Graz is looking for its curling superstars! November is all about ice sports

To put it in a sporty way: slowly but surely, the sporting year is entering the home straight. As is so often the case in sport, the last few kilometers of this unique series of events will once again be really exciting. In November and December - depending on the season - there is a sporty ice focus. With an absolute highlight: Graz is looking for its curling superstars! In addition, there are three days dedicated to aesthetic group and rhythmic gymnastics. As well as very interesting topics that are taken up in the course of the "sports assembly".

Ice sports week in the new Graz "Winter World"

The Graz “Winter World” is settling in - and the sports year is not just there, but right in the middle of it! On two huge ice rinks (60 x 30 m and 30 x 15 m) in the state sports center in Jahngasse you have the opportunity to try out practically everything that is fun on the smooth surface for a week from November 26th to December 3rd.

"We'll open on Friday with a show, on Saturday an ice disco is planned, but above all things should of course be sporty," says Sports Year program coordinator Markus Pichler. “We will set priorities on a daily basis, on which the respective sports can be tried out.” Whereby you can not only test ice skating, ice hockey or ice or stick shooting. "We are planning a short track demo on the large ice surface, including the opportunity to experience this spectacular sport with its extreme curves for yourself."

In addition, a show training for the 99ers is planned. Pichler: "We also hope that many school classes will accept our offer to come to the winter world in the morning and experience a completely different kind of sports lesson in the state sports center under the guidance of expert trainers."

The cult sport of curling is coming to Graz!

As an absolute highlight, there will be the unique opportunity to try out the cult sport of curling - from December 3rd to 5th. Pichler: “With the support of the Austrian Curling Association, we are integrating this sport, which dates back to the 16th century, into the Graz sports year. You don't get this chance to get to know this sport very often! "

There is another goal, however, like Sports Councilor Kurt Hohensinner explains: “I hope that as many as possible who enthusiastically watch this sport on television at the Olympics will come over and try it out for themselves. It would be great if Graz could set up its own curling club and we could find something like a couple of curling superstars. I therefore appeal to the media to ventilate this idea and thus become the obstetricians of a new Graz club. What is possible in Vienna, Linz, Steyr, Traun, Kitzbühel and St. Margarethen on the Sierning should also be possible with us. "

Those responsible get active support from the Austrian Association, more precisely from the Vice President Philip Eichinger: “As the Austrian Curling Association, we welcome the Let's Go Graz initiative in the sporting year. Every action that promotes curling in Austria helps us a lot, because we want to motivate more and more people to practice this fascinating, but quite complex sport. We are of course also happy about every additional club, especially in the south of Austria we have been wishing for a new curling club for a long time. Graz is a student city and curling is a popular sport, especially among students - so I very much hope that the initiative will create a new impetus in the sporting year. "

Anyone interested in trying out curling at the beginning of December (clubs, schools, companies, individuals) can send an email to [email protected] Log In. All further information about this or about this year's winter world is available at www.letsgograz.at/eissport/.

Graz Ice Challenge

From November 10th to 14th, the tenth edition of the already traditional Graz Ice Challenge will be dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Graz Ice Skating Club (GEV). “We are expecting around 320 participants from 38 nations at the Merkur Ice Stadium, who will make Graz the center of the international figure skating scene for five days. The reputation of the Icechallenge is meanwhile excellent, so, after the corona-related cancellation of the event in the previous year, top stars will come to us again this year, ”says happily Eva Sonnleitner, who acts as the organizer of the prestigious event.

With Elizaveta Tuktamisheva (Russia), the 2015 World and European Champion and runner-up in the 2021 World Cup, the 2018 World Cup runner-up Wakabe Higuchi from Japan as well Mikhail Kolyda, who won silver with the Russian team at the 2018 Olympic Games, the field of participants is sensationally filled. Sonnleitner: “We know that holding such a competition is a particular challenge in times like these. Of course, we do everything we can to minimize the risk of infection as much as possible, so it is also necessary that we create a 'bubble' for the teams. "

After the junior competitions, a women's, men's, pair skating and ice dance competition will take place from November 12th to 14th, the ice gala on Sunday with a planned MusicAct by Conchita Wurst had to be canceled due to the corona. More information at www.icechallenge.at

Aesthetic group and rhythmic gymnastics

Grace is also the trump card in November of the sporting year 2021! From November 25th to 27th, the Raiffeisen Sportpark will host two extremely attractive competitions: the Austrian Open International of aesthetic group gymnastics will take place from Thursday to Saturday, and the national rhythmic gymnastics championships on Saturday. The first competition is of particular importance. "It is the dress rehearsal for the group gymnastics world championships, which will be held in Graz next year," says happily Victoria Chantry, the former prima ballerina of the Graz Opera and member of the organizing committee, on the event.

The Austrian team consists exclusively of athletes from the ATG and is also trained by Chanterie. The national figurehead in both competitions is the eight-time group state champion and three-time World Cup participant Julia Meder, who is also on the board of the Active City sports year club. More information at www.letsgograz.at/ events/

Interesting sports montage

 The topics of the two remaining “sports montages” this month are extremely attractive. On November 15th, the Styrian ultra-cyclist tells the story Christopher Strasser, six-time winner of the Race Across America, gave a multimedia presentation on how to keep motivated and how to get stronger out of setbacks. On November 29th there will be a lecture by mountain and ski guides Michael Larcher the current state of practical avalanche science, accident analysis, prevention and rescue technology. The main target group are active winter sports enthusiasts, ski tourers, freeriders and snowshoe hikers. More information at https://letsgograz.at/grazer-sportmontag/