Digital
Image were at the
2008 World Championships in Kaohsiung..
DVD's available: Email Max [here].
Photos can also be ordered from the Official photographer Raniero
Corbelletti [here]
Check
out the upcoming film JESUS CANT SKATE [here]
or at IMDb.com [here]
Video:
Roberto Riva demonstrates correct technique of the 'Axel' jump from
the FIHP
instructional series from 2008. See more great videos like this [here]
The
Oceania championships will commence on Thursday evening at
6.30pm (July 2) and run through until July 5. Skaters from Australia
& NZ in all age groups will contest the event with Australia's
top skaters competing after having been selected as a result of the
2008 Nationals. Oceania has been running since 1985, the first being
held at Inala in Brisbane, alternating between cities in AU and NZ
annually. Skaters from the US, China, India, Germany and Taipei were
always among the mix until the late 90's when the Junior world
championships was introduced. We still welcome competitors from
overseas of course! Oceania now paves the way for our newer skaters
also wanting to get a taste of the international circuit as well as
proving strong competition for our elite outside of European
competitions. The event is held at the Dandenong Netball Courts
[here].
View schedule [here]
June
27 Josh
Rhoads to run Seattle Skate Camp
One
of the finest skaters from the US (Joshua Rhoads) will lead a
group of leading coaches at a brand new camp to be run Sept 18-20,
at the Lynwood
Bowl & Skate in Seattle. The camps focus will be to
increase awareness of technique and promote progression amongst the
skaters in the US alongside a great weekend of skating, learning,
off skate work, training, classes, lessons and more, it promises to
be amazing and is something on the calendar not to be missed if you
are in the USA. Coaches will be: Joshua Rhoads, Anna Carrier,
April Dayney-Jacobson, Kadu Paiva, Greg and Yumi Goody, Adam White
and Melissa Quinn. Visit Eliteskateproductions.com [here]
June
21 Laura
Sanchez to be awarded with Gold.
The
board of the Spanish Federation will award the highest honor to one
of, if not their most successful skater ever, Laura Sánchez
(former world no.2) for her long standing history in the sport with
repeated successes. Sanchez will be awarded the 'Gold Badge' at a
special presentation at the Palais des Sports Club Reus.
Congratulations Laura on a wonderful career. Read article [here]
June
21 Olympic
bid update from FIRS
FIRS
President Sabatino Aracu has posted a message on the official
roller sports site regarding the status of the bid for Roller Sports
to enter the Olympic Games with the recent presentation made to the
IOC being described at 'excellent'. [here]
May 16
Will
Roller Sports make it into the Games?
Anarticle from UK blogger Rod Gilmour is featured in the Telegraph
paper and gives us a great insight into the efforts by the Governing
body or Roller Sports, FIRS, for their bid to get Speed skating into
the Olympic Games. As the countdown continues until the two
sports are chosen for 2016, Gilmour claims the lobbying from FIRS
has been non existent. Decide for yourself. Read more [here]
Accompanying promo video featured above.
May 07
Saluting
Natalie Dunn, American idol..
Natalie
Dunn was one of the greatest skaters to emerge from the US and
won 3 world titles in the late 70's, among other medals. Her
ability to perform double axel and triple jumps surpassed all of her
time and will always be remembered as one of the greats, a skater
with charisma and style. See the above video from the 1975 World
championships in Brisbane, QLD Australia where Natalie won the
overall Bronze medal, although she was clearly the winner when it
came to freestyle, although the scores were combined with the Figure
portion of the competition during that time. Natalie is still
involved in skating in California, her daughter Brooke also competed
at the Junior world championships in 2005. [watch]
May 07
Stunning,
Seduction - 10.0 for C.P.A. Olot
The
European Precision and Show Groups championships proved very
popular with audiences and multiple world champion team, C.P.A.
Olot did not disappoint with their amazing performance
'Seduction' earning them a perfect score of 10.0 .. Watch in full [here]
May 06
New
role for new era?
Following
the quarterly board meeting of Skate Australia officials over
the weekend, it was announced that I have been appointed the
position of HP Coach (High Performance) for Australia. This
position will involve not only work of my own, but of other coaches
as well with the goal firmly in place of improving the standard of
the skaters in our country as we struggle to maintain competitive
with the leading nations, unlike in the past. This is a goal I believe is
achievable if the work is united and the skaters strive to be among
excellence. The announcement was made
officially yesterday on the Skate Australia website [here].
'Change
is on the way'...
May 02
European
Show Group and Precision championships..
The
European Precision and Show Groups championships are now on (April
30 to May 2), and also available online. See the promo trailer for
the event above and tune in here to catch all the action [Live
Video]. Official
site [here]
See
images above also from the event.
May 02
New
club members Skate Away with titles...
Michelle
Arnold, coach of the Virginia Artistic Skating Club (US)
and her troupe of skaters recently featured in the Chesterfield
Observer newspaper. A great little story about how Michelle went
from pursuing a career as a psychologist but soon found herself
taking over a rink with her husband, a life she knows only too well
having grown up on skates and her parents owned several rinks. Read
the article in full [here]
Apr 27
Brazilian
Nationals.. highlights
Watch
highlights of the National championships from Brazil courtesy of
Flaviao Moreira [here].
See Marcel Sturmer, winner of the men's singles, and his
brilliant short program. Marcel commented that the humidity was
extreme during the competition and many of the skaters had great
difficulty in overcoming exhaustion during a long program, but
overall, that the standard of skating was high and it was a
fantastic competition.. (above).
Apr 21
Cup
of Spain winners..
Dario
Betti (Junior world No.1 in 2008) was the winner of the Junior
men's category in Madrid at the Cup of Spain last week, sporting a
brand new hair cut, yep - he's cut it all off! Elisabetta
Bernini also from Italy won the Junior ladies. In the
Senior Men's division, Spain took out the top 3 positions with Carles
Gasset taking the gold, Manel Perez second, and Javier
Cabezathe bronze, while Italy's Andrea
Aracu was 4th among the strong field. Ilenia Baldisser was
in fine form winning the Ladies event with Debora Sbei
in second and Francesca Roncelli, third. More info and full
article [here]
Pictured left: Junior Men's Freeskating, Simone Porzi, Dario Betti,
Pierre Meriel. Right: Andrea Aracu & Dario Betti. Images
courtesy A.Aracu
Apr 07
Cup
of Spain..
The
'Cup of Spain' was recently presented to the media and will be held
in Polideportivo “La Vía” de Coslada (Madrid)
from April 16-18 and will be attended by over 100 skaters selected
from Germany, Colombia, France, Holland, Italy and Spain. Like many
areas in Spain, skating in Madrid is impressive, boasting more than
40 clubs, and an event like this can only increase the support and
enthusiasm for the sport across the country. More info and full
article [here]
Apr 07
Brazilian
Nationals..
The
Brazilian World Class Championship and National Tournament will be
held from April 21-26 at Iate Clube De Brasília - DF, featuring
current world men's singles number 3 - Marcel Sturmer, former
world inline champ - Gustavo Melo, alongside Vivian
Moreira, Gabrielle Vieira, Eduardo Gravina, Diego Dores and
more. Official site [here]
Apr 07
Naoin
The
elite event, known as 'Noain' or the tournament of Noain, was
battled out last week with. Skaters are 'invited' to participate in
the event from all over the world. The winners of this years male
and female categories were Marcel Sturmer and Francesca
Roncelli. Luca Tocco took out second position behind
Sturmer in the men's with a small fault in the short program, but
apparently had an awesome new long program about a soldier in war.
We've come to expect nothing less that 'spectacular' when it comes
to the artistry of Tocco of late. He is one performer and one of the
most popular skaters on the planet. Rosalba Genito won the
silver in the ladies with her array of triple jumps as witnessed in
Kaohsiung with her silver medal winning performance behind Romano.
