Cirque on Ice chooses 8 local skaters
for role in upcoming Reverie

November 3, 2009 – Singapore’s figure skating community got an exciting first glimpse of the new Arina Stadium Waterfront when the producers of Reverie: Cirque on Ice auditioned 17 hopeful young local skaters for a role in the spectacular new ice show coming to town on November 27th.

The Reverie show represents a new standard of cooperation among Singapore’s sports, business and arts communities. The 2,000-seat temporary arena was custom-built by Arina Hogan Builders in only a month to meet the producers’ needs for the 37-show run of Reverie in Singapore. Singapore Indoor Stadium, the promoter of the show, worked with the producers to create a role in the storyline for a young local ice skater.

It is the first time that skaters from Singapore will be performing in a professional ice skating show in Singapore. “Not every young athlete will take the same pathway in sports, so I am happy to see that there are options such as this that go beyond pure competition,” said Alex Chan, Chairman of the Singapore Sports Council. “It is good to see our youth participating and being challenged in a sports entertainment event.” All skaters who took part in the audition have been invited to train with the cast from Cirque on Ice when they arrive in Singapore later this month.

Chosen to alternate the role of the young Princess Aurora during the 37-show run of Reverie in Singapore were: Joelle Chiam, Akari Kinoshita, Gazel Lee, Charmaine Lim, Leticia Marsh, Louise Sides, Alexandra Skillen and Linda von Atzigen. Congratulations to everyone!

The international producers from Cirque on Ice had nothing but praise for its partners in Sporting Singapore. “It has been an extraordinary process working with Indoor Stadium and Arina Hogan,” said Patrice Marques, Producer of Cirque on Ice. “The creativity, the engineering, the collaborative problem-solving have all been extraordinary. We are looking forward to opening night!”

Leading the initiative was Denise Marsh, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Not only did she work with Cirque producers to create the role for a local skater, she also liaised with Richard Tan, General Manager of Arina Hogan, to develop the exhibition rink. “The Arina Stadium Waterfront is a 1,854 square-metre masterpiece of construction that beautifully meets the technical and artistic demands of Cirque on Ice,” said Mrs Marsh.

About 100 people at the press conference were treated to an on-ice performance by Jonnansical Boo, the president of the All Stars Figure Skating Club. Jonnansical will also be working as a technical advisor for an ice skating reality show that will be filmed at the Arina in the coming weeks as well.

For the skaters, the audition with Reverie was a life lesson in performing under pressure and dealing with both success and disappointment. “I think I must be dreaming I am so happy,” said an ecstatic Gazel Lee, a 10 year-old member of the All Stars Figure Skating Club. Charmaine Lim from Henry Park Primary School got teary-eyed at the news that she had been selected for the performance.

The 17 skaters were put through their paces at the audition by Reverie choreographer Richard Swenning, who has worked on ice shows around the world. “Choosing only eight skaters was extremely difficult,” said Richard, who had quickly built an easy rapport with the kids during the ice time. “They all were charming performers, and it was easy to see how much the kids love the sport.” Joining Richard on the judging panel for the audition were Patrice Marques and Heather Totorikagoena, a former ice dancer with Disney on Ice.

“It was so much fun and such a positive experience for me,” said 12 year-old Bramina Braet, who was gently informed that they loved her skating, but she was too tall for the role. Not even her flying camel spin into a pancake could change the fact that she was taller than the skater playing the role as an adult. “Richard couldn’t have been nicer about it. He made me feel great even as he was saying no,” Bramina said. “I have absolutely no regrets about trying out. It was a privilege to be able to show them what I could do.”

Kallang Ice World gets haunted on Halloween

November 3, 2008 -- Spiders, witches and angels came creeping into Kallang Ice World on October 31st, just in time for Halloween.

Hosted by Kallang Ice World on Friday night, the party was joined by skaters from the All Stars Figure Skating Club, Tropical Blades Ice Skating Club and general admission skaters. Every time a skater rented a pair of skates, they also got a Halloween surprise in the form of a spider, a bat or a gory eyeball.

Among the trick or treats handed out to the skaters in costume were a new Mondor skating dress from the All Stars and a pair of flashing skate guards from Tropical Blades, hand delivered by TBISC president Lee Chow Ying.

All Stars president Jonnansical Boo also splurged on game prizes for skaters as well as gift vouchers for the Kallang staff who helped make the party so much fun for the kids. After two hours of skating, games and snacking on goodies provided by the parents, the kids went home loaded with Halloween loot.

On behalf of the clubs, many thanks to all the parents and the staff at Kallang who turned the rink’s first Halloween party into a well-haunted success! Muah hah hah

World pairs champions named as sports ambassadors in Korea’s campaign to win hosting rights for 2014 Winter Games

May 03, 2007 -- Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue, the 2007 World Champions in pairs skating, were named honorary ambassadors for Korea’s PyeongChang 2014 bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Bid Committee in Beijing last week—and Coach Lee Chow Ying and skaters Sarah Paw and Anja Chong were on hand for the ceremonies.

Earlier this year, Chow Ying, Sarah, Anja and Annika Nyberg had participated in the Korean Dream Programme in PyeongChang, a training program in winter spots, fully sponsored by the Korean Olympic Committee.

Shen and Zhao made history in figure skating when they won the bronze medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, marking the first time that China had won a medal in pairs skating. The skaters won another bronze at the 2006 Torino Olympic Winter Games. Shen and Zhao have been World Champions three times: 2002, 2003 and 2006.

If you want to see photos from the event in Beijing by Lee Chow Ying from Tropical Blades Ice Skating Club, please go to: http://chow.motani.net/BeijingApr07/photos/P1000049.php

If you want to learn more about the Korean Dream Programme, please scroll down the page for stories by Sarah Paw and Annika Nyberg.

Getting ready for Fuji’s Interschool Competition?

An easy lesson for the All Stars in the results of the Japan Open 2007

May 03, 2007 -- Just before competition, athletes are almost always given impossible advice: don’t worry.

What parents, coaches and well-meaning friends are really saying is: just focus on doing what you know you can do.

Unfortunately, sometimes you can’t do what you know you can do most of the time. For 2007 Ladies World silver medalist Mao Asada and 2006 World Champion Kimmie Meissner, that reality was never truer than at the Kinoshita Group Cup Japan Open 2007, a team event held on Sunday, April 29th. Bryan Joubert, 2007 Worlds Men Champion, didn’t have a top-of-the-podium skate, either.

Team Japan still triumphed over Team Europe and Team North America, thanks to first-class performances by 2007 World Champion Miki Ando (112.65 points) and teammate Nobunari Oda (150.59.). Mao Asada placed fourth with a score a total of 101.47 points on an atypical program. Take a look at the video—bad skates happen even to the very best skaters, especially if a skater hasn’t been in training-for-competition mode.

The competition featured free programs only, with a total of six ladies and six men in each event. Admittedly, Team Japan had the strongest lineup going into the competition: Ando, Oda, and Asada were joined by Takahiko Kozuka. Team Europe drew on Bryan Joubert (finished 3rd with 132.76 points), Alexei Yagudin, Sarah Meier from Switzerland and Kiira Korpi from Finland.

Representing Team North America were Canadians Joannie Rochette and Jeffrey Buttle (who placed 2nd in the men’s event with 140.73 points) and Kimmie Meissner (with a shocking 6th place finish), and—surprise, surprise— 35 year-old Todd Eldredge from the US, who retired from competitive skating after the 2002 Winter Olympics. Eldredge may have come in at the bottom of the mens group, but by all accounts, he was pretty happy with his performance. Eldredge was never the quadmeister that Yagudin was or Joubert has become. Nor did he ever have the style of Yagudin, Buttle or Oda. But he loved the sport, and clearly he still has the guts to go out and do what he can do.

As you all prepare for the upcoming Interschool Competition, remember to go for your personal best. Focus on yourself, compete against yourself. Don’t let anyone distract you from doing what you can do.

And, most of all, don’t worry! There will always be another competition. For video links, please click on Emails to members in the left hand column.

