Skating artistry on show
Jessika Thomas from Bay of Plenty’s Te Moana-A-Toi club salutes the judges after her cadet ladies freeskating routine. Photos Peter Jones.
Dancers on skates swirled, twirled and soared across the Stadium 2000 floor when the New Zealand artistic rollerskating championships were staged in Blenheim last week.
Artistic roller skating includes disciplines like figures, free skating, dance, quartets, precision and show skate, with competition for athletes of all ages and skill levels.
Yvonne Lambert-Smith, the New Zealand Artistic Rollersports chairperson, was in attendance, having also been involved in 2022, when the NZ champs were last staged in Blenheim.
She said there were some early concerns regarding travel to the event after the region’s unsavoury weather event last week, saying some people’s travel was disrupted “but most of us got here in time”.
Numbers are consistent, with around 150 skaters from throughout the country involved. “They qualify in their various areas with the top skaters coming to the champs,” said Yvonne. “We have our tots, the little people, right up to advanced masters which are men and women over 55”.
She is hugely impressed with the local facilities.
“We love this stadium,” she said, “the smooth wooden floor is great, and the size is perfect, plus the staff here at the stadium are really accommodating. It is one of the better venues in New Zealand.”