INSYNCH
by LESLIE GRAHAM While the weather outside may have been
gray, there were lots of smiles and laughter inside the Dakotah Ice Rink, site of the 2013 Synchro- nized Skating Training Festival. More than 150 qualifying-level athletes enjoyed a beach-themed weekend in Prior Lake, Minn., July 26‒28. Skaters were split into eight teams that fea-
tured some of the country’s most famous beach- es: Laguna Beach, Miami Beach, Myrtle Beach, Point Pleasant, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Waikiki and Waimea Bay. Paula Wagener, creator of the Artistry in
Motion program, as well as instructor at the camp, served as the keynote speaker, welcoming the athletes and explaining how dance has influ- enced her life. “It (dance) has given me the tools and foun-
dation to have a wonderful and exciting career working with skaters,” Wagener told the group. “As an extremely shy child, dance gave me the outlet to express myself and become whatever
character in whatever imaginary world I wanted to live.”
DREAM program member Emmeline
Weinert spoke of her experience with off-ice dance and how she incorporates it into her skat- ing.
Led by coaches of the U.S. Synchronized
Skating teams, athletes participated in numerous on- and off-ice classes. From movement on ice to a step sequence class, skaters were challenged to work hard and learn new skills.
Te camp concluded with each team per-
forming a program they had worked on through- out the camp. Te exhibition also included the DREAM skaters performing a program to “Ko- komo.”
“I have been going to the festival every year
since it was in California and each year the camp gets even better,” Skyliner Jordyn Young said. “Both the on-ice and off-ice classes were help- ful in improving my skills as a skater, and they
were also simply a lot of fun to do. Additionally, I thought that all of the coaches had such a great energy about them, which made their classes all the more enjoyable.”
Along with the athlete track, coaches partic-
ipated in their own track that included observing on-ice classes as well as group discussion regard- ing topics relevant to coaching in the sport. Prior to the Training Festival starting, more than 100 coaches attended the National Coach- es College. During this two-day event, coaches from all over the country learned about the rule changes for the upcoming season and how to pre- pare their teams for success. Te Synchronized Skating Training Festival concluded a four-week series of camps offered to synchronized skaters. DREAM camps were held on three preceding weekends in Massachusetts, Illinois and Delaware, for skaters competing at the beginner through juvenile levels.
Miami Beach holds nothing back at the conclusion of its “Cuban Pete” program.
Point Pleasant shines during its performance.
A member of Waikiki participates in a mu- sical interpretation class.
Waimea Bay exhibits its speed and flow in a block element.
62 OCTOBER 2013
PHOTOS BY SARAH ARNOLD
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