All Stars shine with Team Singapore spirit

New IJS wows skaters at 6th National Figure Skating Championships

Photo Courtesy of Live Studios ( http://www.livestudios.sg/ )

April 2, 2007— There were shrieks of excitement, tears and maybe more than a few regrets but mostly there was that Team Singapore fighting spirit from skaters at all levels at the 6th National Figure Skating Championships. Hosted by the Singapore Ice Skating Association, the Nationals introduced our skaters to a brand new world of competition.

“I have never done such a difficult program before, and I know now what I have to do for next year,” said a determined Isabelle Tan, who received a rare Level 2 rating for a spiral sequence at the Nationals and took a silver medalist in the adult gold ladies event.

Thanks to the new international judging system, introduced by SISA into South East Asia, skaters were focused on establishing benchmarks in personal achievements for future competitions. Some 44 All Stars put on their best game face to take part in Nationals 2007 at Fuji Ice Palace this past weekend.

The gold medalists skated at the Parade of Champions for
Guest of Honour Teo Ser Luck, the parliamentary secretary from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports. The audience was also treated to a dazzling performance by the pairs team from Chinese Taipei, Darryll Sulindro Yang, 21 years old, and Amanda Sunyoto Yang, who turns 15 later this year.

However, there were many fine performances from the All Stars over the two-day competition. In particular, all the young ladies and three men (Dominic Soh, Benjamin Soh & Sunny Man) making their debuts at Nationals deserve our praise. Despite the pressure and the inevitable mishaps that take place during competition, these skaters demonstrated their ability to persevere in even the most difficult circumstances. Congratulations All Stars!

For more, please click here

Medals, Medals, Medals

What about the boys?

New to Nationals

Skaters & judges from Singapore take part in
Malaysian National Figure Skating Championships

March 17, 2007 -- Singapore’s ice skating community was well-represented at the Malaysian National Figure Skating Championships two weeks ago, with both skaters and judges from Singapore taking part in the competition. Congratulations to All Stars members Anja Chong and Maxel Lee for their 1st and 2nd placements at the Malaysian Nationals.

Thirteen year old Anja Chong won the mixed intermediate (Prenovice) category competing against 15 year old Marcus Leong. Nine year-old Maxel Lee placed 2nd among four competitors in the primary (Juvenile) event for 9 to 13 year-olds.

Maxel performed his short program to the soundtrack from Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story. For his free program, Maxel chose a more somber piece of music—the theme from Schindler’s List.

Anja skated her short program to Charleston music and her free program to Pirates of the Caribbean. She will use both programs for the Singapore National Figure Skating Championships on March 30-April 1st.

Judging at the Malaysian National Championships were Dr. Reginald Teo and Sherri Fergus, from the Singapore Ice Skating Association. Dr. Alan Blinn from Ice Skating Australia also adjudicated at the Nationals in Malaysia, and he will be making a return visit to Singapore this coming weekend.

The Ice Skating Association of Malaysia has organized two consecutive years of National Championships but also has bigger, long-term ambitions for its skaters. Like Singapore, Malaysia is anxious to receive membership in the International Skating Union. “We want to send at least two figure skaters to the next Asian Winter Games in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2011. We are confident it will become a reality as we have promising skaters,” ISAM president Datin Laila Abdullah was quoted as saying.

Indeed, many Malaysian skaters have come to Singapore for the annual Skate Singapore competitions held at Fuji Ice Palace. In particular, 13 year old Rachel Ng, who won the Junior Ladies event in Malaysia, has been a familiar face over the years to Singapore’s ice skaters. Not only did she take part in the Olympic Dream Seminar with Doug and Michelle Leigh in 2005 in Singapore, Rachel also represented Malaysia at the Korean Dream Training program in February this year.

Our experiences at the
Junior World Championships in Germany

By Darryll Sulindro Yang, Junior Pairs Skater for Taiwan

March 16, 2007--This year, my sister Amanda Sunyoto Yang and I participated in our First ever Junior Worlds, in Oberstdorf , Germany at the beginning of March. The Figure Skating Junior World Championships are held annually, and every ISU member country can send their Junior level skaters (max. 3) to compete. This year, 52 countries participated in it, which was a record breaking participation for the Junior Worlds. Oberstdorf , Germany , is held as a premier training area, located in scenic mountain area. Indeed, the scenery was very pleasant and beautiful, which matched the settings for the small town of Oberstdorf . The ice rink is a great training center with many famous coaches and 2 sheets of ice.

The Junior World experience was more hectic than our other competitions. The schedules were all worked upon very tightly and at the end of it, we all felt very exhausted. Going into Junior Worlds, we felt a little more prepared than our two initial Junior Grand Prix's in Budapest and Taipei . We had already gotten used to the new judging system and had tweaked our elements so that we would score the maximum amount of points in order to reach a new personal best, our aim for this competition. On the whole we felt it was a great performance and experience, beating our personal best short program by 8 points and long program by around 8 points to beat our total personal best by 16 points. With 11th in the short and 11th in the long, we attained 12th place on the whole, beating teams from Poland , Slovak Republic , Great Britain , and Lithuania . Between the 11th place and 12th place, there was a difference of less than 2 points, so it really was a very competitive competition. As always, the artistic second mark could always use some improvements as well as adding harder elements, which will be our goal for the next season. However, our technical mark in the free skate was a pretty solid 6 th among the 16 teams.

The competition had a very high level of excellence at Junior Worlds as all the countries sent all their top Junior Teams. As this was our first year on the Junior Circuit, we look forward to progressing so that next year we can attain higher marks. We are very grateful for the opportunity to compete and to witness the excellence of performance in the Junior Worlds. We also watched the Junior Men, which was very tense and exciting as most of the last group skated clean, or almost clean programs. All of them were such great skaters that it almost seemed a pity to have to choose only three of them to be on the podium.

Overall, Junior Worlds was a fantastic experience and once again, we are grateful to everyone who has helped us achieve this level and hope we can continue doing it in the future--with our Dream of 2010 Olympic Championship in Vancouver .

Best Wishes to all,
Darryll Sulindro and Amanda Sunyoto
Junior Pairs Team for Taiwan
California , USA

Korean Dream Program builds
friendships & cultural understanding

After reading Sarah Paw’s write-up on the summary of the 2 weeks in Korea, I’d have to say that writing this was a bit of a challenge!

This year’s Dream Program in Korea was wonderful, a new experience to some and an unforgettable memory for all! Korea is a beautiful, sparkling and mountainous place. When it snowed; there was a thick blanket of white and for some participants, this was their first time seeing and touching snow so I’m sure that they’ll miss it.

Never felt like a celebrity before? I have now! Almost everywhere you went, there were “paparazzi” there! For example, most of my friends and I were outside snowball fighting, making snow-angels, snowmen and just simply having fun! No paparazzi yet! And then of course, the video crew came and took videos of us! Since they were recording in the middle of a snowball fight…umm...lets just say that they were covered in snow when they left!

There was a beautiful and big rink there which had such a smooth surface to skate on (even the zamboni was fast and flashy)! We had two dedicated coaches in Korea, who were wonderful. They taught us in great detail how to make our elements graceful but powerful, steady but strong, beautiful and clean! Not only did we have to skate hard but all of us (even the beginners) had to have a long work out during the off-ice training. That meant that we had to jog around the stadium (which was in the same sports center as the rink) at least 10 times! But that wasn’t enough…..we also had to stretch A LOT!

Skaters came from Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Greece, and Romania while the other participants from other countries were doing short track, speed, alpine and snowboarding. Quicker than I expected, the competition had then come! I wasn’t in the top 3 but that didn’t really matter--except the part where you’ll receive a medal! Just kidding. We all had a great time practicing, supporting and competing altogether!

Besides skating, everyone had a chance to learn and experience a new culture! We all went to Gyeongbokgung (built in 1395), once a primary palace of Joseon Dynasty. The ancient palace was rebuilt after the invasion of the Japanese. The place was so serene especially with the high mountains behind it! Back at the hotel, I treasured the times where we learnt how to play the traditional Nanta drums, learning how to kick and punch the Taekwondo way, and to master making the ceramic pottery and the Korean traditional box! I also had the opportunity to meet a lot of new friends from French–speaking countries and get the chance to practice my French with them.

