Holly Harris is unlike any other 14-year-old.

While some teenagers avoid their homework and watch television, Harris is dreaming of a spot in an Olympic team.

The aptly nicknamed ‘pocket rocket’ made her junior debut at the Australian Figure Skating Championships tonight after training in Colorado Springs for most of the year with Olympic coach and former USA Winter Olympian Christy Krall.

Harris backed up her hard work with a brilliant start in the short program tonight, scoring a 48.79 to lead the 20-strong field as the junior ladies head into tomorrows free program.

A spellbinding performance, Harris skated into the hearts of a large crowd with passion beyond her years and a captivating program, one she's trained long and hard.

“I do four programs a day for cardio, so I’ve been focused on getting really fit so that I’m not tired in my programs,” Holly laughed.

Krall is the technician behind Harris’ unbelievable training program, who says in depth planning goes into each day’s activities.

“Every month we sit down and plan an analysis and a program for every day that we skate,” she said.

“They are very well regulated sessions and her nutrition is also monitored so she has the energy to carry them all out.”

Structured programs and intense conditioning aren’t normally associated with a girl about to finish Year 8. Couple that with continuous travel periods and you’d expect such a young girl to struggle to stay awake, let alone glide around on the ice with ease and glamour.

However the beaming Harris has taken it all in her stride, staking her claim as one of the most talented youngsters in the Junior Ladies internationally, taking Silver at the Volvo Cup in Latvia in October.

Krall says that Harris’ determination come from her self-driven nature and belief in her ability.

“It burns within Holly, she has this own little flame that burns deep inside, and growing up in that environment gives her the passion in her eyes,” said Krall.

“Holly learns directly from former Olympians about how to skate, jump and spin as well as the thrill of victory and agony of defeat, so she definitely gets the full circle.”

Krall is aware herself of the reality of the sport and how despite all that Harris has given up for her ultimate dream, a gold medal can be the deciding factor for success.

“In the Olympics, they tell you 99% of it is getting a medal, so you have to have the brain behind you and the will to do it at that moment.”

None of that is on Harris’ mind as yet, for now she is just happy to be back in Australia home in front of her passionate team. 

“I have some really good friends and everyone’s been really supportive. I’ve missed them a lot so it’s really exciting to be here,” said Harris.

If you can’t get to the O’Brien Group Arena, catch the livestream tomorrow at 1:15pm to watch Harris and the other girls in the free program, as they make their mark on the national stage.​
https://livestream.com/iceskatingvictoria/

A mesmerised audience witnessed a stunning performance by pair skaters Harley Windsor and Katia Alexandrovskaya that is likely to be the start of a dominating national run in the short program at the Australian Figure Skating Championships tonight.

Landing a soaring throw triple lutz, they scored an incredible 60.11 points for a Short Program that will be remembered by a large crowd who stayed to watch Australia’s new super pair.

If the lyrics to Adele’s Skyfall are anything to go by, Harley and Katia have indeed started ‘a thousand miles and poles apart’ and in the coming years will ‘face it all together’.

Coming together from Western Sydney and Moscow, 20-year-old Harley and his Russian 16-year-old partner’s Skyfall is a brilliant musical choice.

Their power-packed short program, which included a split triple twist, side by side triple toes and their first attempt at a throw triple lutz, puts the rest of the world on notice ahead of the 2017 Four Continents Championships in the Olympic venue in PyeongChang next February and the World Championships in Finland the following month.

Defending Champions Matthew Dodds and Paris Stephens were gracious to Katia and Harley, congratulating them on an outstanding performance.  

The final free program will be skated tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 9.10pm. If you are in Melbourne, make a date for the O’Brien Group Arena and watch history unfold.

For Harley Windsor and Katia Alexandrovskya, embracing first time moments has never been much of an issue.

The talented and rising figure skating pair began their debut national campaign at the 2016 Australian Figure Skating Championships today, just two months after winning Australia’s first ever Junior Grand Prix Gold Medal at the Tallin Cup in Estonia.

Their story, one that has spread around the world, is tremendous. Sydney born Windsor, 20, is of indigenous heritage and was paired up with 16-year-old Alexandrovskya, a young talent from Moscow, after he was unable to find a local partner.

Windsor’s coaches, Sydney-based Russians Andrei and Galina Pachin, were the matchmakers behind the pair and have helped build a strong partnership despite the language barrier.

