2023 Blog
2023 has been a crazy busy year for Elite Artistic Skating Club. Our blog follows along the events we have attended this season and some of the highlighted results and photographs.
West Berks Skating Competition
Elite Artistic took a small team of skaters to the West Berks competition in February. This is a club competition for regional athletes. Three of our athletes competed for the first time, they loved it! Well done to Ella, Gabriella and Neave!
Stefi stepped up to Prelim level for the first time and won Gold! It was a fun filled day :) Gabriella and Ella also won their first ever medals!
February
West Berks competition is the perfect one to start off the season because the first time competitors have an event all to themselves called 'Newcomer'. There is also 30 minutes before the competition starts so that the skaters can have a quick practice on a rink they are not familiar with - this is done at most regional club competitions.
Results highlights
- 1st Novice Solo - Eartha
- 1st Novice Solo - Rose
- 1st Prelim Solo - Stefi
- 2nd Novice Solo - Saffron
- 2nd Newcomer Solo - Ella
- 2nd Junior Team - Ellie/Beatrix/Stefi
- 3rd Novice Team - Ella/Gabriella/Eartha
- 3rd Prelim Duo - Ellie/Stefi
Rink Photos by Rob Bullingham Photography
MARCH
GBSA Spring Solo Dance Festival
In March, the Elite took a team of skaters to compete at the GBSA Spring Solos event - this is a national level competition as many clubs from all over GB gather at the national rink in Great Yarmouth. This event is judged under the White Marking System and the skaters compete in their GB test level standards.
This competition was Ella F's first visit to Breydon Arena. She loved the experience! This was also the first competition Elite entered couples into an event. They also really enjoyed it!
There was a mix of solo dance, couples dance, duos and team events over the weekend. Most of our skaters stepped up to a higher standard to challenge themselves in more advanced compulsory dances.
Results highlights
- 1st novice solo - Ellie
- 1st novice solo - Saffron
- 1st Elementary/Prelim solo - Stefi
- 2nd novice solo - Beatrix
- 2nd novice solo - Eartha
- 3rd novice solo - Thomas
- 3rd couples - Thomas and Saffron
- 3rd team dance - Elite Stardust
APRIL
During April, Elite attended two training events
1. GBSA Training day for the international GB squad - Breydon Arena, Great Yarmouth
2. GBSA Training day for athletes competing at Nationals - Bolton
During both GBSA training days, the Elite Pro team 2023 went through the compulsory dance Key Points with the GBSA dance team, as well as their free dance elements for the year which differs for each age category.
This was a great opportunity to get first hand advice from the GBSA Dance Team, try out pattern dance on a different rink, experiment with different travels and cluster sequences and do some off skates enhancement training.
MAY
During May, a selection of Team Elite skaters competed at two events.
1. Our Roller Dance Cup (RDC) Team competed at Maidstone Opens in round 1 of this event
2. Eva Hart competed at the World Skate International Series in Trieste, Italy
ROLLER DANCE CUP ROUND 1
The RDC event saw the Elite athletes compete in Dance and Free dance across the weekend.
Evangeline Ellis - Prelim
Stefi Aros - Inter-bronze
Coach Lauren Jarvis - Senior
Eartha also competed as part of a team for a fellow club.
RDC is an event where the skaters get points corresponding to their overall placing at the competition. After two competitions, the points are totalled and the top 5 athletes qualify for the final event.
This was the first competition where both Stefi and Evangeline moved up to much higher standard categories, competing against athletes much older than them. It was also Evangeline's first proper Free dance competition and first time being marked under the RollArt system.
The Elite athletes skated beautifully in their first RDC event. A top highlight was Stefi being awarded a L3 Tudor Waltz, and scored her first travelling.