Everyone had so much fun participating in the Dream Program! But this couldn’t have been possible without the help of all the volunteers, the Korean Tourism Board and the Korean Government sponsorship, the Singapore National Olympic Council and the Singapore Ice Skating Association….Thank you for making our dreams come true and I do wish that Korea will have their dreams come true as well by hosting the Olympic Winter Games in 2014! I’ll miss Korea!

I would like to thank Coach Lee Chow Ying for taking care of Anja, Sarah and I during our 2 weeks stay in Korea!

Special performances by Singaporeans
Alexandria Wong, Ng Yi Ching & Jonnansical Boo

Russian Olympic Champions perform
spectacular ice show at Sentosa

March 7, 2007— From Russia With Love. That was the overwhelming sentiment at Sentosa last night, when the finest ice skaters from Russia—including 2002 Olympic Champion Alexey Yagudin—put on a spectacular show in an ice rink specially built for the occasion. Joining the Russians for individual appearances on the ice were local skaters Alexandria Wong and Ng Yi Ching and Coach Jonnansical Boo who had the special honor of doing a duet with 2002 Olympic silver medalist in ice dancer Ilya Averbukh.

The ice show was a very special conclusion to the Singapore-Russia Business forum that had taken place in Singapore over the past week. Among the distinguished guests last evening were Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Russian Minister of Economic Development Herman Gref, Singapore Minister of State Lee Yi Shyan, Singapore’s Ambassador to Moscow Michael Tay Cheow Ann and Euleen Goh, a prominent member of Singapore’s business and philanthropic circles.

“It was a great honour to represent my country in front of such an esteemed audience. I never thought I would get to perform in front of Minister Mentor Lee,” said 13 year-old Alexandria Wong , a student at Methodist Girls' Secondary School. “I also got to meet one of my skating idols, Alexei Yagudin. He has been an inspiration to most of the skaters who are my age, and I will never forget his ‘Man in the Iron Mask' programme at the 2002 Winter Olympics.”

Well aware of the enormous legacy that Russia has created in figure skating, Ng Yi Ching watched the Russian performers and thought: “Wow. Am I in dreamland?” Of her own performance, she says she was so excited that she can “only remember hearing the claps and the cheers as I curtsied and exited.” Yi Ching, who is almost 11 years old, added enthusiastically, “It was really worth sacrificing sleep” for the experience!

Yagudin and Averbukh weren’t the only stars entertaining the star-studded audience. The show also featured 2006 Olympic Champions in ice dance Tatyana Navka and Roman Kostomarov and the 2006 Champions in pairs Tatyana Totmyanina and Maxim Marin.

Earlier in the day, Russian singles skaters Ilya Klimkin and Victoria Volchkova held a 30-minute masters skating class in stroking for about 20 members of the Singapore Ice Skating Association. At the end of the class, three skaters were invited to remain for the performance: Anja Chong, Brittany Lau and Jasmine Mehaffey. SISA also had several of its coaches on hand in the evening, including Joe Ang, Philip Au, Jonnansical Boo, Lee Chow Ying and Condrey Liu.

Skating with Averbukh was thrilling but not nerve-wracking for Jonnansical Boo. “When you know that your partner knows exactly what he’s doing, it’s easy to be calm. He was fantastic,” she said. “There was no reason to be anxious.” Still, it’s not every day that a young woman from Singapore gets to skate with an Olympic medalist.

Moreover, it was quite an accomplishment for Averbukh and Boo to rehearse and perform the program in a single day. And congratulations should go to Alexandria and Yi Ching for doing Singapore proud in front of the dignitaries from Russia, the Ministers from Singapore and some of the best skaters in the world today.

Sarah Paw says Yes! to PyeongChang for 2014

Singapore skaters experience
great culture & training
at Korean Dream Programme

By Sarah Paw

When I first stepped out of the airplane in Korea, I was terrified. I was terrified by the unfamiliar language that echoed around me. I was terrified of getting lost in a foreign airport that I knew absolutely nothing about. I was terrified of being alone in a country, where everything was different, where I understood nothing and where I was alone.

I should say here that I was in Korea to participate in the Korean Dream Programme, which was part of Korea’s bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. They didn’t win that one but they promised to hold the programme every year until 2010—and lucky me, I was one of three skaters (and a coach) from Singapore who got to go this year. More than 30 countries sent 143 athletes for two weeks of training in winter sports such as figure skating, snow boarding and skiing. (And at the end of the two weeks, I actually won the skating competition.)

Walking in the wide hallways filled with people, I got to the exit. After I found my team captain (Lee Chow Ying) and volunteer (Jung Ah-Ram), I finally stepped into the busy streets of Korea. We boarded a bus that took us to the hotel for the night. The participants, including me, rode in silence. No one knew anyone yet, but we shared a feeling of remote friendship.

There were figure skaters from Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Greece and Romania. Mexico also sent figure skaters but this year they did the skiing program! Another athlete from Malawi was a table tennis star at home. For many of the kids here, it was the first time that they saw snow.

As soon as we reached the hotel, I received a giant red suitcase of clothes. For free. The clothes were bright yellow. Hmmmm, I thought. Well, I don’t have to worry about getting hit by a car at night. But they kept me warm, and after a while, the color wasn’t all that bad.

After trying on my new clothes. I got to meet some of the participants from Malaysia (Rachel Ng, Charmaine Leong and Elaine Ong) and my teammates from Singapore, Anja Chong and Annika Nyberg. Even though I never met the Malaysians before, they welcomed me into their group like we’d known each other for centuries.

In fact, almost all the participants of the Dream Program seemed to share that quality of openness. I got to know lots of them very well because they were all so friendly. We became a family. They were always there for me. When I was bored, they threw small parties so we would all be entertained. When I was sad, they dragged me to the supermarket and bought LOTS of food and pigged out. In one sense, the trip would have meant absolutely nothing, if they hadn’t been there--and I don’t just mean the close friends that I made. I mean every single person in the program.

After a night in a hotel by the airport, we once again boarded the bus to make the three-hour drive to the ski resort in Gangwon Province. This time, the bus was very noisy. Everyone seemed to get to know one another within one day. We chatted like there was no tomorrow. Of course, there were times of silence when we slept. But everyone acted as if we were the best of friends.

The resort was extraordinarily beautiful. Outside the window and beyond the balcony, were ski slopes covered in light white snow. If you could imagine a winter wonderland, the resort was 10 times more wondrous. It had a mesmerizing view and a majestic but cozy feeling to it. The Korean hosts organized some great cultural tours for us, too. We went to Gyeongbokgung Palace and SunGyoJang, a cultural relic in the area. We also had lessons in Taekwondo and we even got break-dancing lessons from the Korean B-Boys Team, Virus.

On the third day, we met the coaches. We had two coaches for figure skating. We didn’t talk much, and everything seemed very distant. But as soon as we got on the ice, they were incredibly focused, on our every move, every gesture, every stroke. They were the most excellent coaches, and we learned to love them very much. They congratulated us when we succeeded and encouraged us when we didn’t. I truly enjoyed the time I spent at the skating rink—even though there was the tiring 10-15 rounds a day we had to run for off-ice everyday!!

This year’s dream program, I must say, was a great success for Korea and for all the countries involved in the Dream program. Yes, we successfully completed our 2-week study about snow sports of our choice. But we also did so much more than just that. We bonded with each other—a bond that can never be broken. We not only became champions of the sports, but we also became friends. The best of friends.

Providing such an excellent program, gathering so many countries, and letting us have the chance to experience something that we otherwise may have never experienced. Making us feel so welcome to this unfamiliar, foreign country. After the two weeks in PyeongChang, I was no longer afraid of being alone. I was no longer terrified being in a foreign place. In fact, by the time I left, it seemed just like home to me. I now have a memory that I will never forget, a memory I can always scoop up when I am sad, a memory that will stay with me forever, locked in the depths of my heart.