Full article and images [here]
[Ladies]
Pictured:
Luca Tocco. By Cristobal Vera [here]
Mar 26
F1
drivers trade in their machines for blades..
Formula
One drivers Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella
swapped their Force India machines for inline skates yesterday down
along St Kilda beach while Kristen Slade and I were on hand
to give them a few pointers! While Fisichella opted not to skate
(for fear of falling), Sutil relived his childhood memories of
skating in his hometown at skate parks and was excited about getting
a chance to after more than 14yrs off skates. Both drivers will
compete in the Melbourne Grand Prix on the weekend. Several articles
have appeared online alongside TV slots and news reports about the
media event, while promoting the drivers, it has been a great
promotion of roller sports at the same time. [here]
[more
images here]
Mar 18
Oceania
Championships flashback..
The
Oceania championships once was an event that was attended by
skaters from the US, Japan, China, Taiwan, Germany and of
course, Australia and NZ (who are now both the only competing
Nations). Hopefully interest will increase in the coming years
and we will see the numbers in the International grades increase..
Skate Australia has posted a 'flashback' to the 1996 event on their
site, the event was held in NZ with one of the biggest Australian
teams competing. Read in full [here]
This years event will be staged in July in Melbourne. Image
left: Winner of the Junior ladies event, Kristen Slade
Mar 01
Dancer's
get 'Goody'..
Skaters
from across Australia and New Zealand today commence
work with one of the finest Dance skaters/coaches from the USA,
multiple world champion Greg Goody, who partnered Jodee
Viola to win the title three times (pictured left). Goody will
be joined by his wife Yumi who will also be assisting at the
seminar. Jodie Garufo, who recently traveled to the US with
her skaters to work with Greg, organized the seminar in Queensland,
recognizing that it was expertise our skaters and coaches ached for.
Solo dance dominates in Australia where the numbers are ever
increasing and the competition is pretty stiff. The seminar will run
during the week before Goody returns to the US. More news soon from
the event.
Mar 01
The
Olympic push for Roller Sports in powering on in Australia...
Recently
on the Today show, the hosts discussed the sport vying for
inclusion in the 2016 Olympics, of course mentioning Roller
Sports, then they all decided they wanted skating 'in' as their
choice and reminisced about their 80's childhood skating memories..
Alongside that, Skate Australia have published an article that has
appeared in recent media also with other relevant articles. Read
more here as we learn about the big bid.. [here]
Mar 01
New
President for Skate Australia..
As
reported on the Skate Australia site, Simon Wilkins has
stepped down as President of Skate Australia with Dr Pat Wallace
his successor. After five years at the helm, Simon Wilkins has
formally retired as president from Skate Australia in the quarterly
board meeting held on the Gold Coast last weekend. Dr Wallace
who was recently elected to her second term as director, obtained
the endorsement from the executive and will be the president until
the AGM election in October. Read the article in full [here]
Feb 21
Australian
National championships..
Officially
announced this weekend, Adelaide will no longer be hosting the 2009
Australian championships and the event has been MOVED to Queensland
(Oct 3-9, which is NOT school holidays either!!). It's likely the
event will be run at the Cararra stadium again (let's hope
NOT)..
Feb 10
Precision
/ Show National championships..
Precision
Nationals are soon approaching in many countries: The Italian
Precision championships will get underway from Friday, March 13
- Sunday, March 15, 2009 at the Palasport Verona – Piazza Atleti,
Azzurri d’Italia, Verona. View the official site [here]..
The Spanish Show group championships will also be held on the
same weekend, at the C.P.A. Bordeta - Lleida Federació Catalan
Patinatge. More info [here]
Feb 06
FIRS
Jim Pollard - update
View
Jim Pollard's (CIPA President) address at the recent FIRST meeting.
Notable mention, 2012 Worlds advised will be in either Australia or
New Zealand!! View the video in full [here]
Courtesy
Flavio Moreira..
Feb 06
FIRS
Live stream Elective Congress
News:
From Rollersports.org - On February 7th, we will meet here in
Rome to decide who will lead the FIRS in one of the most important
period of roller skating: on October 2009 the next Olympic future of
our beloved sport will be determined... Read in full [here]
Feb 03
Celebrating
a champion.. Chiara Sartori
Chiara
Sartori stormed onto the scene in 1985 with two brilliant
performances that brought the audiences to their knees, along with
near perfect scores. Chiara not only included an array of quality
jumps and spins in this program
(video
above), she also skated it with the style and grace of a veteran
performer ten years her senior, and at only 16years of age, this was
extraordinary. Chiara stamped her name all over the ladies event for
the three years in which she contested the world stage, being
undefeated in each discipline she competed winning 9 world gold
medals... Trainer - Sara
Locandro
Jan 31
80's
Skate Legend interview.. Part 2 - McGuire
Our
second interview with an 80's Legend, none other than the great -
Tim McGuire. For those who have not been fortunate enough to see any
footage of Tim, be sure to check out the clip included in this
interview. Tim was (is) one of the greatest skaters of all time.
McGuire dominated the international scene with his powerful
and athletic style of skating that took the world by storm.
With his perfect technique and flawless performances, judges
crowned McGuire with three world titles and near perfect
scores of 6.0 at each of his three world events. He will
remain an icon of artistic roller skating
forever.
Read the interview in full [here]
Jan 31
80's
Skate renunion - 'So Cal'
A
reunion for Artistic Skaters from Southern California that competed
in the 70's, 80's, and 90's will be held at Holiday
Skate on Sat Feb 28 at 9pm.. If you're in the area check it
out.. $6.
Jan 12
80's
Skate Legend interview.. Part 1 - Howard
I've
decided to feature a series on interviews with former champions in
our sport as a part of the new Facebook group celebrating the 80's
Legends, which now has more than 1050 members after 3weeks!! The
first interview is with former US & World champion dance skater MARK
HOWARD. More interviews soon to follow, including: TIM McGUIRE,
RICK MONTURO, SCOTT COHEN, SANDRO GUERRA, JODEE VIOLA, TINA KNEISLEY,
ANGIE FAMIANO & more... Read the interview in full [here]
Dec 19
So,
you think you can skate?
The
CBBC in the UK are now posting for applications for their
brand new series that will search for a skate star.. They are
looking for groups of 4, three members of each team must be under
the age of 14 - accompanied by one adult. This exciting new show
could be a huge promotion for roller sports, so if you are an inline
skater, artistic skater or disco dancer get moving and apply [here]
Dec 19
Sandro
Guerra speaks out..
A
very interesting and important article has been posted on the FIRS
site by Nicola Genchi (editor) after posing the question
- Where
is figure-skating heading, artistically?to
choreographer extraordinaire, slash former world champion, Sandro
Guerra (left), who went on to say, "It
is difficult to give a clearly defined and comprehensive view of the
development of choreography in artistic skating. It is however
clear, that the athlete who wants to get to the top has to
present him/herself fully prepared in EVERY way." At the same time on the 80's Legends boards, I posed a
similar question to the group - 'How far have we come in
twenty years?', noting: 'While we are technically more
advanced in some small ways, have we really taken any steps forward?
And do we need to take some steps backward to make a connection to
the athleticism and artistry of the almost forgotten era where
'winning medals wasn't everything' and skating, was really about
roller figure skating?'..
So to see this article and read Sandro's point of view I feel we are
reaching a very important time in our sport where many of us we
begin to ask these questions and take the right steps to ensure we
do something about it..
Read the FIRS article in full [here]
Or, join the facebook
group [here]..
Dec 19
A
Merry, Merry Marcel...
Brasil's
biggest skating export, Marcel Sturmer, not only come home
from the world championships with a bronze medal, but he was also
welcomed by a street parade and a host of fans at the airport to
celebrate. More recently, he performed in the most spectacular Christmas
skating show on earth. See the images in the above slide show.
