2012 U.S. SYNCHRONIZED SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS | MASTERS
ESPRIT DE CORPS ESPRIT DE CORPS by RENEE FELTON
A common theme surfaced when talking to members of the masters teams at the 2012 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships — they all really like each other! Not just when they are relying on one another to execute a wheel or step sequence, but each day, on and off the ice. “We are a team on and off the
ice,” Esprit de Corps representative Marcia Mitchell said. “We attend events, go to dinner, even knit togeth- er. It’s all about relationships and we have strong ones.” Te team, from the Hayden Rec-
reation Centre FSC, won its second consecutive U.S. masters title after skating a clean “Dr. Zhivago” free skate.
“We have worked over the last
several weeks to make this program strong and faster,” skater Debra Mar- tin said. “We wanted to keep devel- oping throughout the entire season, and it culminated with a good perfor- mance here.” Te team remained largely intact
after last year’s championship, a fact that not only helped the team on the ice but also allowed them to continue
20 APRIL 2012
to develop friendships away from the rink. “With such a big group return-
ing this year, we were able to bring the feeling and excitement of last season into this one,” Mitchell said. “It is obviously to our benefit to have such a core group of skaters through the years.” Silver medalists Allegro! were ex- cited, to say the least, following their Broadway-themed free skate. As team members were hugging and cheering backstage, coach Carrie Brown briefly got their attention, simply saying, “You had your moment, ladies.” Another close-knit team, Alle-
gro! members shared the importance of having common goals coming into the competition. “We are all motivated and take on the challenge of each season to- gether,” skater Marjorie Bryen said. “Te major thing for us this year was adding a level of performance to our skating, and we really committed to that from the start.” So much so that the team en- listed the help of an acting coach to help them understand the intricacies of Broadway.
“We worked with acting coaches this season to get the right feeling,” Brown said. “After that skate, I’d hire them.”
Te program opens with the skaters auditioning for a Broadway role and then moves into them envi- sioning what it would be like to per- form on Broadway. Te skate closes with the skaters winning that role. “I love this program because it
shows off our strong technique and our newly found skill for performing to the audience,” Bryen said. DC EDGE, winners of back-to-
back bronze medals, found it easy to relate to the theme of their “Viva El- vis” free skate. Te Washington FSC representatives opened the event with an energetic performance that cap- tured the soul of the team. “Even though we have a big age
range on the team, we are all young at heart, so it’s easy to bring the fun of this program to life,” skater Kerry Monaco said. “We have a great time with each other and that translates to us performing a fun program.” Denver Synchronicity rounded out the top four and took home the pewter medal.
MASTERS MEDALS
GOLD Esprit de Corps
SILVER Allegro!
BRONZE DC EDGE
FOURTH Denver Synchronicity
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