insynch Swede memories Synchroettes shine in international debut by REBECCA HAUPT AND ASHLEY TOMICH T
he Synchroettes junior team achieved a milestone in our organization’s his- tory last month when we competed at the Leon Lurje Trophy in Gothen-
burg, Sweden. We were there representing the United States along with the Crystallettes and Mi- ami University, both senior teams. It marked the first time that the Synchro-
ettes synchronized skating team, which formed in 2001 and represents the Essex Skating Club of New Jersey, competed at the international level. Te event flew by faster than we anticipated, but thanks to constant reminders from our coach Geri Lynch-Tomich and team leader Colette Nygren to
Synchroettes members Flora Sugarman and Daphne Campbell cheer on Miami and the Crystallettes.
enjoy every moment, we returned home with un- forgettable memories. We arrived in Sweden on Tursday, stopped at our hotel and headed to the rink. At our first unofficial practice we focused on skills to get our knees going and then some program parts. De- spite the jet lag, we had a terrific practice and left feeling motivated for the days ahead. We returned to our beautiful hotel for dinner and an early bed- time.
On Friday morning we had a longer unof- ficial practice, which exceeded our expectations, and we left the ice feeling confident. It’s quite amazing what a Team USA warm-up jacket can do to an individual and to a team. As we glanced around, all 20 members of our team were beaming ear to ear, realizing we were finally here in Swe- den representing the United States. It was truly an amazing feeling; how could we keep from smiling? Te confidence we skated with at that practice and all weekend was incomparable to any other feeling. Being in Sweden confirmed that our hard work was worth it, and we could not be more proud of what we have accomplished together. After practice we bundled up and headed to
the ferry dock across from our hotel. Te ferry dropped us off to explore the shops and cafes on the quaint streets of Gothenburg. We did some souvenir shopping and visited a candy shop for some Swedish chocolate as recommended by our
The Synchroettes celebrate after winning the bronze medal at their first-ever international event.
team leader, Colette. It was a lot of fun to have some down time with the team and, of course, none of us complained about all the chocolate. Tat night we ate dinner at the hotel with the rest of Team USA before calling it a night. Troughout the weekend we exchanged good luck cards with Miami and Crystallettes skaters. It was exciting to bond with skaters who share the same passion for the sport and who also compete on behalf of the U.S.
Our alarms went off early Saturday so we
could get prepared and ready to look great for our short program official practice. Practice went according to plan and we became extremely ea- ger to compete. Te anticipation had been rising all week and we knew once we put on our bright yellow competition dresses we were unstoppable. Back at the hotel we rested and before we knew it, it was time for our international debut. Te en- ergy was electric on the bus to the rink, during our warm-up, in the locker room and on the ice. While in our warm-up block, hearing our parents and other fans chanting “USA” for the first time and waving American flags brought tears to our eyes. It was a feeling no one will ever forget. We all had a blast performing our fun and
energetic program to “Trashin’ the Camp” from the movie Tarzan. In a blink of an eye we were back in the locker room where we were so excited to hear we had placed third in the short program.
66 MARCH 2013
PHOTO BY GLENN TOMICH
PHOTO BY ASHLEY TOMICH
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