Aussie Skating

[AndyWarhol]

Maybe we should get Lara Bingle to take up skating?

[Aussie Willy]

Maybe we should get Lara Bingle to take up skating?

Permanently instead of just doing it for money?

[TheIronLady]

Australia was meant to hold Worlds in 2000. The event went to Nice instead.

That is so rude of the ISU. Or was it something that Australia did? What city was going to host? After the success of the Brisbane 2001 Goodwill Games skating competition, you would think the ISU would have made an effort to bring a worlds, or at least a Four Continents, to Australia. The ISU is run by chauvinists, and naturally Australia would have some disadvantages hosting, but I cannot imagine it does the sport's international popularity much good to keep passing the event between France, USA, CAN, Russia, and Japan.

[AndyWarhol]

Permanently instead of just doing it for money?

i just had to google what you were getting at. I forgot she was on that show, as I never watched it.
You think that the glitz and a chance to be a princess would be appealing to many a bogan female.
Perhaps we can get Bingle to sleep with one of our male skaters and have another nude scandal!

[TheIronLady]

Not that many of Australia's male skaters look likely to be caught in the bedrooms of girls!

[AndyWarhol]

Thats ok, she doesn't need to be in the bedroom, she just needs to be on the balcony with no top on.

[TheIronLady]

Thats ok, she doesn't need to be in the bedroom, she just needs to be on the balcony with no top on.

That sounds more promising. You need to set this up.

[AndyWarhol]

I do! Ill make sure I style her walk of shame outfit, that way, both skating and I win

[Ziggy]

That is so rude of the ISU. Or was it something that Australia did?

Problems with tv rights, IIRC?

Not that many of your male skaters look likely to be caught in the bedrooms of girls!

Depends. The rampant homophobia means that a lot of straight American skaters quit at some point during adolescence but the vast majority of European skaters are straight just the vast majority of people are straight.

[Aussie Willy]

That is so rude of the ISU. Or was it something that Australia did? What city was going to host? After the success of the Brisbane 2001 Goodwill Games skating competition, you would think the ISU would have made an effort to bring a worlds, or at least a Four Continents, to Australia. The ISU is run by chauvinists, and naturally Australia would have some disadvantages hosting, but I cannot imagine it does the sport's international popularity much good to keep passing the event between France, USA, CAN, Russia, and Japan.

There were a number of reasons and it went to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. Sorry but chauvinsm doesn't even enter into it. There is a Wiki-page which mentions about it and has links to documents.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Wo..._Championships

As for why Australia hasn't bid for Worlds or even Junior Worlds since then, there are a number of factors. Money is the major one, plus the volunteer workforce. Last year the World Junior Speedskating championships were held at the Icehouse. Great event. But it took 3 years of planning to put it on. And that is at a ready made rink. If you were to host an international event such as Worlds you basically have to hire a stadium and put down ice which is extremely expensive.

If you want to hold an international event, you have to be prepared to possibly take financial loss, not to mention exhaust your volunteer workforce. Just ask those who hosted the JGP in 2011. Even having Nationals is tiring enough.

[TheIronLady]

Well Willie you need to lead the charge. I think it would be so great idea to have a Four Continents in Australia. I would travel across the oceans to Melbourne or Sydney for it. They need to start planning and rounding up the volunteers!

One of my favorite memories of 2003 Worlds in Washington, DC was the crazy volunteer ladies yelling at the television screens in the halls where they were working about how Michelle better get some 6.0s. I've never seen women get so loud toward a TV.

It may be unrealistic until Australian skating gets a new dose of enthusiasm, but anything is possible with a few committed individuals and support from some powerful people.

[Bunny Hop]

Australia was meant to hold Worlds in 2000. The event went to Nice instead.

Thanks. I knew it had to be either 2000 or 2001, as 2000 was the last year I worked at SBS. I remember them announcing we were going to show Worlds in one of our weekly meetings.....and then never hearing about it again!

[Bunny Hop]

Slightly off topic, but for those Australian skating fans who have Foxtel, be aware that ESPN-2 (Channel 509) will be showing highlights from the US Figure Skating Championships at 6pm each night between 26th Feburary and 1st March.

[Ozzisk8tr]

Just a bit of news from out West. The skater Tara Amin's mother past away from a brain haemorrhage on the 13th of Feb. Not sure if any of the Aussie skaters know Tara or her Mum but they were very close and Carla (mother) was only 50, and was always at the rink with her daughter. Very sad.

[Aussie Willy]

Slightly off topic, but for those Australian skating fans who have Foxtel, be aware that ESPN-2 (Channel 509) will be showing highlights from the US Figure Skating Championships at 6pm each night between 26th Feburary and 1st March.

Thanks for that. I am just going to have to subscribe to the sports channel then (which I don't get at the moment).

Just a bit of news from out West. The skater Tara Amin's mother past away from a brain haemorrhage on the 13th of Feb. Not sure if any of the Aussie skaters know Tara or her Mum but they were very close and Carla (mother) was only 50, and was always at the rink with her daughter. Very sad.

I understand it was very sudden and one of those freak situations. I had dealt with Karla when she contacted me regarding Tara's skating re Victoria. Very sad to hear. She was a very nice person.

[AndyWarhol]

Slightly off topic, but for those Australian skating fans who have Foxtel, be aware that ESPN-2 (Channel 509) will be showing highlights from the US Figure Skating Championships at 6pm each night between 26th Feburary and 1st March.

I dont have Foxtel, but that is exciting!

[Sylvia]

Here are Brooklee Han's first 2 blog posts for the Australian Olympic Committee's site:

April 17: http://corporate.olympics.com.au/new...es-flight-blog

I have also been accepted to Wesleyan University [in Middletown, Connecticut] and am planning on studying Biology. Wesleyan has already shown their support of me and my skating career by allowing me to defer my studies for next school year so I can focus more on my skating in preparation for the Olympics.

May 3: http://corporate.olympics.com.au/new...rooklee-s-blog

My coach, Serhii Vaypan has been an instrumental key to my success and he was the missing ingredient! So here is the story of how we met…

I have been working with Serhii for 5 ½ years now and in that time he has brought me from a very bad single axel to competing at the 2013 ISU World Championships and landing all five of the different triple jumps successfully in competition.

I met Serhii shortly after my 12th birthday at a summer skating camp at the International Skating Center of Connecticut (ISCC) in Simsbury, CT. USA. I had been on the ice for about 7 years at this time.

Re-posting this March 2013 article on Danielle O'Brien/Greg Merriman (the original link I posted has since changed to this one): http://corporate.olympics.com.au/new...-silver-lining

[Marco]

I guess it's all about Brooklee Han now and there's no more news on Cheltzie Lee?

[Sylvia]

The last news posted here about Cheltzie Lee was in December 2012 -- she had competed in local events last summer (winter in Australia) but missed Nationals in December reportedly due to injury. She hasn't competed internationally since 2011 Worlds.

[Aussie Willy]

Seeing this is the Aussie Skating thread, have to mention that Nationals will take place in Melbourne this year.