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Sport
Australian hopes riding on
success of Knightmoves
JUNIOR
SPORT
with
PI Lloyd
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Canberra's Knightmoves preci
sion ice-skating team knows what
pressure is all about. After all,
precision skating requires 24 peo
ple to skate in unison. One slip
can mean disaster.
In December, the pressure will
be greater than ever as the team
heads off to Finland and Sweden
for its First taste of international
competition.
Knightmoves will not only be
representing the ACT at the two
competitions, it will also have the
hopes of Australian precision
skaters riding with the team. A
top 15 finish in Finland will al
low Australia to enter a team in
the world championships.
Knightmoves was formed 10
years ago and finally got the nod
to compete against the world's
best after the Australian nation
als earlier this year.
The locals finished third at the
nationals but Knightmoves' for
mer coach and current choreogra
pher, Gwen Peterson, said the
team had done enough to show a
panel of international judges that
it was capable of competing at
the top level.
"Our judges have said they are
convinced we will get a top 15
place but I would like to see us
get a top 10 for Australia," Peter
son said. "We have really just got
to hang in there. We have done
all the right things so far and we
are going over there with the
right frame of mind and we have
a really great back-up crew."
The one thing going against the
locals is that they only have 21
members rather than the maxi
mum 24, which Peterson said
could affect the judging, as they
believed it was easier to skate
with fewer team members.
Knightmoves skaters range in
age from 14 to 30, with the aver
age age about 18. Peterson said
the age gap did not cause too
many problems, except when it
The ACT's Knightmoves precision skating team, Photo by Dean McNIcoll Help
The ACT's Knightmoves precision skating team,
Photo by Dean McNIcoll
came to the choreography. She
had to take into account the dif
ferent heights of the skaters.
Knightmoves member Melissa
Deans, 18, agreed. She said it was
the reason precision skating was
more enjoyable than single skat
ing, because she had the chance
to skate with so many different
people.
"Sometimes we have our differ
ences but that is the same with
most team things," Deans said.
"We do not really notice the age
difference that much because we
are all doing the same thing."
Precision skating is a relatively
new sport, with the first teams
formed in Australia a decade ago,
and it has its knockers. Deans'
response was that the knockers
just did not understand what the
sport was all about.
"People put us down and think
that it is just a muck-around
thing and it is nothing big, but
we feel it is coming up in the
world now. We are hoping to get
into the Olympics in a few
years," she said.
"We have fun together. We may
look like we are being silly or
having a few laughs but that is
just the thing of being around
people and the team spirit."
With just under two months be
fore the team goes away, the
members are busily trying to put
the finishing touches to their rou
tines and watching videos of
their likely competition.
But as Peterson and Deans
said, that was not the same as ac
tually being there and experienc
ing the crowd, getting a feel for
the ice and seeing the other
teams. For now, it is just going, to
have to do.
Deans admitted the nerves
were already beginning to set in.
"We are all getting on edge a
bit. Sometimes when you have
your bad days you think 'no, this
is not going to work' and you get
a bit scared and nervous about
what is going to happen. Then
you will have a good training and
you will think 'oh wow, this is
going really well'. But you do get
a bit nervous."
With only one national preci
sion skating event in Australia
each year, Knightmoves members
will not get any competition prac
tice before they go away, so
Peterson said twice-weekly ses
sions at the Phillip Rink and reg
ular visits to a ballet room would
just have to be enough to help
Australia win a place in the
world championships.
Unbeatable Kellett collects eight
golds in state qualifying races
Canberra Swim Club's Shan
non Kellett proved unbeatable
at Telopea's summer state qual
ifying meet in Canberra last
weekend.
Kellett hardly gave anyone
else a chance in the under-14 di
vision, with eight gold medals
from as many events. She won
the 50m freestyle, 100m breast
stroke, freestyle, backstroke
and butterfly,, and the 200m
breaststroke, individual medley
and freestyle.
Kellett was well supported in
her age group by team-mate
Lisa Star who won a gold, a sil
ver and three bronze medals.
Bobby Folan continued the
medal rush for the club, taking
gold in the 100m breaststroke
and backstroke, silver in the
200m individual medley and
bronze in the 100m butterfly,
200m breaststroke and back
stroke. Other medal winners
were Shane Whipp, Megan
Whipp, Cameron Piper and Em
ma Whipp.
The host club dominated the
medal count and easily topped
the overall pointscore. Club
captain Angela Ford was one to
impress, winning four gold
medals, two silver and two
bronze. Team-mate Ben Henri
was not far behind, also chip
ping in with four gold.
Other medal winners for the
club were: Michelle Barr three
golds and a bronze; Jodie Millar
three gold, three silver and a
bronze; Melissa Griffin three
gold; Cameron Boland three
gold; John Kendrigan two gold,
three silver and two bronze;
Emma McLeod two gold, a sil
ver and three bronze; Matthew
Hudson two gold and a bronze;
Francis Williams two gold, a
silver and three bronze; Melan
ie Lloyd one gold, three silver
and two bronze; Sanja Du Pies
sis one gold, three silver and a
bronze; Ryan Prigg a gold, a sil
ver and a bronze; Anthony Ro
gis a gold; Caitriona Cameron a
gold; Greg Brewer a silver;
Steven Brewer a silver; Jason
Cain four bronze; Michael Jor
ritsma a silver and bronze; Da
vid Kelly a silver; Bren Kirk
patrick a bronze; Doug
Lawrence a silver and two
bronze; Mitchell Lewis a
bronze; Kieran McGill two sil
ver; Gareth Walker three silver;
Tara Kennedy a bronze; and
Linda Zemanovic a silver.
Daniel Webster, 12, led the
medal hunt for Ginninderra,
winning gold in the 100m and
200m breaststroke and qualify
ing for the NSW state titles.
Team-mate Andrew Stani
forth, 15, also impressed, win
ning gold in the 100m back
stroke and butterfly, silver in
the 100m breaststroke and
bronze in the 200m backstroke.
Nikolai Kobetsky returned to
form, winning gold in the 50m
backstroke and silver in the
50m freestyle. Anthony Maish
joined the gold-medal haul, win
ning the 100m backstroke. He
also won bronze in the 200m
backstroke and 100m breast
stroke. Other medal winners
were Bryony Walsh, Nerissa
Avery and Miranda Sutton.
- Dl LLOYD
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