ISU Junior World Cup Marks Irish Speed Skating Debut

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Tara Donoghue will make history for Ireland tomorrow when she races at the International Skating Union (ISU) Junior World Cup in Inzell, Germany.

The Irish national team member will make history as the first athlete to represent Ireland in an ISU speed skating event. She will also be the first female speed skater to compete for her country.

Donoghue will be one of 80 female skaters from 21 nations participating in the competition in Germany. Over the course of two days she will participate in the 500 metres, 1500 metres, 3000 metres and mass start events.

The ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating will be staged over three legs this winter. After Inzell (25-26 November), Innsbruck, Austria will play host for the second stage on 27-28 January with the final being held in Salt Lake City, USA, on 2-4 March.

The results of this weekend’s Junior World Cup will be available here.

McAnuffs Have Seoul Focus On Final World Cup

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Tomorrow Ryan and Sean McAnuff will begin racing in their final Audi ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup event of the season in Seoul, South Korea in what is the final stage of the 2018 Olympics qualifying process.

The brothers began their Olympic qualifying campaign late September in Budapest, Hungary and raced the following week in Dordrecht, Netherlands. Last week they were in Shanghai, China.  This week they will race once more against athletes from 40 countries over three disciplines – 500 metres, 1000 metres and 1500 metres. Skaters will earn points for each distance they race at the four World Cups with their three best results counting towards their qualification ranking. The top ranked 32 skaters in the 500 and 1000 metres and 36 skaters in the 1500 metres will book their places in PyeongChang. A maximum total of 60 skaters across all distances will qualify for the Olympics.

In 2016, the brothers became the first Irish short track speed skaters to compete on the international circuit. Ryan represented Ireland at the 2017 European Championships in Italy and the 2017 World Championships in the Netherlands, while Sean flew the tricolour at the 2017 Junior World Championships in Austria all for the first time. During the summer of 2017, they moved from Canada to the Netherlands to train full-time with the Dutch national team.

You can follow the McAnuffs’ progress in South Korea via the Ice Skating Association of Ireland Facebook and Twitter accounts and, on 18 and 19 November, via the ISU Skating Channel.

ISU World Cup Results

ISU Skating Channel

McAnuff Brothers On Penultimate Lap For PyeongChang Qualification

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After a month’s hiatus, Irish short track speed skaters Ryan McAnuff (22) and Sean McAnuff (20) are back on the Audi International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating circuit this week in the qualification process to secure berths for Ireland at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, Republic of Korea.

The brothers began their Olympic qualifying campaign late September in Budapest, Hungary and raced the following week in Dordrecht, Netherlands. November sees them take on back-to-back World Cups in Asia – the first of which is in Shanghai, China (9-12 November).  They will race against athletes from 40 countries over three disciplines – 500 metres, 1000 metres and 1500 metres. The final World Cup meet will be in Seoul, Republic of Korea (16-19 November). Skaters will earn points for each distance they race at the four World Cups with their three best results counting towards their qualification ranking. The top ranked 32 skaters in the 500 and 1000 metres and 36 skaters in the 1500 metres will book their places in PyeongChang. A maximum total of 60 skaters across all distances will qualify for the Olympics.

In 2016, the brothers became the first Irish short track speed skaters to compete on the international circuit. Ryan represented Ireland at the 2017 European Championships in Italy and the 2017 World Championships in the Netherlands, while Sean flew the tricolour at the 2017 Junior World Championships in Austria all for the first time. During the summer of 2017, they moved from Canada to the Netherlands to train full-time with the Dutch national team.

You can follow the McAnuffs’ progress in China via the Ice Skating Association of Ireland Facebook and Twitter accounts and, on 11 and 12 November, via the ISU Skating Channel.

National Team Bag Title And Records At Denkova-Staviski Cup

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The three members of the national figure skating team competed at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria and all of them set new benchmarks for Irish skating in the process.

Sam McAllister set the tone on the first day of competition by setting a new Irish record of 54.29 in the Junior Men’s Short Programme. In his routine to “Nothing The Same” by Gary Moore, he landed a triple Lutz, triple Salchow-double toe loop combination and a double Axel to stand in first place midway through the competition.

In the free skating, McAllister put on another fine display in a programme to the “Sherlock Holmes” film soundtrack that contained two triple Lutzes, two triple Salchows and a triple flip. He earned another Irish record of 104.40 to finish first overall with a total of 158.69 points.

“This was a tough competition, but I fought hard and did my best and thankfully it paid off,” McAllister, who turns 19 this weekend, said after winning the title. ” I would like to thank my mum and my incredible coach, Margaret O’Neill. I would also like to thank the Ice Skating Association of Ireland for their continued support.”

Conor Stakelum participated in the Senior Men’s event. In the short programme, he included a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, a triple loop and a double Axel in his “Red Violin” routine. He also had two spins graded Level 4. A score of 49.44 put him in 11th place going into the free skating.

The four-time Irish champion skated a superb performance in the free to “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol. He executed two triple Salchows, two triple toe loops and a triple loop in his routine to post an Irish record score of 105.72 which was good enough for fifth place in the segment. His combined total was 155.16 which left him in 10th place overall.

“I am pleased with how my free went at this competition,” Stakelum said. “It is a clear sign that all that I am working on in training is paying off.”

