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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 14, 2010 20:13:10 GMT -8
There have been quite a few articles on this subject recently, so I thought it warranted its own thread. I'm gonna try to put up the articles in the order that they were published...
Thank you to Donald Lewin Nelson (RU's Facebook Page) and Gasp (here!) for your contributions to the start of this database - and especially to Low Lin Fhoong for all of her articles noted below. She certainly has a heart for the sport - let's follow this team and wish them all the best!
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 14, 2010 20:17:06 GMT -8
They have a dreamby Low Lin Fhoong / September 13, 2010 / TodayOnline.com blogs.todayonline.com/thesportingarena/It was a move few of my schoolmates forgot in 1992, when my secondary school shifted to a new campus to the tune of ABBA’s “I have a dream”. Music lessons were dedicated to learning the lyrics to the Swedish pop group’s ditty in preparation for the big move to Anderson Road. Now, ABBA were not the coolest band in a 90’s rock-and-roll/alternative era of Radiohead, Blur, Oasis and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. But somehow, the retro tune was singing in my head this week as I walked into a lecture room filled with 80 people who had signed on for what skeptics have tagged as Mission Impossible. It was Day 1 of the Short Track Speed Skating Camp, a three-day trial to pick six athletes for an International Skating Union programme in Changchun, China. Young and old, ages 10 to 55, Singaporeans came together for a first – or last for some of the older folks – shot at Winter Olympic Games glory. Wait a minute, winter games? As in snow-capped mountains, not found in sunny Singapore? Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parlimentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, says he’s received much criticism since the idea was first mooted this year. Where will athletes train? Why waste money on the impossible? Cool Runnings, the hilarious 1993 movie about a Jamaican bobsled team who went to the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, came to my mind when I first heard the idea of Team Singapore in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. But figure skaters, ice hockey players, inline skaters answered the Singapore Ice Skating Association’s call for dedicated athletes willing to take a leap of faith with them, and for Singapore. Funding will be limited, and an Olympic-sized rink will only be up in 2012. And they stayed to skate with ISU consultant coach Yves Nadeau. Vancouver’s winter games were celebrated for the athleticism of American snowboarding star Shaun White, downhill skier Lindsey Vonn and South Korean figure skating darling Kim Yu Na. It could well be many more years before Singapore unearths its very own Apolo Ohno, but hearing Majulah Singapura played in 2018, or 2022 will be such a tropical treat. Maybe then, ABBA will finally be cool.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 14, 2010 20:19:46 GMT -8
Short track speed skaters are born in Singaporeby Low Lin Fhoong / September 13, 2010 / TodayOnline.com www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC100913-0000080/Short-track-speed-skaters-are-born-in-SingaporeSINGAPORE - The Republic's 2014 Winter Olympics dream officially flagged off yesterday with the start of the first Short Track Speed Skating Camp at the Kallang Ice World. Organised by the Singapore Ice Skating Association (Sisa) and sponsored by the International Skating Union (ISU), the three-day camp saw some 80 participants aged between 10 and 55 years sign up for a shot at six spots for speed skaters and two for coaches, who will be selected for an ISU training camp in China. The group were mainly made up of inline skaters, ice hockey players and figure skaters. Sisa president Sonja Chong was delighted with the turnout and told MediaCorp: "We were expecting about 30 on the ice and this is such an overwhelming response. We have a mixture of people, both serious and recreational. "One aim is to try to identify athletes that might have potential to be groomed to qualify for 2014, and another is to start a base for skaters for development of the sport." Participants were given a brief introduction to short track speed skating at Republic Polytechnic in the morning, before taking to the rink at Kallang Ice World for practice runs and trials. Only 31 skaters made the cut for trials on Day 2, with six to be chosen by coach Yves Nadeau, an ISU consultant, tomorrow for the eight-day camp in China. The camp will be held in Changchun, China, from Sept 18 to 25 and is part of the ISU's development programme. The athletes will take part in a competition on the final day, with the highest ranked Singapore man and woman to be crowned national champions. With the country's only Olympic-sized rink at Jurong Entertainment Centre to be completed in 2012, national skaters will be able to train in speed skating hotbeds like China and South Korea. Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, said the dream was for a Singaporean to qualify and compete at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. "We asked the IOC (International Olympic Committee) what would be best for countries like Singapore and they said slalom skiing, snowboarding and events on ice," said Teo. "I'm not looking for medals here, but a breakthrough for Singapore sports, which is having athletes at the Winter Olympics." Teo stressed the athletes cannot expect a level of monetary support equivalent to the Olympic Pathway Programme, which provides approximately $1 million each to six athletes (swimming, table tennis, shooting) to help achieve medal success at the 2012 London Olympics. Potential speed skaters will also be selected from Olympic sports like gymnastics and athletics, and selectors will work closely with the Singapore Sports School to identify talent for winter events like snowboarding.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 14, 2010 20:23:49 GMT -8
