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IN SYNCH
August/September 2006
 |
| Starfire |
Club/level: Northern Ice Skating Club (Bolingbrook, Ill.)/Open Juvenile
Coaches: Maureen Cummings, Julia Faust, Mary Litke, Kristen Petersen, Naomi Pabich (ballet coach)
Team members: Roxanne Balaskas, Kyrstin Caddigan, Alana Juodvalkis, Ashley Kvietkauskas, Genevieve Kirstein, Amanda McDonough, Sarah Purpura, Melissa Sack, Megan Wisniewski
Team rituals: We always meet with our coaches and complete final competition touch-ups before going to the rink. Then, upon arrival at the rink, we practice our warm-up routine. Once we are sufficiently warmed up, we walk through our program. We also like to go through our program in our heads before we skate. The last ritual we perform before we skate is deciding upon a goal for that performance or competition.
What makes Starfire special? We are special because our team is made up of girls of different ages. Despite this, we still remain good friends. We are also special because we have endured a challenging year and have still strived to do the best each time we skate.
Team goals: One of our goals is to improve on our basic synchronized skating skills. The basics are the foundation of synchronized skating and, thus, the most important. Another goal is to grow throughout the years. We want to grow on two levels. Initially, we would like to become better known, as we are currently a young team, and secondly we would like to grow by performing more challenging skills. This goal is one that we apply during our practice time with our coaches.
What is the best part of being on a synchronized team? The primary reason we like being part of the Starfire team is actually doing the skills required to skate at the open juvenile level. Another is that when we compete everyone is trying to achieve a common goal. You are never alone; your friends are there with you.
What are some of your favorite memories? Because we are all really good friends, we have many favorite memories. Our most favorite is the team holiday party at Coach Julia's house. Our music this year is “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and at the party we all watched the movie and exchanged gifts. This time together gave us a chance to bond, as we were all able to see the entire team outside the rink.