I truly want to thank SISA and the whole of PyeongChang, for making all of us, from the dream program feel so welcome, so at home. Providing such a admirable, amazing, astonishing, astounding, inspiring, awesome, brilliant, cool, divine, enjoyable, excellent, extraordinary, fabulous, fantastic, incredible, magnificent, marvelous, miraculous, outstanding, phenomenal, pleasant, remarkable, sensational, stupendous, superb, terrific, and wondrous experience.

YES! PyeongChang for the 2014 Winter Olympics!

Note: For two weeks from the beginning of February, Anja Chong, Annika Nyberg and Sarah Paw from the All Stars Figure Skating Club and Lee Chow Ying from Tropical Blades Ice Skating Club took part in the Korean Dream Programme. In its bid to host the Olympic Winter Games, the Korean Olympic Committee created the Dream Programme to introduce winter sports to youth, between the ages of 11-15, from non-winter countries. It is the fourth consecutive year that Singapore Ice Skating Association has sent members to Korea through the Dream Programme.

Video Jam 2007

Welcome to Video Jam 2007!

When the skaters get together and watch International level skating videos.

Drinks and snacks will be provided too! So what are you waiting for? Come down and join us on

Date: 3rd March Saturday
Time: 10am to 12.45pm
Location: Cinnamon Room
Alumni House

Office of Alumni Relations National University of Singapore 20 Lower Kent Ridge Road

***Please contact Isabelle at islandgrove@gmail.com if you are coming***

Parking
You may park at Car Park 5 at the NUS Sports & Recreation Centre. Parking fee @ 1.5 cents per minute is payable by Cash Card upon exit.

For an interactive map
http://www.nus.edu.sg/campusmap/

Under “Cultural/Recreational/Social Facilities" choose Alumni House For more information on how to get to NUS http://www.nus.edu.sg/corporate/visitors

For Non-drivers
Bus stop in front of alumni house:
Public Bus Service: 95
Internal Shuttle Bus Service: A1, A2, C

Suggestion to get to the alumni house by public transport:
Take the train to Buona Vista turn right on exit to follow the over head bridge across the road to take service 95 right up to the alumni house

Alternatively, take 96 from Clementi interchange to opposite Yusof Ishak House and walk a short distance to the alumni house

Third alternative: take 151 and alight at the Yusof Ishak House and walk a short distance to the alumni house

Bring your friends! It’s free for you and only $1.00 each for nonmembers!

Cheryl & Phoebe take figure skating to the air waves

February 7, 2007 – Singapore’s figure skaters haven’t just been making great impressions on the ice recently. They’ve been making their marks on the air waves, too.

All Stars member Cheryl Khoo will be appearing on the Suria Channel at 7:30 pm Wednesday February 7th while Phoebe Wang made her television debut as a guest star on the Kids Central show ‘Kids Rock’ at the end of last year.

For 16 year old Cheryl, coaching five kids for a television show was just another day at work. “I wasn’t nervous teaching in front of a camera,” says Cheryl. “I was just doing what I love.”

Shooting the program, though, was a reminder how difficult skating can be. Two of the kids gave up because they got tired of falling all the time. “However, three kids can skate really well now,” reports a satisfied Cheryl. Good job, coach! For more on Cheryl, please take a look at her skater profile.

Ten year old Phoebe had to maintain her poise under pressure when she was working on Kids Rock, a 13-episode series that celebrates special achievements by young people. Phoebe portrayed a figure skater, but it was still challenging to learn the script and say her lines as if they were a natural part of her daily conversation.

“I had to act normal, but at the same time, I had to put lots of expression on my face and in my words,” says Phoebe. “It’s a different kind of expression when I do figure skating!”

Having to repeat lines for different angles and shots was a new experience, too. “Even when you have a good take, you have to do it over and over to get your close up,” Phoebe says. “And I never knew I had to wear a microphone under my shirt!”

However, the television actors and crew were impressed with requirements and challenges Phoebe and her friends face in becoming champion figure skaters. Despite the crowded ice conditions during the school holidays, Phoebe got the job done. “It was easy working with Phoebe,” says producer Nurhayatie Wahab. “She was a natural on the ice and very professional, too.”

Earlier guest stars on Kids Rock included pianist Abigail Sin, who was hailed by Time magazine as ‘a bona fide prodigy’ when she was only 10 years old. In 2006, the multiple-awarding winning Abigail became the youngest undergraduate at 14 years old at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music of the National University of Singapore.

Both Cheryl and Phoebe will be competing at the National Figure Skating Championships in March.

SISA to debut new international judging system
in South East Asia

February 1, 2007 -- Singapore’s figure skaters will be among the first in Southeast Asia to compete under the new international judging system (IJS) when the 6th National Figure Championships are held at the end of March this year. Singapore Ice Skating Association has acquired the software for the new points-based system that, thanks to its detailed marking capabilities, is a vast improvement over the previous 6.0 method.

The new judging system “was a massive undertaking by the world skating community and one of the biggest changes our sport has ever seen,” says Andrea Derby, SISA director of training and development. To keep Singapore on top of world trends in skating, SISA pulled out the stops to incorporate the judging system locally. The SISA test system was updated to include the components of the new IJS, while SISA’s judges and coaches attended seminars and talks to bring them up to speed on how the new judging system actually works.

Developed by the International Skating Union in response to the judging scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics, the new IJS has been applauded by skating federations around the world for its objectivity in marking and its greater recognition of all skating elements. “It’s no longer just a jumping contest,” concurs Sherri Fergus, a former competitive figure skater from Canada who is now a judge for Singapore Ice Skating Association and a member of the All Stars.

In addition to the technical marks, skaters can now earn greater points for program components, which include skating skills, transitions, execution, choreography and interpretation. In this past, these components were grouped into a single presentation mark. By splitting the single mark into five different components, judges can now mark with greater accuracy.

However, the new system also puts more pressure on skaters to tell a story with their program. Speaking to a group of 50 people assembled for the draw to decide the skating order at Nationals, Ms Fergus urged the skaters to show their love of the sport when they were performing their programs. “You need to react to the nuances of your music,” Ms Fergus said. Added fellow SISA judge Dr. Reginald Teo, from the Tropical Blades Ice Skating Club, said “you’re no longer just a skater. You’re an artist, a performer.”

With the IJS, skaters are accorded points for each element performed in their programs—the better their performances, the higher their points. Indeed, international skaters—and skating fans—now track scores from competition to competition, with personal best scores sometimes generating as much attention as absolute wins. When Mao Asada won the Ladies Gold Medal at the NHK Trophy in December 2006, the media highlighted the fact that her total score of 199.52 was a record high for the Grand Prix circuit.

Win or lose at competitions, skaters can focus on long-term development rather than fixating on the results from individual events. With every competition, skaters receive detailed printouts for their marks for the elements as well as for their program components. Even young skaters can now see how they have improved from competition to competition.

Both Dr. Teo and Ms Fergus had simple but meaningful advice for the skaters going into Nationals. “Train as if every practice was a competition,” said Dr. Teo. “Every competition then will seem like just another practice.” Ms Fergus was even more succinct: “You’ve worked hard to get here. Be proud.”

Look for new faces & veterans

The excitement begins as All Stars prepare for 6th Singapore National Figure Skating Championships in March

January 18, 2007--Singapore’s figure skating fans can look forward to seeing some bright new talent as well as some veteran competitors at the National Figure Skating Championships at the end of March this year. It is the sixth year in a row that the Singapore Ice Skating Association has held the Nationals, and the competition promises to be more exciting than ever as some skaters make their first bids for the gold while others aim to hold onto their titles.

The All Stars Figure Skating Club will be well-represented at Nationals. Competing for the first time at Nationals from our club in the PrePreliminary ladies A event will be young skaters such as Chloe Koh, Vanessa Leung, Claudia Philipp, Gazel Lee, Grace Wong, Amber Howard, Julia von Atzigen, Linda von Atzigen and Cheryl Tan. In PrePreliminary Ladies B, Audrey Tan and Dorothy Huang will be stepping onto the ice at Nationals for the first time. In PrePreliminary mens, look for Cheryl’s brother Damien Tan, who wowed the crowds during the Suntec City skating shows this past December.

