NEW SKATING COACH

Press, Issue 33845, 17 May 1975, Page 4

NEW SKATING COACH

There is the scope in Christchurch for another and bigger ice rink, one with a capacity to seat about 5000 which could be used as a venue for ice shows, according to the new professional coach at the Centaurus rink, Colin Martin.

A 38-year-old from Sydney, Mr Martin has spent all his working life in ice skating. The last three weeks he has been in Christchurch at the Centaurus rink, where he will remain as coach for the next six months. Then he will spend two months in Hong Kong and another two months in Singapore, before taking a vacation. His future then is un-

certain: “I haven’t gone any further than that, but I would be very contented if I could stay indefinitely in Christchurch,” he said. “I have a beaut bunch of kids and that is the most important thing.” Mr Martin has been teaching figure skating for eight years, and for 15 years before that was with ice shows, 10 of them with the famed American show. Holiday on Ice.

He “caters for everyone” in his private coaching at the long-established Cashmere rink, from “mums who want to learn behind closed doors” to his proun of about 20 from the local club which is

training for the national championships.

Skaters in the latter group are training daily from 8 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. at present, and Mr Martin feels they have the ability to perform very well at the national championships “if luck is with them on the day.”

Referring to the need for a rink which could seat big audiences, Mr Martin said there was a very big future for ice shows and big money to be made.

The picture shows Mr Martin with one of his pupils, seven-year-old Jacqui Palmer, of Rangiora.