Holland, Maggie

A MELBOURNE SKATER trained by Colin Hickey, Pam Cavanagh and Porcha Finnegan, Holland travelled to Europe to skate Long Track for 2 years in the early 70s. She moved to Sydney in the late-70s and coached at Canterbury Ice Rink where Steven Bradbury, Kieran Hanson and Andrew Murtha all started their careers at Canterbury's Skate School. She coached in the Canterbury Pacers and Flyers clubs, became the state ice racing Coach, and then the National Short Track Coach about 10 years later, from 1990 until 1996.

A short time later in 1991, the Men’s 5000m Relay team won 1st at the World Championships in Sydney Australia. It was a landmark win for Australia, setting in motion the success of Australia's first Winter Olympics medal. Appointed Short Track Coach at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville with manager John Bradbury it was the first Olympics for the Short Track discipline.

The team were World Champions, but inexperienced. They loved the Village atmosphere and wanted to be involved in everything, said Geoff Henke, but the Short Track event was the last on the program and the 16-day wait took its toll. [2] The relay team of Hansen, Murtha, Bradbury (emergency), John Kah and Richard Nizielski finished 7th/9, their chances of an Olympic medal ruined by a fall in the semi-final. Later that year, they finished ninth at the Worlds in Denver.

In 1993, Holland coached the team to 3rd at the 5000m Relay World Championships in Beijing China, then in 1994 they returned to the Olympics at Lillehammer in Norway. Again, the team declined a place to prepare away from the Village, but there at the Olympic Amphitheatre in Hamar, Holland’s squad won Australia’s first Winter Olympic Medal, 3rd place in the 5000m. They returned home then left again a few weeks later for the 5000m Relay World Championships at Guildford UK, which were also the qualifying rounds for the next titles. She was critical of the competition held one month after the Olympics.

In 2012, she was an Assistant Coach in the Australian World Junior Short Track Team and she continues today as Coach of the Sydney Arrows at Canterbury in Sydney. A part of the 5000m Men’s Relay Team, Holland was inducted into the AIR Hall of Fame after a lifelong commitment to coaching.



Video: 5000m Relay Highlights where Australia win Bronze, Lillehammer, 1994.