Moving up to preliminary ladies, we can expect strong performances from youth development team members Melissa Leow, Claudia Krogmeier, Bramina Braet, Germaine Lim, Mehardika Kasih, and Michelle Lee. They will be joined in the event this year by first-time competitors Celine Bavaud and Sarah Wong.

In Preliminary ladies B, 2006 Winner Elishea Hidajat returns to compete against Cheryl Khoo, who spent the school holiday break coaching at Fuji Ice Palace. In Preliminary mens, Dominic Soh will compete for the first time at Nationals. However, young Dominic is a veteran of Interschool & Skate Asia competitions in addition to having performed with Holiday on Ice in December 2005. Dominic’s brother Benjamin Soh will be competing in Preliminary Mens B.

Prejuvenile ladies A will see newcomer Jacklynn Benfield competing against Debbie Stuart and Phoebe Wang. All three girls performed at the Suntec City ice shows in December. Casatrina Lee is going into the Prejuvenile Ladies B event after several triumphs at Skate Asia Winter Classic in December. In Prejuvenile Mens, Max Ko is aiming for another title, after winning PrePreliminary mens in 2006.

In Juvenile ladies, the familiar faces of Jasmine Mehaffey, Ng Yi Ching and Cheryl Lim will make for an exciting competition. Continuing his steady move up the ranks, Maxel Lee will compete in Juvenile this year after passing the test in December 2006. He was the Preliminary Mens Champion last year.

Prenovice ladies has three excellent skaters in the flight this year, with Sarah Rodgers coming from Scotland to compete with Anja Chong and Alexandria Wong. Sarah was the 2006 Preliminary Ladies Champion while Anja won the Prejuvenile event last year. All three girls were busy performing during their school breaks for Christmas: Anja and Alexandria performed at Suntec while Sarah was performing in Peter Pan in Scotland in a show choreographed by Robin Cousins.

Meanwhile, in Novice ladies, we will see Brittany Lau, who won the 2006 Juvenile event, squaring off against Sarah Paw, who was National Champion in Prenovice. This year, Singapore will see its first Junior level competitor in Tasha Benfield, a charismatic 14 year old with an awesome spiral sequence and phenomenal spins.

Several All Stars members will be competing in separate Adult events as well. Isabelle Tan, who has an enduring commitment to the sport, returns as an adult skater this year. Newcomer Hong Suh Ah also will be competing in one of the Adult ladies events. Former National Champion Karen Lee will be competing as an adult skater for the first time while Clara Teo makes her second performance as an adult. In the Adult Mens events, Coach Sunny Man will join the competitor ranks when he competes against Ricardo Lachika.

Three cheers for Sally & Jonnansical

Ice skating coaches now included in
National Registry of Coaching

Two member coaches of the All Stars Figure Skating Club recently made a little bit of Singapore sports history by becoming the first two ice skating coaches to be included in the Singapore Sports Council’s National Registry of Coaching—Sally Ong and Jonnansical Boo. Both coaches also have been certified by SSC for their participation in National Coaching Accreditation Program, which sets the official standard for coaching in Singapore.

More than 1240 coaches in all sports disciplines are listed on the NROC database, with women accounting for about 190. Before a coach is included in the registry, they must have passed their Level 1 Theory & Technical Coaches’ training with the SSC, and they must maintain a valid certificate in First Aid and CPR training. The theory classes run for about six weeks, and students have to take an open-book exam upon completion of the class.

In August 2006, Singapore Ice Skating Association held the first technical training session in ice skating under the SSC’s NCAP program, with Australian coach Michael Pasfield. In recognition of the importance of the NCAP program and the professional upgrading of coaches, the All Stars Club fully subsidized the registration fees for its member coaches in the SISA technical session. Sally Ong was first into the official NROC books in late November while Jonnansical Boo was recognized in December. (For more on NROC, please go to www.coaching.com.sg.)

Sally and Jonnansical coach at Fuji Ice Palace, and both are fully qualified NCAP Level 1 coaches. Jonnansical also has her Level 3 theory certification while Sally has her Level 2 theory. In comparable yet different ways, both women have contributed to the development of the skating community in Singapore. All Stars Club is proud to have them as members.

Sally Ong has been treasurer of the Singapore Ice Skating Association for the past two years and was director of events for two years before that. She is one of the many unsung heroes who help our skating community thrive. Sally does more than handle the accounts. She has been a coach for 10 years, quietly expanding her experience and her successes. Her goal is to help aspiring skaters achieve their full potential in a performance sport. Most recently, Sally has seen great results with her students who belong to the ‘next generation’ of skating talent in Singapore. These youngsters need a strong foundation in the sport if they are to carry the dream into the next decade. Her skaters have won their events at the Interschool Competition and the Skate Asia Winter Classic, which are hosted by Fuji Ice Palace. Sally continues to push herself as a skater, both in freestyle and in ice dance. In 2000, she performed at the Christmas Ice Show held at the Indoor Stadium. She also is a Bronze and Silver Level judge under the Ice Skating Institute of the United States, qualifications that also are recognized by the ISI Asia.

Jonnansical Boo was the creative force behind the very successful Christmas ice show at Suntec City, held in December by the Singapore Ice Skating Association. Not only did Jonnansical work with skaters on their performances for An Extraordinary Christmas, she wrote the script, choreographed the numbers, edited the music and even sewed some costumes. Surviving on little more than four hours of sleep a night, Jonnansical lost much of her voice. Nonetheless, she performed every night, personifying the phrase “the show must go on.” In addition to taking the NCAP training in Singapore, Jonnansical also travels annually to the United States to upgrade her skating and coaching skills. She has coached skaters at all levels, including returning overseas skaters. Jonnansical also recently spent four weeks working on a pairs partnership with Australian ice dance Champion Trent Nelson-Bond, learning pairs skating, spins and lifts—an experience that she undoubtedly will share with her students in Singapore.

Christmas comes early to Suntec & Singapore
with Magical Christmas Ice Show

December 19, 2006--Christmas came rolling into Singapore a week early, thanks to an exhilarating new ice show “A Magical Christmas” now on at Suntec City until December 23rd. Starring more than 40 figure skaters from the Singapore Ice Skating Association, “A Magical Christmas” delivered gift-wrapped skating numbers of action, music and great charm.

Evening shoppers at Suntec City quickly gathered around the 7 metre by 7 metre stage in the Tropics Atrium for last night’s debut of the signature production number, “An Extraordinary Christmas”. Choreographed by 28 year-old Jonnansical Boo, a coach from Fuji Ice Palace, the production reminds everyone that as long as we have children, there will always be Christmas.

Staging the show was no easy task. “We only had two weeks of on-ice rehearsals,” said Boo, who volunteered her time to bring the show to life. Moreover, the cast could only rehearse when the mall wasn’t open—in the early hours of the morning or late at night. “But we did a lot of off-ice rehearsals to help them learn the steps.”

Boo took the skaters through routines, varying from sentimental ballads to rock n’ roll to hip-hop and a can-can finale. “I haven’t slept very much in the past few weeks,” admitted Boo. “And I doubt the kids and their parents have either. But seeing the kids do their best tonight has made it all worthwhile.”

All the skaters performed well, but there were some standout performances by 10 year old Celine Bavaud, Michelle Lee, also 10, Vernon Lim, and Damien Tan, both seven years old, who simply sparkled during their group numbers. Damien, in particular, managed to express the heartfelt yearning that underscores the joy of Christmas for children.

Earlier in the day, Suntec got its first glimpse of the figure skaters in Kids on Ice, which will be performed daily from 1 pm. Skaters as young as five will be performing solo or small group numbers to entertain the crowds at Suntec.

The Kids on Ice performances will fluctuate from day to day so if you want to see them all, you will have to come every day!

Congratulations to the following All Stars
for passing their SISA free skating tests —
and see you all at Nationals!

