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Soucisse and Firus 18th at European Championships

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Carolane Soucisse (29) and Shane Firus (30) have finished in 18th place for Ireland at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia this afternoon.

In the rhythm dance, the pressure was on for the two-time Irish national champions and they faced a battle in a deep field to secure one of precious berths in the final round. There was a dicey moment when it looked like their advancement was in question.

Soucisse and Firus began their routine to music by James Brown and Betty Davis with a confident Level 2 midline step sequence. However, in the sequential twizzle sequence that followed Soucisse put a foot down to steady herself and the duo received a negative grade of execution for the element. To their credit, they did not let the error affect the rest of their programme and earned a Level 1 for their pattern type step sequence, strong grade of execution scores for their choreographic rhythmic sequence and a powerful Level 4 rotational lift to close. Their score of 61.56 points was well down on their season best, but they were philosophical about it after they ended.

“There were definitely some highs and some lows,” Firus said. “There was a mistake on the twizzles so that was disappointing. We’re happy that we didn’t let it affect the rest of the programme and made it through to the free so that was good.”

“I think everything else went great,” Soucisse said. “If there is something to be happy about, it’s that we didn’t let go and we got in all the points that we could. That saved us to go through to the free.”

Soucisse and Firus skated second in the free dance portion of the event out of the twenty teams that qualified from the rhythm dance. Performing to music from the “When Harry Met Sally” soundtrack, the husband and wife duo produced a Level 4 stationary and rotational lift combination to open and continued with Level 2 one foot turns for Soucisse and Level 1 for Firus. They next included a choreographic step sequence and a Level 4 dance spin. Their serpentine steps were Level 2 and they next reeled off Level 4 synchronised twizzles. They ended with a choreographic assisted jump, a Level 4 straight line lift and a choreographic dance lift. Their score of 100.20 was the 17th highest score of the event and it gave them a final total of 161.76 points.

“It felt very good,” Soucisse said of their performance. “Overall, we’re really happy with how the programme turned out. It’s been really solid for us this season so we just kind of wanted to keep that train going and get a bit more feedback on certain elements that we changed. It was a little bit tough out there. It was a bit dry, but other than that it was good.

“We had a lot of fun,” Firus added. “The crowd really got behind us and there were lots of Irish flags. We really felt the support and that was great.”

Soucisse And Firus Set For Second Euros Appearance

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Carolane Soucisse (29) and Shane Firus (30) fly the flag for Ireland again this year at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships which are being held this week (29 January to 2 February) in Tallinn, Estonia.

This will be the second outing for the ice dance duo at Europeans. Last year in Kaunas, Lithuania, they finished 13th and will be looking to maintain or improve on that ranking this time round. The husband and wife team have had a busy season with this being their fifth competition on European ice. The two-time Irish national champions train in Toronto, Canada with their coaches Carol Lane, Jon Lane, Juris Rasgulajevs and Marc-Andre Servant.

Soucisse and Firus get their journey at this Europeans under way in the rhythm dance which begins at 10:30 (Irish time) on Friday, 31 January. Thirty teams from 23 nations will fight for the 20 spots available in the free dance on Saturday, 1 February.

“We really want to showcase all the hard work and improvements we have to the programmes, especially compared to the first half of the season,” Firus said.

“We want to show two strong and confident performances and get off the ice feeling accomplished,” Soucisse added. “In terms of results, the field is very strong, but we hope to be able to place in the top 15.”

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 the 2023 Europeans. Last year Soucisse and Firus became the first ice dance team from Ireland to compete at Europeans. Ireland has had entries each of the previous two times (2010 and 2022) Europeans has been hosted in Tallinn.

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

The ISU European Figure Skating Championships will be broadcast on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. Geographical restrictions may apply. The results of the championships can be followed on the event results page and on social media via the #EuroFigure and #FigureSkating hashtags.

Soucisse and Firus 13th At Maiden Europeans

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Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus have completed their journey at the 2024 ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania finishing 13th in the ice dance event. In addition to becoming the first ice dancers to represent Ireland at the championships, they also became the first skaters representing Ireland to advance to the final round of competition in the 133 year history of the championships.
Soucisse and Firus skated 23rd of the 33 competing teams participating at these European Championships in the rhythm dance with only the top 20 teams advancing to the free dance. Performing to a Rick James medley for their 1980s themed routine, they opened with a Midline Step Sequence and followed that with a Synchronised Twizzle Sequence. They next nailed a Pattern Type Step Sequence and a Choreographic Rhythm Sequence. They closed out strongly with a difficult Level 4 Rotational Lift. They earned 66.69 points, a new season best.
Earlier this evening they took to the ice inside the Zalgirio Arena to perform in the free dance. Skating to “Hier Encore” by Charles Aznavour and an instrumental version of La Boheme, the current Irish champions opened with a Choreographic Character Step Sequence to set the tone for the routine. They followed that with a lift combination comprising a Straight Line Lift and a Rotational Lift and a Diagonal Step Sequence and One Foot Turns Sequence. Their Synchronised Twizzle Sequence was graded a Level 4 by the technical panel, the highest possible, as was their Dance Spin. They closed with a Choreographic Slide, a Choreographic Spin and a Level 4 Stationary Lift earning 101.50 points for their free and a combined total score of 168.19 points, both of which were new Season Bests.
“We’re very happy with how we skated,” Firus said. “We wanted to enjoy today, be very patient and really feel the moment as we were doing it.”
“It could have been a little bit intimidating with the crowd, but it was amazing,” Soucisse said. “We really stayed focused. We did just like in training and it went great. We were a bit tired at the end, but we held it up pretty well.”

