WPCNR PRESS BOX. LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, FEBRUARY 26, 2005: Miami University of Ohio won the Collegiate Competition at the 2005 Synchronized Skating Championships Saturday afternoon with a spendid swing dance program, then narrowly missed sweeping the day, coming in second to the Haydenettes in the Senior Competition bringing the Synchronized Nationals to a close.
Hockettes Ease Past Jazz in Junior Synchro Thriller. Team Image Finishes 15th
WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. Lowell, Massachusetts. February 25, 2005: In as tight a finish as you’ll ever see in a skating competition, The Hockettes of Ann Arbor Michigan, skating an fast, elegant, expressive sophisticated Free Skate to Beauty and The Beast withstood an exciting challenge from the Chicago Jazz skating to The Extra Terrestrial.
The Hockettes had 4 clean firsts and 1 share with second. Chicago had 4 first places and 1 tie. The Chicago Jazz had they not had one bump together and fall, might have pulled it out, but their effort as the last team to skate was a marvel of pressure skating. The Hockettes skated with confidence, withstood one small spin off of a line and a slightly skewed backward splice lunge it was that close. Team Elan of Grand Rapids was third and The Colonials with a splendid skate finished fourth.
In the Novice program skated earlier in the day the Chicago Jazz took their second first place in two competitions. Team Image, the tri-state area team despite a powerful strong skate of the Cage Aux Faux program was placed last despite four other teams having disasterous falls in their programs. The girls were pumped by the way they skated their Novice routine — totally clean — and were not down at all. The Starlights of Skokie Valley Illinois were second; the Crystallettes of Dearborn Michigan were Third and Gems on Ice of Plymouth, Michigan, Fourth.
The Skyliners of Mount Vernon finished 10th in the novice program.
In the Junior Free Skate Team Image hung in there, corrected their bad luck skate of Thursday evening and finished as the 15th best team of the 16 teams in the division, moving up a notch.
Team Image Competes at All-Synchro-All-the-Time
Festivities got under way with a skating tribute to the Boston Red Sox, to the tune of “Let’s Get It Started,” where skaters in Red Sox T-shirts enacted a Bosox homer met with good natured groans by the Team Image section.
Staged by host synchronized skating club, The Colonials there was a program with a message, “The Evolution of a Skater,” where various age groups of skaters from child to adult demonstrated how the discipline and dedication to skating builds character, will, toughness, tenacity, poise, and the ability to get up off the ice and skate.
The pairs skaters – all local stars this reporter believes — wowed the audience with throw triple salchows, lifts, and acrobatics in dancing spotlights thrilling the assembled parents and Juvenile teams about to skate with possibilities.
Evolution of a Skater
As the narrator said, after introducing the “Evolution of a Skater,” no other sport prepares a young person more for the challenges of life than figure skating.
Opening ceremonies featured the parade of the banners of 107 synchronized skating teams from coast-to-coast from Juvenile to Adult Masters, which is really impressive what with 20 skaters on each team , you had at least 2,000 or more skaters on hand for these championships plus parents coaches and entourage. And, there were no ESPN or CNN, or local television stations to be seen covering these championships. Another example of how women’s sports get no media respect in this country.
Juvies Finest Hour
At 11, the competition began with the Juvenile ( 11 and Under) competition, the first three teams to skate each encountered at least one fall, it was time for Team Image to take the ice. The girls in green took the ice with confidence and skated strongly cleanly with blocks on like, their 4-spoke wheel defined and their backward splice lunge dashing. They were the first to skate without a faux pas. All agreed their last skate of the season was their best skate of the season. Congrats are in order to Jillian Baumeister, Alexandra Berliner, Diandra Brennan, Stephanie Damascus, Nicole Dzikas, Adrienne Henderson, Sarah Johnson, River Kynoch, Emma Leary, Abby Leibowitz, Elizabeth Mayhew, Chole McFadyen, Jessica Moh, Katie O’Brien, Izra Serrantes, Ashley Snow, Lauren Snow, Jacqueline Sullivan, and Alexandria Vicente.
Nicole Dzikas skated though she had been sick to her stomach most of the previous night, and Adrienne Henderson skated with a broken wrist. As Adrienne told her mom, “skaters skate.”
The Juvenile division was won by the Chicago Jazz, with the Ice Cubes of the Haydenettes Organization, second, Team Elan of Detroit third and Gems on Ice of Plymouth fourth—despite two falls. Team Image placed 9th of 12 teams, just behind The Colonials. They were all pleased with their skate and showing since they have never been this close to The Colonials all season.
Juniors Hang In There
The Team Image Junior Team were scheduled for their short Technical Progam the first part of the two step Junior competition in the late evening. The Hockettes, the world’s first synchronized skating team from Ann Arbor Michigan (founded in 1956), skated third and held the lead up until the Chicago Jazz skated last and absolutely aced their skate to take the lead going into the Long program this evening. Team Image skating 14th, suffered a fall in one of their moving blocks that cost them that element but executed the rest of the way.
The technical program, as it does in solo figure skating competitions kills you, with the slightest mistake and Thursday evening was no exception.
Team Image Novice team skates Friday Afternoon, and the Junior team skates their long program Friday evening.
Tiger Hockey Closes after Strong Finish
WPCNR PRESS BOX FROM TERRY CONROY. February 23, 2005: The WPHS Varsity Hockey season came to an end last night in Rockland County as the Suffern Mounties, number one ranked team in Section One, beat the Tigers 4-0 in the second round of the playoffs.
After a slump in January, which dropped their record to 9-8-0, the Tigers were one of the hottest teams in Section One during February winning seven of nine games including victories over Mahopac and Pleasantville/Westlake/Kennedy. They finished the season 16-10-0.
Coach Howie Rubenstein will lose the leadership of Senior Tri-Captains Scott Montaldo, Justin Lindh and Keith Fricke but can look forward to many returning players for the 2005-06 campaign.