisse and Firus performed their free dance to “Hier Encore” by Charles Aznavour and an instrumental version of “La Boheme”, which started with a choreographic step sequence. They next included a lift combination featuring a straightline lift and a rotational lift which alone netted them more than one fifth of their final technical score. For their diagonal step sequence, Soucisse received a Level 3 while Firus got Level 2 with a subsequent one foot turns sequence Level 2 and Level 1 respectively. They both were awarded Level 1 for their synchronised twizzle sequence and their dance spin was a Level 4. They rounded off the routine with choreographic sliding and spinning movement and the crescendo of the dance was a Level 4 stationary lift. They scored 90.41 points for the free giving them a total of 144.45 points for 12th place.

“We are happy with the progress in the performances from this week compared to last week in Istanbul,” Soucisse said. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but we are looking forward to going back home, working very hard and being back stronger for Europeans!”

“Golden Spin was another step forward for us this season,” Firus said. “We were able to skate two programmes which were both better than last week. It was also great to watch a fellow team member compete this week as well!”

This season Golden Spin of Zagreb is part of the ISU Challenger Series, the latter having been introduced in 2014. It is a series of international Figure Skating Competitions organised by ISU members. Through ISU support, the objective is to ensure the proper and consistent organisation and conduct of up to ten international competitions linked together within the Challenger Series. The series gives adequate opportunities for many skaters to compete at the international senior level and earn World Standing Points. The series also increases the opportunity for officials to officiate at an international level.

 

Irish Senior Figure Team Takes On Golden Spin Challenge

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Irish figure skaters head to Croatia this week (6-9 December) for the Golden Spin of Zagreb, an ISU Challenger Series event.

For Dillon Judge it is a first Challenger after entering the senior ranks. He has already competed twice this season finishing 16th at Tayside Trophy in October and 10th at Denkova Staviski Cup in November.

“It’s a time for learning, growth and inspiration as I haven’t done any ISU series at this level yet,” Judge said. “My goal for this competition, and in general this season, is just step by step growth in the direction of European minimum scores and improved components scores.”

Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus made their season debut at Bosphorus Cup last weekend where they came eighth. They are the first ice dancers to represent Ireland at an ISU Challenger.

“We have been waiting for this moment for a couple of months now and it’s finally here,” Soucisse said. “It’s easy to put a lot of pressure on ourselves, but I think the main goal for this week will be to show what we’ve been working on and be able to present two programmes to the best of our abilities for this time of the season.”

“For this week of competition, we want to perform two confident skates and build momentum before Europeans,” Firus said. “We also want to enjoy the experience of representing Ireland on the world stage!”

Competition Schedule

Wednesday, 6 December – Men Short Programme

Thursday, 7 December – Men Free Skating

Friday, 8 December – Rhythm Dance

Saturday, 9 December – Free Dance

Soucisse/Firus Eighth At Bosphorus Cup

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In their 2023/2024 season debut, ice dancers Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus have finished eighth at the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul,  Türkiye.

For their rhythm dance, the Irish national champions opted to use a selection of music by Rick James. They opened with a midline step sequence which was rated Level 2. Unfortunately, in the sequential twizzle sequence that followed Soucisse fell which cost the team in terms of points for that element. Their pattern step sequence was graded Level 2 while they received four points for their choreographic rhythm sequence. They closed out with a Level 4 rotational lift. A score of 56.41 points had them in 14th place overnight.

Soucisse and Firus commenced their free dance with a choreographic step sequence. Skating to “Hier Encore” sung by Charles Aznavour and an instrumental version of “La Boheme”, they next included Level 4 straight line and rotational lifts which were followed by a diagonal step sequence graded Level 2 for Soucisse and Level 3 for Firus. Their one foot turns sequence received a Level 3 for Soucisse and a Level 2 for Firus, while they were awarded Level 4 and Level 3 for their synchronised twizzles. Two choreographic elements, a slide and a spin, were sandwiched between a Level 4 dance spin and a Level 4 stationary lift which wrapped up their routine. They finished seventh in the free scoring 101.77 points and an overall total of 158.18 points.

Soucisse and Firus will compete again next week at Golden Spin of Zagreb, an ISU Challenger Series event.

 

Judge 10th At Denkova Staviski Cup

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Dillon Judge has finished in 10th place overall at this weekend’s Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria.

It was a tough start for Judge in the short programme as he fell on an opening triple Salchow. However, he came back to tack on a double toe loop to his originally planned solo triple toe loop jump. He continued with a Level 2 change foot camel spin and a Level 4 change foot combination spin before stepping out on the landing of a double Axel. He concluded with a Level 3 flying sit spin and a Level 2 step sequence to earn a score of 42.85 points and putting him in 11th place overnight.

