2013 U.S. SYNCHRONIZED SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD
Crystallettes
SILVER Skyliners
JUVENILE
BRONZE Mini Mates
PEWTER Chicago Jazz
Crystallettes seize the day with performance from musical Newsies by JOSH ELLIS Seize the day. T e Crystallettes did just that
as they were crowned the fi rst U.S. champions of the 2013 U.S. Synchronized Skating Champi- onships. Six of the nine judges thought the team representing the Dearborn FSC performed the best skate in the juvenile event, one of two being judged under the 6.0 system. Skating to a selection of songs from News-
ies, some of the fi rst lyrics that boomed from the speakers at Compuware Arena rang true for the newly crowned champions. Dressed in blue and white, the Crystallettes skated a superb program to the 1992 Disney hit musical. “ ‘Newsies’ is something I have wanted to do
for 10 years,” coach Stacy Holland said. “I always thought for this team I should go with something cute and pink, but fi nally I just went with my gut, chose it this year, and it paid off .” Skating to music from a fi lm
that hit the screens more than 20 years ago, it was important for the members of the Crystallettes to un- derstand what they were skating to, so they had a team viewing party. “It was a lot of fun to be togeth-
er as a team,” third-year skater Paige Spitznagel said. “It made the music more real to see who we were play- ing.”
Earning the silver medal were the Skyliners, and they were the
SKATING 19
Belles of the ball. Buoyed by the sight of a team mom dressed in a full Mrs. Potts outfi t in the stands, the Skyliners skated beautifully to a se- lection of music from another Disney hit, Beauty and the Beast. T e fi nish represents their second straight silver medal at this level. T e team was dressed in yellow and por-
trayed the character Belle throughout its skate. Coach Natalie Martello felt that portraying a character would go a long way toward helping the skaters perform on the ice. Athena Tejada, a fi fth-year skater, agreed. “Watching the movie so many times, it
helped give me an idea of the expressions I should be using throughout the program,” Tejada said. “It was amazing, since ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is one of my personal favorites.”
Taking advantage of an opportunity 13 years in the making, the Mini Mates, of the Hayden Recreation Center, fi nished with the bronze medal. In 2000, coach Kendra Flanagan skated to her fi rst gold medal as a member of the Mini Mates, and in the same host city, 13 years later, she coached her team onto the podium. Skating a Frankenstein-themed program,
second-year skater Emily Stankard enjoyed per- forming to something a little bit diff erent than what fans might have expected. “You wouldn’t ever think to skate to Hal-
loween-themed music; it was creative,” Stankard said. “I thought we skated really well.” Chicago Jazz, the defending champion,
earned the pewter medal. Crystallettes
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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