|
 |
|
News Archive: :
[v.19] [v.18] [v.17] [v.16] [v.15] [v.14] [v.13] [v.12] [v.11]
[v.10]
[v.09]
[v.08] oldest
|
|
|
 |
|
Last
update on Worldnews [20] - July 20, 2005 |
|
July
09/05 Great
night of skating at the Vic/SA state meet.. |
 Even
though it was freezing cold in the venue, tonight proved to be a great
night and we got to see some excellent skating. Stephanie Campbell
(Bayswater Club) and Natasha Gundlach (Skate FX) set the pace
early in the night with two great short programs, scoring high 7's to
mid 8's. Stephanie's program (choreographed by Rachael Young
was a crowd pleaser), while Natasha's 'dirty dancing' got the crowd
going! Precision events were a plenty tonight, with the new
skater grades and the advanced teams, all vying for positions on the
podium, off the rink it was funny to see them all huddling under the
gas heaters!! Purdy Rawlison and Kylie Russell both
competed in the Senior Ladies and the event was tight and a close
call. Inline skaters were everywhere tonight, and the creative
dance event was fantastic with Erin Simpson winning, and her
sexy interpretation of 'Stop'. The International Inline one of the
highlights with former World champ Tammy Bryant (and myself)
taking back to the floor and current world silver medallist Kristen
Slade battling it out against each other. Newcomer to the event, Andrew
Bassi, who has only been skating THREE MONTHS, came directly from ICE
as his rink closed down and took to the inlines like a duck to water.
So, we welcome him with open arms (watch for his interview on the site
soon). The competition between best friends however, was fierce! Tammy
and her amazing heel camel took the top position and I just squeezed
in behind her by .2 (both scoring in the 9.4's) which made for a good laugh
amongst us. Kristen Slade 3rd and Andrew 4th, however he scored in the
high 7's and that was a great effort for first time. With a full day
of competition tomorrow and plenty of quality events to be seen, we
look forward to adding some more updates! |
|
July
09/05 Olympic
decision on the table for Roller Sports.. |
|
News
submission directly from the USA Roller sports office:
'Greetings from USA Roller Sports. All of us here at the
national office have kept glued to the IOC Session meetings in
Singapore. As many of you already know, the IOC has decided to take
out softball and baseball from the 2012 Olympic program. This left two
slots for the five sports being considered for the 2012 Olympics
(golf, karate, roller sports, rugby, and squash). Early this
morning, the IOC voted karate and squash as the two
sports to consider for the Olympics, however, both sports did not
make enough total votes in the end to be included. The Olympic program
is currently at 26 sports (as opposed to 28). We have heard that the
IOC will reconsider the additional of two of the five sports in
tomorrow's final session meetings. Please stay tuned to www.usarollersports.org
for the latest developments.'
(Note: The only discipline submitted for inclusion by FIRS is Inline
Speed, the Marathon).
|
|
July
06/05 SKATER
URGENTLY NEEDED FOR MOVIE ROLE.. |
This is a last minute call out for a
skater (MALE, late 20's/30's) who is urgently required to fill a role of a movie that will shoot the skating scenes in
Hollywood from Monday - Wednesday this week.
The role will require the skater to be the body double (only) of the main character, and will have to do all the roller skating stunts. Any skater who is interested please email me urgently and your contact will be sent through to the Executive Producer of the film and they will contact you immediately.
Note: there will be no dialogue scenes, only skating!!
Mail me at this address.. urgently please! |
|
July
06/05 Watch
the Italian's in action.. LIVE! |
|
Yes
guys.. long gone are the days of keeping your new program or technical
items a secret!! The world of the internet is exploding in the skating
arena's and now the Italian championships will be available
online in full, to view via a very special web broadcast (for a
minimal fee) from the Artisticworldcup.org site. Last year there were
some minor hiccups with the broadcast but this year this technology
has been improved on considerably and the viewing promises to be
spectacular, so does the skating, with Roberto Riva, Luca D'Alisera,
Tanja Romano, Andrea Barbieri and more.. Full details
available as the championship approaches over the next week... [here] |
|
July
06/05 French
International meet.. |
|
The
Prestige International d'Issy Paris of Roller skating competition just
finished with great results reported. We are still waiting on more
news of this event, but apparently - Italy scooped the pool... [results
here] |
|
July
05/05 Regional
meets in Aust and the U.S |
 Skating
events are taking place everywhere at the moment with qualifying
rounds for the National competitions, notably in the U.S and
Australia. W.A and NSW had their State championships
last weekend and the combined championships for Victoria & South
Aust. will take place this weekend in Dandenong. In the U.S, the North
and Southwest Regional meets are underway and in Argentina,
they are running their second stage of the National titles, where the
world team will be selected for the team to travel to Rome. The Italian
championships this year, will be split in to two events, the first
stage of the competition will be strictly FIGURES, running solid for
six days. Following that, later in the month, the Freeskating/dance
disciplines will be contested, in what promises to be the of the
finest skating in the world. More news soon. Good luck to all the
skaters competing, in every country. |
|
Note:
Vic/SA Championships Event change - The International INLINE
freeskating LONG program will be moved from the 8pm time slot
on Sunday evening to 5.10pm on Sunday afternoon. Competitors in the event will be: Tammy
Bryant, Andrew Bassi (S.A) and Jayson Sutcliffe, Kristen Slade (Vic). Pictured:
Tammy Bryant and Diego Dores |
|
July
05/05 Big
blow to National Federation.. |
|
For
decades, skaters from the U.S, Italy, Spain and Germany,
even Argentina have had support from their National body to
fund their way to world championships, or other international events
to compete, while many of the other nations, simply had to finance the
ventures on their own (or with very limited support from their
Federation). Now times are definitely changing, and many of those
countries who afforded those luxuries are no longer able to sustain
such backing and the reality has hit, that if you want to represent
your country for roller sports, then you will have to finance the trip
yourself. Luckily for some, there is still support and that is great..