S'pore set to name speed skating pioneersby Low Lin Fhoong / September 14, 2010 / TodayOnline.com www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC100914-0000084/Spore-set-to-name-speed-skating-pioneersSINGAPORE - Having spent nearly two days casting his expert eye on the potential of Singapore's speed skating hopefuls, veteran coach Yves Nadeau is upbeat. Speaking to MediaCorp yesterday on Day 2 of the short track speed skating camp at Kallang Ice World, the Canadian, 71, said: "There are some good prospects from figure and inline skating, which is exciting. "Obviously, the biggest thing is that they have to make adjustments to short track skating." Organised by the Singapore Ice Skating Association to help identify and nurture talent for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the three-day camp kicked off on Sunday with around 80 participants undergoing a three-hour practice session on ice It was whittled down to 31 for yesterday's trials. Only three men and three women will make the shortlist for an ISU training camp in Changchun, China, from Sep 18 to 25. They will be joined by athletes from Malaysia and Thailand. "We picked those who got used to the techniques fastest, reacted and made corrections. Some of the people showed much more aptitude than others. It was challenging for many of them, but they've shown a lot of interest and worked hard," said Nadeau, the former Canadian national coach, who had previously worked with multiple world champion Natalie Lambert, who also won gold at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. The camp ends today and selected candidates will also be given an opportunity to train with the best national athletes from elite short track speed skating nations like China and South Korea.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 14, 2010 21:46:56 GMT -8
12 picked for China camp By Lin Xinyi / September 15, 2010 www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Sport/Story/STIStory_578767.html IN HIS Winter Olympics dreams, Matthew Mak always saw himself as a figure skater. The 13-year-old Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student is now a step closer to realising his dream of representing Singapore on ice - but as a speed skater instead. He was one of 12 skaters who were selected yesterday to attend an eight-day International Skating Union (ISU) speed skating training camp in Changchun, China, from Sept 18-25. The selection was made at the end of Singapore's first short track speed skating camp, which began on Sunday and ended last night. The camp was organised by the Singapore Ice Skating Association (Sisa) and the ISU to identify the first batch of athletes with the potential of representing Singapore in the sport. More than 80 participants - almost thrice the number that Sisa had expected - turned up on Sunday.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 14, 2010 21:58:56 GMT -8
More than just six of the bestby Low Lin Fhoong / September 15, 2010 / TodayOnline.com www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC100915-0000097/More-than-just-six-of-the-bestSINGAPORE - Like many of her peers, figure skater Deanna See dreamt of becoming the next Michelle Kwan, or South Korea's Kim Yu Na, who catapulted to stardom after her stunning performance at the Vancouver Winter Olympics earlier this year. But the 15-year-old has put those dreams on the backburner to pursue her latest passion - short track speed skating. The Ngee Ann Secondary School student was one of 12 participants selected last night for an International Skating Union's (ISU) camp in Changchun, China, from Sept 18 to 25. Said Deanna: "It means the world to me to be able to go to the Olympics. I never thought I would be given this opportunity because in Singapore, the focus is usually on summer sports." Some 80 hopefuls aged between 10 and 55 had signed up for the three-day short track speed skating camp on Sunday, with the aim of representing Singapore at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Participants were put through practice runs and technical drills by ISU consultant Yves Nadeau at the Kallang Ice World. The former Canadian national coach was so impressed that he decided to increase the Republic's quota for the camp from six to 12 participants. The final 12: Men Lucas Ng, Terence Chew, Bertrand Chew, Matthew Mak, Lim June Liang, Kenneth Chew Women Yap Rong Xing, Liang Qi En, Deanna See, Vernetta Fong, Anja Chong, Germaine Lim
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 5, 2013 15:44:31 GMT -8
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 15, 2014 15:57:06 GMT -8
Wow - I just noticed how many hits this Singapore thread has in comparison to most of the other countries! Here's a nice article about a promising young skater from Singapore... TITLE: Possibly S’pore’s future prince on iceTYPE: Article TAGS: Brandon Pok / Short Track Speedskating TIMELINE: September 13, 2014 www.todayonline.com/sports/possibly-spores-future-prince-ice |
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Nov 21, 2014 8:44:27 GMT -8
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