Results highlights:
- 1st place RDC Inter-bronze dance - Stefi Aros
- 1st place RDC Inter-bronze free dance - Stefi Aros
- 1st place RDC Inter-bronze combined - Stefi Aros
- 1st place RDC Senior dance - Lauren
- 1st place RDC Senior free dance - Lauren
- 1st place RDC Senior combined - Lauren
WORLD SKATE INTERNATIONAL SERIES, TRIESTE, ITALY
Eva received a selection for this competition off the back of her excellent skating and results from the 2022 season. This was her first event competing in Style dance and her first competition of the 2023 season.
This event is run by World Skate as a 'semi-final' event where athletes are ranked by their RollArt score in their World Ranking. In the Junior and Senior categories, the top 10 athletes qualify for the Final. In solo dance, only athletes from Cadet age can compete at these events.
At international events like this, the GBSA team of skaters and coaches stay in a team hotel. For this trip, we also had a mini bus to help transport the athletes and coaches to and from the rink. GBSA sent a team of both Dance and Freestyle athletes to this event.
The rink hosting this event has fantastic facilities. The main arena rink is international size with the World Skate and other branding all around the barriers. The technical panel sit up higher so have a great view of the skaters on the rink. There is several changing rooms in the athletes area which toilet and shower facilities, and plenty of tiered seating for the audience. Outside of the main building there is a second smaller rink for the athlete warm up, which had a TV linked to the live stream so athletes can stay on schedule. There were stalls set up from shops like Edea and Roll Line. The rink organised outdoor seating and canteen so that there was plenty of food options.
Photographs taken by Raniero Corbelletti Photographie
This was Eva's first competition at World level, and fully enjoyed her experience. The most important reflection about this trip, was that we brought home so much new knowledge and learned so much from the experience. We also made some international friends, Eva met some of her skating idols and had a great time with the GB team. The GBSA team was super supportive, we had a fantastic GB team meal at the end of the trip and made some great memories throughout the experience.
Overall, we had a great trip. Our hotel was actually in Slovenia, so every day we would cross the boarder into Italy to get to the rink. The local village - Opicina, had bakeries, pizza restaurants and other food options just a short walk from the rink. And the weather was super sun all week long!
JUNE
GBSA National Championships for Tot-Cadet
Elite Pro Team 2023
Elite took a team of 7 skaters to the Tot, Mini, Espior and Cadet GBSA National Championships held at Breydon Arena, Great Yarmouth.
Just two weeks after returning from the World Skate International Series Italy, Team Elite travelled to Great Yarmouth with their younger Pro Team Skaters to compete at the National Championships.
This competition is judged under the RollArt system. For five out of the seven Elite skaters, this was their first ever competition under these rules and their first ever National Championships competition. For the first time ever, Elite entered a Tot and a Mini Men's skater into the events.
Hannah, Ellie, Beatrix, Thomas and Katie were all newcomer level in season 2022! For some of the skaters, it was only their 5th competition and their 2nd time visiting Breydon Arena. WE are so proud of their courage and resilience throughout training and the competitions weekend.
Difference between Nationals and other GBSA competitions:
National Championships has a very different atmospheric feel to other GBSA competitions like Spring Solos because for the athletes, the stakes are higher, there is potentially an international selection or title up for grabs.
Another difference, is that the skaters get a slot of time to practice on the rink for both the dance/SD and the FD. This is usually around 15 minutes, all the skaters from your competitive group will practice at the same time.
The RollArt judging system is a lot more complex than the White Marking system. The compulsory dance or style dance portion is linked to the free dance portion and the skaters get combined score to get their ranking. After the first section of competition (dance/SD), the skaters will skate in reverse order of the points ie. the skater with the most points will skate their free dance last.
Another difference is that the athletes compete against skaters who are of the same age as them in the World Skate age categories. Whereas, at other GBSA events, the athletes compete under their GB test standard eg. Elementary.
Each year, the specifications of the compulsory dances and elements for SD/FD are chosen by World Skate.
This season the compulsory dances for the categories Elite competed in were:
Tot - City Blues
Mini - Skaters March and Carlos Tango
Espior - Little Waltz and Roller Samba
Cadet PdSq in swing medley SD - Keats Foxtrot
Senior PdSq in musical/opera medley SD - Rhythm Roll Section 2
Results highlights:
- Eva Hart - Cadet Ladies Solo Dance Vice GB Champion
- Thomas Farrant - Mini Men Solo Dance Vice GB Champion
- Beatrix Aros - Mini Ladies Solo Dance Vice GB Champion
- Hannah Farrant - Tot Ladies Solo Dance 3rd Place
One of the biggest achievements of the weekend was seeing all of the Elite athletes place in the top 10 in GB in their respective categories.
Also congratulations to the following who passed their GBSA advanced tests through their RollArt scores:
- Elementary - Beatrix
- Elementary - Katie
- Silver - Rubee
A highlight of the weekends schedule was the Opening Ceremony, these happen at GBSA National Championships like they do at international events.
The Opening Ceremony officially begins the weekends competitions. It involves all of the competitors wearing their club parade outfits and taking to the rink with their flag in height order. Although Rubee did not compete at this section of the GBSA Nationals, she wanted to come to support her team members and be involved in the team spirit and club photo.
There is a declaration from a skater representative and a judge representative, and a few speeches from the GBSA Dance Team.
The weekend is a mix of skating and relaxing/having fun. Some of our skaters enjoyed an afternoon at the beach, we had a lovely team meal at Franky and Bennies and went on the arcade games at the seafront. Some of us adults went for a lovely pub lunch in the countryside for some relaxation. The team vibe was just fantastic. All the skaters are 100% supportive of one another and are the best cheerleaders for their team mates.
JULY
GBSA National Championships - Senior
Our eighth Pro Team skater - Rubee - competed in her National Championships in July. The GBSA team had to split the national event into two weekends because of the volume of athletes entered across the age categories. As Rubee was our only skater over cadet age, she was the only skater from Elite at this event. This event also took place at Breydon Arena in Great Yarmouth.
The weekend started off with the Opening Ceremony.
Rubee had two separate practices - one for Style dance and one for Freedance. Both went really well!
On her first day of competition, she did her style dance, she was first to skate out of the senior ladies which she enjoyed so that she could watch the rest of the competition and relax. She came 7th after the Style dance portion of the event which meant she would compete her free dance in the 'top 10' section the next day.
Her style dance was Musical/opera medley, she skated a Bridgerton inspired routine. Her freedance was inspired by a mythological creature and was entitled 'The Siren'. This routine went on to be voted a top GB routine of the season by the GBSA members on Instagram.
Her end result was placing a very respectable 7th place in GB. Some highlights were PB's in both her RollArt score which nearly doubled since the previous season, she scored one of the top levels of the weekend on her travelling element, and she scored a cluster for the first time.
Rink photos by Leighton Williams Photography
AUGUST
In August, Elite hosted two events at our home rink - Hartpury Elite Sports Academy.
1. a training weekend with Emilia Zimmerman
2. the Elite Southwest Skating Festival 2023
Our more advanced skaters went into great depth of understanding difficult turn techniques, cluster work and dance key points.
Elite were honoured to host Emilia for the second time in August 2023 for a long weekends worth of intense training and sightseeing around Gloucester.
The whole club were involved in learning from the 2022 Senior Ladies Solo Dance World Champion.
We had a great balance of working hard and playing hard this weekend. After a long day of skating and a few hour of rest, we took Emilia to a few different restaurants at the Quays and in Cheltenham so she could experience some of English life. We also had a Pro girls trip to watch the new Barbie movie and all dressed up in pink.
Emilia is both a coach, a mentor to Lauren and one of Lauren's dearest skating friends. She is a huge inspiration to many skaters around the world because of her dedication to skating and her amazing achievements at world level. Following her win at the 2022 World Championships, Emilia decided to focus on her career and the coaching side of skating. We are super grateful she came to visit us and are looking forwards to working with her again in the future.