Galina said she couldn’t be prouder of the way both athletes have developed in under a year.

“There’s been a few tough moments, especially with their communication, but as coaches we’ve been able to help and Andrei has been great with that,” she said.

“They get to train with many of the Russian competitors so we just take each competition one-at-a-time and hope they take it right up to the best.”

While the speed of Harley and Katia’s success has surprised many fans and officials, it hasn’t shocked the coaches.
“The conversations started last summer at an international camp in Sochi, Russia, but we knew how perfect they were when they first took each other’s hands,” she said.

“They have the package to be very good and just need the experience.”

Their short program at the O’Brien Group Arena in Melbourne’s Docklands begins tonight.

“It’s the first time we’re trying the difficult throw triple lutz,” Coach Andrei Pachin said.

Winning the national pairs title would be another gong on the Windsor and Alexandrovskya’s list of fantastic achievements, as Windsor aims to become Australia’s first Indigenous Winter Olympian.

You can catch Harley and Katia on our livestream below at 9.10pm tonight with the short section of their program, with the free section scheduled for Wednesday at 9.10pm.
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https://livestream.com/iceskatingvictoria

Despite what Kailani Craine calls ‘silly mistakes’ in her free program, the Australian Figure Skating Champion leapt from 5th place to silver after a stunning free program in the Warsaw Cup in Poland today.

Kailani’s fearless performance skills, which have become her competitive hallmark, sell the program to the audience and judges and today she also delivered quality technical elements and raised the bar on her skating skills.

The free program blew Kailani’s previous personal best out of water, scoring 110.07 points – almost five points ahead of overall winner Nicole Schott from Germany.  

Nicole Schott (Germany) won gold with 165.92 points, followed by Craine on 163.38. Russia’s Alexandra Avstrivskaya took bronze with 157.57 and in 4th was Japan’s Miyu Nakashio on 157.23.

29 competitors competed in the Warsaw Cup, which is the 8th in the ten-event ISU Challenger Series that attracts stronger competitors who are looking to break into the World top 15 and the all-important ISU Grand Prix events.  
 
“I am happy with my points tonight. Of course I made some silly mistakes but I am confident I can improve on my performance for the upcoming national championships,” Kailani said after her podium performance.
Coach Galina Pachin is proud of Kailani’s fighting spirit after a few difficult training days.  

“She was a bit down in the morning because the triple flip wasn't working well. I told her that no matter what happens in the official practice - leave it there and come to comp with positive attitude and she did,” Galina explained.

"Kailani had skated well all three days leading into this event but needed to stop thinking negatively, relax in her transitions between elements and stop trying too hard. Everything in the program Kailani can do well.  I am so happy for her.
I can't describe how fresh she looked. Light on the ice and got more exited with every element she did. Only the layback at the end was not so good. She needs to try to be better each comp from now on. I’m so happy, well done team Kailani,” Galina said.  

School is now behind the 18-year-old, allowing for less stressful training blocks ahead of the all-important ISU Championships Four Continents next February and the World Championships in late March, which will determine Olympic Qualifying places.

Kailani says she will be ready and the best is ‘yet to come’.

“I feel like I can be competitive at the top and I am working towards pushing my skating to its absolute limits.”

“I was upset with my skate at Volvo Cup last week (where she took the overall bronze medal), but I had to reset fast and I’m very glad I had both my parents there to help me.”

“I've had school to deal with until now, which I think I've done well to prepare as well as I can. However now I will push full steam ahead towards my dreams.”

Those dreams are squarely focussed on the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Korea. Podiums on back-to-back weekends are an outstanding start to her Olympic campaign.

“I am confident I can achieve way more than I have shown, so I say, the best is yet to come,” she said. Two weekends with podiums has me feeling like things are finally starting to work.”

“Technically I’m going after the triple/triple – so we will see.”

Next stop for Kailani is the Australian Figure Skating Championships in Melbourne at the O’Brien Group Arena in the Docklands on December 1 and 2 where she will be defending her title for the third year before heading back to Europe for the last ISU Challenger event this season in Zagreb, Croatia.

Photo: Kailani Craine gets a podium slefie with gold and bronze medallists  Nicole Schott and Alexandra Avstrivskaya. photo courtesy of Stephen Craine
 
 
 
 
 

Seven months away from international competition working on the basics and developing her jump technique has been a smart choice for Kailani Craine.

