Due to an omission in the initial announcement for the 2020 Winter Challenge, an updated announcement with the addition of an interpretative category for championship level is now online here.
This additional event will not impact any of the entrants so far, but will allow skaters who hold Basic Novice and up to enter the competition.
The year kicked off with Ryan and Sean McAnuff becoming the first skaters from Ireland to participate in the same International Skating Union (ISU) Championships in January when they competed at the European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. They retained two spots for Ireland for 2020.
At the end of January, Conor Stakelum took part in the European Figure Skating Championships in Minsk, Belarus. The Dubliner posted an ISU personal best in the short programme to place 33rd.
In February, Tara Donoghue became the first Irish skater to race at the World Junior Speed Skating Championships which were held in Balsega di Pine, Italy. Her 23rd place in the 3000 metres was the highest finish yet by an Irish competitor at an ISU Championships.
The month also saw an introductory seminar for short track speed skating officials held in Dublin.
March saw Tara Donoghue conclude her season by setting national records over the 1000 and 1500 metres at the Viking Race in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Sean McAnuff also closed out his season with a 38th place at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
In July, a figure skating technical specialist seminar took place in Dublin.
In her second season competing on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, Elizabeth Golding set Irish junior records for free skating and total scores in October at her second assignment in Egna, Italy.
Tara Donoghue competed in the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating event in Enschede, Netherlands and earned a spot for Ireland at the 2020 Youth Olympics becoming the first Irish skater to accomplish this feat.
At the Canadian International Invitational in Montreal, Canada in December, Ava Ryan booked her place at the 2020 World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships. She will be the first female short track speed skater from Ireland to participate at an ISU Championships.
Elizabeth Golding (15) participates in her second competition of the season at the International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Egna/Neumarkt in Egna, Italy (2-5 October).
This is the second year the Irish Junior champion takes her place on the circuit which features up and coming global figure skating talent and provides young skaters aged 13 to 19 with the opportunity to compete at a high international level.
2019 marks the 11th anniversary of Ireland’s first participation in the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The series started in 1997 and includes seven events which serve as qualifiers for the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in December.
Golding will compete on Friday 4 October in the short programme and Saturday 5 October in the free skating. Her performances will be broadcast live on the ISU’s YouTube channel. The event can also be followed by using the #JGPFigure and #FigureSkating hashtags across various social media platforms.
Event Page: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/jgpita2019/
Over the course of the past two days, Sam McAllister (20) and Conor Stakelum (26) competed at the 51st edition of the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany.
McAllister opened the competition with his short programme to “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck. He attempted a triple Lutz, a triple flip-double toe loop combination and a double Axel with two of his spins graded Level 4. He received 51.98 points to put himself in 14th place.
Towards the end of the same warmup group, Stakelum performed his short to “Nightshade” by The Lumineers. He went for a triple loop and then continued with a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination and a double Axel. A flying sit spin was graded Level 4 and he placed 13th in the short with 52.75 points.
The Irish skaters followed each other in the free skating the next day. McAllister inserted four triples and two Level 4 spins into his “Pirates of the Caribbean” routine and was rewarded with a free score of 100.74 points which gave him a total of 152.72 and 14th place overall. Both marks represent new International Skating Union (ISU) personal bests.
“It was a good result here in Oberstdorf,” McAllister said. “I now have the minimum technical scores for the European Championships which was a season’s goal of mine.”
Stakelum took to the ice for his “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed and opened with a triple loop jump. He went on to attempt four more triples and closed with a Level 4 combination spin. He scored 94.03 points for the free which amounted to a total of 146.78 and left him in 15th place.
“I had a challenging free tonight,” Stakelum said. “I am going to away and come back to deliver a better performance of this programme that I know is in me.”
Full details results for the 2019 Nebelhorn Trophy can be found here.
The season steps up another gear this week as Irish figure skaters Sam McAllister (20) and Conor Stakelum (26) compete in the men’s event at the prestigious Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany (26-28 September).
This will be the second foray onto the international stage for both men this season. Last month, Stakelum and McAllister skated at the Tayside, Trophy in Dundee, United Kingdom where they placed fourth and fifth respectively. The Nebelhorn Trophy will be their first International Skating Union (ISU) Challenger Series event of the season and represents an increased level of competition. They will face off against skaters from 13 other nations in the short programme (Thursday, 26 September) and the free skating (Friday, 27 September).
The two Irish skaters have been drawn in the first warm-up group for tomorrow’s short (10.00hrs Irish time) with McAllister opening the event and Stakelum skating fifth out of the 18 skaters.
You can follow all the action on the live stream and the event results page.
The past two days saw Irish figure skaters Sam McAllister and Conor Stakelum compete at the Tayside Trophy in Dundee, United Kingdom.
Stakelum was the first to take to the ice for the Senior Men’s short programme on Day One of the competition in the Scottish city. Skating to “Nightshade” by The Lumineers, he included a triple loop, triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination and a double Axel in his routine. He also executed three Level 4 spins and a Level 4 step sequence to rack up a new Irish record score of 61.54 to put himself in third place.
McAllister skated immediately after Stakelum and performed to “Take Five” by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. He landed a triple Lutz/double toe loop combination, a triple flip and a double Axel. He had two of his spins graded Level 4 and notched up a new personal best of 59.49 to put himself in fourth place.
The following day the competitors turned up for the free skating. Stakelum debuted another new programme, this time to “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed. He attempted five triple jumps during his four-minute free and received Level 4 for all three of his spins. He was awarded a score of 100.12 to give him a final total of 161.66 and fourth place.
McAllister also unveiled a new routine to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film soundtrack. He tried five triple jumps as well as two double Axels. He earned 95.33 points for the free which gave him an overall score of 154.82 and fifth place.
You can see detailed results for the Tayside Trophy here.
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.
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.
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.
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.