clinics

Top teams in the world set to compete at London SynchroFest International

It’s a great week to be involved in synchro in Canada.

The synchro community is still buzzing after news broke only a few days ago that the 2013 and 2014 National Championships will both be hosted in Western Canada. Hopefully everyone still has some excitement left in the tank, because there’s a big event to get revved up about in the more immediate future–in less than a week, some of the top teams in the world will be in Ontario to compete for $50,000 in prize money, the biggest purse ever awarded in synchro, at the 2011 London SynchroFest International December 28 and 29.

And the best news of all, for those of us who can’t be there–live streaming! Thanks Santa! (more…)

You be the judge: Novice clinic Nov. 5 & 6

The Skate Canada Alberta-NWT/Nunavut Section is holding a Novice Synchro Judging Clinic just outside Calgary at the Springbank Park for All Seasons on November 5 and 6, 2011. The registration form and further details are available here.

While it’s perhaps cliché to say so, and I’m admittedly biased, judging is truly an excellent way to give back to the sport, and to stay involved after you’ve hung up your skates. Many skaters also get their feet wet as a judge while still competing, often taking the opportunity to trial judge at competitions they’d be at anyway. Though for many years judging suffered from the perception that it’s too subjective and political, the evolution of CPC has led to a judging system that’s far more straightforward, fair, and objective than ever before. If you’ve ever been curious to see what it’s like on the “other side,” I encourage you to consider taking advantage of this opportunity. You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

Deadline to register for B.C. clinic with Cathy Dalton extended

The deadline to register for the B.C. Section’s summer synchro clinic with Cathy Dalton–featuring on-ice sessions, and an ISU technical update–has been extended to June 30. There’s more information about the clinic in my previous post here.

Events update: international competitions; summer clinic in B.C.

A couple of quick updates about coming events:

Competitions

I’ve updated the Events page with the ISU’s 2011-2012 international competitions schedule. Most competitions don’t have an event website yet, but I’ll add these as I find them. I’ve moved links to last year’s events to an Archive page.

Of note: a Senior international is scheduled to take place in London, Ontario at the end of December. If it goes ahead, it will be the first international event (other than Worlds) to take place in Canada in a number of years.

Also of note: The World Junior Championships are referred to as just that on this year’s schedule–World Championships–rather than having the usual World Challenge Cup designation. I don’t know if that means next year’s event will be the first official World Championship for Juniors, or if it could just be a typo. Stay tuned.

Summer Synchro Clinic in B.C.

The B.C. Section is hosting a summer synchro clinic in Burnaby on July 23 & 24, 2011 featuring world-level coach and ISU Technical Committee Member, Cathy Dalton. On- and off-ice sessions for Pre-Novice synchro/Senior Bronze level to Senior synchro/Gold level skaters will focus on individual and team skills. An on-ice seminar for coaches will focus on teaching techniques for element variations, and Cathy will also conduct an ISU technical update for coaches, officials, and managers.

UPDATE: The deadline to register has been extended to June 30, 2011. The registration form is available here.