On top of that, a massive billboard (also in the slide show) has
been erected by one of his major sponsors, celebrating his
achievements as a skater and as Pan American champion. It just goes
to show, skaters can sell a product and you can be a national hero
on wheels.. Watch Marcel's short & long program from the world
championships [here]
Dec 17
The
'14 STEP PLUS' ... getting to know it..
One
of the new dances introduced for 2009 is the '14 Step Plus'.. See
above or via this link to view [here]
Dec 10
Passing
of two Australian greats in skating..
Anne
Smith (Edwards) was a member of the 'original' Australian team
in the 60's & 70's, a wonderful skater and ambassador for our sport. Anne
passed away on Dec 2. Anne was the FIRST skater from Australia to go
to worlds and to pass the gold proficiency test for figures and
freeskating. She was coached by Trevor Wells. More recently she was
skating recreationally with dear friend and skating coach, Karen
Olsen (represented Australia in the late 70's) and was
apparently 'still amazing' on her skates, doing single jumps with
ease and some wonderful spins. Sadly there are no records of her
achievements with Skate Australia, however it is fitting we pay
respect to this great athlete from Australia. She will be sadly missed.
Gordon Mellon, a highly regarded figure within the Roller Hockey
circuit, passed
away peacefully on Dec 4.
To friends of Gordon; there will be a service at Hopewell Hospice,
Dunkirk Close, Arundel, Thurs 11 Dec at 2pm.
Pictured
left: Anne dressed in her National uniform representing
Australia.
Dec 10
Minutes
from the CIPA meeting held in Kaohsiung..
Dec 10
Proposal
from Italian Federation .. what do you think ?
The
much talked about proposal by the Italian Federation is being
circulated heavily and is the topic of conversation everywhere. It
proposes a number of items, ie: the World championships be held
every two years, in preference to being an annual event, age
amendments to the Junior entry levels and also the consideration in
the future that Inline, Solo dance and Show Groups be considered as
'International Trophy' and not world events. It will be interesting
to learn of the outcome and how CIPA will respond. Read in full [here]
Dec 09
80's
Skate Stars..
In
an effort to celebrate and pay homage to the great skaters of the
80's, I've created a 'fan page' called '80's Skate Stars' on Facebook
(which is now hugely popular with roller skaters around the world,
and a great place to keep up to date). It features videos from some
of the best skaters from the 80's including, Tina Kneisley
(feat. above) & Paul Price, Scott Cohen, Tim McGuire, Mark
Howard & Cindy Smith, Michele Biserni, Tammy Jerue & John
Arishita, Chiara Sartori, Sandro Guerra, David DeMotte, Michael
Butzke and more.. and it will continue to be updated regularly.
Already there are 7 amazing clips on there, dozens of photos and
more than 250 people joined the group in support in two days -
fantastic!! Best of the 90's
will soon follow, but first, its about the 80's to recognize the
amazing achievements of these athletes because the sad truth is,
there aren't enough people out there who know about them who skate
today and hey, its our history and people should know about our
sport, how great it was back then and enjoy it.. Join the facebook
group [here]
Nov 24
World's
are now over!!
Well
it was a very interesting week I must say.. never a dull moment!
Thanks to everyone who has been visiting the mini world site and
submitting info, pics and clips. I've just uploaded clips of Marcel
Sturmer (BRA) and Manel Perez (ESP), and will be adding more as I was unable to while in
Taiwan, and used references to the links available via FIHP, however
they are only of Italian skaters.. so if you find any youtube links
please send them to me so I can included them [here].
Nov 07
BRAND
NEW 2008 WORLDS MINI SITE..
Well
I may not be going to the world meet in Taiwan this year, sadly, but
I will be doing my best to get the updates online here in my new 2008
Worlds MINI area for the event daily (via good friends at the
championships!!).. So keep up to date and keep checking in for news,
images and videos.. If you have any results or submissions, please
send them in [here] Just as
skaters start arriving in Taiwan, we're up and running ready for the
action!! [here]
Update:
The first image gallery has just been uploaded!
.
Nov 02
Front
page news for Orcutt and Hines..
Pre
'worlds' press couldn't get any better
than THIS! Both graduates of Woodside High School, Robert
Hines and Aubrey Orcutt feature in 'The Almanac'
newspaper as they prepare to leave for the worlds in Taiwan. The
article includes a double page picture spread and write up.. its
fantastic!! The link here opens the PDF document in full.. See the
great front page and then go to page 12 to view the article. [here]
.
Nov 01
Interview
with Luca D'Alisera...
Updated
link:
An
exclusive interview with Luca D'Alisera is now on the 'El Rincondel Patinador'
site [English
version] .. Mental note to many; take note of the intense
hours of training both on and off skates Luca did, including GYM
work, and 'is a key factor in preparation'. More info at this great site available [here]
including updates on Laura Sanchez.
Nov 01
Australian
2009 requirements - Nationals / Tiny Tots / Primary..
Many
of you will excited by the news that both the Tiny Tots and Primary
divisions will now be included at National and State events after a
10year hiatus (much to blame for the demise and development of our
sport in Australia). However, the grades have been re-introduced and
we can hope to move forward. Here are the reqs: [Tiny/Prim]
[Nats
`09]
Oct 31
US
Judges & Coaches seminar..
The USA
Roller Sports Judges and Coaches Conference is scheduled to take
place at the Tuscany Suites and Casino, located at 255 E. Flamingo
Road in Las Vegas.. Full info [here].
Oct 25
Highlights
from the 2008 European championships..
A
great collection of short clips from the recent European
championships in Fuengirola, includes Sara Venerucci, Alba Perez
and Andrea Aracu. Created by Roll-Line has appeared online
celebrating their product and continued success. [above]
Oct
25/08 2008
Worlds ... coming soon..
The
2008 Worlds in Taipei are upon us.. Very little information
is available via the website at this stage unfortunately, so
there is not much I can tell you other than provide the link.
Hopefully within the next week or two there will be a little more..
As I will not be going to Taiwan, I wont have the same level of
access as I normally to in providing updates, but with connections
via the Australian skaters/management going, we'll see what we can
do.. The mini site as normal, will be going up on my site soon..
View the official site[here] If
anyone has access to a better site or info, please let me
know!!
Oct 11
Results:
Senior Europeans & Official site..
Updated:
The
2008 Senior European Championships official site can be
found [here].. More found
at FEP.es [here]
Oct 11
Results:
Cup of Europe, Trieste Italy
Updated:
The
2008 Cup of Europe, Oct 1-4, Trieste Italy, full results in
PDF can now be found
here [here]
Oct 6 Loss
of a great man.. Colin Sutcliffe.
It
is with great sadness that I bring news of the passing of my father,
Colin Sutcliffe, a great man who devoted many years to roller
skating, running seminars for parents and skaters on 'how to fix
your skates', marshalling, State team manager for several years, and
many other efforts alongside his 20years of school teaching. I'm so
very proud to be his son, a man who made me what I am today. Dad was
diagnosed only 8weeks ago with cancer and it has so aggressively
taken him down. I sat with him throughout the night until his final
moment where he now rests. Thank you to everyone who has already
sent messages of support and kindness. Much appreciated. Jayson.
(left: my Dad and I at 1yrs old)... If
you would like to leave a personal message, please do so [here].
Thanks to the many who have sent messages of support. Much
appreciated.
Oct 4 Results:
Senior Europeans..
The
2008 Senior European Championships results are scattered
around, but there are links on FIHP.. Andrea Aracu has taken out the
men's division with Alba Perez winning the ladies.. More found here
via FIHP [here]
& [here]
Oct 4 Results:
Cup of Europe, Trieste Italy
The
2008 Cup of Europe, Oct 1-4, Trieste Italy, results found
here via FIHP [here]
Oct 4 Results:
III Trofeo Internazionale Solo Dance Memorial Remo Marchini 2008
The
2008 Trofeo Solo Dance Memorial, Sept 21, Roncadelle, Italy,
results found here via FIHP [here]
Oct 4 Results:
Cadet / Youth European Championships, Roccarasso Italy
The
2008 Cadet/Youth Europeans, Oct 1-6, Roccarasso, Italy,
results found here via FIHP [here]
Sept
23 Junior
/ Senior Europeans..
The
2008 Jun/Senior European's are up and running in the
beautiful Málaga, and the official site is found [here]
Sept
07 Australian
Nationals program updated..
(Re-posting)
The
2008 AUS Nationals program,
complete and final. Look forward to seeing you all in Perth.. [here]
Sept
19 Founder
of W.A skating passes away..
Report
in: Western Australian Skating lost the nearest we have to our
founding father on Thursday 18 September, with the death of Eric
Millett. Eric had suffered the effects of asbestosis for many years,
and he finally succumbed to its effects this week. Sincerest
wishes to Alma and family.. Read notice in full [here]
Sept
10 Colombian
coach passes away..
Report
in: The Colombian figure skating community is in mourning. We
are all very saddened by the absence of our colleague and friend
Carlos Hidalgo. The song Alberto Cortes is a reflection of
what will be the departure of Juan Carlos Hidalgo of our
lives. Thank you for giving us so much over the years. I share with
everyone some of their moments in skating.
El Patinaje Artístico Colombiano esta de luto. Estamos todos muy
tristes por la ausencia de nuestro compañero y amigo. La canción
de Alberto Cortés es el reflejo de lo que será la partida de JUAN
CARLOS HIDALGO de nuestras vidas. Gracias Calico por habernos dado
tanto durante estos años. Comparto con todos algunos de sus
momentos en el patinaje.
Sept
07 Italian
International Stage - huge success..
I
have just returned from the International Stage, held in Roccaraso
Italy, by Sarah Locandro and Antonio Merlo for the
Italian Federation. It was a huge event with more than 200 skaters
and 80 trainers with coaches from around Italy, Australia,
Argentina, New Zealand, UK, Germany and Iran. Each morning commenced
with a 3hr theory class, with English translations via headphones
(which was fantastic), followed by 9hrs on skate classes which
normally ended around 10pm. Figures were also run at a rink nearby.
It was a long day for all but well worth it, and never once did
anyone complain. Each participating coach, received an accreditation
level which enables the coach to work in Italy as a trainer, fully recognized
by the SIPAR organization. More info soon. In the meantime
read the full report on the FIRS site [here]
Sept
07 Tragedy
strikes in Italy.. A young skater dies.
The
news has deeply saddened all. In Trieste, Italy, young David
Bressan, who would have been 10 years in a few days, a promising
skater in Polet of Opicina, was the victim of a tragic incident that
has torn his family. David, following the brilliant achievements in
this season at provincial level and regional level, was to
participate in the next edition of the Trophy of Regions in Perugia.
The Italian Federation of Ice Hockey and joins the grief of the
family and those who have known and well liked the little David.
Sincerest thoughts to his family and friends... [here]
Aug 09
Brazilian
guys out in force on the Inlines..
It
looks like the Brazilian Inline team could really pack a punch in
2008 with current Inline world champion, Gustavo Melo and
newcomer to the discipline, former roller champ and favorite, Diego
Dores. Both recently competed at the South American
championships and put on quite a performance, notably Dores. See
both in action [Diego]
[Gustavo]
Aug 09
Italian
Nationals online.. Riva & Sturmer's new 'Tango'..
Clips
from the Italian championships are now surfacing online and
you can check out many of the clips [here]..
Also Roberto Riva's brand NEW short program [ROBERTO]
is available. At the same time, Marcel Sturmer's NEW long
program has surfaced [MARCEL]
and both are using 'tango' inspired themes, with very 'similar' music. Sturmer has included a new combination, a beautiful double
axel, loop, triple loop (not commonly seen), which is a nice
variation and change from the norm, and proved popular with the
judges with many 9.9's.. Cant wait til Taipei to see all the
action..
Aug 03 Romano
will return..
UPDATE:
News just in from Italy - TANJA ROMANO will compete in 2008..
while absent from the Italian nationals, Romano is currently in
training and preparing new programs for the world meet with genius
choreographer, Sandro Guerra. Great news!! not only for roller-skating,
but for women in roller sports..
Aug 03 Italian
Nationals..
Keep
up to date with all the info from the Italian Nationals (including
great images) via skatingidea.com [here]
View all results [here]Biggest upset is Andrea Barbieri's disappointing
ninth place finish after running second in the short program, and
also after an amazing performance at the 2007 Worlds.. Let's hope he
didn't suffer an injury. Riva held strong winning. Tanja Romano is
not listed in the official results, so we don't have news on whether or not
she is competing this year. It would be a huge loss to the
sport in `08, no Romano, and no Sanchez (Spain). Tanja
however, has gone on to make history by becoming the only skater to
equal Scott Cohen's record of 5 World single's titles,
although Tanja won hers consecutively which makes this unique to
her.
July
31 Spanish
Nationals ...
The
Senior men's in Spain certainly packed a punch with Carles Gasset
taking the gold with some fine skaters pushing him to the limits
to get there. In second was Manel Pérez, moved up from 6 to
2nd in the long, while Oscar Molins took the bronze with
another brilliant performance among the top three. View images and
read article [here] Alba Pérez, Mónica Gimeno and Sabela Rodríguez
took the top spots in the women's event, with equally as
brilliant performances according to reports. Back in fine form, Alba
has now won the German Cup and the Nationals in whats proving to be
a big year for the former junior world champion.. Article and images
[here]
Luca D'Alisera is credited with having choreographed
several of the leading performances.. we cant wait to see
more!
July
18 U.S
Nationals ONLINE video stream..
The U.S
Nationals again in 2008 will be available to watch online from
July 19 onwards. Check the scheduling below and watch live [here]
July
12 U.S
Nationals schedule..
The U.S
Nationals are just around the corner, and here is one of the
first draft schedules of the event (subject to change) [here]
July
12 Young
and enthusiastic coaches.. apply within!
If
you are a young coach looking to work within a new club in Melbourne
then this may be an opportunity for you. The Dandenong Sk8 Club
is looking for coaches with a love of skating and more so, a desire
to branch out, go beyond and keep up with the European movement in
our sport. As resident coach there, I'm keen to work with new staff
to build and develop our club.. For expressions of interest
please go [here]
July
10 South
American Championships..
The South
American Artistic Roller Skating Championship 2008 (Campeonato
Sulamericano de Patinação Artística 2008) is currently underway
in Brazil at the Iate
Clube de Brasilia.
Nine countries and approximately 220 skaters are competing at the
event, including
Marcel Sturmer
(BRA),
Gustavo
Casado de Melo
(BRA)
and Albert Trilla
(CAT) among others.
For results and more [here]
July
10 Tonight on Inline Plus.. FIGURES!
Tonight
on Inline
Plus we explore FIGURES with Australia's bronze medal winner at
the German Cup in 2007, Tamera Russell alongside newcomer Tenielle
Jury. Tune in Thursday's at
9.30pm on C31.. featured [above].
June
30 Freyja's
off to Spain..
This
article recently appeared on Stuff.co.nz, featuring New Zealand's Freyja
Phillips, who is off to Spain for four months to work with
Clemente Reyes at the Club Natacio in Barcelona. Read in full [here]
June
29 State
championships - Victoria
The Victorian
championships are underway as we speak and the opening ceremony
was a great success last night with a big turnout. Awards were
presented in various categories as well as a minutes silence and
special dedication to the recently deceased, and dedicated skating
volunteer and father, Theo Tatton. International and interstate
judges are working alongside our local judges with a pool of talent
performing. There were a few highlights to kick off the event with 'Extreme'
and 'Pacemakers' Precision, Erin Simpson's 'wow'
Inline creative dance. Nathan Csizmadia's big jumps were a
crowd favorite in the Junior event alongside Stephanie Campbell.
