WPCNR RINKSIDE. December 6, 2007: The Skyliners, the Westchester, NY, NJ and Conneticut’s Junior Synchronized Skating Eastern Champions debuted their short and long competition programs to shivering skating fans at The Pond in Bryant Park last night, in an exhibition skate with Georgian Pairs Skaters Isbella Tobias and Otar Japaridze and members of the Ice Theater of New York, after contributing to the Marines annual Toys for Tots
The Skyliners Reach for the Sky at Bryant Park’s “Pond” last night.
The Skyliners Introduce the Show to Proud Mary, Kicking high in sync! Next Stop, Radio City Music Hall.
Skating to “Proud Mary” and a Queen medley, the girls, aged 14 to 19 from the tri-state area smoothly negotiated elaborate ladders, lines, wheels, intersections and spread eagles on a crisp windy night to the delight of the crowd. The exhibition was paired with the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots program, at which the girls donated twenty Skyliner Bears for needy children.
`The team, sponsored by the Windy Hill Skating Club in Greenwich and The Skating Club of New York and managed by Larry Rosen of the Athlete’s Foot in White Plains, is gearing up for the Junior World Qualifier Competition in Fraser , Michigan outside metropolitan Detroit January 11 to 13. The team has also been chosen by United States Figure Skating to represent the U.S.A. competing in the Zagreb Snowflakes Competition in Croatia in March.
5 Skate into College Programs
Five Skyliners from last year’s Junior Eastern Regional Championship Team have won slots on collegiate Synchronized Skating Team programs, two at Miami University, two at The University of Michigan and one at Syracuse University. A member of this year’s team will attend the University of Wisconsin where she also plans to synchro skate.
For more on The Skyliners, go to www.skylinerssynchro.com.
The Skyliners set the tone for the show with their introductory performance to Proud Mary, setting the stage for a performance by Yuna Makayasu, the 12 year old 2008 Middle Atlantic Juvenile Figure Skating Champion. Ms. Makayasu is coached by Skyliners Coach, Josh Babb.
Aidan Daley-Hynes, Suzanne McDonald and Tyrrell Gene of the Ice Theater troop skated to “Heart”
Next to perform were the marvelous new pairs couple, skating together just 8 months, the former New York City Ballet dancer, 16 year old Isabella Tobias and 19 year old Otar Japaridze.
Isabella Tobias and Otar Japaridze are international ice dancers representing the Republic of Georgia. Their partnership began in April 2007. For the 2007- 2008 season they will compete on the Junior Grand Prix Circuit in Germany and Great Britain, and at the Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. They train 5 hours a day, 6 days a week, in Princeton, New Jersey.
Their coaches are two-time Olympic Champion Evgeny Platov and five-time National Champion and Olympian Judy Blumberg. Isabella, 16, lives in Manhattan. She attended George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet for 7 years and performed with the New York City Ballet. With her previous skating partner she was a medalist at the United States Junior National Championships. Otar, 19, is from Tbilisi, Georgia. He relocated to the United States in April 2007 and lives in Princeton, NJ. With his previous skating partner he competed at the Junior World Championships in 2006 and 2007.
The Skyliners end Proud Mary with their signature move…the Spread Eagle Wheel.
The Skyliners Say Good Night. Today that had to be seventeen-something and back in class again.
