Ice Skating

The Olympic Channel – olympicchannel.com – recently interviewed Gian-Quen Isaacs (WP) as she prepares to attempt to become the next South African Figure Skater to qualify for the Winter Olympics.

Congratulations to Gian and her team for grabbing the attention of this publication.

For the full article, please click HERE or follow the link below:

https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/features/detail/gian-quen-isaacs-figure-skating-journey-south-africa/

The ISU have published their recently adopted doping rules that come into effect on 1 January 2021.

This was compiled in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and replaces any previous publications.

It is important to note that as an ISU member country, SAFSA and its athletes are subject to these doping rules in addition to the local SAIDSA (drugfreesport.org.za) rules and it is important to know what is required and prohibited.

WADA Prohibited list

If a skater is ever in doubt or is on any form of chronic medication, it is important to check with their doctor and also the sports governing body to ensure that they do not inadvertantly fall foul of doping rules.

Remember that ignorance is no excuse and penalties are applied no matter the circumstances surrounding use.

It is better to be safe, rather than regret it later.

To see the ISU communication, please click HERE

If you have any queries, please contact your Provincial Committee who can assist you with following the correct channels to ensure that you are not contravening any rules.

The WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) have sent an invitation to all of its members to encourage their athletes to attend their webinar.

DATE: 7 September

TIME: 12:00 GMT (14:00 South African Time)

LINK: WADA WEBINAR

All participants will need to register by sending their information (Name, Country, Sport, Phone Number) to e.tshabangu@africaolympic.org and sameh.elray@wada-ama.org as early as possible.

This webinar is aimed at the athletes and SAFSA would like to recommend that all skaters attend this. Remember that registration is required prior to the event.

For the full announcement, please see the WADA – Webinar for African Athletes

Should you have any queries, please contact your Provincial committee

There has been a lot of concern and, with that, questions surrounding when our skaters will be able to resume on-ice activities. The answer to this is somewhat more complicated than it appears at first glance.

There are several layers of restriction that we are facing and these are described below:

We are currently under lockdown at a National Government level where various activities, including figure skating, are prohibited. This is beyond any sector or organisational authority, including ours and our affiliates. When we do move into a phase where we are allowed to resume skating according to lockdown or other government rules, we will then be faced with the practical realities faced by the rinks and their landlords, all of whom fall under the entertainment sector.

From what we currently know, the legislation and requirements needed to be upheld are very restrictive and burdensome. Rinks and their landlords will each be responsible for various protective measures and will be required to manage this on an ongoing basis. Without going into every detail, it must be noted that there is a lot of responsibility that will be placed on the ice rinks themselves, as well as SAFSA, who will be making use of these facilities for its members. It will also be very costly.

There are strict protocols that will need to be followed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as well as what to do (and what will happen) should an infection occur. When we go back, it may not be based on whether we are allowed, but rather on whether it is practical to do so, and viable for the rinks to be open.

SAFSA have been in constant communication with the various role-players and government agencies and we are complying with their requests, while making them aware of our circumstances.

As information and knowledge around the disease is forever changing, we are often having to make decisions without possibly having all the information. For this reason we are forced to not only comply with the regulations, but to rather be too cautious, than not cautious enough.

We all want to get back to skating as soon as possible, but we also need to ensure that when we do get to go back, we are able to accommodate all of our members and give them meaningful and viable training time without it needing to be prohibitively expensive. The situation is not ideal, but it has allowed many of us to rest and recharge. Since we have no option but to stay away from our rinks, we should make use of this time to attend to our other demands and so that when we return, we can hit the ground running with little distraction.

Our skaters are some of the most determined and hardworking people in the country and it will not take long before they are all back at their best, possibly even better

Olympic Solidarity Beijing 2022 – Olympic Scholarship and ISU Development Programme Junior Skater Scholarship recipients

The SAFSA executive are extremely proud to announce that three of our skaters are recipients of the scholarships listed.

Gian-Quen Isaacs (WP) and Evan Wrensch (WP) have each been awarded the Olympic Solidarity Beijing 2022 – Olympic Scholarship. To assist in preparing and attempting to qualify for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Sinali Sango (WP) has been awarded the ISU Development Programme Junior Skater Scholarship. This scholarship is to assist Junior athletes aiming to compete at the ISU World Junior Championships, to achieve their potential.

The South African Figure Skating Association wishes these skaters all the best with their training and preparation in reaching their goals for these events.

The South African Figure Skating Association has voted unanimously to cancel the 2020 South African Figure Skating National Championships.

This decision was not taken lightly. When calculating all of the factors, many of which were worked out with great uncertainty, there was no other choice but to cancel the event.

