WORLD SYNCHRONIZED SKATING C HAMPION S HIP S
HAYDENETTES WIN FREE SKATE, BRONZE WITH ‘STREET BEATS’ PROGRAM
Te Haydenettes made history in
early April by becoming the first U.S. team to win a segment at the World Synchronized Skating Championships by claiming the free skate. Performing its “Street Beats” pro- gram, the team from Lexington, Mas- sachusetts, rose from fourth place after the short program to secure the bronze medal at the competition in Budapest, Hungary. Twenty-six teams representing 21 countries competed April 6–9 at the SYMA Event Centre in Budapest, Hungary. Miami University, of Ox- ford, Ohio, joined the Haydenettes at the World Championships and placed ninth. It was the Haydenettes’ fifth World bronze medal. “Before they skated, I told the girls
if you get everything called [by the tech- nical panel], greatness will happen,” Haydenettes coach Saga Krantz said. Te Haydenettes, who won their
record 24th U.S. title this season, scored 138.86 points in the free skate, getting every element called and receiving near- ly all +2 and +3 Grades of Execution (GOEs). Te program was highlight- ed by a strong group lift, precise in- tersections and a no hold element that matched the lyrics of the music while showing off their strong skating skills. Te team finished with a season-high total of 206.95 points. Tessa Hedges, a fifth-year member
of the Haydenettes, was excited about the team’s efforts. “We had an amazing skate tonight ... all the teams did,” Hedges said. “We really wanted to focus on the techni- cal elements and improve our techni- cal scores. We are happy that we could make good progress from our last per- formance.”
A fifth-place finish at the Grand
Prix Final in December pushed the team to be competition-ready earlier in the season, Krantz said. Te team continued to improve, winning the silver medal
SKATING 11
at both the Leon Lurje Trophy and the ISU Shanghai Trophy. Skating their “Te Spell” short pro-
gram, the Haydenettes earned 68.09 points. Te team earned all positive GOEs and program components rang- ing from 8.00 to 9.75. Miami University, the U.S. silver medal team, made its 12th appearance at the World Synchronized Skating Championships. Te RedHawks, eighth at the Worlds in 2015, sat ninth after their short program to the song “Breath of Life.” Te skate was strong and pow- erful, which was a goal heading into the weekend. Te RedHawks earned a seg- ment score of 59.52 points. Aside from a few 0s, Miami received
all positive GOEs. Te traveling wheel was its highest-scoring element, worth 6.50 points toward its technical element score. Te RedHawks’ program compo- nents ranged from 7.61 (skating skills and transitions) to 7.82 (choreography). Miami University scored 115.48 points for its Latin dance medley free skate, which was enough for eighth place in the segment. Te team finished with a total of 175.00 points. Despite missing a couple of technical calls, the RedHawks were excited to put out two clean perfor- mances. Tey executed many elements well in their free skate, including the group lift, traveling circle and move el- ement.
“I thought they did a great job,”
The Haydenettes leap in unison during their short program.
coach Carla DeGirolamo said. “Tey went out and attacked it from beginning to end. I thought it was their strongest skate of the season, which is a great thing to have at the World Championships.” Team Paradise won nearly every
event it entered this season, including the Grand Prix Final and ISU Shanghai Trophy. Te team improved upon its World bronze medal finish in 2015 as it earned the first-ever World title for Rus- sia. Te team had a lead of 3.24 points after the short program and finished the competition with 212.69 points. Te Rockettes of Finland won the
silver medal with 207.84 points after finishing third in both the short and the free skate segments.
The RedHawks’ powerful “Breath of Life” short program received solid marks across the board.
PHOTOS BY GIANNI MAROSTICA
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