The famous figure skating centre of Oberstdorf hosted several national and international summer training camps, including the established Ice Dome. International champions and Olympians came to the Alpes to prepare for the new season. Carolina Kostner, Anton Kovalevskyi and Sarah Meier were the most prominent skaters at the "Ice Dome" this year. Kostner came back to work with her long-time coach Michael Huth for three weeks, then wanted to take part in a camp in Aosta. The three-time European Champion wanted to be back in Oberstdorf in August, but said that she hasn't yet made a final decision on where she will train during the upcoming season. Sarah Meier was working on programs with choreographer Salome Brunner, but the two-time European silver medalist didn't know yet if she will compete this season. She would like to be at the Europeans in Bern, Switzerland, but only if she is competitive and stays injury-free.
Pair skating coach Alexander König worked with an unusual new couple: Olga Beständigova from Slovakia teamed up with former professional Turkish football player Ilhan Mansiz for a "Skating with the Stars" show in Turkey. After winning the show in 2007, the two decided to try to skate competitively. Mansiz retired from football and now is working hard to become a pair skater. Among the ice dancers participating in the camp were Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi and Lucie Mysliveckova/Matej Nowak.
Skaters and fans celebrated the end of the "Ice Dome" camp with a fun skating show. For the first time, the specators were able to vote on the internet for the music they wanted the skaters to use. Amongst others, they chose:
"My heart will go on" - Anna Afonkina (RUS)
"Lambada" – Alexander Sinicyn & Jana Cejkova (CZE)
"Unchain my heart" – Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU)
"Why don't you love me" – Sarah Meier (SUI)
"What a feeling" – Josefine Taljegard (SWE)
"Mr. Bombastic" – Karolina Prochazkova & Michal Ceska (CZE)
"Beautiful" Katharina Lesser & Konrad Hocker-Scholler (GER)
" Satellite" – Darja Zaychenko (CZE)
"New York, New York" – Anita Madsen (DEN)
"Men in Black" Sondre Oddvoll Boe & Jan Kurnik (NOR/CZE)
"I belong to you" – Sara Astola (FIN)
"Do you love me" – Anton Kovalevskyi
"Heavy Cross" – Carolina Kostner
"Time of my Life" – Lucy Mysliveckova/Matej Novak (CZE)
"Time so say toodbye" – Amany Fancy
.
Michael Huth, head coach of the training camp, was pleased with this year's edition. 150 skaters from 20 countries took part. "We have a lot of talented kids", said Huth. "The young skaters from Norway, Czech Republic and Finland have developed very well."
But not only the Ice Dome skaters were in Oberstdorf. Michal Brezina, Annette Dytrt, Maylin Hausch/Daniel Wende, Stefania Berton/Ondrej Hotarek were working with coach Karel Fajfr. Dytrt has gone back to Fajfr and plans a comeback. Paolo Bacchini came to work with Peter Grütter. There was a second show end of July with these skaters. Brezina debuted his new short program to Kodo drums. Hausch/Wende unfortunately couldn't skate a program and just performed a few elements as Hausch had been sick for a while.
Additionally a German national team ice dance camp under Martin Skotnicky was staged in Oberstdorf, and the top skaters from Berlin were scheduled to attend a summer camp in August.