In contrast to the short, Judge got his free skating off to a flying start by landing a triple toe loop and then nailing a triple Lutz cleanly for the first time in his competitive career. A subsequent double Axel had a step out, but he settled down to execute a Level 4 flying sit spin. He just about pulled off a triple Salchow-double Axel sequence and followed that with a Level 1 change foot camel spin and a choreographic step sequence. His final jumping passes were a triple Salchow, a double Lutz-Euler-double Salchow and a double loop. He ended with a change foot combination spin and was awarded a free score of 95.58 points for ninth place in the segment and a total of 138.43.

Annual General Meeting 2023

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 29 November 2023 in person in Dublin. Current members will have received a notice via e-mail with the AGM Agenda attached.

Tkacheva Receives Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund Award

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Sophia Tkacheva has been named as a recipient of a Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund award. The County Wexford based figure skater will be presented with €1000 through the fund which has been created to assist up and coming athletes on the island of Ireland achieve their goals.

“Being awarded this scholarship is like a window of opportunity opening up for my figure skating career,” Tkacheva said. “Of course, I had hopes for the scholarship, but I never thought they would become a reality and I am so thrilled that they did! Now some of the barriers that I’ve faced in this sport will be easier to get around and I am so honoured to be rewarded in such a way for doing something that I really cherish. I would also like to thank the ISAI for alerting me to this scholarship.”

“I cannot think of a more deserving athlete than Sophia to benefit from this fund,” ISAI President Seán Gillis said. “Despite the challenging journey she has faced in her skating career, she has shown true dedication to her sport. I know that Sophia will put this fund to great use in helping reach her full potential.”

Judge 16th; Tkacheva 11th at Tayside Trophy

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Dillon Judge and Sophia Tkacheva were in action this weekend at the Tayside Trophy in Dundee, United Kingdom representing Ireland in the Scottish city.

In his international debut as a senior competitor, Judge began the event with his short programme skated to “Smile” by Nat King Cole. He opened with a triple Salchow-double toe loop combination, stepping out of the landing on the double toe. He fell out of a triple toe loop subsequently and his change foot camel spin was graded Level 1. He cleanly landed a double Axel and his change change foot combination spin, flying sit spin and step sequence all received Level 3. His score of 43.30 put him in 15th place overnight.

Judge chose to perform to “My Homeland” by Havasi for his free skating. At the top of his routine he landed a triple toe loop, a triple Salchow-double Axel sequence and a solo double Axel in quick succession. He followed through with a Level 4 flying sit spin and a triple Salchow. His change foot spin and step sequence both garnered Level 2, while he closed out his programme with a Level 3 change foot combination spin. He posted a score of 84.30 for the free which gave him a total of 127.60 and placed him in 16th overall.

This was Tkacheva’s second competition of the season and she showed significant progress in both segments. She commenced her “Bust Your Knee Caps (Johnny Don’t Leave Me)” by Pomplamoose short programme with an attempted double Axel that was underrotated. She then landed a double flip-double toe loop combination and executed a Level 4 flying sit spin. She also performed a double Lutz and finished her programme with a Level 4 change foot combination spin. She scored 35.68 points and was ranked in 12th place at the midway point of the event.

The two-time Irish Junior champion started her Romeo and Juliet medley free skating inauspiciously with a fall on a double Axel, an underrotated triple Salchow and another fall on a double Lutz-double toe loop combination. However, she settled back into the routine with a Level 4 layback spin and then landed a double loop and double loop-Euler-double Salchow jump sequence. Tkacheva concluded her performance with her choreo step sequence, a Level 3 flying change foot sit spin and a Level 2 change foot combination spin. A free score of 54.78 points left her with a total of 90.46 points and she moved up to 11th place in the final standings

Turner-Frick 32nd At Yerevan Junior Grand Prix

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In her first outing on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, Ciera Turner-Frick has finished 32nd at the Armenian Cup in Yerevan, Armenia.

Turner-Frick opened the entire competition when she took to the ice for the Junior Women’s short programme. Skating to “Prima Vera” and “Divenire” by Ludovico Einaudi, she began with a cleanly landed double Axel and a double Lutz to follow. She also included a double flip-double toe loop combination and she closed with a change foot combination spin which garnered Level 4. A score of 32.97 points left her in 31st place overnight.

In her free skating routine to “Victory Battle Cry” by Two Steps from Hell, Turner-Frick had a nervy start and unfortunately fell on the same double Axel she had successfully landed in the short. She gradually settled down got full value for a double Lutz-single Axel jump sequence and positive grades execution for a double loop and a Level 3 sit spin. A change foot combination spin once again received Level 4 from the technical panel. She earned 50.10 points for the free to give her a total of 83.07 to end up in 32nd overall.

“Thank you so much to the Ice Skating Association of Ireland for selecting me for my first competition representing Ireland,” Turner-Frick said. “I was delighted to have a good solid start with my short programme, Being the opening skater at my first international and this showed in my spins and steps. I lost confidence in my free when I fell on my double Axel combo jump at the start which I’d been landing well all week. I then struggled to centre my jumps though I managed to achieve 50.10 in my free despite losing careless points. Scoring over 83 as a debut skate is a good start, but I hope to be able to rapidly improve that total for Ireland at my next competition.”

Short Programme

Free Skating