Soucisse And Firus On The Edge Of History For Euros Debut

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Carolane Soucisse (28) and Shane Firus (29) will carve out their names in the history of Irish figure skating as they will become the first ice dance team to represent Ireland at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships which this year are being held in Kaunas, Lithuania (10-14 January).

Soucisse and Firus became Irish national champions in June 2023 and made their international debut for Ireland at the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul, Turkey last month. They train in Toronto, Canada with their coaches Carol Lane, Jon Lane, Juris Rasgulajevs and Marc-Andre Servant.

Soucisse and Firus will initially perform at Europeans in the rhythm dance which begins at 10:00 (Irish time) on Friday, 12 January. Thirty-three teams from 21 nations will battle it out for the 20 spots available in the free dance on Saturday, 13 January. The competition will be keenly followed particularly in the Model County as Firus’s maternal grandmother hails from Gorey, County Wexford.

“We can’t wait to perform in such a big event,” Soucisse said. “Even though we’ve never done a European Championships, it really feels like home. We are super excited to see the crowd and meet new fans.”

“We are beyond excited to represent Ireland for the first time at such a prestigious event,” Firus said. “We are really looking forward to experiencing everything Europeans has to offer, as everyone we talked to before has said it was their favourite event of the season.”

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.

The ISU European Figure Skating Championships will be broadcast on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. Geographical restrictions may apply. The results of the championships can be followed on the event results page and on social media via the #EuroFigure and #FigureSkating hashtags.

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.

McAllister 28th At Maiden Europeans

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Sam McAllister (24) has finished 28th on his debut at the 2023 ISU European Figure Skating Championships which are currently taking place in Espoo, Finland.

The three-time senior Irish champion embarked on his short programme with a triple Lutz which he had to step out of on landing. He then attempted a triple toe loop-triple toe loop jump combination, but put a hand down on the first jump and fell on the second. He settled himself with a Level 3 change foot camel spin and got the Finnish audience clapping along to an energetic Level 2 step sequence. Unfortunately, the double Axel jump that followed was not executed cleanly. He completed his performance to “Good News” by Apashe with a Level 4 flying sit spin and a Level 3 change foot combination spin. He scored 48.07 points for his routine.

Even though he was disappointed with how some of the elements today, McAllister relished finally getting to compete at Europeans on his third try.

“It was great to skate her today and I really enjoyed every second of it,” McAllister said. “Obviously the jumps didn’t go to plan. I’ve training really hard in the build up to this event and the jumps have been working, but sometimes you can’t prepare for everything. I decided to just enjoy the programme and skating in front of the amazing crowd.”

As only the Top 24 skaters after the short programme advance, McAllister will not be competing in Friday night’s free skating.

Third Time Lucky For McAllister As Euros Debut Beckons

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This week Sam McAllister (24) becomes only the third skater from Ireland to compete at a European Figure Skating Championships when he takes to the ice at the Metro Areena in Espoo, Finland on Wednesday evening.

McAllister’s European debut has been a long time coming. He was selected in 2021, but the championships were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He was all set to compete in 2022 again when he tested positive for Covid-19 in a pre-departure test and had to miss out a second time. It makes this time round all the more special.

“I’m over the moon and it’s incredible to be here at this venue,” McAllister said. “I wouldn’t let myself get excited until the pass was in my hand and then I knew it was finally happening.  There’s too many emotions right now that I can’t describe. It’s amazing to be here.

“To be only the third person from Ireland to make it to Europeans shows how impressive it is to be at this event.”

McAllister will initially participate in the men’s short programme on Wednesday evening (25 January) with only the top 24 advancing Friday night’s free skating (27 January). He has drawn to skate third in Warm-Up Group 1.

The ISU European Figure Skating Championships will be broadcast on Eurosport and the ISU YouTube channel. Geographical restrictions may apply. The results of the championships can be followed on the event results page and on social media via the #EuroFigure and #FigureSkating hashtags.