Hello again from Miami senior!
January has definitely been a jam-packed month for the world
of synchronized skating! But for me, like many of you out there, I really wouldn’t
have it any other way. As for us here at Miami University, we’re all back in
the good ole USA and getting started in a new semester of classes (and maybe
recovering from some jet lag).
Our final day in Austria was devoted entirely to the long
program. We woke up and indulged in our final yummy breakfast at the hotel and
began getting ready for official practice. We were 13th to skate in
a group of 14 teams, so when we arrived at the rink we were able to watch a few
of the other teams before heading to warm-up. I always love to watch teams
skate, but it is especially fascinating to see teams from different parts of
the world perform. The programs are so unlike any you see in the United States.
Our first run of the program in official practice was a
little shaky, little stumbles here and there, a fumble in the group lift. We exited
the ice feeling a little disheartened that our program was not being performed
to the fullest potential, a potential we had consistently performed in
practices back home. However our coach was not worried about the competition
that evening, she was confident in our abilities and gave us a short pep talk
in the locker room before we left the rink. We returned to our hotel with a
renewed confidence and soon began prep for competition. Before meeting up with
our coaches for a video review, we came together as a team and went over the expectations
we held for ourselves and talked about what we wanted to accomplish later that
evening. When we arrived back at the arena we were focused and ready show our
freeskate to an international audience for the first time. Before entering our
warm-up area we were approached by several Finnish skaters who asked us to
trade the mini American flags we had in our hair for the flags of Finland that
they were wearing. It was awesome to see all of the different flags that the
skaters had accumulated and were displaying in their hair throughout the
evening. Finally, we “suited up” and took the ice for our “Deck of Cards”
themed long program. The funny thing was that as soon as our music began, many
of the audience members started to sing along with the music even though it is
completely instrumental. As it turns out, the piece we skate to was written by
several Austrian composers, and lots of people from Europe are familiar with
it.
We completed the program and were happy with the performance.
However we still feel like we want to grow even more than we have over this
past month of competition craziness! Once the senior event ended, all of the
teams took the ice for the awards ceremony and were all organized to come together
to form the Olympic rings on the ice surface. This was a really awesome sight
to see, but of course with this image and with the winter Olympics coming up
next month, it brings to mind the ever present question: why not synchro? Over
the past year I have definitely seen an increase in interest in this sport we
love so much, in both social media (#WhyNotSynchro2018) and even in national
news. It is always great to see progress being made towards
this goal of having synchronized skating in the Olympic Games, and it is
certainly something I hope to see achieved within the next several years. Until then, we are always honored to have this
privilege of representing our country in both international assignments and at
the World Championships. Being able to see new places and interact with people
from different countries, all while representing the United States is truly one
of the greatest opportunities we are offered in this sport.
In closing, we left the beautiful city of Salzburg in the
early hours of Sunday morning and headed back to the country and school we love
so much. To summarize this trip, I will look to my teammate and fellow DREAMer,
Ashley Mulhern who put it so eloquently; “Five countries, 2 buses, 2 planes,
20 skaters, and 22 hours… Finally back to the one country we couldn’t be more
proud to represent.” And now that we are
back, Miami Skating is definitely ready and eager get to work over the next few
weeks to prepare for the National Championships!
Love & Honor,
Linnea
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