World Championships Part 1 - Haydenettes

Our time in Sweden so far has been amazing. Since our arrival on Tuesday, we have had many strong practices and have enjoyed seeing the sights of Gothenburg. Wednesday and Thursday we had 2 practices, and Thursday night we had the draw. The opening ceremony was awesome, including performances from the top Swedish singles competitors and a small intro team. All athletes stood on the ice behind our flags for the ceremony. It was a great experience, and we got to meet many people from many teams.

This morning we woke up, had breakfast, and took a short walk around the city with Saga. We had time for a quick video review before lunch and the Short Program official practice. Our practice was very strong. We skated a clean run-through and did good sections. Everyone was calm and focused. Saga was happy with the practice.

After skating, we rested and had snacks before it was time to get ready to compete. We went through our normal competition routine and got excited to represent our country as Team USA1. When we got to the rink the energy was great and there were tons of people. During warm up we focused on each other and stayed in our own bubble. We were more than ready to compete.

Upon entering the arena, we looked up and saw a lot of excited fans ready for an intense competition. And what an intense competition it was!

Getting on the ice, we noticed not only American flags waving, but Finnish ones as well. It is a unique experience having two nations supporting you coming into a World Championship. It makes us realize how fortunate we are to have Saga as a coach. She is a phenomenal person.

Although we technically did not get all the calls we were going for, the program felt amazing. We are proud of our skate. Tomorrow is an entirely new day and we are ready to put everything we have into our Lady Gaga program. We intend to go Gaga for Saga and leave everything on the ice.

Tessa & Audrey