Our younger skaters were given fantastic feedback to enhance their basic skills and components as well as really useful exercises to improve their one and two footed turns.
Emilia Zimmerman Training weekend
Elite Southwest Skating Festival 2023
For the second year, Elite hosted its regional club competition following the huge success that was the inaugural event in 2022. The event is open to all clubs who are affiliated with GBSA, where skaters are able to compete in solo dance, duo dance, team dance, and duo/trio free dance events.
The main aim of our competition is to bring clubs together, to have a fun and friendly competition atmosphere and to dedicate a section of the competition to newcomers to increase the grassroots skaters. We are super lucky to have such amazing facilities at Hartpury, and for our amazing committee and helpers on the day which is essential for these events to go ahead and run smoothly.
This competition is our biggest event of the year as we have all of our competitive skaters involved and we welcomed 13 clubs from over GB to compete, along with the GBSA Judges and Officials.
We had many skaters compete at higher levels for the first time this weekend, they all stepped up and did a great job, showing a growth mindset by trying new challenges.
Results highlights
- 1st Novice Solo - Ellie
- 1st Novice Solo - Eartha
- 1st Elementary Solo - Evangeline
- 1st Preliminary Solo - Katie
- 1st duo free dance - Evie/Rubee
- 1st team dance - Elite Casseopia
- 2nd Newcomer solo - Ella F
- 2nd Inter-bronze Solo - Stefi
- 2nd Inter-silver Solo - Rubee
- 2nd couples free dance - Thomas/Saffron
- 2nd Duo free dance - Lauren/Ella F
- 2nd trio free dance - Stefi/Evangeline/Katie
- 2nd Team dance - Elite Dynamite
- 2nd team dance - Elite/Cardiff team
- 3rd Newcomer Solo - Gabriella
- 3rd Novice Solo - Beatrix
- 3rd team dance - Elite Diamonds
SEPTEMBER
The next round of the Roller Dance Cup was hosted by Bolton Artistic Skating Club alongside their open competition. This meant that our skaters who weren't involved in the RDC could come along and compete.
Elite competed in a solo dance, team dance, duo showcase, solo free dance and mix and match duos over the weekend.
For the RDC competitors, this was the last opportunity to get those top points to aim to qualify for the final.
The aim of this competition was all about having fun with the Elite team mates and seeing our skating friends from over GB. And all about the RDC girls aiming for that final!
We had three coaches at an away competition for the first time! Coach Jenny performed at an away competition for the first time under Elite. We had skaters stepping up levels in categories to push themselves.
One of the biggest step ups was Katie who competed at this competition in the Cadet solo free dance category which meant she had to up her rollart levels, add on an additional time to her Espior level free dance and include another element!
We had great news after this event concluded that all of the Elite skaters taking part in the RDC had qualified in the top 5 so were all through to the Finals!
Results highlights
- 1st RDC Senior dance - Lauren
- 1st RDC Inter-bronze free dance - Stefi
- 1st Inter-bronze solo dance - Jenny
- 1st Elementary solo dance - Marla
- 2nd RDC Prelim dance - Evangeline
- 2nd RDC Senior free dance - Lauren
- 2nd RDC Senior combined - Lauren
- 2nd Cadet free dance - Evie
- 2nd duo show - Katie/Stefi
- 2nd drawn duos - Evie and team
- 3rd RDC Prelim free dance - Evangeline
- 3rd RDC Prelim combined - Evangeline
- 3rd RDC Inter-bronze combined - Stefi
- 3rd Novice Solo dance - Eartha
- 3rd Elementary solo dance - Katie
- 3rd Inter-silver solo dance - Rubee
- 3rd duo show - Eartha/Marla
- 3rd drawn duos - Jenny and team
- 3rd drawn duos - Rubee and team
HETTANGE-GRANDE INTERNATIONAL
Rubee and Beatrix were selected to represent GB in Hettange. These two skaters, along with coach Lauren and Beatrix's mum, Monica, had a fantastic adventure at Beatrix's first ever international competition. The four stayed over night in London ready for an early start the next day flying into Luxembourg airport (where Lauren accidently left her suitcase on the plane, oops), got their hire car, went shopping and found their AirB&B. We took a short walk to the rink that evening to show Beatrix and Rubee where all the facilities are. It's a great idea if it's your first time in a rink to go a bit earlier or the day before to find where the changing rooms, toilets and other facilities are.
