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IN SYNCH

January 2010

by Lauren Magliola

While all eyes are focused on Vancouver and the Olympic Winter Games, 240 athletes are gearing up for their season with a different destination in mind.

The announcement last year of Colorado Springs, Colo., as the host city of the 2010 World Synchronized Skating Championships has U.S. teams counting down the days until they may be able to compete in front of the hometown crowd. The last time the United States hosted the event was in 2000, when Minneapolis, Minn., opened its doors for the inaugural World Synchronized Skating Championships.

The road to Colorado Springs kicks off this month with the beginning of synchronized skating's international season.

Haydenettes Photo courtesy of Best Ever Media

The Haydenettes, U.S. silver medalists and 17-time U.S. champions, start things off Jan. 14-17 at the Cup of Berlin in Germany. The team from Lexington, Mass., will take on the Rockettes, the 2008 World champions, and Team Unique, the 2009 World silver medalists. Both teams are from Finland.

The Haydenettes, led by head coach Saga Krantz, skate to "What a Wonderful World" by Sarah Brightman for their short program and the Broadway musical West Side Story for their free skate.

"It's nice to skate to a piece of music that is such a classic piece of American culture," Haydenette Jenna Longo said of the team's free skate. "It's fun to tell your own story through the music."

Evolution, representing Detroit Skating Club, will join the Haydenettes in the senior event in Berlin, skating to the song "Somewhere," also from West Side Story, for their short program and to music from Slumdog Millionaire for their free skate.

The Lexettes, the junior team from Lexington, Mass., will take on World Challenge Cup for Juniors champions Team Fintastic of Finland in Berlin. The two-time U.S. junior bronze medalists skate to the theme song from The Secret Garden for their short program and have an "Under Her Spell"-themed free skate.

The next stop for Team USA will be Prague, Czech Republic, where the Crystallettes and the Skyliners will compete at the Prague Cup, Jan. 27-30.

Crystallettes Photo courtesy of Best Ever Media

The Crystallettes from Dearborn, Mich., were bronze medalists at the 2009 U.S. Synchronized Championships. The team, coached by sisters Shannon Peterson and Holly Teets, enlisted the help of a ballroom dance specialist to improve the performance and interpretation of their "Malaguena" free skate.

The Skyliners are coached by Josh Babb. They hope to continue their history of strong international performances. The team earned the bronze medal at the 2009 Spring Cup. The Skyliners, who represent the Skating Club of New York, will skate a short program titled "Tribute to 9/11," while their free skate theme is "International Love Story."

California Gold, the first Pacific Coast senior team to medal in international competition, will be joined by new senior team the Starlights and the 2009 U.S. junior silver medalists Chicago Jazz, at the French Cup in Rouen, France, Feb. 5-6.

California Gold is using the enthusiasm of new teammates to its advantage.

"We have several new skaters on our team this season, which has been a good renewal for us," coach Jill Janik Cipresso said. "Each skater brings a new energy and excitement, which inspires us all to be our best."

The Starlights, of Buffalo Grove, Ill., earned their first international assignment at last year's U.S. championships in head coach Heather Paige's first year leading the program. The team's goals this season include proving itself as a senior team.

Both senior teams will compete against a strong field in France that includes World champions Nexxice from Canada, as well as last year's World silver medalists, Team Unique, and three-time World champion Marigold Ice Unity from Finland.

Chicago Jazz will compete against the silver and bronze medalists from the 2009 World Challenge Cup for Juniors, Nexxice, and the Musketeers of Finland. The team from Glenview, Ill., will skate to Carmen for their short program and the soundtrack of Elizabeth: The Golden Age for their free skate.

Team USA then heads to Milan, Italy, where the senior team from Western Michigan University and Team Braemar, the U.S. junior champions, will compete in the Spring Cup Feb. 12-14. Western Michigan, coached by Leslie Graham, will skate to "Rhythm of the Night" by Valeria for their short program and a William Joseph medley for their free skate.

Team Braemar of Edina, Minn., will look to repeat the solid performance that earned it a silver medal at this event last season. Coached by Pam May, it will skate to "Running" by the London Symphony Orchestra for the short program and music from India, Kingdom of the Tiger for its free skate.

Miami University Photo courtesy of Best Ever Media

U.S. champions Miami University will venture to Neuchatel, Switzerland, to compete in the Neuchatel Trophy Feb. 19-20. This is the last event before the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, where the RedHawks will attempt to defend their title.

"This year, we are working on having a strong, complete package," first-year head coach Carla DeGirolamo said. "One of our main goals is to improve on our program component scores."

The team skates to music from Romeo and Juliet for its short program and a "hot" mixture of music from the 1940s for the free skate, including the songs "Heat Wave," "Summertime" and "Too Darn Hot."

Miami's junior team will join its senior counterparts in Switzerland. As junior skaters must be under 19, there is a large turnover each season on this team of full-time college students. This year's squad includes four returning sophomores. The team skates to "Your Song" for the short program and "Bohemian Rhapsody" for its free skate.

Two teams selected at the Junior World Team Selection Competition in Lowell, Mass., Jan. 8-10, will head to the World Challenge Cup for Juniors in Gothenburg, Sweden, March 11-13.

In 2009, Team Braemar and Chicago Jazz placed fifth and sixth at the event. This year, the always competitive junior field looks to challenge last year's representatives for the chance to return Team USA to the podium at the event.

The season culminates with the return of the World Synchronized Skating Championships to the United States, April 9-10. The event will bring 24 teams from 18 different countries to Colorado Springs. The top two senior teams at the 2010 U.S. Synchronized Championships will represent the United States there.

The Haydenettes have qualified for every World Championships since the event began in Minneapolis in 2000.

"Our goals are to regain the U.S. title so that we can represent the United States at home in Colorado Springs, where we hope to win the team's first World medals," Krantz said.

The Crystallettes, bronze medalists at the last five U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, are using their past results as motivation to qualify for a second World Championships.

"We did not achieve our goal of making the 2009 World Team due to execution errors at nationals," Peterson said. "This inspires us to work that much harder in the upcoming season and earn our place on the 2010 World Team."

Miami's head coach has unique motivation for leading her team to their ninth appearance at the World Championships.

"It has become my personal mission to get this team in a position to qualify for the event," DeGirolamo said. "I was skating on the Miami team when the World Championships were last in the U.S. We didn't qualify. There has to be no better feeling as an athlete than to compete for your country at home. I would love for my athletes to have the experience that my teammates and I never got to enjoy."