we only wish it was the case for every country. Over the past couple
of years, a new program for the High Performance (HP) skaters in Australia
provided funding with the introduction of the 'points per ranking'
system, which had varied reactions obviously, and made support
available for expenses for travel etc. Now however, in a shock
announcement recently, support from the ASC has been pulled and the HP
program will not provide the assistance. This is a real blow to all
the skaters in each discipline, especially those who had planned their
skating year around the expectation of having their trip funded (ie:
speed/artistic/hockey etc). The big cloud now looms over a number of
skaters who will have to make the decision as to whether or not the
monies can be raised to get to a world meet, with little less than
4months notice .. its a big call and well, its reality, five to six
thousand dollars is a lot of money, and that's the going rate for a
skater from Australia to compete in Europe or the U.S when traveling
as a member of the team.. Given that our expenses are 'cost shared'
across the board, and it also includes the cost of the team manager
and coach, that skater's are expected to cover! It's tough, but there
is no way around it. Let's hope the impact of this blow doesn't come
at a higher price than the cost of an air ticket... especially for the
sport! |
|
June
16/05 Video
clips from Misano.. real roller girls! |
|
Below
you will find two short clips I have made from grabs Kristen and I
took in Misano.. More soon!! Enjoy |
|
Download
a video clip from Misano
of the girls in Cadet & Youth
doing TRIPLE jumps [Video
893k] |
|
Download
a video clip from Misano
of the girls in Cadet & Youth
doing DOUBLE AXEL jumps [Video
855k] |
|
June
15/05 Show
of Champions in Argentina... |
|
Buenos
Aires will soon host a spectacular new LIVE skating show, the
"Show of Champions" in a central downtown
theatre at 3pm in the afternoons during the July school holidays. A
show on skates for the whole family featuring Argentina's champions
where the story is based upon an encounter that is magically produced
by love, which will be expressed forever. There are giant bears, movie
stars and the mischief of Patimafélica in a display of magnificent
costumes, color and music that will be an unforgettable experience for
all. Australia's Nigel Foster, currently residing in B.A, will
be going to the show and giving us a full report in July. More info [here] |
|
June
15/05 Roller
TV in Italy gaining momentum... |
|
Is
roller skating about to take off again? With Patin Vision TV in South
America broadcasting weekly, Italy will soon have its own version,
with the launch of ROLLER TV upon us. RTV will be an extension
of the Roller World Cup site, and director Franco Culcasi
says he is "extremely excited about the project." The
Artistic World Cup will be hosted in three stages this year, with the
final being held at the world meet in Rome. Word on the street hints
that it is likely a major European car manufacturer is in talks with
naming rights of the event, which is sentiment to the fact that roller
sports in Europe is gaining momentum. RWC is also providing direct
web access to the Italian championships this year, with improved
services on last years web casting. More news soon. Visit RWC [here] |
|
June
15/05 PatinVision
TV & Magazine... |
 PatinVision
is South America's answer to Skate TV, a weekly show that features
all aspects of roller sports, highlighting events, athletes and other
skate news.. Patin Vision continues to go from strength to strength
with its all new Patin Vision magazine. Mariano Morello
features in the latest issue, he's also the cover star. You can
subscribe to the magazine by visiting the PV site for more details.
Visit Patin Vision [here] |
|
June
14/05 Misano
- Filippini Memorial brings in the crowds.. |
  The
Filippini Trofeo event in Misano was a huge success. More than
600 competitors and large crowds in attendance supporting the
athletes. The standard of the skating in each of the events was
outstanding, with triple jumps being performed in all grades,
including Cadet (12-14yr age group). Highlights of the championships included the skate
off between Sarah Venerucci and Deborah Sbei (Youth
Ladies), where it was a battle of the triple jumps, style and grace.
Venerucci's choreography (by Sandro Guerra) was simply amazing,
as was her performance, although not quite enough to hold off Sbei, who for the first time,
took a gold and included three triple jumps in her program. Video
highlights will be added soon and you'll get to see for yourself, the
standard was just simply good enough to be a world meet (see below).
Mauro Mazzoni,
while not competing for the world team, skated flawlessly - including  triple
loop combos and two great programs to take the gold ahead of stiff
competition from Frenchmen, Francois Cattoire & Guillame
Wattre. The dance events (image left) were no less
spectacular, and the final of the Senior event proved to be another
highlight with Yuri & Alice Bernardi, taking the gold. Kristen
Slade's costume (above right) for her long program (Cat
Woman), proved to be a show of its own, and quite a hit amongst
the locals, who were all lining up for photos with her! More news soon
with a full report, images and clips to watch from Misano soon.. See
below for a clip of various jumps (Limited time only) |
|
Full
results from Misano here courtesy of Artistic World Cup.org [results] |
|
Download
a video clip from Misano of the girls in Cadet & Youth
doing TRIPLE jumps [Video
clip 893k] |
|
Download
a video clip from Misano of the girls in Cadet & Youth
doing DOUBLE AXEL jumps [Video
clip 855k] |
|
June
14/05 Southern
CA meet... |
|
The Fountain
Valley skating rink (California) on 9105 Recreation Circle, is
holding a freeskating competition this Sunday starting at 6:00 a.m -
3:00 p.m. Skaters from the Southern California area will be
competing... I'll also look forward to meeting with you as I
will be there, when I meet up with Skatelog.com editor, Kathie Fry. C
u there! |
|
June
6/05
Ciao
from Roma!! |
|
Just a
quick update from Rome! Kristen and I arrived last week and we
have been having a great time training outdoors at Gabriele
Quirini's club. Caitlyn Botica from WA is also in Italy, at
Ruben Genchi's club, and so it's been nice keeping in touch
with her. On a more serious note, Gabriele took us to the venue of the
World Championships today and I have made some digital clips
and taken lots of photos, so I will be uploading those when I return
and giving you a full run down on the venue, believe me.. It is
AMAZING!! I also have an interview with Gabriele that will also go
online.. In the meantime, its off to Misano now for us.. and
from there, I'll bring you a few more updates! |
|
May 29/05 German
Cup, Official in full |
|
Here
you will find all the results
for each of the categories. [here] Courtesy
Driv-rollkunstlauf.de
& rollkunstlauf.info |
|
May 28/05 German
Cup, Aust Update 2 |
|
Caitlyn Botica (WA),
has finished in 8th position, while Natasha Gundlach has
remained in 14th. Caitlyn will now travel to Italy with Italian coach,
Ruben Genchi, who recently worked with Botica when he was in
Australia, back in April. Botica hopes to gain a lot out of her time
spent abroad and improve on her ranking at the world meet in
2004. |
|
May 28/05 German
Cup, Australian Team Update |
|
No
'Official' results in yet, but word is Caitlyn Botica (WA), is
sitting in 5th position after missing her double axel in the short
program, while teammate Natasha Gundlach who had a few errors
(first time o/s) is in 14th. Phillipa Wan (QLD) in the top 12
(was 5th until touch down on the last figure), Karen Clough (QLD)
8th and Merideth Dinneen (WA), who has been living and training
in Germany, 11th. Good luck for the long program girls... |
|
May
27/05 Filippini
Trofeo, Misano - list of competitors.. |
How
long has it been since you looked in a program for a skating
competition and noticed 55 skaters in an event? I recall seeing
up to 48 girls in Junior Girls, back in the 80's in Melbourne, but
never since. However in Misano at the Filippini Trophy
event, there are a number of events with up to 55 skaters in them!
