Communication No. 1153: ISU Pair Skating Development Training Seminar for Coaches, Pair Couples and Judges

The ISU wishes to inform you that the Figure Skating Technical Committee and the ISU Development Commission are organizing an International Pair Skating Development Training Seminar for coaches, Pair Couples and Judges in:

Nottingham, Great Britain, from July 2 to 6, 2002

The aim of the Seminar is to assist and advance the discipline of Pair Skating to include Members presently not involved and/or highly developed in Pair Skating skills. The immediate objective of the Seminar is to increase the number of participating Members in ISU competitive Pair events.

This Seminar will be proactive in testing Pair skills to skaters and coaches, educative in informing Members of proper pair training, and informative in equipping Judges with a higher knowledge of Pair Skating fundamentals and programming.

There will be three programs run simultaneously around the theme "Pair Skating Development":

1.	Skater program: to introduce and advance on and off-ice skills of 
        established Pair teams.

2.	Coaches: to assist present pair coaches in expanding their skills, 
        and/or to educate coaches interested in Pair Skating development 
        in their Federation.

3.	Judges: to provide training for Pair Judges in on-ice element work, 
        and Pair Skating evaluation.


The following Members are invited to apply to send the following number of 
participants:

Members				Coaches*    Pair Couples**	Judges***

CAN, CHN, RUS, USA		   1		1	           0

CZE, EST, FRA, GER, GBR, 
FIN, POL, SVL, UKR, YUG		   2	        2	           2

Other Members			   1	        1	           2

*Coaches must be presently teaching Pair Skating or must show a keen interest 
 in teaching and developing Pair Skating in their own country.

**Pair Couples must be the following ages (Ladies: 13 to 17, Men: 13 to 19) 
  and have competed in at least a National Championship or a National 
  competition at the Junior level or younger. A copy of the protocol must 
  accompany the application.

***Judges must be judging at International Competition level or ISU 
   Championship level, or a prospective Judge for International Competitions 
   within the next skating season.

Program

The training Seminar will focus on the following:

Coaches will also be educated in both technical and presentation aspects of 
the sport.

-	Planning (development of a Pair program & Pair Couples)
-	Information on various countries' Pair development programs
-	Technical aspects of Pair Skating 
-	Biomechanics of Pair elements
-	Off-Ice Pair training programs
-	Sport Psychology (relationship management)
-	Safety Issues regarding Pair Skating
-	Development of good Pair Skating (without the technical elements) 
-	Choreography (for Pairs)

Skaters would be educated in both the development of the technical and presentation 
aspects of the sport.

-	Technical Session (On & Off the Ice) (lift, throws, pair spins, other)
-	Edge Classes (development of unison)
-	Dance/Movement Classes (unison)
-	Fitness/Strength/Power (specific for Pairs)
-	Sport Psychology (relationship management)

Judges will also be educated in both technical and presentation aspects of 
the sport.

-	Identification of various Pair Skating elements
-	Basic biomechanics of Pair Skating elements 
-	Principle of judging Pair Skating
-	ISU Rule governing Pair Skating
-	Understanding good Pair Skating 
-	Presentation Mark (for Pairs)

Expenses

The responsibility for the Seminar is as follows:

a) The living expenses (room on a shared basis and meals) will be borne by the ISU for the period from dinner on Monday, July 1 to breakfast Sunday, July 7.

b) Judge's travel expenses of up to a maximum contribution of 50% of an Apex or Super Apex air ticket (whichever is less expensive) will be borne by the ISU. Members will be responsible for all travel expenses for coaches and Skaters. Travel must be arranged to either East Midland Airport (EMA) or London Heathrow Airport (LHR) where participants will be transferred to Nottingham.

Applications for the Seminar must be received no later than May 1, 2002 and Members will be notified of their participation approximately 6 weeks prior to the commencement of the Seminar. As the total number of participants is restricted for this Seminar, the Figure Skating Technical Committee will make the final selections from the applications submitted.

Application

Applications for the Seminar should be forwarded to the ISU Secretariat with copies to Ms. Sally-Anne Stapleford, Chairperson of the Figure Skating Technical Committee, Mr. David Dore and Mr. Gyorgy Sallak, Co-chairs of the Development Commission.

Milan,				Ottavio Cinquanta, President
	April 5, 2002
Lausanne,			Fredi Schmid, General Secretary

ISU Front Page