Major Events in 5 Year Club
History
December 10, 1997
Zagreb Snowflakes Synchronized Skating Club (Klub sinkroniziranog
klizanja «Zagrebačke pahuljice») was founded on the initiative
of Danica Jurković, President of the Croatian Skating Federation,
after two years of being a section of the Zagreb Skating
Federation and its informal participation at the Zagreb
Championship held on February 21, 1997. Since the very first
day, Kristina Blat has been the team's coach. We are not
exactly thirlled about our club name, although we must admit,
it "doesn't sound all that bad" in English…
December 27, 1997
We bought our first "real" skates from the funds
of the ISU development programme. Twenty-four pairs … We
are no longer "barefoot"…
March 13, 1998
We took part in an ice show "Fairy Tale on the Ice,"
in which 50 skaters participated and which was seen by some
ten thousand pupils in its three shows. We "earned"
our first blue-and-white dresses… We are no longer "naked"
…
March 21, 1998
We received more equipment, rejoicing at leggings, T-shirts
and track suits bearing the club logo.
March 27, 1998
Our enthusiasm, dedication and marked team spirit on and
off the ice "charmed" the high ISU official Brita
Lindgren during her inspection visit to Croatia …
May 2, 1998
Our two novice teams participated at the Zagreb Championship
and won their first medals. The best team, "Ice Cats,"
took gold, while the "Sparks" won a silver medal
… We are still too young to make a junior team because only
five girls are older than fourteen …
November 4, 1998
For the first time, the junior and novice teams participated
in the same event - at the opening of a new skating hall
at the Zagreb Fair. Dina Vlahov, the team captain, led the
juniors, while the novices were led by Kristina Radaš.
November 12, 1998
We got beautiful Elan winter jackets and caps bearing the
club logo. We are no longer cold …
November 29, 1998
For eight days we worked as hostesses at the World Junior
Skating Championships in Zagreb, went to school, and in
the end took part in the exhibition. We skated in front
of four thousand spectators and showed them the beauty of
synchronized skating still unfamiliar to all of them.
December 19, 1998
We are Croatian champions for the first time, as juniors.
For the first time we took part in the short and free skating
program, wearing our white dresses for the first time.
December 30, 1998
The 1999 club pocket calendar was published.
January 22-24, 1999
Our club successfully organized the ISU seminar for judges
and coaches. While the club leadership was delighted with
the praises for the organization, which were given by Monique
Georgelin, a commissioner from France, we were delighted
with the joint training with the seniors, a tream in the
top ten, the Hungarians from the Neptadion Esma … Everything
was great. We skated and listened to lectures in English
alongside judges and coaches, while our moms made coffee,
sandwiches and served cakes.
February 10, 1999
Prior to our first trip abroad, each junior got a calling
card.
February 13, 1999
At one of the major European competitions, the Spring Cup
in Milan, we did not embarrass ourselves, even though we
placed twelfth (last). The Italian judge awarded us the
eleventh place for the short program … We made many new
friends, especially with the South African "Sun Things"
and "Rainbow" teams. Participating in the final
sound and light spectacle on ice, along with six hundred
skaters from all over the world, will be remembered by everyone
for the rest of their lives.
February 20, 1999
Although our memories of Italy were still vivid, we were
already in Hungary. At the Hungarian Championship in Szekesfehervar,
the juniors placed third and the novices (7 to 11 year-olds),
who were very excited about their first trip with coaches
instead of their moms, placed sixth …
April 29, 1999
We passed the fifth synchronized skating test.
May 15, 1999
At the annual club assembly the president told us: "Train
as hard as you have trained so far and in 2001 you will
go to Orlando!" Orlando!? Is it possible? … He took
us by surprise, and we hadn't yet recovered from the shock
before he reeled off again: "In the past season, during
nine and a half months, you had one hundred and thirty-seven
trainings, you trained for two hundred hours and spent one
hundred and nineteen hours on the ice" … The club has
forty-eight members, thirty-four juniors and novices together
and four coaches. Sara Perl and Danka Pivac joined Tina
and her assistant Ivana Petljak …
August 16, 1999
Lying on the beach is over. We are back in Zagreb, ready
for the new season in which we shall be the Croatian junior
team. At the first meeting we got T-shirts, bags and beautiful
track suits bearing the club and state emblems.
