Cold shoulder for skaters

Press, 4 May 1984, Page 16

Cold shoulder for skaters

The introduction of the South Island figure skating championships this season will be welcomed by Canterbury artistic ice skating competitors. For most skaters, the top priority will be the national figure championships at the Glenburn Ice Arena in Auckland from September 5 to 7. The South Island events at the indoor Centaurus rink on August 26 will be a valuable preliminary for Canterbury competitors and also Invercargill and Alexandra skaters. Southland skaters have been seriously inconvenienced by the closing of the Glace rink in Invercargill

and, although a search is on for another venue in Invercargill, skaters now have to travel to Gore for ice time at present. One of the country’s most promising young skaters, Tina Birch, of Invercargill, has been adversely affected by the closing of the Glace rink. She has to travel to Gore once a week for training. She was the last recipient of the Grafton Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship in ice skating. The association’s “administrator of the year” award announced recently was won by a long-serving Auckland official, Mr Barry Adam. ,