As our first full month without access to ice draws to a close, we hope all of the NSWISA skating family is staying safe and well. It's been a difficult time for everyone but we are very pleased to see and hear about how our Members are staying fit and healthy during this time. The engagement on social media has been fantastic. It's wonderful to know everyone is keeping up their off ice training to ensure a successful return to skating as soon as rinks re-open. Now is the perfect time to be working on new skills. Improving flexibility, working to better understand music and improving overall stamina are all perfect things to be working on while we have time off the ice. We'll be looking forward to higher program component marks in particular once competition resumes!
From an administrative perspective, NSWISA has been working extremely hard over the last few weeks. I have been attending weekly conference calls with the Minister for Sport, the Office of Sport and Sport NSW, as well as meetings with other sports, to manage the crisis the sport sector finds ourselves in. One of the key focus areas of these meetings has been to work on what is being called the recovery phase of sport. With the help of one of our wonderful Members, a briefing note was developed and submitted to these stakeholders in the first week of April. We felt it was important to explain the specific issues that relate to our sport and the reliance on ice for the sport to exist. A communication has also been sent to the Premier for her consideration in planning the return to sport in NSW. We have been working extremely hard to best position our sport for a speedy return, when it is deemed safe by the experts to do so. One thing we are lucky with is that figure skaters are extremely resilient, goal oriented people. We know that this situation has been a big challenge for everyone but we hope you have been able to use this time to learn new skills and work on personal development. We can't wait to see everyone back on the ice and will keep working to facilitate this asap in the safest possible way.
VALE JACKIE KENDALL-BAKER
ISA Hall of Fame inaugural inductee and NSWISA Life Member Jackie Kendall-Baker AO, passed away on Thursday 9 April. She was 83. Jackie was a renowned and highly respected judge and lifetime supporter of skating.
Born Jacqueline Mason on 27 November, 1936, the Sydney skater won 12 National Pair Skating titles between 1951 and 1964 with partner Mervyn Bower.
She represented Australia at two British Championships (1952 and 1956) and placed third at both events. She competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952 and 1956 and was nominated for two Winter Olympic Games (1956 and 1060). An injury to Mervyn prevented her skating at the 1956 Olympics, however the Pair did compete at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics in 1960, placing 12th.
Following her very successful competitive career, Jackie became a judge at National, International, World Championship (1979) and Winter Olympic (1980) level and was an executive member of the NSW Ice Skating Association Council. Her daughter Simone also skated and was an international judge. Simone died tragically in a boating accident in 2007. Jackie was happily married for many years to husband John.
NSWISA extends sincerest condolences to Jackie's daughter Tenley & husband Doug, to Craig & Alex and son-in-law Paul. Jackie was also a very devoted grandmother to Adelaide, Clarrie, Tilly, Josie, Dylan, Meg, Charlie, Ben and Lily.
Jacqueline Kendall-Baker's career as both a competitive skater and international judge will ensure her name will be perpetuated in the annals of Australia's skating history.
ISU FIGURE SKATING REQUIREMENTS SEASON 2020/2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many Skaters will not be able to prepare properly for the next season and it will be very difficult for them to learn new programs. Bearing this in mind, the three Technical Committees (SPTC, IDTC, SySTC) proposed, and the Council decided, to maintain the basic requirements of the season 2019/20 for the season 2020/21. The situation varies between disciplines because for Ice Dance and Synchronized Skating all new requirements are published in ISU Communications, but for Single and Pair Skating some of these requirements are in the Rule Book. The details are indicated below.
Ice Dance: the Pattern Dances for all Novice categories and the Rhythm Dance for Juniors and Seniors will not be changed.
Synchronized Skating: the requirements for the Well Balanced Short and Free Programs for all categories will not be changed.
Single and Pair Skating: the requirements for the Short Program as specified in the Single and Pair Skating Technical Rules 611 and 620 for season 2020/21 will be valid.
All 3 Committees propose for the next season slight changes in SOV, Levels and GOE which will be published in ISU Communications in due course.
ICE-O-LATION TRAINING RESOURCES
This unique time is a great opportunity to improve strength and flexibility in preparation to unleash on the ice. With all the resources online it can be difficult to find appropriate work outs for your needs. ISU currently have online classes hosted by top coaches, choreographers and other figure skating professionals.
The ISU Center of Excellence (CoE) are pleased to present, “Keep Training!”, a series offering free training sessions, which will start with virtual Figure Skating off-ice training sessions.
Each CoE will share its coaching expertise to encourage Skaters to keep on training whilst #StayHome and to connect with each other and get #UpAgain despite the current challenging times.
These training sessions can be followed directly online on the Keep Training YouTube Playlist.
New South Wales Institute of Sport also have some great ideas of short workouts to maintain fitness and nutritional information. These resources can be found at nswis.com.au/highperformanceathome/.
TESTS IN 2020 - ISA COMMUNICATIONS
In recognising the current situation, ISA have released some communication regarding tests and eligibility for 2020 only. Changes to tests for 2020 only, include
Minimum waiting period for retesting has been adjusted from 28 days to 24 hours;
Skaters will only need to pass the technical program test in order to compete at their next level. Please note skaters will still need to complete the pattern test before taking another test and before competing in 2021. This is designed to reduce the burden on test sessions when skating resumes, to enable skaters to compete at the level they intended for the 2020 season.
To read the ISA Communication 113, please click here.
NSWISA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - NEW DATE
The Annual General Meeting which was originally set for 24th March has been rescheduled for 2nd June. The meeting will take place via Zoom and details will be sent to members via email and will also be published on our website. As the online format will be new for NSWISA, user instructions will be circulated to members to ensure the smooth running of the meeting. Please ensure all attendees read and understand those instructions. If you have any questions, please contact admin@nswisa.com by Friday 29th May to allow as much time as possible to solve any issues.
ACTION FROM THE PVFSC PENRITH ARTISTIC
Thank you to Eric Fonacier, who has shared these photos with NSWISA of the first competition we had this season. While it seems like such a long time ago, we do need to remind ourselves it was only last month when competition ceased. If you have any queries about the images from the Penrith Artistic Competition, please contact Eric via email info@efphotography.com.au. (Pictured below form left to right, Damian Franco, Stage Left, Emily Fonacier)
STAY CONNECTED WITH NSWISA
NSWISA has been working hard to stay connected with our Ice Skating Family through Instagram and Facebook and currently we have over 280 users engaging with the NSWISA Instagram account. A big "Thank You" to Team Unity for their hard work in organising the Takeover on 22nd April. The Takeover saw Team Unity share their isolation activities with the NSWISA Family and it would be great if clubs, teams, or other groups such as our Aussie Skaters or Adult Skaters could share their activities with the community through an Instagram Takeover also. To get involved, contact Sakina at social@nswisa.com.
Keep motivated and stay connected by following our social media channels or email us with your ideas and photos on social@nswisa.com.