During October, Elite attended two international competitions off the back of three of the Pro Team Skaters' fantastic results and performance at the GBSA National Championships.
1. Hettange-Grande International, France - which was hosting their event for the 30th year
2. Cup of Europe in Pula, Croatia
At this international competition, the skaters get one practice for both dance/SD and FD. Practice on a new floor is essential, it means the skaters can test out which wheels they need to use and place their patterns. After choosing the wheels that suited them, the girls both had really strong practice sessions and felt confident on the rink.
The first to compete was Beatrix, who was the only Mini skater selected to represent GB at this event. She skater her compulsory dances - skaters march and carlos tango beautifully. For her first time ever on an international stage, and the youngest GB competitor at this event, she really held her own on the floor and soaked up the amazing atmosphere!
The second part of Beatrix's event was the Free dance. Beatrix skated her Snow White inspired FD for the very last time and she was absolutely stunning to watch! Two of the highlights of this event came from Beatrix's FD competition as she scored her first ever Travelling L1 and she pulled up to finish in the top 10 in the event against some of the best skaters from Netherlands, Portugal and France!
OCTOBER
At the rink, there were several skating shops selling clothes and trinkets. There as also a cafeteria section were the girls brought many Crepes throughout the week.
The changing rooms are under the cafeteria area and lead straight onto the rink.
The weather was fantastic so we could warm up and cool down outside.
Elite 2023 International Team
We celebrated Beatrix finishing her competition, then it was time for Rubee to get focused on her competition.
This was Rubee's first international as a senior lady, in her first season as a senior lady. The competition standard was very high, she was against athletes from Portugal, China, France, GB and Netherlands.
She competed in her Aladdin inspired Style dance for the last time at this event. A highlight of this event was she achieved one of her goals which was to achieve a level in her pattern dance! She also showed how consistent her travelling is and achieved a L3 artistic sequence. She was the first skater onto the floor in the senior category, so after she had skated she could enjoy the other amazing performances. After the first portion, Rubee was sitting in 5th place.
The next day, she had to keep her nerves in check after such a fantastic result in the SD. She skated her Siren inspired free dance, which went down really well with the crowd! A massive highlight of the event came from her FD where she achieved a level in all of her elements! She finished in 5th place overall - a huge achievement.
A highlight was seeing the amazing support our team Elite girls give each other - we fully celebrate everything a skater achieves.
Rubee was super consistent in her RollArt scoring compared to the GBSA national Championships earlier in the season which is a huge achievement.
We celebrated with a shopping spree and good food!
A big difference between Hettange's International event and a Cup of Europe/Europeans/Worlds event is that this is run by a skating club - community participation is a big deal! The skating club who uses this rink are called Skate Club Lorain. They invite the local school pupils into the rink to watch different events over the competition. This creates such a fantastic atmosphere for the athletes and brings great awareness of the sport.
They also host a Gala event on the final day of the competition. This event involves ALL of the athletes who entered the competition and sees them performing alongside their competitors to create an amazing group show. The skating club there also invites some of the local talent - this year we saw a precision team, a quartet and some fantastic free skating.
All the athletes participate in the closing ceremony where the winners of the events get their trophies and medals, and we got a fab team GB picture. Then the Gala practice starts. This year, coach Lauren was asked to be in charge of the Mini skaters and choreograph their start to a carlos tango. This was so fun, but challenging as not all of the athletes understood English! It was great for Beatrix to make some new friends.