Competitors from Italy, France, Great Britain, Portugal, Slovenia and
Spain (not forgetting Australia) will participate. A
total of 512 singles skaters, 67 dance couples and 3 inline
skaters. The full listings of events are now available courtesy of Artisticworldcup.org
[see News:
24 Maggio 2005].
Or
download the competitor listing here: [Freestyle]
[Dance]
[Inline] |
|
May 26/05 German
Cup, Freiburg - list of competitors.. |
|
Find a
full listing of the competitors participating in the German Cup
here, courtesy of Driv-rollkunstlauf.de [here].
Also find the actual scheduled program [here]
Courtesy of Artisticworldcup.org |
|
May
24/05 Italy,
here we come.. |
 In
less than a week, it's off to Italy for Kristen
Slade and I. In a quest to promote Inline Figure skating,
Kristen and I have set upon traveling to Italy, solely to compete in
the 'Fillipini Trofeo', held on the Adriatic coast of Italy, in
Misano. At the same time, the Australian team (5 skaters)
will compete at the German Cup in Freiburg, where the Inline
event is still not included in its scheduling. More than 500
skaters from across
Europe, will compete in the six day event in Misano, the numbers for inline will
be exclusive to us, along with another Junior Italian skater. This has
not deterred our enthusiasm, as we know that for the discipline of
inline to further develop at international level, the rising number of
skaters across the world who compete, and enjoy the sport, need to
attend the events. The organizers of the event are extremely excited
that we are coming and it has also cemented a further inclusion of
Inline at next years event. Earlier in the year, I finished
choreographing Kristen's long program, and I know she is extremely
excited to be performing there, at the same time showing them her
amazing new costumes (they are fantastic and she makes them all
herself!!). Meanwhile, I've also just finished my new long program,
working alongside Rachael Young (upcoming i-sk8r program
partner coach), and I must say, after more than a year off skates,
its been tough work getting back in to shape, and I tell you what,
skating on Inline is one hell of a workout! Upon arrival, Slade and I,
will spend a short period training with Gabriele Quirini in
Rome, home of Luca
D'Alisera... Updates on the trip soon!!... |
|
May
24/05 Something
for the dancers.. |
|
If you
can read Italian, the Dance Manuals (available via FIHP) will
be essential for any avid dancers, however - at the same time, the
diagrams of each dance, included in these manuals are perfectly
understandable. [here] |
|
May
21/05 Australians
off to German Cup.. |
|
Apparently,
the Australian contingent going to the German Cup, left today??
The event commences this week and promises to be a big event. Good
luck to the Aussie skaters, including Caitlyn Botica and Natasha
Gundlach. Unfortunately I have no idea who else is going.. If
anyone has any details on this, please let me know [here] |
|
May
19/05 Interactive
program finds a new home.. |
|
The
success of the i-Sk8r program, and the support now adopted from
Skate Victoria, has allowed for the program to shift to its own
home. The brand NEW address dedicated to the program will be www.i-sk8r.com
With the move taking place, it will allow for more videos and images,
more information and more interactivity. The i-Sk8r program,
soon to be launched at Caribbean
Rollerama is an exciting project for artistic and inline
skating in Victoria. NEW site - now open [here] |
|
May 17/05 USA
coaching seminar to 'pro-mote' jumping. |
|
Over
the weekend, a seminar was conducted (by director of the Ice Figure
skating program at the University of Delaware) at the Kendall
Park Rink (former training venue of Jason Cohen) to
promote the use of jump harnesses in figure skating. Several
coaches, including Harold Schmidt, participated in the seminar in
which some amazing results were achieved almost immediately. Joanne
Michener had this to say of the seminar: "Each
of the skaters participating got something different out of it...
For the "little ones" I saw two of them get
"around" on their axles after working on them for over a
year. The enthusiasm was so infectious...... My daughter (Kate) was
able to get completely around on her double loop, and even better
she landed it flat back after she came off the harness." More
information about the Pro-Motion harness and other training
tools can be found [here].
|
|
May
13/05 Bullet
& Gunn... skaters - ready.. |
|
Last night's
episode of Bullet & Gunn on the 'Footy Show' was
certainly a great promo for roller sports, considering the air time
it got on National TV.. For those not living in Australia, and less
familiar with the 'footy stars (notably Shane Crawford),
or the show'.. Ninemsn have a direct link to the short comedy
sketch (rather funny and stupid at that!) featuring the 70's retro
take on roller disco - (Heist Almighty Part 2).. Aside
from that, on the night - I had a great time live in the audience
sharing a table at the front of the stage with Rachael Young and
Luiza Franzke, who both loved it, courtesy of the team at the show..