August 24 - September 4, 1999
We learned the true meaning of summer preparations! After
taking part in the seven-day ISU camp in the Hungarian Agard
and Szekesfehervar, we spent four days with the famous "Esma"
coach, Ilona Berecz-Vedres, and our coach Tina, putting
together the programs for the upcoming season. We would
get up before five o'clock to be on the ice at six … Our
new friend, choreographer Mihaly Mishi Kiss showed us how
important and interesting off-ice choreography is… Ana Nekić
was elected our captain for the season.
September 6, 1999
Sandra Pavičić became the new coach of the youngest "Snowflakes".
September 23, 1999
We opened the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Zagreb with our new
short program, clad in the new, orange dresses.
November 7, 1999
Again we took part again in the Golden Spin exhibition.
Our performance was broadcast live on TV, for the first
time, and four thousand of Zagreb's inhabitants saw our
mascot, the big, sweet mouse named Diddle, specially delivered
from Vienna …
December 19, 1999
After the Zagreb Championship, we loudly celebrated the
club's second anniversary in the dressing room. We won as
many as forty-three gold medals and deserved a big cake
indeed … This season the junior team has eighteen skaters.
Our two novice teams skated their respective programs for
the first time.
January 21, 2000
We contributed to the success of the event celebrating 125
years of skating in Croatia.
January 22, 2000
We were national champions again …
February 5, 2000
We were the main attraction at the ice show in Sisak, a
town some 50 km from Zagreb. It was our first official participation
at an outdoor skating rink.
February 8, 2000
We have the club badge!
February 12, 2000
At the Spring Cup in Milan, we skated our short program
in our new blue dresses. The Italian judge awarded us the
eleventh place and three out of seven judges awarded us
the thirteenth place among fourteen teams. The American
judge rated our free skating with the twelfth place. In
the end we ranked last, but our marks were considerably
higher than a year ago… The Canadians from the "Ice
Image" and "Ice Infinity" teams and the Czecks
from the "M-Style" team were our loud and ardent
supporters throughout the competition. We gave away many
gingerbread hearts, symbols of our town, and made many new
friends, especially from Canada and the United States …
February 19, 2000
At the Hungarian Championship in Szekesfehervar, the juniors
won third place and the novices won fourth. What's even
more important is that one judge awarded first place to
the juniors for their short program, while the average mark
for the free was 4.0. During dinner, the first club badges
were officially presented to skaters with twenty-five performances
as club members. Zrinka Kovačević got the first badge, along
with nine other girls whose twenty-fifth performance would
be the following day: Azra Delić, Iva Grilec, Ivana Ilić,
Sarah Ivanković, Edita Lukić, Mateja Mahnić, Lana Orban,
Dina Vlahov and Petra Vujaković. Coach Tina Blat received
the badge as well …
March 19, 2000
Two "Snowflake" novice teams took part at the
national championship for the first time.
March 25, 2000
The club leadership and parents held the first meeting about
the trip to Orlando (January 4-6 2001). Everyone is for
it!
April 10, 2000
There was a report about our club on the Croatian Television.
April 17, 2000
We passed the fourth synchronized skating test.
June 2, 2000
We have our competition! We found out that the ISU has included
in its 2000/2001 calendar the first Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy,
planned to be held from February 16-18, 2001.
June 7, 2000
There is no doubt: we are going to Orlando! In the presence
of some one hundred club members, skaters and parents, it
was confirmed at the annual club assembly … Our endeavours
in the 1998/1999 season were "summed up": in nine
months the juniors trained for two 262 hours, the novices
159 hours; in eight months the juniors trained on ice 164
hours, the novices 96 hours!