The winners of each event are invited to perform their free dances or style dances again under the stage lights and in front of a huge audience.
This is a great opportunity for all the athletes to network and socialise with athletes from around Europe, and so they can soak up some of the best skating from the competition.
After achieving an incredible second place at the Cadet GBSA National Championships, Eva was selected to represent GB at the Cup of Europe in Pula. Cup of Europe was the second time she competed internationally this season. This event was close to not going ahead, but we are so thankful to the organisers as it was a really great event and opportunity.
At this competition, the athletes and coaches from all nationals were in the same hotel for their accommodation.
The rink facilities were so cool - it was a stadium style with seating on two sides of the rink. The athletes area was downstairs where all the changing rooms were. Next to the athletes area, there was a bowling alley! First time we have seen one of those in a sports facility. There was also a few good places to eat, our favourite was a sandwich shop.
Eva's competition began with her 30 mins on rink practice with the other athletes in her category. It was good to get a feel for the floor and decide which wheels suited it best. She also got to run her style dance to music in her warm up to get a feel for the pattern.
Cup of Europe, Croatia
The first portion of the competition is the style dance modality. Eva skated her 80's inspired Swing medley SD including music 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' and 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. Fun fact: all of Eva's outfits are created by her mum - Steph Hart. Eva really enjoyed her last performance of this SD. All the club watched and cheered her on on the Live Stream.
The next day, Eva performed her free dance for the last time! This was a routine inspired by Queen and infusing Rock and Tango genres to create something new and exciting. A highlight of the event was her achieving her best RollArt score internationally and she achieved a L2 artistic sequence, both are fantastic achievements and show great improvement.
The end of the FD also marked the end of Eva's competitive season, and the end of being in the cadet age group. A highlight was being featured on the World Skate EU Instagram page whilst Eva was getting prepared for her FD competition. Next season she moves up to youth.
A few of us decided to come up with a team GB chant that we could shout super loud when the GB skaters entered the rink. At a lot of international events, especially Cup of Europe, the athletes from different nations have chants, it becomes a bit of an off rink competition.
Next up was the opening ceremony, for this only eight skaters from each nation could participate on skates. To make it fair, the GB team pulled names out of a hat. Eva was one of the selected. It was the first time she wore her new GB team parade dress - they looked so smart on the floor. We also too whole team GB photographs in the parade outfits. Eva and Lauren recreated one of the poses they did when Eva was about 8 years old.
Rink pictures taken by Raniero Corbeletti Photographie
The trip had such a great atmosphere especially on the final day of competition. The skaters were all bonding and having fun attempting couples lifts and free skating elements like axels (off skates). The Elite team were really inspired by the great skating we saw over the week and had so many learning points to bring back to training.
NOVEMBER
In November, we had another busy month with our final competition of the year, and out final international of the year.
1. GBSA Winter Solos Dance Competition
2. World Skate Athletes Camp, Venice, Italy
Monsters Inc. Group Show
We wanted the whole Elite Team to get involved in this group show, and we wanted the coolest outfits! The parents and skaters really stepped up to make these monster characters come to life. All the skaters really bonded and had so much fun. There was a mix of very difficult, crazy lifts, jumps, spins and tricks.
"One of the most creative show numbers I've seen, I really enjoyed it"
Starring Ellie as 'Boo', Lauren as 'Sully' and Rubee as 'Mike Wasowski'
RDC DANCE
The finals dances were chose at random by the dance team. Compulsory dance is the first section of the RDC event.
Elementary - La Vista Cha Cha
Prelim - Kinder Waltz
Inter-bronze - Manhatta Blues
Senior - Federation Foxtrot
Open Dance
Our novice/newcomer team and Pro team were able to compete in the open solo dance events running alongside the RDC finals. On the Friday evening, the Elite team had a practice on the rink for their group show.
