Several U.S. and World competitors used their arms instead of their feet to engage the crowd on behalf of Te Skating Club of Boston at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2013. (l-r) Andrew Speroff, Stephen Carriere, Tyler Harris, Si- mon Shnapir, Harrison Choate, Jimmy Morgan and Ross Miner were on hand throughout the weekend to launch T-shirts and other goodies into the packed stands. As the club and its members prepare to host the 2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Champion- ships next January in Boston, Te Skating Club of Boston provided the volunteer base and some of the aforementioned entertainment at Agganis Arena. Friendly faces from the famed skating club helped with everything from registration to ice monitoring. — Renee Felton
Above, Ana Cecilia Cantu (in green) warms up off ice with her Merging Edge teammates. Cantu led the charge to form Team Mexico’s first synchronized skating team. Right, Team Mexico’s Merging Edge per- forms its short program in front of a packed house of cheering fans.
MAKING HISTORY: HARD WORK, PERSEVERANCE OPENS DOOR FOR TEAM MEXICO By Josh Ellis
A four-time Mexican national champion, Ana Cecilia Cantu has represented her country at the World Junior Championships and at four World Championships as a singles skater, but she is having the best time of her life as a synchronized skater.
Tis year, Cantu and her teammates compet-
ed at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Cham- pionships 2013 in Boston as Merging Edge, the first-ever Team Mexico.
“Tis is the most fun I have ever had in skat-
ing,” Cantu said. “I still love singles and I still love jumping, but I have fallen in love with being on a team.”
A team, which was put together in Septem-
ber in Monterrey, Mexico, is now on the biggest stage of the sport.
“Te team began as a project for the rink so
that we would have more people skating,” Can- tu said. “But then our goal became making it to Worlds.”
Composed of a group of talented singles
Coach Donna Mitchell (in black coat) provided her expertise in getting Team Mexico up to speed and in the 20-team field at the World Synchronized Skating Championships.
skaters, members of Team Mexico had to sacrifice training for their various singles events to come together to achieve their goal of competing at the World Synchronized Championships. Te road to Boston, however, was not as easy. Cantu, whose family owns their home rink in Mexico, serves as both a team member and coach. Initially she had to call around to find out the rules of the sport and how to get a team started, but then she found what she called a “gift” in Donna Mitchell to help with the team. Mitchell is a top figure
skating coach in her own right and is the sister of Boston-ar- ea coach Mark Mitchell. She was contacted by Cantu with only six weeks to go before the World Championships and serves as the team’s second coach.
“I love being around them; they have an
incredible amount of talent,” Mitchell said. “For them to be able to accomplish so much in such a short period of time says a lot for what they will be able to do in the future.” With the team and programs set, the next step was to begin the process of being invited to compete at the World Championships. Since Mexico does not have any other synchronized skating teams to compete against, Cantu had to figure out how to earn the team’s place in Bos- ton. She talked to representatives of the ISU, who watched the team perform exhibitions at events in Mexico, including the opening ceremonies at the Mexican Figure Skating Championships, to gain their invitation.
“Te judges were really supportive of the
team,” Mitchell said. “Tey were actually clapping on the podium and encouraging them.” With the approval of the ISU, Merging
Edge competed at the World Synchronized Skat- ing Championships 2013, their first competition ever. While they didn’t leave with a medal, they left with the admiration of the fans and a sense of pride in what they have accomplished. Cantu is still a four-time Mexican national champion, but now, Cantu and her teammates have appeared at the first of what could be many World Synchronized Skating Championships.
SKATING 15
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