Excellent!!!
|
|
View
the VIDEO of the 'Bullet and Gunn' Episode 4
clip.. [here] |
|
 |
|
1:
Play Video
2: Crawf & I. 3: Nathan Brown. 4: Me lazing about. 5: Crawf doing
his thing! 6: Double take |
|
May 11/05 Footy
show ... Roller Disco - May 12!! |
|
Football
would be the most unlikely sport you'd ever see me playing, however
this times... the unfamiliarity of a sport was on the other foot,
when one of Australia's most famous footy players, Shane Crawford,
donned a pair of skates for yet another comedy sketch on Channel
9's, The Footy Show. In which I get to be Shane's body double... Goes
to air on Thursday May 12.
|
|
May
11/05 Edan
& Tenielle take their sport to the media... |
 Another
coup for Edan & Tenielle, the two young aspiring
skaters who are flying the flag high for roller sports in their most
premature stages already. This week, following the recent
announcement of their support from EDEA SKATES, the local
newspaper, the Frankston Leader, has featured an article on the kids
- celebrating their love of the sport and their involvement in the
new online 'i-sk8r'
program that is tracking their every move on wheels. With the
support of EDEA
and Skate
Vic, the program can only go from strength to strength, in
the hope of benefiting the sport with the data that is captured as a
result of the skaters progress being monitored. [view
here]
|
|
May
11/05 Results
for the European Show / Precision champs |
|
Results
for the championships can be found in full via this link [here] Or
visit Driv-rollkunstlauf
|
|
May
11/05 Asian
Games attracts big numbers.. |
 This
time last year, I was at the Asian Games with the Indian
Team, how time flies... Now the event is up and running in Jeonju,
Korea and what a spectacular website they have. From May 10-15
skaters, from 12 countries, including Asia, India, Iran, Bangladesh,
China, C.Taipei, Hong Kong C., Indonisia, Japan, Pakistan, &
Mongolia, will compete in the 11th Games, including
Art/Speed/Hockey. Indian senior Coach, Smita Sheth,
will be judging at the event, and traveling with the Indian team.
Smita has been kind enough to provide a full report and I will load
it at the close of the championships.. Visit the official Asian
Games site [here]
|
|
May
10/05 rinks
in L.A? |
|
I
will be in L.A for a while, as of June 17, so I'm wondering what
rinks are still up and running in that area.. I'll have a car so I'm
planning on doing a bit of training while I'm there.. any info,
please email me [here]
|
|
May
09/05 i-pod,
i-skater!! |
 Check
out the way cool new ads for the groundbreaking Apple i-Pods...
skate crazy!!! I've also just learnt that 'Derek Leonard'
(competed at 2004 worlds) from the US appears in the ad, doing some
funky little steps... He's the guy who appears when the background
is pink! Go Derek - impressive!! Watch this space for an even
funkier interview with the man himself, Mr. Leonard.. Coming soon!
Check out the ads [here]
|
|
May
06/05 Skate
Victoria get's behind new i-Sk8r program... |
 The
success of the new online interactive art program is overwhelming
and Skate Victoria has seen it's potential and got on board,
acknowledging and implementing the program as an official Skate
Victoria development initiative (as a part of the
Vic
Health Partnership
for Health Scheme).
Plans for the program to extend are now underway, in the hope of
promoting the development, and growth of roller sports at grass
root levels, thus enhancing the potential to lead skaters on a path
to international success [here].
|
|
May
04/05 Ultimate
Sports Achievement... USA for skaters. |
 Ultimate
Sports Achievement Center is a consultation and resource center
dedicated to optimizing the potential and performance of the
professional, amateur and recreational athletes, including Artistic
Roller Skaters. Joanne Michener's (President) consultations
and workshops are especially popular because she is able to take a
subject that to many athletes is stressful, and make it
"fun". Joanne has also participated in various sports
including Basketball, Field Hockey, Gymnastics and Amateur Figure
Skating. She currently teaches Beginner Roller Skating classes...
For more information or bookings visit [U.S.A
here]
|
|
May
03/05 Ruben's
Australian trip - A big success.. |
 Ruben
Genchi, of Italy, was in Australia recently to run a series of
short seminars for skaters who competed at the Oceania
championships, and following that, he traveled to Perth and W.A. Esther
Ambrus (HP Coach in Australia) had this to say of Genchi; "While
here in Australia, Ruben refined techniques and provided our
officials with an insightful look on our sport through European
eyes." Ruben has been on the world stage for many years,
and he also has his own successful skate company for boots and
frames [McRuben
Skates].
He has also been promoting Inline skating since 1993 at world meets.
He is the coach for former world Junior champ, now Senior strong
hold, Andrea
Barbieri.
Image
courtesy Esther Ambrus.
|
|
May
01/05 Tammy
Bryant serving the community.. |
 In
the article mentioned below, we have a former quad world champ,
wanting (or hoping) to be an Inline world champ.. Now we have a
story about a lady who has achieved world no.1 on both.. Australia's
favorite school teacher, Ms Bryant! Well, we all know her as Tammy
Bryant. Recently Tammy visited the Mannum Leisure Centre in
South Australia and The Murray Valley Standard has printed the
following article. [here]
Read
an interview I did with Tammy [here]
|
|
April
24/05 The
return of Miss Colaceci, the actress on the rink.. |
 Artisticworldcup.org
has recently posted an article featured in the 'LaGazetta
dello Sport' (Roma) that celebrated former world champion,
and much celebrated - Erica Colaceci (coached by Gabriele
Quirini). You can read the article from the Gazette online
in full (if you read Italian). The article briefly mentions that
after a four year hiatus from the sport, that is likely that
Colaceci may return to the arena once again, and to participate in
the InLine event. If this is true, we welcome back Miss Erica
with open arms. The women's event this year is already shaping up to
be a tough competition with Marangoni, Slade and Bryant
(all world champs/medallist on inline) already in contention. See
post on [RWC
- See April 11]. Read article [here]
Pictured: Erica in action in 2001 - Firenze.
