Northern Ice Synchronized Skating Teams Takes 2^nd place at 1^st Competition

The Northern Ice Synchronized Skating Team, representing the Copper Country Skating Academy, recently participated in the 2011 Foot of the Lake Synchronized Skating Competition and World Junior Team Selection in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on Saturday, January 8.  The Family Ice Center played host to 76 teams in 14 different divisions. Beginner-advanced and youth-adult, including several collegiate teams, came to Fond du Lac to compete against some of the best teams in the country in their division and try to earn a spot on Team USA for the Junior World Synchronized Skating Challenge Cup that will be held in Neuchatel, Switzerland, MAR 11-13, 2011.

Northern Ice competed at the Beginner 2 level in the competition and placed 2^nd out of 4 teams. This was their first and only competition this year as they are in the beginning stages of competitive synchronized skating. The other teams in their division were from Fond du Lac, WI, Sheboygan, WI and Wyandotte, MI. The girls got to experience their first competition and also see what other teams are doing and what is expected at each level of the sport. A highlight was having the opportunity to see what teams will be representing the USA at the Junior World Challenge Cup.

The Northern Ice team is made up of 10 girls, in the 4^th-8^th grades, from Houghton, Calumet and Hancock. The team members include Delaney Heinonen, Emilie Jacques, Malone Jepsen, Marya Julio, Anabel Needham, Melanie Nulf, Shannon Nulf, Roslyn Laramore, Miranda Rich and Meghan Rich. The team is coached by Michelle King of Calumet and Beka Horsch of Houghton, who were previous members of the Northern Ice Team. The girls have been practicing since September, preparing with on and off-ice practice, as well as many exhibitions at local hockey games.

Synchronized skating is a popular discipline both within U.S. Figure Skating and around the world. U.S. Figure Skating held the first U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in 1984 and also hosted the first World Synchronized Skating Championships in 2000. There are approximately 525 synchronized teams registered with U.S. Figure Skating, and nearly 5,000 athletes participate annually in the synchronized skating sectional championships.

Synchronized skating is a team sport in which 8-20 skaters perform a program together. It uses the same judging system as singles, pairs and dance and is characterized by teamwork, speed, intricate formations and challenging step sequences. As with the other disciplines, all teams perform a free skate with required well-balanced program elements. In addition, teams at the junior and senior level perform a short program consisting of required elements.

The Northern Ice team will be performing in the Calumet, L’Anse/Baraga and Copper Country Skating Academy Ice shows in March and then will begin recruitment for the next season. For more information about the synchronized skating program, please contact Jada Gullstrand, Michigan Tech Skating Programs Coordinator, at jmgullst@mtu.edu.