where we won our first international medal. But this year, I am skating
in the collegiate division in hopes for another national medal!
Collegiate is very different from my old team, but it will be a new
experience with a lot of fun!
Welcome to my website! On this site, you will learn about synchronized ice skating. I will tell you my personal experiences, what the sport is, the history of the sport, the training required, the different levels of teams, and the types of competitions. Throughout this site, you will see pictures of different teams doing different elements on the ice. I am in some of these pictures, but not all of them. There are pictures of the 2010 World Bronze Medalists, the 2010 National Bronze Medalists, the 2008 National Bronze Medalists, and the 2007 National Champions.
I have been part of synchronized skating for nine years. I have been on
three different teams, each for three years. I started on a local team at
the rink near my house. The next team I was on was about twenty minutes
form my house. My most recent team was about two hours away from my
house. This team was extremely competitive and was not like either of my
previous teams! We practiced four days a week and worked incredibly hard.
I won my first national medal on that team and the memory will last me a
lifetime! As of now, I have three bronze medals from three different
nationals, and an internaional bronze medal. This is a picture of my team
from this past year in Berlin, Germany,
where we won our first international medal. But this year, I am skating
in the collegiate division in hopes for another national medal!
Collegiate is very different from my old team, but it will be a new
experience with a lot of fun!
Synchronized skating is a sport that mainly involves sixteen skaters on the ice doing the same thing at the same time. There are many different elements required on the ice. For example, there are blocks, lines, circles, intersections, moves in isolation, moves in the field, no-hold block, and wheels. Each element has certain rules that must be met in order to receive full credit for the element. You want to receive as many points as possible in your program. Synchronized skating requires teamwork more than anything else. If you dont work together as a team, then you wont win; you wont be able to achieve your dreams and accomplish your goals. In the senior division, you are allowed to do lifts. In the picture above, this is a team from California doing their lift element at Nationals.
Synchronized skating was started in 1954 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The team skated in hockey games at the University of Michigan. The first national championship was held in Bowling Green, Ohio, which included 38 teams from around the country, which then led to the first world championships were held in 2000 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with 21 teams from 16 countries. In 2008, the 25th National championships were held in Providence, RI, including 4500 athletes on 288 different teams. The picture to the left shows the first team that performed at the University of Michigan. The picture to the right shows a more recent team, with more intriquite outfits, and less skaters on the ice at once.
The training required to be on a competitive team is very intense. Most teams skate three to five days a week. On my team now, we skate three days a week, and every week on our own, we have to do two hours of cardio, three days of our weight lifting circuit, and one aerobics class. We practice as hard as we can while still having enough time to be good students! School is very important, but our training is also very important. Every time we skate, we practice the program, fix things that may be causing problems, add to the program, and perfect little things that count. Practice doesnt make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect!
There are many different levels in synchronized skating ranging from beginner to adult masters. In beginner, there may be 8-16 skaters on the ice at the samme time. The majority of the skaters must be under nine years old, and the program must be between 1:30 and 2:00 +/- 10 seconds. Beginner teams usually practice about one hour per week. Preliminary teams also have 8-16 skaters on the ice at the same time. Every skater must be under the age of 12, but the majority of the team must be under the age of 10. Their program length is 2:00 +/- 10 seconds. Preliminary teams practice about two hours per week. In pre-juvenile, there are 8-12 skaters on the ice at the same time, and the majority of the skaters must be under the age of 12. The program length is 2:00 +/- 10 seconds. The average practice time per week is about two hours. Open juvenile teams have 8-12 skaters, and they all must be under the age of 19. The program length is 2:30 +/- 10 seconds, and the average ice time per week is about two hours. Juvenile teams can skate 12-20 skaters at the same time and they all have to be under the age of 13. The majority of juvenile teams skate about two hours per week. Intermediate also skates 12-20, but everyone must be under the age of 18. The program length is 3:30 +/- 10 seconds, and the average amount of practice time is about three hours per week. Novice also skates 12-20, but all the skaters must be under the age of 16, with the exception of 4 skaters, who may be 16 or 17. The program length is 3:30 +/- 10 seconds and the average practice time is about three hours per week. Junior skates 12-16 skaters, but internationally, it is required to skate 16. You must be 12 years old, and under 19. The short program is a maximum of 2:50, and the long program is 4:00 +/- 10 seconds. The average practice time is about seven hours per week. Senior skates 16, as it is required internationally. You must be 14 years old to skate in the senior division. The short program is a maximum of 2:50, and the long program is 4:30 +/- 10 seconds. The average practice time per week in the senior division is about eight hours. Open collegiate can skate 8-16 skaters, and all skaters must be full time college students. Most teams skate about two hours per week, and their program is 3:00 +/- 10 seconds. Collegiate skates 12-20 skaters, and all skaters must be full time college students. The program length is 4:30 +/- 10 seconds, and the average ice time is five hours per week. Open adult has 8-12 members on the team, and the majority of the skaters must be 19 years old. The program length is 2:30 +/- 10 seconds, and most teams practice about an hour and a half per week. Adult masters skates 12-20 and everyone must be at least 25, and the majority must be at least 35. The program is 3:00 +/- 10 seconds, and the average ice time is an hour and a half per week. Finally, adult skates 12-20 skaters, and every member must be at least the age of 21. The program is 3:30 +/- 10 seconds and the average ice time per week is an hour and a half.
There are many different types of competitions. There are local competitions, sectionals, nationals, internationals, and worlds. Local competitions are competitions that dont advance you to another competition. There are many competitions in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, and more. Every section of the country has their own sectionals competition. There is one in the East, the Midwest, and the Pacific. Sectionals are usually held at the end of January and the top five teams from the qualifying divisions qualify for nationals. Nationals is one of the final competitions of the season. In the senior division, if you finish in the top two, it qualifies you to go to the senior world championships. In junior, there is a separate competition to qualify you for worlds called the Junior World Qualifier. If you place in the top five at nationals, you are part of Team USA and given an international assignment. Each team goes to a different country to compete and represent the United States in Europe. For the past two years, my old team was part of Team USA. In 2009, we traveled to Rouen, France to compete, and most recently, in January 2010, we traveled to Berlin, Germany, to win our first international medal.
