New Year Update - Overdue!

After the final Olympic qualifying event in Salt Lake City, the Australian skaters kicked back slightly before getting back into some heavy training.

Sophie Muir, the only confirmed Olympic qualifier at this stage, advised me the other day that after 7 weeks of intense competition, she was feeling exhausted but was enjoying training and not having to race at the moment.

The whole Australian team are hanging out to see the revised lists for the Vancouver games, which after seeing some countries not taking all their allocated placings, should see several, if not all three guys, head to the games.

I believe that the ISU/IOC will announce the final country placings for the Games by the 17th of January.

WORLD SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Daniel Greig and Sophie have been selected to compete for Australia at the World Sprint Championships at the Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan on January 16th & 17th. I would suggest that this will be the last big hit out for Sophie and Dan before the Vancouver Games. We wish Dan and Sophie all the best for this event.

On the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of January in Calgary, Josh Lose will be skating the ISU Regional Qualifying event for the World Allround Championships, which will be held in Heerenveen in late March.

All going to plan, the whole team will meet up in Vancouver around the 7th or 8th of February, all going well.

I am advised that Ben Southee has continued to train hard over the Xmas break, not letting go of the hope of making the Australian Team for Vancouver as well.

Good luck to all the skaters over the coming weeks.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Brooke Lochland, although debuting on the ice earlier this year in Enschede, skated a fantasic first ever 3000m on Sunday in Heerenveen, missing the Australian record by under a second, skating a 4:37.09.

Look for more to come from Brooke, at just 18 years-old and coming from a strong inline background, expect some great things under the tutelage of Desly Hill. (Although Sunday saw Sophie take a break from her role of skater to that of Brooke's coach)

Brooke's time for the 3000m is only a couple of seconds off her qualifying for the World Junior Championships to be held in Innsbruck, Austria in late February. Good luck for your future ice career Brooke. Sochi 2014 is looking very promising!

MUIR FUNDRAISER IN AUSTRALIA

Sophie Muir's partner, Chris Hunt has organised a fundraiser night for Sophie back in Australia at the end of January.

Details:

HELLO TO ALL

SOPHS FUNDRAISER IS NOW ON FRIDAY 29TH JANUARY at MIRANDA HOTEL FUNCTION ROOM

IT IS $20 TO COME - FUNDRAISE FEE and to have a good fun crazy night.

The money raised will go towards helping Soph in Vancouver, her skating and to make life a little easy - as she has been doing it from her own pocket for 16 months.

730pm - 830pm is FREE BEER WINE, SOFT DRINK so come early to get your $$$ worth

some finger food is included in your entree

We have over $2500 worth of gifts/prizes to give away already and will have more as the weeks come.

we will have raffles, auctions, lucky door prizes, games etc during the night to help raise money and to have some fun too. Get your gold coin donations ready for raffles.

if you cant make it but still would like to help/donate something, then that would be awesome. just let us know

BRING YOUR FRIENDS, SPREAD THE WORD, LET GET ON THE BANDWAGON FOR AUSTRALIA'S FIRST EVER FEMALE SPEED SKATER.

PLS RSVP IT HELPS US KNOW NUMBERS

CHEERS AGAIN AND SEE YOU ON FRIDAY THE 29TH

CHRIS

For Chris's contact details, click the link to the Facebook page - Sophie Muir Fundraising Night.
If you don't have a FB account and you can't access the page, email me and I will forward Chris's contact details.



Megan Muir posted some BEFORE and AFTER images which are quite amusing, and show the transformation from retired inliner/backpacker to being the first ever female speed skating (LT) representative for Australia.

If you have any prizes or donations of any sort, please feel free to donate to the cause.

ANOTHER PHOTO SITE

Erik Pasman from the Netherlands has a skating photo site and he has some photos from the Berlin World Cup from November last year.

SCHAATSFOTO'S ONLINE is is Dutch but if you follow the links to Berlin (B) on each day, you will find some great action shots of the Austrlian skaters. Thanks Erik for the link and the photo's.



Now, time to respond to those emails!!! More to come soon.+