Preliminary
Benjamin Soh Hao Han
Sarah Wong Hin
Dominic Soh Shi Xuan
Celine Bavaud

Pre-Juvenile
Max Ko
Debbie Stuart
Casatrina Lee Yi Wei

Juvenile
Cheryl Lim
Maxel Lee

Pre-Novice
Tasha Benfield

Novice
Brittany Lau

ISI Winter Classic sees new programs,
new winners & a new medal

December 09, 2006--There were death spirals, beach bunnies, toys on ice and skating zombies but, most of all, there was some serious competitive skating at the first ISI Skate Asia Winter Classic, held at Fuji Ice Palace from November 30. With each event, it was easy to see that the current group of local ice skaters are committed to becoming the best ever seen in Singapore.

“Even the youngsters coming into the sport are bringing more determination and enthusiasm,” said Coach Raymond Cheah, president of the All Stars Figure Skating Club. “Given the new focus that the government is giving to the development of sport in Singapore, it’s only natural that we would see advances in ice skating, too.”

Skater Michelle Lee, who competed at Skate Asia in August, brought upgraded programs to the Winter Classic. Competing in freestyle 6 for the first time, Michelle scored silver medals in all her events. “I fell, but I didn’t let that slow me down,” said 11 year old. Michelle, who simply refused to give up. “I just told myself ‘that never happened’ and kept going.”

Michelle wasn’t the only one bringing more challenging programs to the Winter Classic. Vanessa Leung, who also had competed at Skate Asia, successfully moved up to freestyle 3 and won her event. Celine Bavaud, who is one of the newest members of the All Stars, made the most of training in the morning to boost the content of her freestyle 5 program to The Chronicles of Narnia.

“Across all levels, we saw programs that were technically more difficult,” said Fuji Coach Jonnansical Boo. “More skaters were using step sequences into their jumps instead of just stroking into the elements in the freestyle programs.”

For many skaters, Winter Classic confirmed their progress of the past six months. Fourteen year-old Casatrina Lee had breakthrough performances that won gold medals in freestyle 6 programs, artistic and solo compulsory events. The key to her success? “Hard work, and numerous practices, coupled with the commitment and dedication of my coach Liu Da Xiao,” said Casatrina.

Coach Sally Ong agrees that hard work paid off for two of her young skaters who won first place as well. “There’s always room for improvement, but as a coach, it’s sweet to see your students do well at any and every level.”

Moreover, Fuji Ice Palace pulled out all the stops to create a special new medal for the skaters at the inaugural Winter Classic. Shaped as the number 1, the medal reinforced the fact that skaters were competing at the very first Winter Classic as well as the message that all skaters can be winners.

Jasmine Mehaffey, 10 years old, took the golds in footwork, artistic and interpretive programs that showcased her amazing flexibility and deepening ability to express her music. Jasmine is benefiting from collaborative coaching by Sunny Man and Zhang Wei.

Brittany Lau, who is coached by Sunny Man in Singapore and trains regularly in the US, won first place in the freestyle 8 program event as well as the fs-8 solo compulsory. Adlina Basuki took a gold medal in freestyle 8 footwork.

Thirteen year old Alexandria Wong won the fs8-interpretive event with a virtuoso performance, complete with air guitar, to Abba’s Money, Money. Alexandria and Ricardo Lachika also won the pairs fs-6 event while Cheryl Lim skating with Eugene Fock won the pairs fs-5 event. Both pairs teams are coached by Liu Da Xiao.

One of the highlights of the spotlight programs was a captivating number choreographed by Coach Zhang Wei and skated by Anja and Nadja Chong. The girls were completely charming as toys come to life on Christmas Eve.

SISA hopes to raise
awareness for children with cancer

In the spirit of the holiday season, Singapore Ice Skating Association will be sponsoring learn to skate classes with 15 children from the VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer at Suntec City in December. “We hope to raise awareness of the plight of children, suffering from cancer,” says Alison Chan, honorary secretary for SISA.

For children in Singapore, cancer is the second major cause of death. Hoping to improve the chances of survival for these children, the VIVA Foundation was launched in May 2006 as a collaboration between National University of Singapore, National University Hospital and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, US.

From December 18th to the 23rd, SISA will using the temporary ice surface at Suntec City to hold skating classes for the public. There will be two one-hour classes daily, from Monday to Saturday, beginning at 10 am. Including the rental of skates, the cost of a workshop will be $30 per skater per hour. If you are interested in booking a workshop, please email Philip Au, SISA’s director of marketing, at Philip@sisa.org.sg.

Classes for the 15 children from VIVA and 15 of their friends will be free of charge. SISA is calling for adult volunteers to assist with the children when they are off the ice, says Ms Chan. SISA plans to have games and other activities to entertain the children. If you can help with this effort, please contact Ms Chan at alison@sisa.org.sg.

Performing live at Suntec City
it’s the Singapore Ice Skating Association
and YOU!

If you want to share your passion for ice skating with the rest of Singapore and have a lot of fun at the same time, you may never get a better chance than this one. Singapore Ice Skating Association will be holding performances and learn to skate classes at Suntec City from December 18th to the 23rd.

Why not bring your boots & your best costume and help SISA dazzle the crowds at Suntec?

Help show Singapore how great ice skating is by volunteering your time to perform and/or help coach the classes. Maybe you can preview some of your newest solo program or simply demonstrate three-turns and brackets or camels & layback spins. You may even get the chance to discover the super-model in you by taking part in an on-ice fashion show.

And tell your school, your church group, your dance teacher or your tennis coach. Maybe they’ll be interested in trying our wonderful sport.

For more information, please contact Alison Chan, honorary secretary at SISA at secretary@sisa.org.sg

Our overseas ice queens

Singapore’s figure skaters win two events
at Coventry Open Competition in the UK

written on 18 Nobember 18, 2006.

Singapore’s figure skaters Sarah Rodgers and Bernadette Quah both won their events at the 2006 Coventry Open Competition in the UK in early November. Sarah won the Lord’s Mayor Trophy in the Level 5 ladies event against 8 other skaters while Bernadette was ranked best of 16 competitors in the Level 3 ladies event and claimed the Timpson Trophy.

For Sarah, the win was an early birthday present: she turned 11 years old on the 17th of November. In October she placed 4th at the Sk8 Scotland Open Competition among 20 skaters and followed that up by taking her Level 5 test. The Coventry Open was her first competition at the higher level. Sarah competed on Tuesday November 13th, and “my mom drove 5 hours on Monday to get me here so I knew I had to do my best,” said Sarah with a laugh.

In March this year Sarah won the Preliminary ladies title at the Singapore National Figure Skating Championships, and she has made a great leap forward in her technical abilities since then. Off ice, she is working on her double axel and triple jumps while on ice she continues to perfect her double loop and lutz jumps. Her program is designed to meet the standards of the International Skating Union’s new judging system. She has complicated steps into jumps such as the axel, double toe loop and double flip jumps.

As the Rodgers were driving to Coventry from Scotland on Monday, 9 year old Bernadette Quah, who lives in England, was competing in her Level 3 ladies event. She only recently passed her Level 3 test. Like Sarah, Coventry was her first competition at the higher level. Bernadette has an axel and consistent double salchow along with an increasingly reliable double toe loop. She is just a quarter rotation short of a clean landing of her double loop jump.

At Coventry, Bernadette was the 10th competitor to skate—which means she had lots of time to get nervous. “I had no expectations when Bernie got on the ice,” says her mother, Felicity Nyan. “We didn’t know what to expect from the other skaters or how Bernie would cope with the different ice.”

However, Bernadette’s first-place finish shows that she can deal with the pressures of competing. Bernadette learned to skate in Singapore at the old rink at Kallang Leisurepark, but she has lived most of her life in the UK. She trains in Oxford and comes home to Singapore during the Christmas school break in the UK. Some day, ‘Bernie’ would like to become a coach.

Ironically, Bernadette and Sarah have never met. Even though they have competed at the same competitions in the past, they have always been in different events.

