Few cutting figures on the ice

Press, 1 September 1982, Page 26

Few cutting figures on the ice

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

The most encouraging aspect of the New Zealand ice skating figure championships in Invercargill from tomorrow to Sunday is the excellent response to the introduction of a new grade, the pre-junior. This competition is eligible to skaters who have not attained their bronze medals and 24 skaters, six from Auckland, five from Christchurch, five from Gore and eight from Invercargill, have entered. The entry augurs well for the future of junior skating. Medal qualifications • have been compulsory for entry into the various grades this year and that should result in a more even and better standard of skating. The junior women's class has 11 entrants and Christchurch skaters should be prominent. Anyone of Lisa McArdle, Justine Brownlee, Elizabeth Parry or Sandra Adamson, could claim the over-all aggregate. Last year’s national junior champion. Carey Shepherd, of Christchurch, attempts the pre-intermediate women’s championship for the first time and she is expected to give a good account of herself. Her main rival might be her Centaurus club-mate, Christine Crompton.

Three skaters of similar ability, Jane Clifford and Vanessa Carey, of Canter-

bury, and Tina Birch, of Invercargill, ensure interest in the intermediate women’s competition. Miss Clifford, a New Zealand speed representative, reverts to figure blades and faces tough competition from her two rivals who were first and second in last year’s preintermediate championship. The, figures to be completed in this year’s senior and intermediate grades are the same as those defined for international senior and junior competitions. ■

In the senior section. Kathy Lindsay, of Invercargill, and Denyse Adam, of Auckland, will renew their rivalry. Both have .recently returned from the Australian championships where they were placed ninth and tenth, respectively. Miss Lindsay finished a creditable sixth in the figures in her first year of the Australian senior championship. The pressure will be on Miss Adam to retain her aggregate title and to try and regain the free-skating title which was taken from her by Miss Lindsay last year. Miss Adam was the country’s only representative at the world championships in Copenhagen earlier this year, but torn ligaments forced her withdrawal after the figure section. She has since, attended a summer skating school in Canada and is at

present competing in international competitions in Europe. She will arrive back just in time for the New Zealand event. The men’s entry is again disappointing and the senior title will be won unopposed by the accomplished John Walkingshaw, of Invercargill. Chris Blong, of Auckland, graduates to the intermediate ' grade after finishing runner-up last year in the junior class. Blong, who was the third New Zealander to compete in the Australian championships earlier this month, gained considerable experience from that trip. Unfortunately, he, too, will have no opposition. Two Canterbury intermediate pairs, Mike Day and Jane Mentink, and Chris Lau- . rie and Clare Shave, should continue their close competition in the dancing. Laurie and Miss Shave have the edge on the last occasion, but both couples have to perform a free dance and points from that might prove the deciding factor. The Southland pair, Peter Restieaux and Linda Reid, are likely favourites to win the pre-intermediate dance from several Canterbury combinations. The Canterbury contingent, consisting of 20 skaters from the Centaurus club, has a good chance of winning the Allchurch Shield for the club accumulating the most points.