Purdy Rawlinson lead the Senior ladies short program with a
great skate and big smile to finish, with interstate guest Lauren
McManus. The two day event will conclude late this afternoon at
the Dandenong Netball Stadium. Full results posted soon. More info [here]
RESULTS
IN FULL [here]
June
17 Inline
Plus TV heads to Brisbane..
Update:
This weeks episode (Melb) will feature the Nationals/Social
skate 2007!! Includes guests including: Paul Iriving, Esther
Ambrus, Bec Stubbs, Steph Pond, Kevin Cheng and more (above)...
INLINE PLUS TV
is up and running in Melbourne, Geelong and Adelaide, and will
Premiere Friday July 4 on Brisbane 31 at 3.30pm with
repeats at 1pm Saturday's and Tuesday's at 6.30am. View episodes in
full online at the C31 site [here]..
More info [Inline
Plus] [C31]
June
14/08 Tanja
Romano to receive top sporting honor..
Tanja
Romano will has been chosen among a distinguished
list of elite athletes in Italy for the first edition of the 'Premio
Casinò Saint Vincent per lo Sport' on Monday 16th June at 9pm
at the Palais Saint-Vincent, where the 'Grolle d'Or' will be
awarded to the more deserving and representative athletes of Italian
sport. The prize jury, has awarded Tanja the award for non-olympic
sports. This award is absolutely deserving and it is recognition
like this that allows are athletes and sport to grow.. Read full
story here courtesy FIHP [here].
June
14/08 Tamara
online..
Tamara
Alvarez has launched her very own site promoting her coaching
talents and skaters in Argentina. Tamara is famous for her brilliant
work with Daniel Arriola and also Naomi Coronel, Carlos
Urquia, and will also feature in the yet to be released 'Jesus
Cant Skate'.. Visit Tamara online [here]
Updated:
Another
new site added to the growing number appearing online by coaches, is
a site by one of Italy's finest coaches Sara Locandro. Visit
[here] Its
great to see more sites like this appearing.
June
12/08 Sabatino
leads Olympic push for our sport...
Recently
in Athens Greece, ROLLER SKATING was selected among SIX
SPORTS to be VOTED upon in September 2009 at a meeting in Hanau
Germany, where one discipline will be chosen and included in the
2016 OLYMPIC GAMES!! Sabatino Aracu (FIRS President) has been
in attendance at the meetings among other high profile Olympic officials
holding the flag for our sport. Read story in full, by Sabatino here.
June
09/08 Choreographers
in the UK..
This
is a call out to any UK based choreographers who have, or are
working with skaters. More info about the project upon contact.
Please email me [here]
June
01/08 Former
Australian champion skater dies..
It
is with sadness I bring news of the passing of Jason Muscroft, who
was an Australian team representative in the last 80's, early 90's
for figures and he also won several national titles for dance. Jason
made numerous friends around the world and spent many years living
in the US and was also married to Melissa Abel. Deepest
sympathies to his family and friends. The funeral will be held on
Friday. Details available asap.
June
01/08 European
Show Group & Precision championship - SPECTACULAR
The
European Show & Precision championship held in Hanau
earlier this year proved to be nothing less than SPECTACULAR,
judging by the wonderful imagery of Raniero Corbelletti (above).
Videos can also be found on youtube. Show Groups and
Precision continue to play an important role in our sport,
generating huge numbers in participation and interest. Great to see
this.. Love it.
May
28/08 Inline
Plus TV to PREMIERE June 5
This
show has been in the making for almost two years now with a launch
date finally secured so tune in on Thursday June 5 at 9.30pm on
Channel 31
(Adelaide starts June 18)
for the first INLINE PLUS TV show,
presented by John Powell. Each episode will include all
different skate sports and better still, ARTISTIC SKATING will be
FEATURED!! As host of the 'ROLABOi' segment, I'm really excited to
bring you six exciting 'skate stories' that were really fun to make
and will be a HUGE promotion for our sport, not only in Australia,
but the world over with access to youtube! The very first story
featured will be 'LAURA'S LOVE SKATE'.. Tune in and enjoy..
Thanks to all the skaters who participated in the stories.. See the
exclusive highlights
PREVIEW [here]
.. or visit the official Inline Plus site [here]
May
28/08 RIVA
spectacular..
Roberto
Riva will star in the show spectacular 'La Regina Pirata',
staged in Monza Italy on June 7 at 4.30pm and also 9.00pm performing
to a selection of music from the Pirate Queen, Miss Saigon and other
broadway classics.. Special guests will include dance world
champions Emanuela & Marco Boranti, along with the Astro
Skating team who placed 3rd at the European championship in
Hanau this year. View more [here]
May
28/08 Matteo
out of action...
Its
the sidelines for current world no.2 pairs champion Matteo
Guarise (partnered by Sara Venerucci) who has had to miss
the regional championship due to a fracture of his right ankle that
apparently only happened days before the important event. Reported
on 'skating idea' Guarise has said 'rehabilitation
therapies are underway and will speed up the recovery' and he is
'due back on skates in early June'. Matteo also took the opportunity
to thank all of his friends in skating who sent so many good wishes
in support. Get well Matteo and we hope to see you in form again in
Taipei.. (courtesy skating.idea.com)
May
25/08 German
cup results..
UPDATED:
Results
from the German Cup are now available. Congratulations to
Australia's Stephanie Campbell for winning the bronze in the
Junior ladies figure event. Marcel Sturmer (first time at the
German Cup) stamped his name all over the men's singles and won,
while Alba Perez proved she is back in fine form winning the
singles and combined event. All results in full courtesy of driv-rollkunstlauf.de[here]
May
20/08 Medal
delight..
This
little clip has appeared on the Gazettelive.co.uk site: Ellie
Cotton and Amy Berryman finished second and third
respectively at the British Championship Artistic Roller Skating
event in Leicester.. Watch video [here]
and read article[here]
May
17/08 2008
Worlds web site...
A
new site for the 2008 Worlds in Taipei is starting to
develop. Information already there advises that the skating floor
will only be 40 x 30m, which is incredibly short considering the min
length for the CIPA ruling is 50ms in length. The way it seems at
the moment, the size is more like a square. A little disappointing
considering everyone looks forward to getting on a big floor at the
world meet, but in the past years we've been let down many times
with sizing. There is other info on this site too for Hotels, so get
in fast. [view
here]
May
10/08 Skating
goes Totally Wild..
Australia,
be sure to turn in to Channel 10 on Wednesday, May 14, 'Totally
Wild' will be screening the story they shot at the 2007
Worlds on the Gold Coast, featuring local skater Stephanie
Campbell (3rd Jun Ladies comb).
UPDATED:
See video above and you might just be in it! There are many skaters
from worlds featured!!
Jan
29/08 The
Marcel SHOW hits the road..
If
being on the side of a bus wasn't enough, Marcel Stürmer has
literally hit the road with his all out National tour. He is one
busy skater, continually promoting the sport in his home country.
The show, produced by the bi-Pan American champion Stürmer and
sponsors (Datelli, Banrisul Bank, Rye Skates) to celebrate
their 10 years of the Brazilian National Team, promising the
presentation will be a "mega-production". News [here]
UPDATE:
TV news clip
[here]
May
10/08 Brazil
Nationals..
Nationals
are already in the complete in Brazil. Be sure to check out
some of the great skating online and results here
Apr
24/08 Oceania
results..
