About Us

IN SYNCH

June/July 2010

by Amanda France

Amanda France is a member of U.S. Figure Skating's DREAM program and of the Western Michigan University collegiate and senior teams. The DREAM program was created to give Team USA athletes an opportunity to share their experiences and passion for synchronized skating with teammates, younger skaters, parents and fans. France is a recent graduate of Western Michigan and has represented Team USA in international competition. She also served as president of Western Michigan Figure Skating Club. In this article, the sixth in a series of 10 by DREAM athletes, France reflects on overcoming obstacles presented by both her own injuries and those of her teammates.

Western Michigan seniors Laura Smith, left, and Aynna Lloyd are helped through the airport after sustaining injuries during practice at the 2010 Spring Cup in Milan, Italy.

Sprains, broken bones, cuts, bruises, concussions, illnesses, surgeries - injuries are inevitable in virtually every sport. Figure skating is certainly no exception. In the discipline of synchronized skating, however, injuries do not affect just one or two people, as they do in singles or pairs skating, but an entire team. Sometimes a team is lucky and can get through its season without any injuries or with injuries that occur with plenty of time to adapt before putting a program out in competition. Other times, athletes and coaches must be on their toes and ready to improvise should a skater become sidelined.

Throughout my 15 years of skating, I have experienced my fair share of injuries, both my own and my teammates', and I can say that each one has come with a lesson learned.

I still remember the first time I got hurt skating, when my finger was run over by another skater's blade during my second-ever group class. I quickly learned not to play with the snow on the ice!

From minor cuts and bruises, to sprains and tears, to broken bones and my most recent hip surgery, I have taken something away from each and every injury. I've learned ways to improve my technique. I've learned the importance of warming up, stretching and taking care of my body. I've learned what it feels like to sit at the boards and watch my team compete. I've learned what it takes to recover from an injury, or to push through the pain it may cause. I've learned that while injuries are often discouraging, the feeling of getting back on the ice is always rewarding. And, perhaps most importantly, I've learned what it really means to be part of a team.

Amanda France, front row, left, skates with the Western Michigan University senior team at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. (Photo by Paul Harvath)

When my team traveled to Milan, Italy, in February to compete at the Spring Cup as a part of Team USA, we unfortunately encountered the burden of injury twice.

At our first practice in Italy, we had a pile-up fall and one of our skaters dislocated her kneecap, causing her to miss the remainder of the competition. We used the rest of our practices to rearrange the program and put an alternate into the open spot. We worked hard to be able to perform a successful short program. Sadly, another injury occurred during our free skate official practice, when one skater fell out of an overhead lift and shattered her kneecap.

Despite how awful it was to see our teammate carried off the ice on a stretcher and transported to a nearby hospital, this circumstance brought us together as a team more than we ever had been before. Suddenly, we had to skate not just for ourselves, but for our teammates who couldn't. We had to work together to not give up and to overcome this seemingly impossible challenge. Despite our two missing teammates, our sadness and fear, we had to push through the tears and emotions to go out there and do the one thing we had all come together to do - skate.