|
|
A
brief translation of the article also includes details of Erica's
desire to have a film made about skating, a script by Colaceci
perhaps,
more so a biopic of a
young girl, destined to take on the best in the world. In
the last few years, Erica has attended the acting school of Giulio
Scarpati (official
site). As for competing on inline, this is also mentioned:
“It
would be the Federation's idea for me to compete on inline, which I
had already tried before quitting. Much depends on the fact that we
will compete at home, in Rome – but I still haven’t decided. Also
because there is a big difference between the two
disciplines.. I
could compete on Inlines and be the world champion again, an idea that
appeals to me.." Read article [here]
|
|
April
23/05 Pan
American Games.. Argentine Gold.. |
 The
Pan American Games, held in Mar Del Plata - Argentina, is now
complete with
Enrique
Demata & Romina Del Grosso taking the gold
medal ahead of competitors from the US. Noemi Coronel and Daniel
Ariolla, both won their events for the Free skating, giving
Argentina a strong hold on most of the gold, winning a total of
five. Robert Hines & Aubrey Orcutt took out the Pairs
event for the USA, the only gold medal for USA. If you can read
Spanish, then you will enjoy the official site for the
championships.. Here is a link to the Artistic section. Enjoy. Visit [Pan
Ams 2005]
|
|
April
23/05 50th
World Roller Figure skating champs.. a 'TWO' rink event.. |
 The
official site for the world championships in Rome, Italy
this year has been updated, including the scheduling. Many may have
not noticed the change in arrangement as to the recent world meets,
where as Precision will now be skated on the final day of
competition, following the Senior Free skating events the
night before. Inline events have also been relegated in to
the Junior time slot, no longer making this in inclusive part of the
Senior championships, which is certainly the latest of setbacks for
the development of this discipline at world level. For those who
have made arrangements though for the weekend of the 19-20 Nov for
the Precision/Show Groups events... think again, they are
both the following weekend now. In reading the new schedule at the
Roma-2005 site also, it notes that there are TWO rinks, a 'Central'
and '2nd' rink. While this will work like a dream for
scheduling, it may also prove for some very interesting debate, as ALL
the FIGURE events have been placed on the '2nd' rink... I
don't know if this means, 'all figure skaters will be out the
back' or if it means that there are two rinks, aligned with one
another, with ample viewing areas for the interested spectators? It
also presents a problem for coaches who have students or commitments
to two disciplines as they run the events parallel for time
efficiency. Is
it the first of efforts by CIPA to move the figures
'out' of the championships? Or is it purely speculation? One has to
consider, that this all important event of our sport, Figures,
appears to have been outcast. Ice figure skating buffs, will
debate this topic and say 'we are behind the 8-ball,' still
having Figures in our scheduling, however, figures are an essential
part of our sport and there is a significant base of skaters who
purely compete in this discipline, on ice - people did figures
simply because it was compulsory! If anybody actually has details as
to the venue in Roma, please contact
me, as we would certainly like to get a clearer picture as to the
'2nd' rink! Visit [Roma-2005
Schedule updated] [Roma-2005
Official site]
See
the links below to view the Official venue in full.. I may be wrong,
but from going by a little research the following venue, Palazzetto
dello Sport PALALOTTOMATICA (ex PalaEur) is the home of Worlds 2005
|
|
Updated:
See details here - Worlds 2005: [Venue
details / images] [Venue
map floor] [Official
Venue Home] |
|
April
21/05 Riva
... the Senior.. |
|
Roberto
Riva has remained undefeated for years, a champion in his own
right respectively, in fact already 9 world titles to his name at
the age of 18. Now however, the greatest challenge is upon him, one
that was presented to Luca D'Alisera not so long ago (2000)
when he wrapped up his successful reign of the Junior stable and
took up the ranks in Senior against the likes of Lallai, Anderson,
Stolzenberg, Rhoads and Ariolla. D'Alisera was not
seen at world level in his first year of Senior, and it wasn't until
2003 that he claimed back his world number one ranking after
battling against one of the finest technicians we have seen on
wheels, Luca Lallai, possibly the greatest competitions we
will see this decade. 2005 proves to be equally spectacular when
Riva takes on D'Alisera, with much anticipation, the day is upon us
in Italy. Already, Riva has taken place behind Piettro Mazzetti in
the figure and combined events in local competition leading up to
the all important National event, adding even more speculation to
the scenario - Can Riva rival the big guys? It will however be, the
day, when the two best skaters in the world take the floor, a true
instance of 'the master and the apprentice'. In time, Riva will
certainly come of age and when he does... He will be
unstoppable! In the mean time, D'Alisera remains on top...
|
|
April
20/05 Oceania
Championships underway.. |
|
Skaters
from around Australia and New Zealand (Asia Pacific) will commence
competition at the Oceania Championships today, through to April 24.
In an official training session yesterday, apparently New Zealand's
finest export, Sarah Jane Jones, coached by Jacqui Innes,
took a tumble and split her chin open! Ouch! Not a nice way to get
the event underway. All is well though with Sarah Jane, and she is
back in action, ready to contest her multiple events including,
freestyle, figures, dance and Inline. More news and updates
soon.
|
|
April
16/05 Former
roller girl, takes Amityville by storm.. |
 Former
skating star, Melissa George (from Perth, Western
Australia), has hit the big screens this week in her first major
lead role, co-starring with Ryan Reynolds, George plays Kathy
Lutz in the feature horror flick, The Amityville Horror.
The film opened in cinemas across Australia one day ahead of the US
release to massive audiences, expecting to be one of the biggest
films of the year. George was in Australia this week to promote her
film, in what was a whirlwind tour of the major cities, including a
special audience screening in Perth for family, media, friends and
of course, her former skating coach, Linda Noble. I had the privilege
of spending time with Melissa and her husband, Claudio, during there
two day stay in Melbourne and she did admit, 'she's dying to get
back on her skates one day!' I've seen the film and I have to
admit, Melissa is absolutely amazing and does justice to the role,
and if you aint sitting on the edge of your seat for the entire
film, then you are at the wrong film, because 'Amity' will scare you
shitless!! The Amityville Horror.. in cinemas now. Pictured
left: Myself, Melissa and Claudio after a big night out. Visit
the official Amityville Movie site [here]
Visit Melissa George's home page [here]
|
|
April
16/05 On
'quads' for a day... for the sake of footy!! |
|
Football
would be the most unlikely sport you'd ever see me playing, however
this week... the unfamiliarity of a sport was on the other foot,
when one of Australia's most famous footy players, Shane Crawford,
donned a pair of skates for yet another comedy sketch on Channel
9's, The Footy Show. In which I get to be Shane's body double... More
on that soon!! Airs on May 26.
|
|
April
12/05
Argentina Nationals - Round 1 |
|
Adrian Baturin held on the top spot in his first round of
competitions for 2005. In second,
Jordan Segovia, who also placed 4th in the Senior Mens Quad
F/S behind, Daniel Ariolla 1st, Fabio Sisterna 2nd and
Mariano Morello 3rd. Subsequently, the team for Pan Ams was
revised and again, although placing to qualify, Segovia has been
left off the team and Morello was replaced by Sisterna.