Here
is a rough print out of results from the OCEANIA
championships in NZ, taken from the facebook page run by Nige for
those who are not yet using facebook (shame on you!)... Anyway, here
are a few days of results [here]
Sorry
placing does not appear next to skater name.. Of course there is
nothing on the official sites!!!
Apr
22/08 Matteo
& Sarah receive standing ovation in front of 5.5million
viewers.
Italian
stars Sarah Venerucci & Matteo Guarise performed on live
television (Rai Uno) in Italy this month to a massive audience of
5.5million viewers. See the performance [here]
Apr
21/08 Skating
on 'It Takes Two' with Dannii Minogue..
The
fabulous Dannii
Minogue will be performing exclusively on the hit show 'IT
TAKES TWO' on Tues 22nd April on Ch7 at 7.30pm, along with four
skaters (Mark Dobson, Katie Deeker, Danielle Bishop
and I) making it an all out disco affair on wheels. More skating on
National TV - that can only be good!! (updated:
see above video)
Apr
21/08 Oceania
Championships underway..
Members
of the Australian Oceania team have traveled to NZ to competed in
the week long competition and results and info is being posted on
Facebook by team manager Nigel Foster. You can become a 'fan' of the
Oz Team on Facebook by visiting here or searching for 'Oz Art Tm Mgrs'.
Tammy Bryant has taken up the role of team coach! Good luck team Oz.
Apr
20/08 Ovation
for Venerucci & Guarise..
(see
video above) Roller skating is continuing to pop up in the media,
this time in front of 5.5million viewers as Sarah Venerucci and
Matteo Guarise perform alongside Andrea Faustini on
Rai Uno TV. Amazing exposure indeed and a fantastic
performance..
Apr
10/08 Bora
- a 'Jolly' celebration..
Jolly
Trieste skating club in Italy will celebrate the legend of wind BORA,
with a show directed by Mario & Elvia Vitta and
choreographed by Sandro Guerra. At the same time, it
celebrates the club's 35th Anniversary. This spectacular piece will
be on show this weekend, April 11, 12 & 13. The amazing cast
includes:
Patrick Venerucci, Tanja Romano, Sarah Venerucci, Matteo
Guarise, Gaia Grandi & Giovanni Dallarda, Laura Marzocchini
& Enrico Fabbri, Francesca Colombo, Francesca Roncelli and
of course, the Jolly skaters. Don't
miss it if you are around town!
The
top guns of the sport have gathered (by invitation) in Spain for the
Trofeo Noain and wow, what a line up; in the men's: Riva, Arriola,
Sturmer, Gasset, Tocco, Trilla, Molins, to name a few. In the
women's: Baldisser, Mlinaric, Vanzulli, Roncelli and Andrade.
A highlight is the veteran event with D'Alisera going up
against Magalhaes, Iannucci, Morello and Rodriguez. The
event takes place this weekend and results should be available soon.
Check out the full line up and details at Skatingidea.com [here]
Official site [here]
Mar
27/08 Hahn
Super Dry - not so super with Skaters!!
Well
many would think a TV commercial with skating in it would be a good
promo for the sport - even if it is meant to be 'funny'.. Seems not!
As you know (above video) I skated in the new ad for Hahn Super Dry
beer.. but I've received so many complaints from 'inline skaters'
and the like in response to the ad and they have directed their
'anger' at the Brewing company.. Well, I'd like to think there'd be
a few people out there who would take a few seconds to write also
and say they thought the inclusion of skating in their commercial
was a good thing! This way, we might see some more skating in
promotions in the future! If you're up to the challenge, please feel
free to visit here and drop them some good vibes!! [feedback]
(be sure to mention 'Hahn man blading'.. Visit here to read more
complaints on the inline skating forum.. [here]
Mar
16/08 Donora
Invitational results.
Results
from the 22nd Donora Invitational meet in the US are now available
online after the weekend competition. Congratulations to Shauna McCullough who won both the Jun
WC ladies FS and Int Inline ladies FS. View [here]
Feb
22/08 Zanforlin-Degli
Esposti take the ice by storm...
Check
out the video of the week - former world roller pairs champions (Zanforlin-Degli
Esposti) compete at the recent European Ice championships
performing their roller program we know so very well. Only one year
after they made the transition to ice, they are not top 10 in
Europe. Next stop - the Olympic Games no doubt.. Good luck to them,
its fantastic. I got shivers watching them, knowing how hard they
have worked on roller and to be strong enough to make the move, its
wonderful to see this happen. Read an article that recently
featured at 'ART ON ICE' where they both talk about making the
transition to ICE from Roller.. Very interesting [here]
Feb
12/08 German
Cup Info 2008
TheGerman Cup - one of the most prestigious International
competitions in Europe is upon again. To be held in Freiburg from
May 21-24, in Freiburg/Germany Schwarzwaldstraße
181 (Schauenberghalle) the
international events include senior, junior, youth and cadet
competitions for single skaters (figures and free). View all
requirements and hotel/competition/contact info [here]
Feb
07/08 Filippini
Memorial.. Italy
The 11°
International Trophy of Artistic Skating (Memorial
Giuseppe Filippini) will take place in Misano Adriatico
(Italy) from 8th June 2008 to 14th June 2008. Last Year skaters from
Italy, Great Britain, France, Israel, Portugal, Germany and Slovenia
( 400 skaters in single and 50 Dance Couple) were in Misano for the
open and friendly competition. I can assure you its a great
competition, Kristen Slade and I both attended in 2005 and it was
fantastic, more so - Misano is beautiful. Lots and lots of skaters,
a great competition atmosphere and a very high standard. Worth
considering. More info [here]
Feb
05/08 Wheels
on the move..
It
doesn't take long for news to spread, certainly not in this case!. After fifteen years at Rollerama I decided I was up for a change and
well, here we are and a move to the Dandenong Skate Centre
has taken place. All the local newspapers have covered this story
and it will be seen in The Leader, The Star and
also TheJournal. Both links are here to read articles
in full [The
Leader] - [The
Journal] - [The
Star News]
Jan
29/08 The
wheels on this bus are really rolling, RYE..
Brazilian
skate manufacturer's - RYE SKATES have taken a bold approach
to their newest ad campaign across Brazil to promote their new
product range of skates. The face of the campaign will be the
current world no.4 and two time Pan American Champion, Marcel
Sturmer, who is no stranger to celebrity in his country. Sturmer
has enjoyed a huge status in Brazil after winning the Pan Am Games,
with corporate sponsors, fashion company sponsors, tours and of
course now, the face of RYE. Sturmer appears regularly as a guest on
television prime time shows, supports charity events, among other
commitments. The campaign will commence this month.
Jan
23/08 Skate
of Origin..
Roller
Derby is back and making a huge impact on women in sport in
Australia as teams are being formed around the country. On Feb 24th
at the Adelaide show grounds, Melbourne takes on Adelaide (excited
already?) in the first SKATE OF ORIGIN, described as an 'All
Girl flat track ROLLER-RIOT'. Tickets available through venuetix.com.au
with live music by Angelik...
Now this is what I call a skate event! Check it out! Slick
marketing, cool venue, fully licensed, live music and kick ass
artwork! Love it! Go girls.. Check out this video on news.com.au
Jan
23/08 Aust
Nationals notification..
A
recent mail out for all advising notification of the 2008 Nationals.
Download for dates/venues etc [here]
Jan
19/08 Riva
rolls on the catwalk..
