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Soucisse and Firus 28th In World Rhythm Dance

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Carolane Soucisse (30) and Shane Firus (31) have finished in 28th place in the rhythm dance at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, United States of America.

The two-time Irish national champions took to the ice in the home arena of the Boston Celtics as the first to skate in Warm-Up Group 4.  They began their James Brown medley programme with a Level 2 midline step sequence. For the sequential twizzle sequence Soucisse was given a Level 3 while Firus was Level 2. They earned a Level 1 for their pattern type step sequence, followed it with their choreographic rhythmic sequence and closed with a rousing Level 4 rotational lift. Their score of 58.68 points was not what they had hoped for coming into the event and was unfortunately not enough to advance to tomorrow’s free dance.

“We thought the energy was very good,” Firus said. “Obviously we had two small errors – an error on the twizzle and on the pattern type step sequence. Overall though we are very happy with how we attacked it. It was unfortunate that we did have the errors on those two elements. We couldn’t have been more prepared for this event, so we’ll just have to go back, go home and start working again and hop to it.”

“I think besides our own personal goal also a goal we have had since we started representing Ireland is to bring awareness of the sport and help the next generation to get a better shot,” Soucisse said.

 

Soucisse And Firus In Quest To Show Season Best At Worlds

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Carolane Soucisse (30) and Shane Firus (31) carry Ireland’s hopes in the ice dance event at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships which are being held this week (26 March to 30 March) in Boston, United States of America.

This will be the second time the ice dance duo represent Ireland at Worlds. Last year in Montreal, Canada, they finished 20th and will be aiming for an even better showing this time round. The two-time Irish national champions train in Toronto, Canada with their coaches Carol Lane, Jon Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Marc-Andre Servant.

Soucisse and Firus get their competition under way in the rhythm dance which begins at 15:15 (Irish time) on Friday, 28 March. Thirty-six teams from 27 nations will fight for the 20 spots available in the free dance on Saturday, 29 March. This year’s Worlds carry a special significance in that 19 of the 23 quota places available for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina will be decided in Boston.

“We want to strongly represent Ireland and skate to the best of our abilities,” Firus said. “The Irish community is so present here in Boston that it feels like we are at a home Worlds.”

“Having our best showing of the season is the main goal here in Boston and we hope that if we accomplish that we can place ourselves in the top twenty and secure Ireland a spot for the upcoming Olympic Games,” Soucisse added.

The ISU World Figure Skating Championships were first held in 1896. 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.  Last year Soucisse and Firus became the first ice dance team from Ireland to compete at Worlds.

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 second time they take place in Boston.

The ISU World 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 #WorldFigure and #FigureSkating hashtags.

Soucisse And Firus 20th At World Championships

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Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus have finished 20th in the ice dance event at ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Canada.
Soucisse and Firus skated 21st of the 36 couples in the ice dance event with only the top 20 teams advancing to the free. Performing to a medley of Rick James songs for the 1980s themed rhythm dance, they opened with a Midline Step Sequence and followed that with a Level 4 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 68.04 points, a new season best, for 19th place in the rhythm and qualified for the following day’s free dance.
In the free, the Irish national champions skated third out of all the competitors in the event. Performing to “Hier Encore” by Charles Aznavour and an instrumental version of “La Bohème”, they 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 103.63 points, a new Season Best and 18th place for their free. Their combined total score of 171.67 points was also a new Season Best.
“The rhythm dance was pretty stressful because the field is really strong and large and we knew there was no room for mistakes,” Soucisse said. “Being able to present our free dance was truly a gift for us and we took it as such and made the most of it.”

“We wanted to be very patient and calm and enjoy the experience,” Firus said. “It was great to skate here in Montreal.”