Skaters on a high as Italian coach gives valuable tips

They are bracing for World Roller Games to be held in Nanjing

In full flow: Cristina M. Piccioni giving tips to skaters at the skating rink .

When Italian coach Cristina M. Piccioni has doled out tips on freestyle skating at Sivajipalem rink, skaters, who are all set to represent India in the World Roller Games-2017 to be held in Nanjing, try to follow every step meticulously.

“There is so much to teach but very little time at our disposal,” says the Italian coach who is specialised in freestyle and figure skating.

The Roller Skating Federation of India arranged an intensive training session for the skaters from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat. The camp aims at grooming the skills of skaters and helping them compete in the World Roller Skating Championship.

Explaining the importance of practising on a proper rink, Ms. Cristina Piccioni said infrastructure in the city was not adequate for the skaters.

“Most of the international events are held at the indoor stadium on synthetic or wooden rink. There is no such facility here. The rink at the park is inconvenient to practise for long hours. This apart, the training comes to a halt when it rains, deviating the very purpose of the coaching,” she told The Hindu .

Those who were attending the camp for the past couple of weeks said the platform offered them a chance to learn new techniques and unlearn redundant methods. “Coaches from Italy, France and Spain are well updated about the judging patterns of the international events. Also, preparatory training sessions such as these will help in equipping skaters with current techniques,” says Arjuna awardee Anup Kumar Yama.

Though Ms. Cristina visited India in 1995, this is her maiden trip to Visakhapatnam. “My trip to the city turned out to be stuffy as I am used to below six-degree temperature in Italy. However, the best part about the visit is I am relishing chicken gravy prepared by trainees,” says the coach, who also dished out Thai pasta for the team. She said she was looking forward to an extended training session so that she can groom the team for the World Roller Games-2017, scheduled to begin from August 27.