Recently
in the fashion capital of the world - Milan, Italy - the
internationally renowned house of style BYBLOS premiered their new
seventies inspired range (see slide show above). To highlight the
parade, special guests included Roberto Riva, Paolo
Fois, Piettro Mazzetti and Angelo Annese, who opened the
show with some spectacular skating on the retro catwalk, sampling the Italian sport that became a cult in the
seventies. Previously we had only seen Romano and D'Alisera
on the catwalks for the exclusive parade of Lebanese designer
Abed Mahfouz. Watch the parade and see Riva like you've
never seen him before showcasing his amazing talent as a diverse
ahlete. [Video]
Photography
in Australia just got even better by skater Bryan Lloyd Jones
who is making his great work available online from the National
championships. Be sure to visit it [here]
The
Oceania championships will commence on Thursday evening at
6.30pm (July 2) and run through until July 5. Skaters from Australia
& NZ in all age groups will contest the event with Australia's
top skaters competing after having been selected as a result of the
2008 Nationals. Oceania has been running since 1985, the first being
held at Inala in Brisbane, alternating between cities in AU and NZ
annually. Skaters from the US, China, India, Germany and Taipei were
always among the mix until the late 90's when the Junior world
championships was introduced. We still welcome competitors from
overseas of course! Oceania now paves the way for our newer skaters
also wanting to get a taste of the international circuit as well as
proving strong competition for our elite outside of European
competitions. The event is held at the Dandenong Netball Courts
[
The
board of the Spanish Federation will award the highest honor to one
of, if not their most successful skater ever, Laura Sánchez
(former world no.2) for her long standing history in the sport with
repeated successes. Sanchez will be awarded the 'Gold Badge' at a
special presentation at the Palais des Sports Club Reus.
Congratulations Laura on a wonderful career. Read article [
Natalie
Dunn was one of the greatest skaters to emerge from the US and
won 3 world titles in the late 70's, among other medals. Her
ability to perform double axel and triple jumps surpassed all of her
time and will always be remembered as one of the greats, a skater
with charisma and style. See the above video from the 1975 World
championships in Brisbane, QLD Australia where Natalie won the
overall Bronze medal, although she was clearly the winner when it
came to freestyle, although the scores were combined with the Figure
portion of the competition during that time. Natalie is still
involved in skating in California, her daughter Brooke also competed
at the Junior world championships in 2005. [
Following
the quarterly board meeting of Skate Australia officials over
the weekend, it was announced that I have been appointed the
position of HP Coach (High Performance) for Australia. This
position will involve not only work of my own, but of other coaches
as well with the goal firmly in place of improving the standard of
the skaters in our country as we struggle to maintain competitive
with the leading nations, unlike in the past. This is a goal I believe is
achievable if the work is united and the skaters strive to be among
excellence. The announcement was made
officially yesterday on the Skate Australia website [
Dario
Betti (Junior world No.1 in 2008) was the winner of the Junior
men's category in Madrid at the Cup of Spain last week, sporting a
brand new hair cut, yep - he's cut it all off! Elisabetta
Bernini also from Italy won the Junior ladies. In the
Senior Men's division, Spain took out the top 3 positions with Carles
Gasset taking the gold, Manel Perez second, and Javier
Cabeza the bronze, while Italy's Andrea
Aracu was 4th among the strong field. Ilenia Baldisser was
in fine form winning the Ladies event with Debora Sbei
in second and Francesca Roncelli, third. More info and full
article [
The
elite event, known as 'Noain' or the tournament of Noain, was
battled out last week with. Skaters are 'invited' to participate in
the event from all over the world. The winners of this years male
and female categories were Marcel Sturmer and Francesca
Roncelli. Luca Tocco took out second position behind
Sturmer in the men's with a small fault in the short program, but
apparently had an awesome new long program about a soldier in war.
We've come to expect nothing less that 'spectacular' when it comes
to the artistry of Tocco of late. He is one performer and one of the
most popular skaters on the planet. Rosalba Genito won the
silver in the ladies with her array of triple jumps as witnessed in
Kaohsiung with her silver medal winning performance behind Romano.
Full article and images [
Formula
One drivers Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella
swapped their Force India machines for inline skates yesterday down
along St Kilda beach while Kristen Slade and I were on hand
to give them a few pointers! While Fisichella opted not to skate
(for fear of falling), Sutil relived his childhood memories of
skating in his hometown at skate parks and was excited about getting
a chance to after more than 14yrs off skates. Both drivers will
compete in the Melbourne Grand Prix on the weekend. Several articles
have appeared online alongside TV slots and news reports about the
media event, while promoting the drivers, it has been a great
promotion of roller sports at the same time. [
The
Oceania championships once was an event that was attended by
skaters from the US, Japan, China, Taiwan, Germany and of
course, Australia and NZ (who are now both the only competing
Nations). Hopefully interest will increase in the coming years
and we will see the numbers in the International grades increase..
Skate Australia has posted a 'flashback' to the 1996 event on their
site, the event was held in NZ with one of the biggest Australian
teams competing. Read in full [
Skaters
from across Australia and New Zealand today commence
work with one of the finest Dance skaters/coaches from the USA,
multiple world champion Greg Goody, who partnered Jodee
Viola to win the title three times (pictured left). Goody will
be joined by his wife Yumi who will also be assisting at the
seminar. Jodie Garufo, who recently traveled to the US with
her skaters to work with Greg, organized the seminar in Queensland,
recognizing that it was expertise our skaters and coaches ached for.
Solo dance dominates in Australia where the numbers are ever
increasing and the competition is pretty stiff. The seminar will run
during the week before Goody returns to the US. More news soon from
the event.
Precision
Nationals are soon approaching in many countries: The Italian
Precision championships will get underway from Friday, March 13
- Sunday, March 15, 2009 at the Palasport Verona – Piazza Atleti,
Azzurri d’Italia, Verona. View the official site [
Chiara
Sartori stormed onto the scene in 1985 with two brilliant
performances that brought the audiences to their knees, along with
near perfect scores. Chiara not only included an array of quality
jumps and spins in this program
(video
above), she also skated it with the style and grace of a veteran
performer ten years her senior, and at only 16years of age, this was
extraordinary. Chiara stamped her name all over the ladies event for
the three years in which she contested the world stage, being
undefeated in each discipline she competed winning 9 world gold
medals... Trainer - 
Our
second interview with an 80's Legend, none other than the great -
Tim McGuire. For those who have not been fortunate enough to see any
footage of Tim, be sure to check out the clip included in this
interview. Tim was (is) one of the greatest skaters of all time.
McGuire dominated the international scene with his powerful
and athletic style of skating that took the world by storm.
With his perfect technique and flawless performances, judges
crowned McGuire with three world titles and near perfect
scores of 6.0 at each of his three world events. He will
remain an icon of artistic roller skating
forever.
Read the interview in full [
I've
decided to feature a series on interviews with former champions in
our sport as a part of the new Facebook group celebrating the 80's
Legends, which now has more than 1050 members after 3weeks!! The
first interview is with former US & World champion dance skater MARK
HOWARD. More interviews soon to follow, including: TIM McGUIRE,
RICK MONTURO, SCOTT COHEN, SANDRO GUERRA, JODEE VIOLA, TINA KNEISLEY,
ANGIE FAMIANO & more... Read the interview in full [
The
CBBC in the UK are now posting for applications for their
brand new series that will search for a skate star.. They are
looking for groups of 4, three members of each team must be under
the age of 14 - accompanied by one adult. This exciting new show
could be a huge promotion for roller sports, so if you are an inline
skater, artistic skater or disco dancer get moving and apply [
A
very interesting and important article has been posted on the FIRS
site by Nicola Genchi (editor) after posing the question
- 
Brasil's
biggest skating export, Marcel Sturmer, not only come home
from the world championships with a bronze medal, but he was also
welcomed by a street parade and a host of fans at the airport to
celebrate. More recently, he performed in the most spectacular Christmas
skating show on earth. See the images in the above slide show.
