Upper
Hutt Roller Skating Club Newsletter
November
2007
.
SCREAM
SKATE/FRIGHT NIGHT DISCO
Our recent Scream Sk8/Fright Nite fundraiser raised around
$600 towards a fund to help the club’s international skaters selected to travel
to 2008
Grace
Cooper (pictured at right) won free entry
into club champs and a goodie basket kindly donated by the Hazelwood Family for
being judged the best dressed club member. An unnamed Star Wars Yoda won six
months free skating at public sessions for being the best dressed non club
member. The feedback from this night was so positive that the committee is
agreed to run one more night disco before the end of the year – a Festive Sk8tacular Christmas themed event
on Saturday December 15 from 7.30-10pm – mark your diaries now - start
thinking about your costumes and ask all your friends. A big thank you to Tranz Metro for the wonderful Day Rover
passes they donated as spot/game prizes. These passes enable a group of four
people to travel anywhere on the network for a day. A giant spider (aka Tanja deWilde) won one of these after
being judged the best at the Macarena in a very fierce competition. The other
went to a member of the public for being on the lucky spot. Thanks to those
skaters who stand to benefit and their parents who attended, brought friends
and helped out – Laura and Alison
McKenzie; Emma and Chris Hazelwood; Kimberley and Barrie Dean; Nika, Alan and
Mary-Anne Thomson; Emma and Fiona Patrick; Kelsi and David Linney and all
those who don’t stand to benefit directly from the fundraising but who also
brought friends, attended themselves and gave of their time to make it a great
event.
FESTIVE
SK8TACULAR: Saturday December 15
– 7.30pm-10pm. Ask your friends now and make it a full on night. This will be another night of
great skating, recorded music, games and prizes under the party lights. Entry
price includes use of skates or blades - $8 non-members and $5 for members. The
theme is Christmas so dress in festive theme – best dressed non-club member
will win six months free skating at public sessions. Best Dressed club member
will win either a Michael Campbell T-Shirt (male winner) donated by Kia Kaha or a Day Rover Train Pass (female winner) donated by Tranz Metro. We ask that those skaters
who have nominated for Oceanias 2008 (and their parents in the case of
teenagers), who did not help at the last night disco make sure they are
available to attend, bring friends and help at the next one. With everyone’s
support these events help reduce the cost for your family.
AMERICAN
COACHES – PAT AND MIKE JACQUES: We had an excellent three
day coaching seminar with American coaches, Pat and Mike Jacques, from November
23-25. All those who took advantage of the opportunity to be coached by this
pair – who have coached world champion skaters – found the time extremely
beneficial. Pat and Mike commented on how lucky we are to have our own practice
facility. That lack of reasonably priced easily accessible training facilities
is a major problem encountered by skaters worldwide (Pat and Mike own their own
practice facility). They were pleased so see so many good beginner skaters
coming through and encourage them to stick with the sport and view progress as
a long term commitment – not expect to be skating at world level too soon -
most world level skaters peak well into their 20’s. They were very
complimentary about how eager to learn our members are and how most have very
good basics.
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
2007: Entry closed on
November 24 for 2007 Club Championships which are being held at the rink on
Saturday December 8 and Sunday December 9. A schedule of events will be
available on the notice board by early December.
Events are expected to run on Saturday evening starting around 5.30pm and
all day Sunday. It’s a great day of fun competition please be involved as
participants, spectators and supporters.
RETURN
CLUB CHAMPS TROPHIES NOW PLEASE: All skaters who won trophies at Club
Champs 2006, are asked to return them (cleaned and polished ready for
presentation to the next recipient) to Bruce Crosby as soon as possible. A sign
in sheet will be on the notice board, please sign this when returning the
trophies.
CADBURY CHOCOLATE/MORO BAR/JELLY DINOSAUR SALES: Cadbury chocolates, Moro Bars and Jelly Dinosaurs have arrived!!!! Sales are going well. We ask all families to
make the effort to sell as least one box to work colleagues, friends, and
family. All money raised will help those attending Nationals in the south
island in January 2009 (next year’s nationals). It helps when all club members support each
other. Even if you don’t stand to benefit next year – your turn is likely to
come. If you think you can take more than one box – that would be even
better!!!! You will be asked to sign out
the box and sell the contents and sign in the money by Club Champs. Please see
Mary-Anne Thomson if you haven’t already been asked to take a box. Could all
money be returned by Club Champs please.