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the All Stars Figure Skating Club will be held on

Date:	Saturday November 18, 2006
Time:	07:30pm
Place:	Cairnhall Community Centre, Room 02-04, 1 Anthony Road Singapore 229944 (please park across the road at Newton Hawker Market)

The agenda for discussion will be as follows:

1.	Acceptance of minutes from AGM held November 17th, 2005
2.	Acceptance of accounts for year ending 31/8/2006
3.	Acceptance of President's report
4.	Appointment of 2006/2007 committee
	The following positions have received nominations:
	President: Raymond Cheah Vice President: Tan Jing Koon Honorary Treasurer: Honorary Secretary: Laura Reid Ordinary Member: Aye Cheng Shone Ordinary Member: Isabelle Tan Ordinary Member: Christine Vogel
	If you are willing to serve on the next committee in any position, please submit your nomination form to the ASFSC honorary secretary by mail to All Stars Figure Skating Club 3 Ardmore Park #03-01 Habitat 1 Singapore 259950
5.	Appoint honorary internal auditors for 2006/2007 accounts
6.	To pass the follwoing motions:
	a) Subject to the approval of the Registrar of Societies, to amend the Constitution in the manner as set out in the appendix below. This appendix will also be posted on the website of the Association. b) Upon the amendments to the Constitution referred to in (a) above being approved at the Annual General Meeting, to submit the amendments for approval to the Registrar of Societies and to incorporate such other amendments or repeal such amendments as may be directed by the Registrar of Societies
7.	Any other business
	If you wish to request that additional matters for discussion be added to the agenda at the AGM, then please email the Secretary of the ASFSC before November 16th.

Yours sincerely,

Laura Reid
Honorary Secretary
All Stars Figure Skating Club

Click here for the Full Notice of All Stars AGM & minutes from 2005AGM

Click here for the President Report & Financial Statements

Click here for Nomination Form

Sarah wins Level 5 event at
Coventry International Ice Skating Open

Singapore’s Sarah Afiqah Rodgers got an early birthday present on Tuesday when she won the Lord Mayor’s Trophy at the Coventry International Ice Skating Open in the UK. Ten year old Sarah, who turns 11 on November 18th, claimed first place in a field of nine figure skaters. Sarah recently passed the Level 5 test held by the National Ice Skating Association of the UK, and Coventry was her first competition at the higher level. In October the young Singaporean placed 4th of 20 competitors at the Sk8 Scotland Open Championships. Congratulations Sarah!

A report from centre ice in Budapest and Taipei

When Darryll and Amanda
went to the ISU Junior Grand Prix

By Darryll Sulindro, pairs skater for Chinese Taipei with Amanda Sunyoto.

Skating in the Junior Grand Prix in Budapest for the first time was a real eye opener for Amanda and me. While we really only stayed for the pairs events, even that was a fantastic experience. JGP in Budapest was typical of most other JGP events in that the rink is not in a huge stadium and usually the audiences are not that big. However, the ice is Olympic size and you are competing with the up and coming skaters of the world.

During the JGP pairs event in Budapest, I was deeply impressed with the US pairs teams. One of them having a high, lateral split triple twist, which was the best I have seen so far from a US team. The other two were fairly consistent and, while lacking such show-stopping moves, had consistent thrown triples. If you look at the results from this Grand Prix event, you can see that the US Pairs teams took 1st, 2nd and 4th place. The future looks quite promising for the US in pairs, considering that in recent years the seniors event has been dominated by the Russians and Chinese.

In the JGP Budapest, we had some days off so we were able to travel and take in the sights, taste the local food and relax. We also met some great people and skaters from Russia, Slovakia, the US and Canada. Our experiences in Budapest showed us how much farther we had to go to skate at a true competitive level on the international circuit.

The JGP in Taipei, the Taipei Cup was almost a completely different experience, with a brand new ice rink in a stadium capable of seating 10,000 people. The Taipei Cup was Chinese Taipei's first stab at hosting an international competition so the organizers rolled out the red carpet. We had the whole camera crew, kiss and cry, overhead screen, as well as the floating camera's that followed you aroun the ice. Junior Grand Prix events do not typically have this kind of stadium fanfare; it’s usually reserved for Senior skaters and competitions.

Being back and competing in the home rink is also another whole different level. In Budapest, the audience was mainly small, sometimes only consisting of a skater’s relatives, coaches and judges. In Taipei, even though the arena was not fully packed, the crowds were pretty large. In Taipei, the ice rink was a 5-minute walk from the hotel and the weather was very pleasant. I was able to watch most of the mens, ladies and pairs events.

The mens event was astounding. Most of the Junior men were able to almost hold their own technically against some of the senior skaters. There were at least 3 to 4 skaters performing triple axels, and triple-triple combinations were abundant. However, a lack of consistency plagued many of the skaters, and in the new ISU judging system, mistakes cost many marks. As a result, some skaters scored below their best levels.

The ladies event was dominated by Caroline Zhang, who turned 13 in May, representing the US. We train at the same rink in the US with Caroline, who is coached by Li Ming Zhu. However, this was the first time we actually saw her in competition mode, which is quite different from her training mode. Her breathtaking spins, light jumps and skating deserved all the marks they received. Seeing such fantastic skating is definitely great. Another great ladies skater was 17 year old Nana Takeda (who turns 18 in December). While she struggled with a poor short, her long program was very strong, and her skating was very powerful and fast. I definitely enjoyed her speed, enthusiasm and quirky costumes on ice.

The pairs events was a close competition between the US and Russian teams. The Russians had a classic team—consistent, great throws, but lacking that triple twist. The top team had a great skate in both short and long. However, artistically, the Russians were a bit too reserved, which caused them to lose points. Although the US team had lower technical points, they were able to win overall, by scoring higher in points for presentation components. In the new judging system, presentation is very important.

Bluntly speaking, we skated a dismal short program. Our long program was more decent, though not consistent, with a popped jump and downgraded footwork and spins. However we learned something very important: we need to upgrade our artistic abilities. In the long program, our technical mark was higher than one of the Canadian teams’, but our total score was dragged down by our presentation components mark.

The new ISU judging system makes everything more organized but, at the same time, a lot riskier for the skater. A fall is a mandatory -1. An incorrect edge change results in a level drop, losing maybe half a point. The new system requires that programs be more tactical in nature, and the skater needs to be able to deliver on the requirements. The emphasis on artistry and presentation is great and important, and cause differences in placement as seen in the pairs division in Taipei.

While we did not win placement medals or score fantastic points, overall it was a great learning experience for us in our first year in the Junior level. We are looking forward to improving ourselves and hope at the necessary competitive level by the time the Junior World Championships are held in Germany in February. The Junior Grand Prix circuit is a great way to experience the international scene, and I hope Singapore will soon have the opportunity to experience it.

A note about the Author: Eighteen year old Darryll Sulindro and his 14 year-old sister Amanda Sunyoto were National Pairs Champions for Singapore in 2004 as well as individual Mens and Ladies Champions. They then moved to the US for training and school. Initially they were coached by John Nicks, and they are now coached by Peter Oppegard. In 2006, Darryll and Amanda were the recipients of the Sasha Cohen Award from the Orange County Figure Skating Club. The award is given annually to club skaters who demonstrate exceptional achievement and improvement. Darryll and Amanda passed their United States Figure Skating Association Junior Pairs test in July 2006. They plan to compete next in Germany in February 2007 at the ISU Junior World Championships. Best of luck from everyone in Singapore.

Photo by: Rising Star Photography

Bravo to Singapore’s National Champion

Sarah Rodgers skates to
4th place at Scottish Championships

Singapore’s Sarah Afiqah Rodgers narrowly missed a bronze medal at the Sk8Scotland Open Championships, held by the National Ice Skating Association of the U.K on Saturday, October 14th. Competing in a flight of 20 skaters, 11 year-old Sarah was tied in points for third place in the Level 4 event.

Unfortunately, through the mechanics of the old relative judging system, Sarah was bumped into fourth. (Only events higher than Novice were judged by the new ISU system.) Of the five judges, a majority ranked Sarah as fourth, even though she matched her competitor in points.

However, Sarah wasn’t brooding about her fourth place finish at the Open Championships, which draw the best skaters from across Scotland. “There’s always next year,” quipped Sarah, a Singaporean who resides in Scotland but came back to Singapore to compete at the National Figure Skating Championships in March 2006.