On top of that, a massive billboard (also in the slide show) has
been erected by one of his major sponsors, celebrating his
achievements as a skater and as Pan American champion. It just goes
to show, skaters can sell a product and you can be a national hero
on wheels.. Watch Marcel's short & long program from the world
championships [
Anne
Smith (Edwards) was a member of the 'original' Australian team
in the 60's & 70's, a wonderful skater and ambassador for our sport. Anne
passed away on Dec 2. Anne was the FIRST skater from Australia to go
to worlds and to pass the gold proficiency test for figures and
freeskating. She was coached by Trevor Wells. More recently she was
skating recreationally with dear friend and skating coach, Karen
Olsen (represented Australia in the late 70's) and was
apparently 'still amazing' on her skates, doing single jumps with
ease and some wonderful spins. Sadly there are no records of her
achievements with Skate Australia, however it is fitting we pay
respect to this great athlete from Australia. She will be sadly missed.
In
an effort to celebrate and pay homage to the great skaters of the
80's, I've created a 'fan page' called '80's Skate Stars' on Facebook
(which is now hugely popular with roller skaters around the world,
and a great place to keep up to date). It features videos from some
of the best skaters from the 80's including, Tina Kneisley
(feat. above) & Paul Price, Scott Cohen, Tim McGuire, Mark
Howard & Cindy Smith, Michele Biserni, Tammy Jerue & John
Arishita, Chiara Sartori, Sandro Guerra, David DeMotte, Michael
Butzke and more.. and it will continue to be updated regularly.
Already there are 7 amazing clips on there, dozens of photos and
more than 250 people joined the group in support in two days -
fantastic!! Best of the 90's
will soon follow, but first, its about the 80's to recognize the
amazing achievements of these athletes because the sad truth is,
there aren't enough people out there who know about them who skate
today and hey, its our history and people should know about our
sport, how great it was back then and enjoy it.. Join the facebook
group [
Pre
'worlds' press couldn't get any better
than THIS! Both graduates of Woodside High School, Robert
Hines and Aubrey Orcutt feature in 'The Almanac'
newspaper as they prepare to leave for the worlds in Taiwan. The
article includes a double page picture spread and write up.. its
fantastic!! The link here opens the PDF document in full.. See the
great front page and then go to page 12 to view the article. [
Updated
link:
An
exclusive interview with Luca D'Alisera is now on the 'El Rincondel Patinador'
site [
The
2008 Worlds in Taipei are upon us.. Very little information
is available via the website at this stage unfortunately, so
there is not much I can tell you other than provide the link.
Hopefully within the next week or two there will be a little more..
As I will not be going to Taiwan, I wont have the same level of
access as I normally to in providing updates, but with connections
via the Australian skaters/management going, we'll see what we can
do.. The mini site as normal, will be going up on my site soon..
View the official site [
It
is with great sadness that I bring news of the passing of my father,
Colin Sutcliffe, a great man who devoted many years to roller
skating, running seminars for parents and skaters on 'how to fix
your skates', marshalling, State team manager for several years, and
many other efforts alongside his 20years of school teaching. I'm so
very proud to be his son, a man who made me what I am today. Dad was
diagnosed only 8weeks ago with cancer and it has so aggressively
taken him down. I sat with him throughout the night until his final
moment where he now rests. Thank you to everyone who has already
sent messages of support and kindness. Much appreciated. Jayson.
(left: my Dad and I at 1yrs old)... If
you would like to leave a personal message, please do so [
The
news has deeply saddened all. In Trieste, Italy, young David
Bressan, who would have been 10 years in a few days, a promising
skater in Polet of Opicina, was the victim of a tragic incident that
has torn his family. David, following the brilliant achievements in
this season at provincial level and regional level, was to
participate in the next edition of the Trophy of Regions in Perugia.
The Italian Federation of Ice Hockey and joins the grief of the
family and those who have known and well liked the little David.
Sincerest thoughts to his family and friends... [
Clips
from the Italian championships are now surfacing online and
you can check out many of the clips [
Keep
up to date with all the info from the Italian Nationals (including
great images) via skatingidea.com [
Tamara
Alvarez has launched her very own site promoting her coaching
talents and skaters in Argentina. Tamara is famous for her brilliant
work with Daniel Arriola and also Naomi Coronel, Carlos
Urquia, and will also feature in the yet to be released '
Recently
in Athens Greece, ROLLER SKATING was selected among SIX
SPORTS to be VOTED upon in September 2009 at a meeting in Hanau
Germany, where one discipline will be chosen and included in the
2016 OLYMPIC GAMES!! Sabatino Aracu (FIRS President) has been
in attendance at the meetings among other high profile Olympic officials
holding the flag for our sport. Read story in full, by Sabatino 
The
European Show & Precision championship held in Hanau
earlier this year proved to be nothing less than SPECTACULAR,
judging by the wonderful imagery of Raniero Corbelletti (above).
Videos can also be found on youtube. Show Groups and
Precision continue to play an important role in our sport,
generating huge numbers in participation and interest. Great to see
this.. Love it.
This
show has been in the making for almost two years now with a launch
date finally secured so tune in on Thursday June 5 at 9.30pm on
Channel 31
(Adelaide starts June 18)
for the first INLINE PLUS TV show,
presented by John Powell. Each episode will include all
different skate sports and better still, ARTISTIC SKATING will be
FEATURED!! As host of the 'ROLABOi' segment, I'm really excited to
bring you six exciting 'skate stories' that were really fun to make
and will be a HUGE promotion for our sport, not only in Australia,
but the world over with access to youtube! The very first story
featured will be 'LAURA'S LOVE SKATE'.. Tune in and enjoy..
Thanks to all the skaters who participated in the stories.. See the
exclusive highlights
PREVIEW [
Roberto
Riva will star in the show spectacular 'La Regina Pirata',
staged in Monza Italy on June 7 at 4.30pm and also 9.00pm performing
to a selection of music from the Pirate Queen, Miss Saigon and other
broadway classics.. Special guests will include dance world
champions Emanuela & Marco Boranti, along with the Astro
Skating team who placed 3rd at the European championship in
Hanau this year. View more [
Its
the sidelines for current world no.2 pairs champion Matteo
Guarise (partnered by Sara Venerucci) who has had to miss
the regional championship due to a fracture of his right ankle that
apparently only happened days before the important event. Reported
on 'skating idea' Guarise has said 'rehabilitation
therapies are underway and will speed up the recovery' and he is
'due back on skates in early June'. Matteo also took the opportunity
to thank all of his friends in skating who sent so many good wishes
in support. Get well Matteo and we hope to see you in form again in
Taipei.. (courtesy )
)
The
top guns of the sport have gathered (by invitation) in Spain for the
Trofeo Noain and wow, what a line up; in the men's: Riva, Arriola,
Sturmer, Gasset, Tocco, Trilla, Molins, to name a few. In the
women's: Baldisser, Mlinaric, Vanzulli, Roncelli and Andrade.
A highlight is the veteran event with D'Alisera going up
against Magalhaes, Iannucci, Morello and Rodriguez. The
event takes place this weekend and results should be available soon.
Check out the full line up and details at Skatingidea.com [
Check
out the video of the week - former world roller pairs champions (
The
German Cup - one of the most prestigious International
competitions in Europe is upon again. To be held in Freiburg from
May 21-24, 
)
Recently
in the fashion capital of the world - Milan, Italy - the
internationally renowned house of style BYBLOS premiered their new
seventies inspired range (see slide show above). To highlight the
parade, special guests included Roberto Riva, Paolo
Fois, Piettro Mazzetti and Angelo Annese, who opened the
show with some spectacular skating on the retro catwalk, sampling the Italian sport that became a cult in the
seventies. Previously we had only seen Romano and D'Alisera
on the catwalks for the exclusive parade of Lebanese designer
Abed Mahfouz. Watch the parade and see Riva like you've
never seen him before showcasing his amazing talent as a diverse
ahlete. [