The announcement can be viewed HERE or by navigating to the UPDATES page

It is very disappointing and there will undoubtedly be may questions around the implications of this decision. Many if not all of the concerns voiced were considered and there will be updates around these and other issues over the next few weeks, with final decisions being made at the SAFSA Council meeting in June.

The 2019/2020 season is officially over and the new season will begin as scheduled on 1 July 2020. All age categories will remain in effect as per the ISU, meaning that skaters will move up as they would have prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ISU have allowed for the submission of member countries to have the Synchro (Novice and Junior) age limits extended by 1 year. This will be tabled at the Council meeting where a decision will be made.

For any queries, please contact your provincial committee.

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The SAFSA National Executive has released a statement regarding the recent National Lockdown status change to Level 4. This was sent out on 4 May 2020.

(The official notice can be found HERE or by going to UPDATES, under the INFO DESK):

Dear SAFSA members

Following the announcement, by the President Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, on April 30 and the
easing of the national lockdown to level 4, commencing on the 1 May 2020.

With reference to the Government Gazette 11908 of 29 April, Chapter 3, www.gov.za
regarding level 4 lockdown:

• All SAFSA members are to adhere to the government regulations regarding
the exercise restrictions (of 5km radius from your home between 06:00 and 09:00
daily), social distancing, regular handwashing, respiratory hygiene and the wearing
of facemasks.

• All athletes and their training team are encouraged to continue training by
remote means to continue and maintain an off-ice schedule of fitness, to ensure
readiness for the return to their on-ice training, when and only when, this is
permitted by the government regulations.

It must be noted that the SAFSA National body do not sanction any action contrary to the
government directives of the status of lockdown.

Stay Home and Stay Safe

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Courtesy of the ISU:

The ISU Centers of Excellence (CoE) are pleased to announce that the “Keep Training!” series continues with new courses as of May 4, 2020 on Skating ISU YouTube Channel.

As part of the #UpAgain campaign launched in November 2019, the ISU CoE offered free online training sessions with top coaches, choreographers and other Figure Skating professionals and the response from athletes, coaches and the general public was overwhelmingly positive.

As of May 4, 2020, participating CoEs will be offering new training sessions and will not only invite their own students to take part but provide skaters from other CoEs the opportunity to experience new coaching styles. It will also allow skaters to connect with other athletes from around the world and to bring everyone together.

The courses include Strength, Stretching, Franky/Street Jazz Dance Class, Balance and Flexibility on Skates as well as Progressions in Different Types of Stability, that are accessible to all levels, whether amateur or high-level skater.

It is a chance to join in with the skating community and share a special Live training moment, where you will be feeling that energetic vibe, regardless of your level and geographical location. Some sessions may even include some surprise guests you will not want to miss.

It is essential for everyone to keep training, so follow the courses on Skating ISU YouTube Channel as of May 4, 2020 at 11:00 CET. You will find the full article and class schedule HERE

While the world is experiencing a massive shutdown of all sporting events, most governing bodies, including the ISU, have been hard at work in the background.

Much of this work centers around how to salvage the remainder of the season, but when the season ends in June, like ours does, a time comes when tough decisions need to be made.

The ISU has effectively closed the 2019/2020 season and has begun looking to next season. This was undoubtedly a tough decision to make and one which comes with several downsides. But the benefit to this is that it has removed a lot of the uncertainty currently being experienced by all of its members and athletes.

The ISU’S OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT explains their decision.

On a positive note, dates for the ISU Challenger Series for the 2020/21 season has been announced and can be viewed HERE

(Currently the 2020 South African National Championships is still scheduled to go ahead from 24-26 August 2020.)

KEEP TRAINING

The ISU, through their Centers of Excellence, have also put together a series of training videos under the title of KEEP TRAINING, hosted by some well established instructors, for the benefit of all skaters from around the world. These were initially streamed live on the official ISU Youtube channel and are now available to view in your own time and at your own pace.

OPEN ICE – COVID-19 SOLIDARITY RESPONSE FUND

American-Canadian Ice dance star, Kaitlyn Weaver, put together a remarkable online talk show this past weekend called Open Ice Live. It included many great legends of the sport, both past and present. They were able to reach their fundraising goal very early on in the event and eventually went on to raise over $ 40 000.00 for the United Nation Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. It was a strong showing of the international skating community coming together for this great cause.

While the entire event is pretty long at over 4 hours, it is well worth a watch, even if just to watch The Battle of the Brian’s continue (Boitano vs Orser 2.0). There are plenty of skating superstars to choose from, if you only wish to watch those who you know, but watching the entire event certainly gives viewers a more intimate look into the relationships between these stars and the circumstances they all find themselves in, which is exactly the same as our skaters and coaches.

The show can be viewed on the Open Ice Live official page or on the ISU Youtube channel or below: