This is a draft of an article that appeared in the hard copy Australian magazine OzSkater
in the April 2009 edition. The final article may have been edited prior to publication.
Nobbs Hobnobs with Skating's Elite by
by J. Barry Mittan
Western Australia's Jaimee Nobbs, 13, was the 2008-09 junior ladies gold medalist in Australia and the lone lady representing Australia at the 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. She placed 38th in a field of 54 ladies.
“It was my week to experience skating at it’s best, and to be part of it,” Nobbs said. “I just hoped to do a clean program.”
She doesn't have a triple in her programs yet but does a double Axel-double toe-double loop, double flip-double toe and double Lutz-double toe in her long program. In her short program, Nobbs included a double Axel, double Lutz and double flip-double toe loop combination.
Nobbs landed her first double Axel in competition at the age of ten. “It wasn't consistent though until I was 12,” she said. “Now I'm working on a triple Salchow, triple toe loop and triple loop. I've landed quite a few clean but not consistent enough to put in my program. But this is what I really want to start doing now after seeing so many great triples here in Sofia.”
“My goal for next season is to get some triples into my program and improve my spins and spiral levels,” Nobbs said.
Before Junior Worlds, her only international experience was an eighth place in novice at the Golden Bear in Zagreb in 2005-06 and 23rd at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Madrid Cup in 2008-09 so she doesn't have many points.
Her mother, Lee Capes, was a field hockey player on Australia's gold medal Olympic team at Seoul in 1988 and her father was also a hockey Olympian in Los Angeles in 1984. Nobbs went to the ice rink at age five with her mother, who was a physical education teacher, as part of a school class. “The owner of the rink, Tom Barrett, just happened to walk in and see me skate and encouraged me to try out for Valentin and Irina’s talent squad,” Nobbs added.
Irina Stavrovskaia and Valentin Kadzevitch have always been her coaches. Nobbs trains at the Cockburn Ice Arena in Perth for three hours a day, six days a week and does another four hours of off ice training with a gym coach.
Her coaches also choreographed her programs, both of which she has used for two years. “I usually keep the programs for two seasons,” Nobbs said. “I like to skate to anything that's fast and has a strong rhythm. I usually end up with Russian or Spanish music.”
For her short, Nobbs skated to “Dark Eyes” by Martin Lass. “It's strong music and I liked that,” she said.
Nobbs used “Jalousie Andalouse” by Nicolas de Angelis for her long program. “It wasn't what I was used to, but I liked trying something new,” she said.
Off ice, she enjoys listening to modern music, hanging out with friends, going to the beach, surfing and collecting books. “I read a lot,” she said. “I've just finished the Twilight series.”
Nobbs is in year nine in school, where she enjoys studying languages and science. She won an academic excellence award last year. “I'm not sure about a job yet, but I'd like to do something with science or sports,” she said.