“Winning the Nationals in Singapore has been my best moment in skating,” says Sarah, a Singaporean who resides in Scotland. “But fourth in Scotland is very exciting too, because I have moved up a level, and there were so many great competitors.”

Only 1.3 metres tall, Sarah always has been known for her spark and sizzle on the ice, but she has been working hard on her technical skills since her win at the Singapore National. She spent 8 weeks in Canada from June through mid-August training with Olympic Coach Michelle Leigh at the Mariposa School of Skating.

Sarah trained an average of three hours a day on ice in addition to spending an hour off ice working on strength and conditioning. “I’m faster and smoother in my skating skills, and my spins are faster, with more revolutions, and they’re more centred, too,” reports Sarah.

However, the biggest focus is on achieving consistently clean double jumps. She started landing her double flip, loop and lutz jumps when she was in Canada. “Staying on my feet isn’t enough,” Sarah says. “I have to make sure that I have that full rotation in the air.”

Skate Asia Winter Classic
to debut in Singapore on Nov 30

All Stars competitors at the recent Skate Asia in Shenzhen will be happy to learn that the Ice Skating Institute of Asia has chosen Singapore as the first host of the “Skate Asia Winter Classic”, a new competition that will be held in Singapore from November 30 to December 3rd. With the Winter Classic, the Ice Skating Institute will be effectively holding Skate Asia twice a year. The location of the event will float from year to year, with Singapore holding the honours in 2006.

Deadline for entries is October 30th. Competition requirements are available at the following link: http://www.fujiice.com.sg/eventsskate05.htm. Historically, Fuji Ice Palace has held its popular Skate Singapore competition on the final weekend in November, but this year the ISI has bigger plans in the works. “The Skate Asia Winter Classic will give our local skaters the chance to test themselves on home ice against their peers from the region,” says All Stars Figure Skating Club President Raymond Cheah.

The Ice Skating Institute of Asia is widely recognized as the sports body in charge of recreational skating for the region. The International Skating Union is the official organization in charge of world competitive skating, as sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, and the Singapore Ice Skating Association test and competitions adhere to the standards and regulations set by the ISU.

In August, Singapore coaches Jonnansical Boo, Liu Da Xiao and Sunny Man took a group of skaters to compete in Shenzhen at Skate Asia, held at the new skating home of Chen Lu—the 1994 and 1998 bronze medalist in Olympic skating. (Please see the separate story on Henry Park Primary School’s team as well as a journal by United World College of South East Asia student Phoebe Wang.) The competition was “a big success in promoting the fun and skills of the sport,” says Jonnansical. Skate Asia was an “impressive progression linking recreational skating into competitive figure skating.”

Indeed, Skate Asia brought together 1,000 competitors from around the region, including some of the best skaters training in Asia. “I don’t mind telling you that it was very tough,” said Adlina Basuki, a veteran competitor who is known for her composure on the ice. Adlina placed third in her freestyle and artistic events, fourth in footwork and solo compulsory events and sixth in artistic events. “There were a lot more people from many different countries, and they were all very strong.”

Michelle Lee made her first appearance at Skate Asia, and in spite of the sharp competition, it was a great experience, says her mother Veronica Lam. “She made a lot of friends from other countries so she really enjoyed herself.” Competing in Freestyle 5 for under 10, Michelle came 4th among 8 skaters. In her Artistic event, she won first place among five skaters. In solo compulsory, she was hampered by a change in the required elements and ended up in 6th place of 8. However, Michelle went for the experience of competing overseas, and it was well worth the effort, adds Veronica.

Bravo to Adlina and Michelle for jobs well done under pressure!

Henry Park skaters shine at

Skate Asia in Shenzhen

September 2006 -- Singapore’s ice skaters from Henry Park Primary School laid down impressive solo performances to medal at the 8th Annual Skate Asia in Shenzhen in August. Among the 1,000 competitors from 25 countries were members of the All Stars Figure Skating Club, including Maxel Lee, Vanessa Leung, Cheryl Tan and Damien Tan. Congratulations to the All Stars from Henry Park Primary School!

The strong showings at Skate Asia didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched the HPPS students triumph at the InterSchool Skating Competition at Fuji Ice Palace in Singapore earlier this year. Henry Park launched Singapore’s first ice skating CCA in January 2003, and the school has been producing great skaters ever since. Indeed, HPPS has never faltered in its support of its ice skating students because the sport dovetails with the school’s vision of ‘A Leader in Every Child – with Talents and Strength of Character’, says Principal Ng Teng Joo.

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When Phoebe went to Skate Asia in Shenzhen

With the blessing of her school, 9 year old Phoebe Wang took a week off from her studies in August to compete in Skate Asia, a regional skating competition held by the Ice Skating Institute of Asia. It was her first appearance at Skate Asia, and she competed in 4 events. Her school, United World College of South East Asia, asked her to keep a journal of her experiences at Skate Asia. For Phoebe, the entire week was a lesson in overcoming your fears and trying your best—no matter what.

August 13, 2006

I had an Interpretive Competition this morning at 8:47 am. You never know in advance what kind of music you will have to skate to. You have to be ready for anything so Interpretive programs almost have more pressure than a choreographed program. At least then, you have had weeks to practice.

I had an extra practice at 6:45 am, and I didn't feel too nervous. After my practice, I did my hair and make-up. By that time, my teeth were chattering. My coach Liu Da Xiao told me that all I needed was expression. Soon, it was time to listen to the music in the private room. Once we listened to the music, the referee told us to go out on the ice and make up the program in a warmup. (We do not know the name of the music.)

When it was time to get off the ice, we weren't allowed to watch the other skaters perform. After one program, it was my turn. I was so nervous that my knees were shivering! I went out, thinking of my ‘new' program. Once the music started, I forgot what to do. When it was done, I was so happy. I bowed to the Judges. Nobody else bowed, which made the Judges give them a point deduction.

Eventually, the results came out and I got….1st!!

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Skaters test their skills & programs at
SISA test day in September

Congratulations to the All Stars members for passing their free skating tests at the September 16th test day, held by the Singapore Ice Skating Association at Fuji Ice Palace. It was a big day for the skaters taking part in the test system. Some All Stars had travelled overseas for training during the June school break, including Elishea Hidajat who spent three weeks in Los Angeles. Now preparing for her ‘O’ Levels this year, Elishea was relieved to have nailed the SISA skating test. “Whew!” she said succinctly.

Although many skaters get the jitters before a test, it’s helpful to recognize that tests can help a skater focus their training efforts. Judges can provide important feedback on skating skills, technical elements and choreography. Taking part in the test system is an opportunity for both skaters and coaches to receive some third-party perspective on how a program is working for the skater.

As with competitions, there is always a risk on test day that you may not skate your best. However, we urge you not to be discouraged. A test is just one single moment in time. It is not the end of the world. The best thing you can do is absorb the comments, good & bad, and get back on the ice. The Judges, your Coaches and your Club all believe that you will have many more opportunities to shine.

Congratulations also go to overseas members Skye Casey, who passed her Skate Canada Novice competitive test in August, and Sarah Rodgers, who passed her Skate Canada Pre-Novice test, also in August, while training with Coach Michelle Leigh at the Mariposa School of Skating in Canada. In July Sarah had passed Skate Canada’s Juvenile competitive test with another charismatic performance, and she also recently passed her Level 5 test, under the UK’s National Ice Skating Association’s system.

Have you landed a clean axel?

Every skater at one time or another has struggled with the axel jump. Named after Axel Paulsen, a Norwegian skater who landed this jump in competition in 1882, the Axel has been frustrating skaters around the world ever since. But have no fear - you too will conquer the Axel. Have you already landed a clean Axel? Will your coach verify it? If the answer is yes, you are entitled to a free pin from the All Stars Ice Skating Club! "I Landed My Axel." (Send your club secretary an email at lereid@pacific.net.sg) We know you worked hard for that jump so wear your pin with pride. And congratulations from everyone on the executive committee of the Club and all your friends in skating.