Elizabeth Golding was the final and youngest national team member to take to the ice in Bulgaria when she competed in the Advanced Novice Girls category. The two-time Irish champion set a new Irish record in the short programme with a score of 26.59 which had her in 12th at the halfway point.

Golding racked up another Irish record in the free skating where she scored 53.11 to move up to 10th overall with a total of 79.70.

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

ISAI Board and Speed Committee Nominees

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) has received the following nominations for the vacant positions on the ISAI Board of Directors and Speed Skating Technical Committee:

Performance and Development Director

Alan Seabrook

Speed Skating Technical Committee

Michelle Hegarty

Raymond Hegarty

Elections for the above positions will take place at the ISAI Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Dublin on Wednesday 25 October 2017.

Full Members are also invited to submit any questions they may have relating to the accounts in advance of the AGM by email to info@isai.ie or finance@isai.ie, so that detailed responses and figures can be prepared.

Questions should be submitted no later than 5pm on the 24th of October 2017.

Sam McAllister Completes Junior Grand Prix In Italy

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Sam McAllister was in action this weekend in Egna-Neumarkt, Italy where he skated in his second International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating assignment.

McAllister began with his short programme to “Nothing The Same” by Gary Moore where he attempted triple Lutz and double Axel jumps and executed one Level 4 and two Level 3 spins. He received a score of 38.60 points to put himself in 24th place midway through the event.

The two-time Irish national junior champion next proceeded to the free skating segment where he performed to music from the “Sherlock Holmes” film soundtrack. He landed two triple Lutzes and a triple Salchow during the course of his routine amongst other elements and once again had his flying sit spin graded Level 4. He earned a score of 75.55 points to give him a total competition score of 114.15 and he remained in 24th place overall.

It has been a successful start to the season for McAllister has he has now achieved the qualifying score necessary to participate at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

“I am very satisfied with how well my first competitions of the seasons have gone,” McAllister said. “I am looking forward to getting back home and building on what I have learned.”

Sam McAllister Tackles Second Junior Grand Prix Assignment

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This week sees Irish figure skater Sam McAllister (18) compete at his second assignment on the International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Egna-Neumarkt, Italy.

The two-time Irish Junior national champion will skate his short programme on the evening of Thursday, 12 October and his free skating routine on the afternoon of Saturday, 14 October. He will be one of 28 competitors from 22 countries at the event in Italy.

This is McAllister’s second season competing on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. At his previous Junior Grand Prix event in Latvia, he achieved the full set of minimum qualifying scores necessary to participate in the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria next March. 2010 was the last time an Irish skater qualified for the championships.

The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series started in 1997 and has become one of the most prestigious events to which young figure skaters can be invited. There are seven Grand Prixs annually and each skater will normally compete at two of these to accumulate points in order to qualify for the Grand Prix Final in December. This week’s competition in Italy is the final one in the series.

The Junior Grand Prix in Italy will be broadcast entirely live online on the ISU’s YouTube channel from Thursday, 12 October.

Sam McAllister ISU Bio

ISU YouTube Channel

ISU JGP Italy Entries/Results

ISAI Board and Speed Committee Vacancies

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In advance of the Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) Annual General Meeting on 25 October 2017, ISAI members are invited to make nominations for the following positions:

Board of Directors (One Vacancy)

Performance and Development Director

Speed Skating Technical Committee (Two Vacancies)

Members

Nominations must be received in writing, as per the notice of AGM, no later than 5PM, 15 October 2017 by the Vice President, either via email or post.

 

McAnuffs At Second Stage of Olympic Qualification

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This week Irish short track speed skaters Ryan McAnuff (22) and Sean McAnuff take to the ice in Dordrecht, Netherlands for the second stop of the Audi International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in the qualification process to secure berths for Ireland at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, Republic of Korea.

The McAnuffs kicked off their Olympic qualifying campaign last week in Budapest, Hungary. In the Netherlands, they will race against athletes from 40 countries over three disciplines – 500 metres, 1000 metres and 1500 metres. The subsequent two World Cup meets will be in Shanghai, China (9-12 November) and Seoul, Republic of Korea (16-19 November). Skaters will earn points for each distance they race at the four World Cups with their three best results counting towards their qualification ranking. The top ranked 32 skaters in the 500 and 1000 metres and 36 skaters in the 1500 metres will book their places in PyeongChang. A maximum total of 60 skaters across all distances will qualify for the Olympics.

In 2016, the brothers became the first Irish short track speed skaters to compete on the international circuit. Ryan represented Ireland at the 2017 European Championships in Italy and the 2017 World Championships in the Netherlands, while Sean flew the tricolour at the 2017 Junior World Championships in Austria all for the first time. During the summer of 2017, they moved from Canada to the Netherlands to train full-time with the Dutch national team.

“As we have been training in the Netherlands for the past few months, it’s going to be nice to race in a familiar atmosphere on such a big stage” Sean said.

“We are looking forward to building on what we did in Hungary last week and push ourselves up the rankings,” Ryan added.

You can follow the McAnuffs’ progress in the Netherlands via the Ice Skating Association of Ireland Facebook and Twitter accounts and, on 7 and 8 October, the ISU Skating Channel.

Ryan McAnuff ISAI Bio

Sean McAnuff ISAI Bio

ISU World Cup Results

ISU Skating Channel