CHRISTMAS RAFFLE: We have a superb Christmas raffle as a
fundraiser for the 2008 Nationals team (next year’s team). First prize is a two
night Winter Breakway at Country House - a luxury Martinborough House, valued
at $1000; second prize is a Whirlpool AT325 Crisp Grill Microwave valued at
$500, third prize is a Day Rover Pak consisting of a Panasonic No Limits
quality backpack filled with goodies for a family day out – A Day Rover Train
pass allowing a family of four to travel anywhere on the Tranzmetro network
free for a day, a Hurricanes/Lions Rugby supporters radio, Panasonic Hoodie and
Panasonic drink bottles. The raffle will be drawn by Upper Hutt Police. We will
be asking each family to sell 10 tickets (or more) to work colleagues’ family
and friends and are also looking for volunteers to man a stall in Upper Hutt
promoting our club and selling the tickets. Please contact Mary-Anne Thomson if
you could spare even an hour any day between now and Christmas Eve to do so. A
massive thank you to Vicki, Katelyn and
Cole Kennedy and Family for their generous donation of the Country House
prize; Richard, Marguerite, Logan and
Deehan Crozier, Newbolds Upper Hutt and Fisher and Paykel for the Whirlpool
Microwave, Panasonic and Fisher and Paykel goodies including back pack, drink
bottles, hoodies, rugby supporters radio and washing powders and Bruce Crosby and Tranz Metro Wellington for the Day Rover train pass. Without the
support of these people and businesses we could not run the raffle. We
encourage you to support these businesses and their products because they support
us.
PATCH SKATERS SIGN IN: Parents of patch class skaters
must come to the desk each week to sign in your children and to come inside the
building to collect them. We prefer parents to stay and become involved in
what the children are doing and even help out at patch, but if this is not
possible – you must still accompany your children into and out of the building
or arrange for them to be brought in and collected by another responsible
adult. We have too many children being dropped off outside and picked up
outside at the moment. As well as parents needing to come in to pick up any
information they need regarding patch class, club champs, newsletters, invoices
etc this is not safe practice.
PATCH
CLASS/KIWI SPEED PARTY: The last
formal patch class (coaching) for 2007 will be held on Tuesday December 4. The
last Kiwi Speed coaching session for 2007 is on Thursday December 6. A special
fun night to mark the end of Patch Class and Kiwi Speed class for 2007 will be
held at the rink on Tuesday December 11
from 5.30-6.30pm. All patch and kiwi
speed skaters are encouraged to attend. It will be a night of skating games,
fun and food. Please bring a plate to
share and the club will provide drinks for all patch class/kiwi speed skaters
and coaches. Patch class starts again in 2008 on Tuesday February 13 and Kiwi
Speed on February 15 so mark these dates in your diary now.
CLUB
SKATES RETURN: All club skates out on loan must be returned by
the end of Patch Class/Kiwi Speed Party on December 11. Please remember to sign
them in at the desk before you leave. If you cannot attend that night the
skates will need to be returned after Club Champs on December 9.
ALL
NATIONALS SKATERS PLEASE PROVIDE CONTACT DETAILS: All Nationals skaters need
to provide dates of travel and contact details for your time in
FREESKATING, FREEDANCE AND CSD MUSIC FOR NATIONALS: Our team manager, Fiona Patrick is responsible for handing in the
whole teams music for freeskating, freedance and CSD. Please ensure if Fiona
doesn’t already have a copy of your music, or you have changed your music –
that Fiona gets a copy by Club Champs – this must be on a CD labelled with your
name, artistic number, the Club name and event it is for. If you have any
queries please see Fiona.
NATIONALS
PHOTO: Our Nationals team photo will be at the end of
club champs on Sunday December 9, this is expected to be around 5.30-6pm. We
ask all members of the team to be present for this attired in the full
Nationals uniform.
NEW MEMBERS: We welcome Peter Walker, Kendall Kazimierzale, John Seccombe, and Caitlin Williams to the club. If there
is any information you need please ask other members – we have all been new to
the sport once and are only too willing to help others.
THANKS: Thank you Jose
and Will Cooper for repairing and painting the wall near the front door
which had been water damaged. This is an excellent job well done.
UPCOMING COMPETITIONS:
o
December 8/9, Upper
Hutt Club Championships, Upper Hutt. Entries
Closed.
o
December 29 –
January 5 2008, New Zealand National Championships, ASB Stadium, Auckland. Entries closed.
o
February 23/24 2008,
New Zealand Speed Banked Track Nationals, Avalon Park.
o
April 19-26 2008,
Oceania Artistic Championships, Palmerston North.
o
May 10 2008, Central
Districts League, Upper Hutt Club Rink. Note
change of date since last newsletter.
o
May 11 2008, Medal
Tests for Medals 1-3 Upper Hutt Club Rink. Note
change of date since last newsletter.
o
June 14/15 2008,
Area Medal Tests Medal 3 and above. Pascal Street Stadium, Palmerston North.
o
September 6/7 2008,
East and West Central Regional Championships, Jubilee Stadium, Wanganui.
o
October 10-12,
Central Area Championships, Jubilee Stadium, Wanganui.
Please
Note: Dates/Venues maybe subject to alteration. Please
check with event management