Day one
On the first day of competition, Coach/skater Jenny performed her first Show number at GY and thoroughly enjoyed her time on the rink. Stefi competed in inter-bronze/bronze show level for the first time. It was the first time our tiny Tot, Gabriella, would skate on the Great Yarmouth rink. She was so excited and really enjoyed her dances. Rubee performed her Siren inspired routine for the last time and wowed the audience with her insane tricks. And Elite entered the Group Show event for the first time!
Day two
On Sunday we had a mixture of the dance teams events, RDC Free dances and solo showcases. Gabriella did her first ever solo show in front of an audience, she smashed it!
The solo show cases are all about being a character and putting on a show. In this event skaters are allowed to use dress up costumes, faceprint and can even have props! Its so creative and a lot of fun for the skaters to perform and the audience to watch.
GBSA Winter Solos
Elite took their biggest team of skaters yet to the final competition of the year which was hosted in the National rink - Breydon Arena. It was a chilly weekend, but we all had really good fun and achieved some great results.
Winter Solos marked the finals of the Roller Dance Cup events - this was the weekend the champions of each category would be determined. For this competition, all of the points previously awarded to the skater were not counted, the winners of the events were determined by the results of this weekend only. It was a fantastic achievement for our skaters to qualify for the final.
Results highlights:
- 1st RDC Elementary FD - Marla
- 1st Elementary dance - Katie
- 1st RDC Senior dance - Lauren
- 1st RDC Senior FD - Lauren
- 1st RDC Senior combined - Lauren
- 2nd RDC Inter-bronze dance - Stefi
- 2nd RDC Prelim FD - Evangeline
- 2nd RDC Elementary combined - Marla
- 2nd Elementary dance - Ella LB
- 2nd Novice showcase - Ellie
- 2nd Elementary showcase - Ella LB
- 2nd up to Bronze team - ELite Casseopia (Marla/Katie/Stefi)
- 3rd RDC Inter-bronze combined - Stefi
- 3rd place Group Show - Monsters Inc.
Once again, Team Elite showed fantastic support for one another and the competitors at the event. There was lots of making friends from other clubs and catching up with skater friends from around the country. We had so much fun, especially in the group show.
That wraps up the 2023 competition season for Elite.
World Skate Athletes Camp
Elite took a team of four skaters and coach Lauren to this fantastic event hosted by World Skate in Spinea, Italy. The camp was over four days and had participation from other nations such as Italy, Spain, Netherland, Brazil, USA, Australia etc in the Cadet-Senior age categories.
After an adventure on the Italian bus system, we made it to our Air b&b, found the closest supermarket and went to the rink to check out our travel times for the next day.
This event is the first time team Elite and our skaters attended a camp abroad. We were all very nervous but ready for the challenge and a long few days of hard work and learning. Our Elite skaters did us so proud, they committed 100% to every session and made the most out of working with international coaches.
The facilities were great - the rink was in the centre of a velodrome race track, with space for stalls and off skate training. In the corner there were mirrors and Barre set up for classical dance, there was a room with a projector for the RollLine chat and video analysis. There was a separate sports hall for more dance classes.
The skaters were organised into groups so there would not be too many skaters on the floor at one time. The schedule was jam packed - the first two days saw the cadet and youth skaters attend camp, and the final two days were for the Junior/Senior athletes.
The first sessions for each skater was Pattern Dance training with the World Skate coaches. These sessions were great, the coaches went into all the details of each step and explained some important techniques we should be using.
Another on skate session was for Travellings and Clusters. We had the amazing opportunity to work directly with Nicola Genchi in these sessions as he called levels and gave feed back to the individual skaters. A highlight of the week were the travelling sessions as Nicola confirmed Stefi, Katie and Rubee's bonus features would score.
The final session on the first day was for components - these skills are being used in the Dance Step Sequence this year which is a new element in solo dance. It was so useful to get feedback on these movements and for the skaters to challenge themselves learning a sequence in a very short space of time and progressing it throughout the session.