August 7, 2000
Although the temperature outside was +35o C, ice replaced
the beach. At the summer camp in our hall, cooperating with
Ilona Berecz-Vedres, Mishi Kiss, Tina and Danka, we put
together both programs for the upcoming season. We trained
twice a day, and in total spent 75 hours in the hall in
fifteen days. We trained despite bloddy blisters - just
grit our teeth and endured it … When the classes begin there
will be less time and less ice-time, and we cannot disgrace
ourselves in Orlando … Ana Nekić is again elected as the
team captain …
November 12, 2000
Once again we opened the Zagreb Golden Spin exhibition.
There was a live coverage on TV … Vesna Biljak, Ivana Mahnić
and our captain, Ana Nekić, were awarded the badge for the
jubilee, the twenty-fifth performance with the "Snowflakes"
…
December 17, 2000
We are national champions again, and have celebrated our
third club anniversary. Already excited, we pack slowly
for the trip to Orlando. Although we are snowflakes, we
hope we will not look as if we fell from the sky when we
arrive to the Waterhouse…
December 23, 2000
We received an original Christmas present: the first club
publication. On its eight pages the publication shows our
photographs, the number of performances as club members,
a summary of the most important events in the club's history…
We will no longer have to explain who and what we are. And
since it's written in English, we are truly ready for Orlando…
Thank you to Renato Branđolica for excellent photos and
to Morana Kukec for the marvellous visual-arts in the publication.
January 2, 2001
We have just entered the new millenium, and have already
gone on a "trip from dreams:" Orlando, USA. We
took the bus to Vienna, and then flew to the town everyone
wants to see via Frankfurt and Wahington. The truth is,
people want to see it for Disney World, Seaworld, Universal
Studios, Island of Adventures…not that much because of skating.
We were going there for both!…
January 6, 2001
We finished twelfth out of twelve, but we didn't embarrass
ourselves. Our marks ranked from 3.0 to 4.0. The applause
coming from some five thousand people was thunderous and
the competition gave you chills: four US teams, four Finnish
teams, three Canadian teams, and - us!…
January 10, 2001
What the guys would give to be in our shoes now! We're at
the Waterhouse Centre again (17,000 seats! Wow!) across
from "our" Hotel Marriot, in the hall where we
skated. We're sitting in the last row on the bleachers,
the ice is covered with parquet, and on the parquet an NBA
game: Orlando Magic vs. San Antonio Spurs!…
February 10, 2001
We were first for the first time! Skating outdoors, in Hungary,
at the Frost-Work Cup in Miskolc! We were better than best
junior team from Hungary, the competition host "Jegvirag"
("Frost Work"), "Kek Holda" ("Blue
Moon") from Szombathely, the Romanians from Brasova
("Edelweiss") and the German "butterflies"
("Les Papillons") from Germering… Our novice team
did great as well; they placed second to much older "penguins"
("Pingvinek") from Szekesfehervar, but in front
of "Blue Moon" ("Kek Hold"), "Frost
Work" ("Jegvirag") and "Zuzmara"
from Kazincbarcik!…
February 17, 2001
The day finally arrived: the ISU sycnhronized skating competition
on our ice, in Zagreb, in Dom Sportova!… There were nine
teams, juniors and novices, altogether, 130 skaters from
Italy, Hungary and Croatia. This was our first international
competition and performance with three participating teams!…
February 18, 2001
The trophy is staying with us! The junior "Snowflakes"
won! "Ice Crystals" from Varese, the third team
at the Italian championship, followed, with "Frost
Work" behind them, and "Ladin's Girl" from
Canazei (Italy) and "Blue Moon" followed. Our
novice teams, "Zagreb Snowflakes" and "Ice
Cats" were third and fourth, following an Italin team
"Big One" from Trent i "Pingvinek,"
the Hungarian champions. Everything ended in our usual way:
with a party hosted by our parents, the volunteers, who
had perfectly organized the competition. "Zagreb Snowflakes
Trophy"delighted Marie Lundmark, the president of the
ISU Technical Committee for synchronized skating, and her
numerous spoken and written praises inspired our club and
federation to nominate Zagreb for the 2004 World Synchronized
Skating Championships…
February 25, 2001
We're first again! For the third time in one month! After
Miskolc and Zagreb, we won in Szekesfehervar! We are first
at the Hungarian championships, better than "Frost
Work" "Blue Moon" and the team from Pecuh.
Our novices did great as well; they were second out of five
Hungarian teams. Upto now we have been learning from the
Hungarians, but now their students are becoming their role
models.
March 11, 2001
At the Zagreb Champonship we were traditionally up against
ourselves. But after the international "hat-trick,"
this gold shined more brightly. A record of 47 skaters in
three teams, one junior and two novices, won medals.
March 17, 2001
We're tenth in the world! At the first junior World Challenge
Cup in Neuchatel, Switzerland we placed in front of Great
Britain ("Ice Metrics"), Hungary ("Frost-Work"),
The Czeck Republic ("Balance") and The Netherlands
("Sweet Lake Pearls"). Only 39 months and seven
days ago we held a meeting to found the club!
March 25, 2001
While the juniors were climbing the world ranks, the novices
were becoming popular in Croatia. Among numerous television
reports about our club, one was shown in a popular children's
show which airs on Sundays - "Dizalica".
April 23, 2001
We passed the third synchronized skating test and said good
bye to junior competitions. Next season we will be the youngest
senior team in Europe.
May 28, 2001
We received two sets of new dresses from Canada - a new
donation "Skate Canada" for a new senior image
in the 2001/2002 season.
June 9, 2001
We closed the most successful season in the club's history
with the annual meeting. Zoran Kovačević was unanimously
voted president for the next four years. Krešimir Ivanković,
Danica Lilić, Darko Mahnić, Slavica Milić, Marija Radaš
and Branko Vujaković were voted to be in the executive committee.
Of course, Darko Mahnić remained the club's secretary, Davorin
Orban the president of the cechnical committee, and Jasmina
Biljak the treasurer. Very pleased with ourselves, we received
the ISU pins for passing the third synchronized skating
test. Training nine months for a total of hours (juniors),
and hours (novices), and hours (juniors) and hours (novices)
on ice, surely paid off.
June 15, 2001
The ISU called: Zagreb will be hosting the 2004 World Senior
Championship in Synchronized Skating!!! Can that really
be? Is it true? Few hoped that Zagreb would get it in the
first nomination, regardless of all the superlatives for
the organization of the "Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy."
We were so happy, and so proud. The World Championship only
three and a half years after the formal beginning of this
sport in Croatia! Only three and a half years after the
founding of the club! Thank you all who have supported us!
June 28, 2001
We also have the junoir 2002 World Challenge Cup!!! It is
to be held from March 7-9, 2002, together with the "Zagreb
Snowflakes Trophy." Some 30 junior and senior teams
with about 800 skaters from all over the world will gather
in Zagreb. It will be an exhibition on ice and probably
the biggest skating competition (as far the number of skaters
is concerned) ever to be held in Europe. We will try our
best to skate well and to be even better hosts.
August 15-29, 2001
From the beginning again! We were on the ice for five hours
a day, in mid-summer. Now, for the first time, as seniors…
Ilona Berecz-Vedres is with us again, from morning to night.
We said good bye to junior performances, and our best novice
team had for the first time felt the pains and wonders of
a summer camp. Sara Perl rejoined the team after a year's
pause - she was too old to be a junior the previous season.
There are 24 seniors: nine university students and 15 high
school students, and 13 who have been in the club since
its first day. Ana Nekić is again chosen to be the captain.
November 8, 2001
We opened the 34th Golden Spin of Zagreb, this year the
qualifying figure skating competition for the Oympic Games
in Salt Lake City. For our first senior performance we received
an applause from Croatian President Stjepan Mesić and President
of the Croatian Oympic Committtee dr. Zdravko Hebel.
November 11, 2001
We skated at the Golden Spin exhibition. The long and loud
applause by some four thousand spectators and the praises
given by the commentator in the live and very effective
TV coverage which was seen by more than half a million people,
gave us another encouragement for a season full of new challenges.
After exceptional results in our junior season 2000/2001,
an intense senior competition awaits us: the Frost-Work
Cup in Miskolc, the Spring Cup in Milan, the Snowflakes
Trophy in our city of Zagreb and the world championship
in France at the beginning of April…
November 25, 2001
For the first time, the novice team went to a competition
by themselves (ie. without the juniors). In Olomouc, in
the Czeck Republic, tired and excited, they placed fourth
(last), behind three Czeck teams. Despite all that, it was
a successful initiation… One judge placed them second, and
one in third place…
December 22, 2001
Croatia has senior synchronised skating champions for the
first time. The "Snowflakes" celebrated their
first senior gold and the club's fourth birthday at the
annual party. The first edition of a big wall calendar with
all the club members was a unique Christmas present for
63 skaters and their parents. Everyone was pleased with
the party which took place at the arena…
January 19, 2002
We published the new club year book in 16 coloured pages,
photos of all our teams, a mini-poster of our club members,
all our results and the most important events in club history…
Many thanks to our excellent photographer Renato Brandolica
and designer Morana Kukec.
January 27, 2002
Zrinka Kovacevic is the first skater with 50 performances
for the "Snowflakes." Along with a gold medal
awarded at the Zagreb Championship, she also received the
traditional club badge for her 50th performance.
January 29, 2002
We also got a new web-site! Gifts, gifts, gifts…
February 3, 2002
We cried our first tears of disappointment caused by the
judges' bias and the "stolen" first place at the
Frost-Work Cup in Miskolc. At our first international performance
as seniors, we were by far the best, but placed only second
to the Hungarian team Black Rose, which apparently was destined
to win. "Injustice is also a part of sport. It's something
which also needs to be experienced, gotten over… You are
better than the Hungarian team and you will soon have a
chance
to prove it at the big competitions, in front of impartial
judges," the club president tried to console the disappointed
girls. It's not easy breaking our spirit, and the Snowflakes
found a reason to celebrate: Ivana Ilic, Sarah Ivankovic,
Mateja Mahnic, Lana Orban and Edita Lukic received badges
for their 50th performances…
February 10, 2002
More new stuff: we got a new club pin - three snowflakes
on skates. We like it and know the other teams will too…
February 17, 2002
We are 12th after the short program and placed13 out of
16 teams at the biggest European competition, Spring Cup
in Milan. We beat Sydney Ice Impressions from Australia,
Ice Cubes from Iceland, and what's most important, we beat
Black Rose from Hungary. But that was only the beginning
of our "getting even" with Hungarians for the
injustice in Miskolc… During dinner, just before heading
back home, Azra Delic, Iva Grilec, Petra Vujakovic, Ivana
Mahnic and Dina Vlahov were given badges for their 50th
performance…
March 8 and 9, 2002
We have become a part of world synchronized skating history
thanks to our organizational abilities. We were hosts of
the second World Challenge Cup for juniors and of the second
Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy for seniors where twenty-five teams
participated - 600 skaters from 17 countries all over Europe,
North America and Australia. The patron of the competition,
which was closely covered by different media, was the Croatian
Olympic Committee, and the president of Croatia, Stjepan
Mesic, received members of the Organizing Committee… Our
seniour were second out of four teams - Shooting Stars from
Germany were in first place, but the Snowflakes beat Team
Synchr-On-Ice from Hungary and Les Nereides from Switzerland…
Mrs. Marie Lundmark, president of the ISU Technical Committee
for Synchronized Skating, wrote a letter to the club's president
and to the Organizing Committee, pointing out the competition's
excellent organization and her delightment with more than
a 100 volunteers who truly love this sport and who helped
to make it all happen…
March 10, 2002
Hooray for Croatian Television! It aired a great half-hour
report on the competition during prime time…
April 7, 2002
Twenty-eight novices (two teams in two categories) became
Croatian champions…
April 12 and 13, 2002
This is our first World Championships as seniors in Rouen,
France. We were 19 after the short program, ahead of Australia,
The Netherlands, Hungary, Iceland and Belgium, but 20 after
the long (the Australian team jumped ahead of us). We were
pleased, though. Extremely pleased! We were also thrilled
about the news of Anu Jaaskelainen, the world's leading
coach and coach of Marigold Ice Unity, the Finnish national
team and the new world champions, coming to coach us during
the summer. Our club president Zoran Kovacevic and team-manager
Davorin Orban closed the deal on the night of the Finns'
great celebration, who were also staying at "our"
hotel. Good job!…
April 15, 2002
First serious injury in our club history during the first
practice after our return from France - Paola Kolar broke
her leg… Hospitalization, surgery on the same night, long
recovery… But Paola took it all well and came back in the
summer, albeit with "screws" and metal plates
in her leg…
May 10, 2002
The first "official" proof that we are not just
skaters, but good-looking skaters… Sarah Ivankovic took
part in the finals of Croatian Miss Athlete pageant…
May 18, 2002
At our sixth annual club assembly, in a hall filled with
skaters and parents, we proudly quoted the ISU synchro-leaders
who said that we are "among few European teams who
are making extremely quick progress." We also stressed
that our sport was finally becoming recognized and appreciated
by figure skaters, and that even hockey players had started
saying - get this - that synchronised skating is a real
sport! Once again we were fascinated by what seemed to be
mere statistics of the 2001/2002 season: senior skaters
spent 323 hours training in nine months - 184 were spent
on ice, 46 hours in dance class and the rest on stretching,
warming up and strength excercises… The Novice A team trained
161 hours - 101 on ice - while Novices B and C trained 130
hours - 87 on ice… Now we know why we're getting better
and better…
May 20, 2002
We started working with a to be the fastest Croat in 100
meter sprint and a professional in conditioning trainer,
Dejan Vojnovic, who happens conditioning training. From
now on, he's also a part of our team…
August 6, 2002
It's summer, everyone is swimming in the sea, and we're
swimming in sweat… Summer camp has already started…
August 11, 2002
In a secret ballot, Mateja Mahnic was elected the new team
captain…
August 13 to 23, 2002
Eleven unforgettable days with Anu Jaaskelainen… While others
were tanning on beaches, we were the ones who were really
enjoying ourselves - even though we trained five hours a
day!… Working with Anu was great, wonderful, unforgettable,…
We were a bit "worried and scared" upon hearing
she is tough and strict on ice, but all our fears soon disappeared
and it soon seemed that she was friend we had known for
years. We put together both our programs for the upcoming
season in no time (the short to "Boogie" and the
long to the "Robin Hood" soundtrack). Our best
novice team also worked with Anu every day… Hopefully she'll
come again next summer…
December 21, 2002
Three huge events in one day! First, Renato Brandolica photographed
all the teams, now with 85 skaters, for the new club yearbook
and 2003 calendar. Then we skated the "Boogie"
at the Croatian Nationals in our brand new dresses, which
were the first ones designed by one of the "Snowflakes,"
Zrinka Kovacevic. And after all that, we celebrated the
club's fifth birthday at our traditional pre-Christams party,
around a wealthy buffet table, served by twenty of our moms,
in the middle of which was a huge cake with our club logo…
Each skater received a Christmas present, and the world's
best secretary, Darko Mahnic, surprised everyone with his
Santa Claus appearance. At first, not even skaters Mateja
and Ivana Mahnic recognized him - his own daughters…
December 22, 2002
We are Croatian champions for the fifth time, and the second
time as seniors…
December 23, 2002
Our novices took part in the opening of a new skating rink
in Karlovac - a town 50 km from Zagreb, where they were
a sensation…
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