In Ladies Inline, Melissa Malcolm 1st, Daniela Rodas
2nd and Iara Agnus 3rd. A full report will be loaded later
on today..
|
|
Updates
on above: It has now been confirmed that Fabio Sisterna has been
replaced by Mariano Morillo for Pan American Games
(15.4.05). |
|
April
09/05
Inline
competition heats up in Argentina.. and Colombia! |
|
Earlier in the year, it was known that former world junior champion,
Jordan Segovia, had been training on inlines, amidst
'other controversy' surrounding his omission from the ARG team to
compete at the Pan American championships. Now, all rumors have been
laid to rest with his first competition out of the way when he was
up against world no.3 Adrian Baturin, in the first round of
the National qualifying events for the 2005 Arg team to compete at
the world meet in Italy. Baturin is leading the short program,
whilst Segovia is in 2nd, with Leonardo Sanchez (newcomer to Inline)
is in 3rd. The 4th competitor withdrew. We will keep you posted on
the outcome, although it is known Segovia is doing some spectacular
items on inline and at the same time, still competing on quads
(currently sitting 5th in the short program). Another former 2x
world champion, Edwin Guevara, of Colombia is also
rumored to have been hitting the inlines and looking to be in fine
form! Edwin, a veteran on roller, is no stranger to the sport having
competed at world level since 1985. The inline event for the men
this year is certainly picking up some real wild card entries and
the standard is certainly on the rise.. one has to ask, what does
Italy have in store?
|
|
April
07/05
Lost... not the hit series - all my data! |
|
I am
sure many of you can appreciate how much of a pain losing data on a
pc is, but when you lose everything and haven't done a back up for
4months, who do you have to blame.. Well, I am one of those in that
situation this week and I just don't know where to start.. So
naturally, I am going to have to beg those who submitted SCOTT
COHEN stories over the past 2wks, as they have now gone... There
is no chance of recovering any email addresses or data, nothing since January 2005
(including a new 80page script I had been working on!).
If you have a story to submit for the Scott Cohen feature, please
send it here..
Apologies to all..
|
|
Mar
29/05 Two
skaters leave us.. |
 It
is always extremely sad to hear that a friend or fellow skater has
passed away, but when you hear of two in one morning, well... You
can't begin to imagine how the families must be coping.. It is with
great sadness that I bring news of the passing of one of the most
popular skaters in Argentina, Ernesto Tamagnon (left), a very flamboyant
character who made friends the world over. Ernesto competed in
Figures at several world championships and won medals at the Pan
American Games... Sincerest
wishes to all friends and family in Argentina..
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, sadly over
night news reports have indicated that former dance skater from
Melbourne, Shane McIntyre has also taken his own life,
reportedly to have been a murder, suicide in Adelaide.
Our deepest sympathies to both families. [Source:
news.com.au]
|
|
Mar 28/05 Sara
Locandro workshop in the US, huge success.. |
|
Sara's
international workshop, held in California, USA over the weekend has
been a huge success. Skatelog.com
editor, Kathie Fry, went along for the weekend to capture the event
for her amazing website and you can enjoy the images she has taken
here, and see skaters (including Derek Leonard, Junior World
Class) and Sara in action.. [View
here]
|
|
Mar 25/05
Skating
champs on UK TV... |
 The
'Rollerworld' show in the UK was a great success on March 22nd
featuring Luca D'Alisera, Tanja
Romano & Marco Bornati & Monica
Coffele (all world champions). The show was televised
on BBC East UK TV at 6.30pm on March 22. The show is apparently
going to be made available on DVD soon. More
news soon. Visit the Rollerworld site [here].
|
|
Mar
25/05 VII
TORNEO INTERNACIONAL |
|
Results
from the 'VII Torneo Internacional' event held in Noain,
Spain, March 19-20, are now available. Laura Sanchez
won the ladies division, a great result after missing the podium at
the 2004 world meet, while Luca D'Alisera dominated the men's
event. Reports on the FEP site indicate Sandro
Guerra and Luca Lallai have been very busy in Spain, as a
number of the skaters have had their choreography completed by them.
Italian coaches are known to be working across Europe on a regular
basis, proving why the quality of skating coming out of Europe is so
high. See results and images here: [Men's]
[Ladies]
|
|
Mar
23/05 Rolaboi
hits No.1 in France... |
 My
French is not up to scratch, in fact I don't speak any French!!! So
I am hoping someone can assist with the translation for me here!!
I've just checked the listing on the Amazon (France) 'Best
Seller' list and my book has hit the top spot on a chart
there in the Sports section for skating.. Either way, 'Rolaboi' has
crept up to the No.1, so it looks great from here!!! [View]
|
|
Mar
22/05 Interactive-Art
skaters enjoy a surprise sponsor from EDEA!! |
 The
success of the 'interactive
art' program has really given more than just an opportunity for
the skaters involved, but for everyone... But no more so than Edan
and Tenielle today, when they were greeted by a very special
announcement at Caribbean Rollerama prior to training. Little did
they know, that behind the scenes over the past weeks, EDEA
SKATES had been preparing a very special package for them, and
today was almost Christmas for them. EDEA SKATES (Sabrina Merlo),
has kindly supported the skaters by supplying them both with
brand new boots, skate bags, towels and laces.. [See
full report here]
|
|
Mar
20/05 50th
World Roller Figure skating champs.. |
|
Kathie
Fry, at Skatelog.com, has commenced adding information to
make sure there are plenty of details available to those who are
considering traveling to Roma for the 50th World Roller meet. The Official site
Roma2005 [here]
has also been set up and is yet to be completed. However, if you
want more info on the championships at this stage, visit [Skatelog.com
here]
|
|
Mar
20/05 World
Ice Figure skating champs.. |
|
...come
to a close after a week of great competition. See the results in
full [here]
or [here].