The athletes participated in a number of difference dance classes. This was great to increase their dance ability and range and well as having fun! Some of the classes were:
- Latin
- Commercial
- Classical
- Modern
The dance classes really helped all the athletes come out of their shell and start making friendships with skaters from other countries. A highlight was watching Rubee strutting with Natalia Baldizzone in commercial. Another highlight was Ella picking up the dance choreo so well she shone in the contemporary dance. These classes also contained some acting exercises with a partner - it was great to see Ella and Jemima and Rubee and Dani join in together and have a lot of fun doing these.
For the Junior/Senior athletes, their pattern dances, clusters and travellings were videoed throughout their training on skates and later used in the Video analysis class where the one of the World Skate coaches gave live corrections on video playback.
The skaters also had an on rink session for components and artistry - movement to two different pieces of music combined with learning a new sequence of skills. A highlight was Stefi got a "Brava" from Bassi on her artistry. And it was great to see the top athletes interpret the music, it was like watching a show.
Some of the other sessions were
- Athletic training
- Circuits
- Skate upkeep
- Makeup
RollLine, Planet Sport and Edea were there to give talks on skate upkeep, help if any equipment failed during the camp and for skaters to order any equipment. We loved the RollLine leggings and long sleeve training tops so Rubee, Ella and Stefi did some shopping for them.
At the end of their training weekend, the skaters were awarded a certificate.
All of the Elite skaters came away with new friendships, both from GB and from different nations. A highlight was the Italian team recognising Rubee from a video online and letting us know they have named a move after her because she does it so well - she and her new friend did a video together doing the 'Rubee Rainbow'.
It's safe to say we all went home with our brains full and with loads of videos to watch and analyse. It was a fantastic and fun trip with the team, we didn't get too much exploring in but we had some great team meals. Fingers crossed we can do it again next year. Big thanks to World Skate for a fantastic event.
DECEMBER
Elite's annual awards and Christmas party was a celebration of a fantastic year at Elite. Recognising International selections, competition results, attitudes and behaviours in training and at events. It's also a great time to thank all of the voluntary work our coaches and committee do to keep the club running and keep the skaters improving.
We had the disco lights and christmas music going as well as a buffet inclusive of all dietary requirements for all to enjoy. Lots of dancing and singing and fun!
Each skater and coach has a vote per category , they vote for the skater who stood out to them when thinking about each of the 8C's.
Winners:
- Care - Evangeline
- Curiosity - Gabriella
- Commitment - Eartha and Rubee
- Courage - Katie
- Communication - Stefi
- Confidence - Stanley
- Capability - Ellie
- Coachability - Rubee
We also celebrated:
- Elite International skaters - Rubee, Eva and Beatrix
- Best attitude of the month - Thomas
- Skaters who passed their most recent STAR level
- Ella T getting her Red Coaches card
At the end of each season, the coaching team discuss who has been the most improved and stands out for their hard work, resilience and potential. This year, Most Improved went to Hannah, for her outstanding improvement in competition results compared to 2022.
The coaching team put together all of the votes and appointed Role Models for the season ahead. These are skaters who follow the Elite Ethos, are always applying the 8C's and going above and beyond to grow.
- Junior Role Model - Eartha
- Senior Role Model - Rubee
The Head Coaches Award is for a skater who Lauren feels has had a journey in the season, with personal challenges and personal bests. This year, it was awarded to Beatrix for her fantastic result in her first National Championships, her first International representing GB and the resilience she shows. She has sheer determination to be the best she can be and is one of the hardest working athletes in Elite. She has overcome many mindset challenges this year and has grown so much as a skater and an individual, becoming stronger in every aspect, but most importantly, is believing in herself like Lauren has always believed in her.
Elite's 2023 season has come to an end. What a thriving season it has been. With so many personal bests, highlights, first times and improvements. The athletes and coaches are ready for Christmas holidays, and will be back 100% ready for the 2024 season!
4
TRAINING EVENTS
76
MEDAL COUNT 2023
8
COMPETITIONS
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