2013 U.S. SYNCHRONIZED SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD
SILVER Crystallettes, 76.36 Chicago Jazz, 69.99
NOVICE
BRONZE Skyliners, 65.62
PEWTER Saint Louis Synergy, 59.74
Crystallettes give a ‘wicked’ performance to claim golden hardware by JOSH ELLIS T e spell was cast and the Crystallettes fl ew
to victory with 76.36 points. Skating to music from the musical Wicked,
the Crystallettes were the fi nal team to perform, and the best was defi nitely saved for last. Despite being a team that coach Holly Malewski admit- ted had peaked at the wrong time in the past, that wasn’t the case this time around. “T at was by far their best performance of
the season,” Malewski said. “T is year we have gotten better and better, saving the best for when it mattered most.” T e performance in Plymouth, Mich., was no accident. T is group of young women, Malewski said, went well above the call and put in extra hours to be the best they could be. T ird-year novice skater Chelsea
Wojciechowski was one of those skaters. “Everyone comes in all the time,
not just when we have practice,” Wo- jciechowski said. “We work really hard and put out everything we have to and more to get the job done.” Not only did the team from
Dearborn, Mich., have the top score for its elements; it blew away the fi eld by more than four points for its components. All eight of its executed elements earned a positive GOE. “It’s a great feeling,”
Wojciechowski said. “And skating to this music where you get to be mean
SKATING 17
and happy at the same time is so much fun.” T e second team to skate, Chicago Jazz, led for nearly the entire event before its score of 69.99 was bested. T e team, which skated to music from T e Lion King, was thrilled with its performance and is more proof that hard work pays off . Dressed in bright colors, with the appropri- ate makeup to match the Disney hit, Chicago Jazz earned the event’s top scoring element, an intersection worth 6.36 points. “I think that was amazing; we have worked
so hard for this,” team captain Samantha Pearsall said. “And we did it when it counts and it all paid off right here.” T ey wore crowns on their heads, and they now wear medals around their necks. Earning
bronze were the Skyliners with 65.62 points. Skating to what coach Jenny Gibson called
a mature version of Cinderella, using the Rodgers and Hammerstein version as opposed to Disney, the Skyliners showed great unity that secured their position on the podium, an improvement over last year’s fi fth-place fi nish. “We all get along so well and have become
really good friends this season,” team captain Erin Crutchley said. “We came in not all know- ing each other and having a lot of new kids, but we wanted to build off of last season and im- prove.” Saint Louis Synergy earned the pewter med- al with 59.74 points.
Crystallettes
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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