Official site [here]
|
|
Mar
17/05 Saluting
Scott Cohen... |
|
The
month of April will be celebrated on this site as... 'Saluting
Scott Cohen Month', in a special tribute to one of the greatest
skaters in history. I am seeking submissions from avid skating fans
who have witnessed Scott perform and would like to share their
memories. Ten lucky submissions will be included in the special
tribute to him. [Submit
here]
|
|
Mar 14/05 Interview
with Italian great.. |
|
I've
just uploaded a brand new feature interview with top Italian coach, Michele
Terruzzi (coach of Roberto Riva). Be sure to check it out [here]..
|
|
Mar
13/05 Italian
great's to hit the UK |
|
Rollerworld,
Europe's finest roller rink will host a night of champions on March
22nd. Guest's from Italy will include, Luca D'Alisera, Tanja
Romano and the amazing pairing of, Marco Bornati & Monica
Coffele (all world champions). The show will be televised
on UK TV and it will also be repeated later in the evening. More
news soon. Visit the Rollerworld site [here].
|
|
Mar
12/05 Olympic
Program Commission Update |
|
Following
decisions take during the IOC Session in Mexico City in November
2002, the Olympic Program Commission (OPC) reconvened in June 2003
to propose a mid-long term strategic working plan. .. [more at SkateAustralia.org.au]
|
|
Mar
12/05 Seminar
in US reminder... |
 Just
a reminder that Sara Locandro of Italy (left), will be in the
US this coming week for a seminar hosted by former world champion,
Natalie Dunn. See Feb 10 news for more.. or visit here at skatelog.com
for a new update and full details.
In more seminar news, other top Italian coaches have also been
traveling across Europe sharing their knowledge. More recently -
last week in Bordeaux, Michele Terruzzi, coach of multiple
world champ Roberto
Riva, held a five day camp in Bordeaux. Top skaters from
Portugal were also treated to a series of seminars from one of the
greats, Gabriele Quirini, (Luca
D'Alisera). Coming up in April, Ruben Genchi (Andrea
Barbieri) will also spread the love here in Australia,
at the conclusion of the Oceania championships. Genchi's seminar
will run from April 23-25 on the Gold Coast.
|
|
Mar
01/05 Loss
of Roller Skating great.. |
|
It
is with great sadness that I bring the news of the passing of
legendary US Coach, Tim Able. He coached some of the greatest
Pairs teams in the US, and the world - including former world
champions Paul Price & Tina Kneisley.
|
|
Feb 27/05 W.A
rink update.. |
|
Good
news apparently for Western Australian skaters who were members at
the Skate International rink, as it prepares to re-open its doors
this week. After much negotiations, management will open to the
public and the Joondalup RSC.
|
|
Feb
26/05 Gold
Skate results.. |
|
The
2005 Gold skate, held in the US, was once again another
success. Here is the results in full [view]
Story coming soon.
|
|
Feb
25/05 Up
to speed.. |
The
Australian National Speed skating championships will be
featured throughout the 'Today Show' on Channel 9, Fri
Feb 25. There will be a total of 5 live crosses to the championships
held in Melbourne. [Today
Show 9]
See
images from the Today show here - courtesy SkateAustralia.org.au
|
|
Feb
04/05 Interactive
Art class kicks off.. |
 Inside
of three weeks, the support and response to the 'Interactive Art
Class' has been phenomenal. Therefore, the green light and big
thumbs up has been given to the project and we plan to go ahead and
make this a major adventure. The objective of the documentation of
the progress (of the two skaters) in their primary stages of
learning to skate is purely to benefit both coaches and skaters,
whilst at the same time, introduce differences between each skaters
results, being one is learning on INLINE, the other is learning
ROLLER. We are also now in a position to open up the gates to
companies willing to jump aboard this unique project who are willing
to support either/both skaters with equipment (or otherwise) as they
continue their adventure on wheels.
See [here
for more]
|
|
Feb
19/05 Skating
greats take to the floor.. |
  Skating
icons and former world champions, Scott Cohen & Rafaella
Del Vinaccio, will take to the floor at the 20th 'Sport Per
La Vita' in Roseto, Italy this evening.. Both skaters, former
world champions, captivated audiences for many years successively at
the festival in Roseto, and to celebrate the 20th year, they will
make a very special return. Cohen who won five men's singles titles
(record holder) and Del Vinaccio dominated the world scene during
the early 90's winning multiple titles. Both skaters entered the
world scene in 1983 (Cohen) and `84 (Rafaella), a night not to be
missed. Cohen, still an inspiration to many the world over, will no
doubt bring audiences to their knees.
|
|
Feb
17/05 W.A
rink closure update.. |
|
I
have been contacted by the Vice President of the 'Joondalup
City Rollers' and they would like to advise that the well
represented club is still in tact and that they are looking at
alternate venues for the skaters at this stage. Possible
negotiations will take place shortly in the hope that the rink may
be saved. Skate International has been home to numerous state,
national and international champions over the years including Caitlyn
Botica and Lauren Backrack, both who have competed at
world level and ranked inside the top 12. The rink itself is a multi
million dollar complex with state of the art facilities and a magnificent
wooden floor, which is not common in roller skating rinks in
Australia, most rinks here are concrete. We all hope a solution will
be found and that the skating success continues..
|
|
Feb
16/05 W.A
faces massive loss for Roller Sports.. |
|
Today
is possibly one of the saddest days in roller sports for Western
Australian skaters. The biggest rink/club in WA, Skate
International in Joondalup, has been closed. Home of former
World Junior top 5, Lisa Gobby, the rinks closure will
cast a seriously dark cloud over the future of artistic skating in
WA where Skate Int. was at the heart of it. Top coach Linda
Noble, new Skate Int. only as her home, teaching dozens of
skaters along with more than five other top coaches sharing the
floor space. Where to from here? The big question on everyone's lips
as rinks across Australia face the same possibility in the ever
increasing rental market. Best wishes to all the skaters who now are
without a rink.
|
|
Feb
16/05 Sad
loss for speed skating.. |
|
It
is with great sadness that I report of the passing of one of the
most respected Speed officials in Australia, Jill Ferris.