The 18-year-old figure skater from Newcastle took on a full school and training schedule leading up to her opening competition in Latvia this morning at the Volvo Cup, placing third in the short program, increasing her PB set as a junior last year by over four points to 54.14.  

With Sydney coaches Galina Pachin and Kylie Fennell, Kailani trained two versions of her new short program, with and without a triple lutz and triple/triple combo.

Kailani decided to go with the safer option of a triple/double jump opener, delivering a clean seven-element program that attracted no edge calls or jump, which was a smart choice.

“Today wasn’t perfect but I’m happy,” Kailani said.

Coach Galina Pachin says going for the safer option has paid off.

“Because the ice is shorter, the triple lutz wouldn’t have been as good, so we decided to go with Plan B and it went well with a PB,” she said from Latvia.

Watching in Sydney was Kylie Fennell.

“It’s good for Kailani to put out a solid performance at the first comp of the season. I’m happy with the jumps - the spins were a little rushed but the extension has improved from last season. There’s still room for growth and that’s a good thing,” Fennell said.  
 
Leading the field is Russian Aleksandrina Degtiarev on 58.30 points – a three point lead over Latvian Angelina Kuchvalska who skated a great program this morning.
 
Brooklee Han, Australia’s 2015 Sochi Olympian, is sitting in 8th after a solid skate on 45.66 points in the 27-strong field. The final will be skated early Sunday morning (AEDT).

AUSSIE POCKET ROCKET TAKES SILVER
Up-and-coming Australian Novice Champion Holly Harris is making heads turn in her break-out Junior international season.
Fresh from an 11th place in her first ISU Junior Grand Prix in Germany four weeks ago, Holly won silver at the Volvo Cup in Junior Ladies, splitting the Russian skaters Anastasiia Gubanova and Avgusta Jevseeva.

Recently turned 14, the Colorado-based Sydney skater has a mature, artistic skating style that belies her youth. The tiny ‘pocket rocket’ skates with a delicate passion, combined with a growing list of triple jumps – including the lutz.

Consistent performances in the short (3rd) and free (4th) scored a total of 145.06 and was enough to secure the silver behind  Gubanova, who has made the Junior Grand Prix Final to be contested in France next month.
 
 

It’s been a chock-a-block off season for figure skater Kailani Craine who last competed internationally at the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships in March.

All that is about to change when Kailani kick starts her international competitive season in Riga, Latvia this weekend at the Volvo Cup.
The national two-time champion had remained in Australia since April, compressing her final year of high school into six months to catch up on her studies, sit her Higher School Certificate and drive to Sydney from her home base in Newcastle for training.  

“It’s been a hectic year and I’m glad I can focus totally on my skating,” Kailani said.

Olympic coaches Kylie Fennell and Galina Pachin have spent the time re-honing Kailani’s skating skills, adding layers of subtle finesse and edge quality whilst developing the all-important triple/triple jump combinations, which are essential for success in Ladies figure skating.

“We will see how Kailani goes in her first event in Latvia this weekend. She will definitely be going after the triple flip/triple loop jump combination in the free program,” said coach Galina Pachin before they left for Latvia earlier in the week.

“The triple loop jump is definitely smoother with far greater quality,” Galina added.

Finishing the HSC is a big deal for any NSW student, yet few could contemplate the timetable that Kailani managed to get through during October.

A ‘normal’ week for the dynamo included travelling twice a week to Sydney, training late at night in her home Newcastle rink, working with a dance coach weekly, study and exams, off ice training and to top it all off a flight to Melbourne to accept a scholarship from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame on October 14.

That morning Kailani had sat her first HSC English exam and by the evening was mixing with Australian sporting legends, before heading back to the exam desk the following day.

With school days now over, Kailani says she will be going after every opportunity on the ice.

“You need triple/triple jumps to be competitive. But it’s not only that – there’s the programs and high level spins,” she said.
If there’s a challenge to be had, the first words Kailani says are “bring it on”.  
 
The Volvo Cup in Latvia has attracted 27 competitors in the Senior Ladies event, among which is fellow Australian Brooklee Han. The short program starts 4am (AEST) on Saturday with the free the following day.

In the Junior Ladies, Sydney’s Holly Harris has continued her outstanding form in her debut season and currently lies in 3rd place after the short program.