Roller skating champs comes to Blenheim

Roller skating is the flavour of the week at the Marlborough Lines Stadium 2000 as it plays host to the 2022 New Zealand Artistic Championships.

More than 150 artistic skaters from 17 clubs around the country are spinning, gliding and jumping on the main courts in a bid to prove their supremacy against their peers.

Blenheim Rollerskating president David Winterburn says it’s a neat opportunity to bring the sport back to the South Island and Marlborough.

“I believe the last time it was in Marlborough was in the early 1960’s, in Picton, on an open-air rink on the foreshore.”

There are 69 events over the five-day event, coming to a conclusion on Friday evening and spectators are welcome.

Skaters compete in three disciplines, David says; Figures, Free Skating and Dance.

“Figures trace the circle. It’s all about accuracy. There are certain turns they have to do, and skaters are marked on quality.

“Free Skating is the jumps and spins. The more energetic style.

“Dance is broken down into different styles; there’s a compulsory, set routine with a specific pattern. Then there’s free dance, where the skater, with their coach, make up their own routine.”

He says dance is similar to free skating, just without the jumps.

“It’s more flowy, you could say.

“More graceful, whereas free is more energetic.”

The competition, which began on Monday, is doubling as qualifying event for the Oceania competition.

David says he hopes at least one Blenheim skater will qualify for the cross-Tasman event; this year held in Whangārei.

David’s 15-year-old daughter, Hannah would have qualified last year, he says, but Covid cancellations dashed those hopes.

He says in Marlborough, skating has been primarily about speed. But when David and his family moved to Blenheim, from Christchurch, four years ago they brought the artistic code with them.

“It’s something for my daughter to continue her sport.

“We have a few kids that do it. On the artistic side, about 10.”

The 2022 New Zealand Artistic Championships is on at Stadium 2000 until Friday. Spectators are welcome, and entry is free.