Mother of former artistic champ - Shannon (and
training partner of mine back in early 90's), Jill passed away on
Friday 11th February in Melbourne. We all send our deepest
sympathies to Shannon and her family. The funeral will take place on
Friday.
|
|
Feb 15/05
New
FIRS President.. |
|
At
the FIRS Elective Congress held in Rome (Italy) on February 12,
2005, Mr. SABATINO ARACU (Italy) was elected as FIRS
PRESIDENT and Mrs. VALERIE LEFTWICH (Australia) was
elected as FIRS 1st VICE PRESIDENT. Leftwich, President -
Skate Australia, has campaigned hard for her position, with much
support from the Roller Sports world. Australia now has two leading
ladies working closely in top positions within CIPA (Lorraine
Norton) and now, FIRS. The new HQ for FIRS will be situated in
Rome, Italy. Congratulations to Valerie. Source
[rollersports.org]
See full report on Val here at [skatelog.com]
|
|
Feb 15/05 Skating
in the news... locally, again.. |
|
It
is always good to see roller sports 'in the news', any print media -
or otherwise - can only do one thing, and that's promote the sport.
This week in Melbourne, there is an International speed skating
championships on and in conjunction with the story they did on the
event, the Fairfax Group ran this story... 'Rolaboi rocks...' as for
the title, you have to laugh! At least they didn't add, 'and
rolls..' on the end!! And while it is great publicity, the story is
not 100% factual, being I have ranked outside the top ten at world
level, even though they claim I haven't.. Oh well... still good
promo for the sport.. [here]
|
|
Feb 15/05 Skate
Attack.. |
|
Precision
world champions, Skate Attack, have launched their very own
'Valentine' calendar... on wheels. For more info [here]
|
|
Feb
11/05 All
star line up for Spanish event.. |
  Organizers
of the most recent event, the TROFEO COMUNIDAD FORAL DE NAVARRA,
have had such an overwhelming response to the championship from the
general public, that they have organized to re-host the event as an
encore performance. The competition will run from March 18-20, VII TORNEO INTERNACIONAL DE PATINAJE ARTÍSTICO A.D. NOAIN,
with top athletes including, Luca D'Alisera, Tanja Romano, Oscar
Molins, Laura Sanchez, Nuria Lopez, Carles Gasset, Alba Perez,
Piettro Mazzetti, Neil Emms and more... Event
details and more pictures can be found [here]..
|
|
Feb
10/05 US
work shop featuring Italian top coach.. |
|
Former
world champion, Natalie Dunn-Fries, will be hosting a special
International Figure & Freestyle workshop in the U.S. Top
Italian coach, Sara Locandro, will be a special guest at the
seminar along with other coaches from Spain and Colombia who will
also assist. The workshop will run from March 20-22 and each stage
is limited to 30people, so if you want to be a part of this special
event in the US... get in fast!! For all registration details and
contact: Visit
USA Roller Sports [here]
or email [here]
|
|
Feb
10/05 Australian
skaters & coach having a 'Jolly' time in Italy.. |
|
Western
Australian coach, Susan Brooks and other skaters from WA have
traveled to Italy to take part in the 'Jolly Trieste' international
camp. They are having a great time and have said the club in Trieste
has made them feel extremely welcome, and have even been invited to
stay a few extra days. Aleesha Hanczakowski is one of the
skaters taking part from Australia, and has said she had learnt so
much just in the lead up to the camp being in Italy. Susan also runs
her own rink, 'The Rink' in Bunbury WA and has a website that
can be found [here].
|
|
Feb
08/05 Come
Out to Play... a great success.. |
|
Last
night at the 'Come Out To Play' forum on sexuality in sport, held at
the Victoria University - City Campus, there was high representation
from all sports, including Roller Sports. The main focus obviously
was discrimination in sport and clubs, and as to how the issues can
be addressed to ensure everybody 'Plays by the rules' and are
treated fairly. A special site has been set up to provide sporting
clubs with all the information needed. Visit
the 'Play by the Rules' official site [here]
|
|
Feb
06/05 Tanja
turns in to sex kitten on the catwalk.. |
 Tanja
Romano & Luca D'Alisera, both world champions in 2004, have
taken to the world of fashion and hit the catwalk in extrodinary
'fashion' at the latest parade for celebrated Lebanese designer, Abed
Mahfouz. The two skaters are the first to appear in a collection
of HAUTE COUTURE (see left image), and Mahfouz's
January 2005 collection is amazing. Romano starred in the show with
her "model figure and breathtakingly long legs, flowing
blond hair, and blue eyes" and could perhaps take the modeling
world by storm. Undoubtedly, this is yet another milestone for
roller sports athletes, the exposure is simply incredible..
Congratulations to both athletes..
See
the entire collection [here].
Abed Mahfouz official site [here].
Courtesy Artisticworldcup.org
|
|
Feb
06/05 ROLABOi
Awards... |
|
The
2004 results of the Rolaboi Awards are now online.. Thanks to
everyone who voted.. [here].
|
|
Feb
04/05 Skating
lessons.. big brother style! |
|
It's
almost like 'The Truman Show', or 'Big Brother', as two young
skaters commence 'one journey' on wheels as they venture in to the
world of roller sports. After my three year hiatus from coaching
(excluding a 3mth stint in India), I have taken a dive back in to
teaching and taken on a few young students.. At the same time, I
have decided to monitor the two young skaters I have started working
with online, being one is using Inlines, the other using 'roller'. I
believe, in monitoring the progress and documenting it in stages, it
could assist with the development of inline worldwide and the growth
of our sport. It will also enable a large audience to watch two
young enthusiastic skaters learn and grow using different tools;
therefore the results may be varied and very interesting. It will
also be a learning tool for me, and one I am happy to share online..
See [here
for more]
|
| Go here for more news in
v.19,
v.18,
v.17,
v.16, v.15,
v.14,
v.13, v.12, v.11, v.10,
v.09,
v.08, v.07, v.06, v.05, v.04, v.03
[back] | |
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)