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IN SYNCH
November 2003
 |
| United Skates Intermediate |
Club/Level: All Year FSC (Intermediate)
Coaches: Sundae Bafo-LeBel, Jacqui Palmore, Darlene Gilbert
Team members: Clarinda Soriano, Eve Traylor, Stefani Andrews, Megan Hill, Lisa Shainberg, Christie Cho, Erica Estrada, Britney Mathis, Jennie Freedman, Jackie Mejia, Kindsey Vaughn, Sabel Morales, Chelsea Gibbons, Dollie Johannesson, Andrea Abrams, Carlie Largent, Anikka Harwe, Jessica Yen, Mary Loutzenhiser, Anthia Hawkins, Laura Pomatto, Marisa Johnson.
Team rituals: Many team rituals are linked to our team's mascot, Tinkerbell. When we're getting ready, the team captain passes a Tinkerbell doll around for each skater to hold for good luck. Then our head coach taps us on the shoulder with a magic wand before we take the ice at competitions. Several parents sprinkle us with "fairy dust" that makes our hair sparkle. We have "sisters" on our junior team, and many have "sisters" on the youth team. We exchange little presents on holidays and good luck presents before competitions.
What makes the United Skates special? The intermediate team is special because we have come from all over Southern California to create this team. We continue to draw skaters from different clubs and different ethnic groups, languages and religious backgrounds. We truly fit our name the United Skates — we UNITE together as a team.
Team goals: Our goal for the 2002–2003 season was to qualify for the U.S. Synchronized Team Skating Championships by placing at Pacific Coast Sectionals. We tied for second and were awarded third after a tiebreaker. We felt wonderful because this was our first year to skate as the intermediate team. Competing at the championships was a dream come true.
What is the best part of being on a synchronized team? For this year's team one of the best parts has been getting to know one another better while writing a team essay for the SKATING magazine essay contest.
What are some of your favorite memories? At the championships while watching our junior team skate, we held up letters to spell out United Skates. Later we learned that we had been holding up the letters so they spelled "Untied" Skates. We're good spellers; we just had too much excitement.
Attention, synchronized skaters!
If you'd like to see your synchronized team profiled in SKATING magazine, fill out the Synchronized Spotlight submission form below and send in a team picture to become the next team featured in Synchronized Spotlight! You can send in the form and photo by mail or e-mail them to skatingmagazine@usfsa.org.
Any team in the preliminary, youth introductory, teen introductory, juvenile, intermediate or novice divisions is eligibile. (Sorry higher level teams – this is for kids only!) Teams will be selected by SKATING magazine. We request that the questions are answered by the skaters — not moms, dads, big sisters, coaches or team managers. But please make sure to provide a contact phone number for a representative team member or coach.
Synchronized Spotlight submission form:
