October with the Haydenettes

October proved to be a very busy month for the Haydenettes. The first weekend in October, the Haydenettes and the Lexettes participated in the Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in downtown Boston. Both teams enjoyed spending our Sunday morning making a difference right in our hometown. We decked out in pink and maroon attire and walked alongside the Charles River. The Haydenettes enjoyed a nice team lunch before heading to practice that afternoon.

The following week, the Haydenettes spent Columbus Day rinkside at our monitoring session. The practice went very well, and we received great feedback from the officials. After monitoring we had a great afternoon of team bonding. We had lunch together after practice then went apple picking. The weather was beautiful and we picked some tasty apples!

The third weekend in October, the Haydenettes debuted the short program at a very special event at Harvard, An Evening with Champions. The Haydenettes have participated in this event for fifteen years. It was an honor to skate between Rachael Flatt and Oksana Baiul. Another featured skater at this event was Olympic Gold medalist Yuna Kim. The audience was very supportive and responded well to our skating. We were all amused bythe “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd when we stopped in unison at the end of our warm-up block.

The following weekend was the Hayden Synchronized Skating Teams Kick Off. All the teams skated their programs for friends and family. It is a great time of year to come together as a club and support one another. This was the first time the Haydenettes performed the long program for an audience. All of the teams looked amazing, especially for this early in the season.

The Haydenettes spent the final weekend of the month in New York City performing in the annual opening of the Citi Pond at Bryant Park. The Haydenettes love performing at Bryant Park. The audience was wonderful, not to mention the amazing rink-side scenery.

(All above Bryant Park)

photos: Mary Jane Hanlon, Ted Castro

The pre-season has flown by incredibly fast. It won’t be long until our first competition in December. We can’t wait to start the competitive season! We’ll update more as that time approaches.

-Audrey and Tessa

My College Process

Going into this season and school year I did everything I could to avoid thinking about college. All summer long my mom bugged me about starting essays and applications, but I kept rolling my eyes and ignoring her. I did not feel ready to leave high school, and possibly the Skyliners behind, so I avoided the college process at all costs.



In the fall I began to crack down and really tried to figure out where I wanted to go to school. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to skate. My guidance counselor printed out a list of every school in the country that had a Synchro team. Then, my mom and I added schools to that list that had teams in areas surrounding them. As application deadlines approached, I was very stressed out and upset. In hindsight, I should have listened to my mom and gotten all my essays done over the summer. The whole process would have been a lot less stressful. I ended up applying to six schools; Loyola University in Chicago, Dartmouth College, Miami University of Ohio, the University of Michigan, Fordham University, and Northeastern University.



I applied to Loyola in Chicago because when I went and visited the school, I loved it. Chicago is an amazing city, similar to New York, and I felt that I would enjoy spending four years there. Also, going there would have given me the opportunity to skate for Heather Paige and the Starlights who are just outside of Chicago. I have worked with Heather for many summers at various skating camps and I knew I would love skating on her team. She is an amazing coach and person and I really loved Chicago, so I was very pleased when my acceptance letter arrived from Loyola. It was my first acceptance and I was so excited!


I applied to Dartmouth because my cousin is a student there. Hanover is a beautiful rural town in New Hampshire and Dartmouth is an awesome school. There is no synchro team there, but there is an intercollegiate freestyle team, and a nice rink. Hopefully my fellow Dreammate Bianca Jackson will be able to start some sort of synchro Program there as she will be attending in the fall! Sadly, I was denied admission.


I applied and was accepted to the Honors College at Miami University. Growing up I went to Miami every summer for camp and I always had an amazing time. When I was younger I looked up to the Miami skaters that were my counselors. I considered them skating gods. I felt so blessed to be accepted to the Honors Program at such a beautiful school that also offered an amazing synchro program with coaches I had grown to love while spending my summers there.



I applied to Michigan because two ex-Skyliners and great friends of mine are current students there. Hearing them talk about their experiences socially, in classes, and with the skating team, I felt I had to apply. Upon acceptance, I decided to go to the skating team’s “Wolverine Weekend.” I stayed in the dorm with one of my friends and attended admission events and a clinic with the team and their coach Erin Donovon. It was so much fun and added to the stress I was feeling about having to make the decision about where to go.

When Skyilners announced it was having a Senior team, I hastily applied to Fordham University in the Bronx. My mom had gone there, and its vicinity to Manhattan and the locations where Skyliners practice was perfect. Also, it is only twenty minutes from my house so I could go home to visit my sisters whenever I felt like it.

Last, but certainly not least, I applied to Northeastern University because I wanted to apply to at least one school in Boston. I chose Northeastern because I liked how it is right in Boston but has a defined campus. Also, it has a great Criminal Justice program that appealed to me and I could potentially skate for the Haydenettes.

After the Junior World Challenge Cup, I knew it was time to make a decision. I was torn into fifths. I could picture myself at every school. Academically, they all had things I liked, and each school came with an amazing skating option. At the Skyliners year end party I ended up in tears because I was so emotional and stressed over making a decision. The next day I drove to Lexington with my dad and tried out for Haydenettes. Soon after, I found out I had made the team. I was ecstatic. Making the team was a huge honor and I was very proud.

Finally, after weeks of stress and deliberation with my parents, I decided to go to Northeastern and skate Haydenettes. I eliminated other schools by examining myself. I am a true city person so Oxford, OH was not my ideal setting. Also, I come from a very small high school community, and Michigan seemed a little too big for me. Fordham just is too close to home, while Loyola is just a little too far. Northeastern is a perfect location, and financially works very well for my family. I feel like the world has been lifted off my shoulders since I made the decision. I am sad to be leaving Skyliners. It has become my family over the past eight years and I love my teammates and coaches more than anything. Everyone has been so supportive of my decision, and for that I will be eternally grateful. I am so relieved to be done with the college process and excited for my future as a Husky and a Haydenette!

2011 JWCC Neuchatel, Switzerland Update 2

Hey Everyone!

Thursday was an awesome day. We celebrated three birthdays here in Neuchâtel; our team doctor, Dr. White, Skyliners’ Brooke Abbott, and Team Braemar’s Lily Schroeder. Braemar woke up early for practice, but Skyliners got to sleep in and have a nice relaxing breakfast. Then we headed back into town for more shopping. We explored chocolate shops and clothing stores and enjoyed the scenery of the town. At lunch, we sang and had an amazing chocolate cake for Brooke’s birthday. After lunch we went back to the hotel to prepare for practice.

Our practice was about a half hour bus ride away, in the mountains. The drive was beautiful. When we got to the rink, there was a small debacle over the ice. A Swiss citizen was under the impression that there was a public session, even though we were on the rink’s schedule. He did not take the news well when our teammate Paige explained to him in French that he had to leave the ice and, no, we could not share it. Other than that practice went extremely well and we were confident going into the start of the competition.

The event officially started Thursday night with the draw. We all enjoyed the performance by a local Swiss marching band. To chose skate order, the captains grabbed chocolate bars that were numbered. Originally,

This morning we woke up nice and early for official practice. Our practice went very well and we were so excited to compete. Walking back from the rink, we took the scenic route by the lake and got a lot of great pictures. We spent the rest of the afternoon resting and preparing for competition.

Going to the rink we felt our normal competition emotions; excitement, nervousness, but most of all, pride. We love hearing “Representing the United States of America. . .” and were anxious to be introduced that way. In the locker room we relished putting on our short program competition dresses for the last time. We have grown to love the bright orange and pink costumes, so getting dressed was a little bitter sweet. On the ice, we performed very well, but technically it was not our best. Team Braemar is currently in fifth place and Skyliners are in sixth. Tomorrow, Skyliners skate thirteenth and Braemar seventeenth. We are looking forward to getting to cheer on Braemar after we skate!

Now, it is bedtime in Neuchâtel.

GO USA!!!

Audrey and Ashley

2011 JWCC Neuchatel, Switzerland Update1

Bonjour from Neuchâtel,

We arrived in Switzerland at around 7:30am on Tuesday morning. Both Skyliners and Team Braemar were excited to get off the plane after a surprisingly short flight from Newark to Geneva. We went through customs, added another stamp to our passports, and then hopped on a bus for the 2 hour ride to our hotel. Once at the hotel we got settled in just in time to take a trip to the local super market and get some much needed cases of water for the week to come. Soon it was time for lunch and a walk to the rink just to get a lay of the land.

Everything here is beautiful, especially the view from our hotel which is right on the water. Before we knew it, we had changed into our practice clothes and were headed back to the rink, but this time for our first practice of the competion. As we were all exhausted from the travel and being awake for so long, the practice went well. Before we were finally able to let our heads hit the pillow, we filled ourselves with a pizza dinner. Once back at the hotel we were more than ready to go to bed and get some much needed sleep.

Waking up Wednesday morning, we were all very excited to try the breakfast at the hotel, and it was clear that none of us were left disappointed. After breakfast, we walked over for the rink and warmed up for our first practice of the day in the official arena. This practice went well and we were happy with our progress from the night before. We then enjoyed a short 1 hour break before we took a walk down the street for lunch. Before going back to the rink for our second practice, we were able to spend a little bit of time shopping downtown. The area was so cute and there was a lot of fun shopping. Our time there ended way too quickly and we are all hoping to go back and explore the rest of the town tomorrow. We then returned to the rink and hopped onto the ice. Our run-throughs started off a little bit shaky, but by the end we were feeling great and expressing to those watching in the stands.

Back at the hotel we had some time before dinner where about half of us went to check out the art museum across the street from our hotel. Later, we met team Braemar in the lobby of the hotel for an all Team USA dinner at the hotel restaurant. We had a lot of fun mixing up the teams and laughing and telling each other stories the whole time. By 8 o’clock we were all tired once again and headed up to our rooms to relax and get ready for bed.

Excited for another fun day in Switzerland

Goodnight,

Ashley and Audrey

Spring Cup Update 2

Ciao Tutti (Hi Everyone),

Giovedì (Thursday) started off with a delicious Italian breakfast and walk to the rink for our first practice of the day. The practice went very well and we started feeling more comfortable with the ice. After practice Marlena and Ashley went to a press conference at the local library, where we met the mayor and we able to say a few words about the competition in both English and some broken Italian. The rest of the team enjoyed some time shopping and gelato. Our day ended with a team dinner at our favorite restaurant in Milan, Muccae e Farina.

Venerdì (Friday), we woke up for another day full of practice. First we headed over to the competition rink, the Palesesto. We had a good practice and were excited when Miami University entered the stands to watch a few sections. After practice we went back to the hotel for a quick lunch before we were back on road for another practice of the day. This time we enjoyed a change of scenery, as we went to a new rink in Lecco. Lecco è molto bella (Lecco is very beautiful). About an hour north of Milan, and near Lake Como, we had our final unofficial practice of the trip.

Returning to the hotel, Audrey and the rest of the team enjoyed a relaxing break before dinner and indulged in a sweet treat at the gelateria, while Ashley and the other U.S. team representatives headed off to the draw. Personally, we are very excited for our draw of fifth in the skate order, as it will allow us to cheer for the rest of the US teams. Evolution skates seventh, Hockettes skate eighth, and Miami University competes first in the senior division. We changed into our matching Spring Cup t-shirts and went down stairs for an awesome all team, Team USA dinner. It was a great way to meet new people and catch up with some old friends. The night came to a close with a Team USA photo in matching t-shirts.

Looking forward to a great short program competition! In bocca al lupo a tutti le squadre!(Good luck to all teams!)

GO USA!

Audrey and Ashley

Spring Cup 2011 Day 1

Buon Giorno from Milano! After weeks of anticipation, countless hours of practice, and 7 and a half hours on a plane, we finally arrived in Milan for the 2011 Spring Cup. We are thrilled to be back once again, as several of us had the opportunity to compete here in 2009.

After gathering all of our luggage, we headed straight for the hotel to change for our first practice. Soon we were out in the fresh Italian air and making the 10 minute walk over to the Palasesto, where the competition will be held. Since the weather here is the complete opposite of what we have been experiencing at home on the East coast, we were exited to warm up outside in the sun. Heading back into the rink, we jumped on the ice for a quick one hour practice. Although we were very tired from our travels, and the rink is a slightly different shape, we had a very successful practice.

Back at the hotel, we met up with Evolution to head into downtown Milan. We had fun and some good laughs riding the Metro, immersing ourselves into the Italian public. The locals seemed to be a bit shocked by the invasion 40 American teenage girls. Saying goodbye to Evolution, we prepared ourselves for the climb of a lifetime. As tired as we were by the time we got to the top of the Duomo, it was all worthwhile getting to see the amazing architecture and snagging some great pics above the action of the Piazza and the Galleria. After some delicious gelato and quick souvenir shopping, we went back to the hotel for dinner and bed. We are so excited for the arrival of the Hockettes and Miami University tomorrow!

Arrivederci,

Audrey and Ashley

2011 Smucker's Skating Spectacular

This past weekend, the Skyliners had the privilege of performing at the 2011 Smucker's Skating Spectacular that took place in Greensboro, North Carolina after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Saturday, we went to the rink for our normal practice, but instead of walking next door to the gym after we got off the ice, we all piled into our parents' cars and caravanned over to Newark Airport. Upon arrival in North Carolina, we went to the hotel for a quick dinner then went to the arena to watch the senior ladies free skate. The stands were packed. As we watched each competitor enter the ice, we realized how nerve racking and intimidating it must be to get on the ice all alone in front of so many people, including judges, spectators, and television cameras. At this moment we knew why we are synchro skaters. We love taking the ice as a team.

Sunday morning we had an early wake up and went to the arena for practice. Although it was very early, we had a strong practice and felt confident for our performance that night.

After practice, we went to a Waffle House for breakfast. I was hungry and in the mood for pancakes. Without checking the menu, and wrongfully assuming that all breakfast places had pancakes, I asked the waitress for chocolate chip pancakes. She replied, "This is Waffle House..." Oops! Then we went back to the hotel for nap/homework time.

After our rest, we went to the rink for the Men's Free Skate. We all especially enjoyed Ryan Bradley's program. His expression was amazing and you could tell he was really enjoying himself. I was so happy for him when he won. When the competition was over we walked around the arena and did a little shopping, then went down to our locker room for hair and makeup. When we finished getting ready, we put on our dresses and skates and did our usual locker room pump-up routine.

Finally, it was time to skate. On our way from the locker room to the ice we saw all the other skaters that were performing hanging out in the Athlete's Lounge. Jeremy Abbott and Ryan Bradley wished us luck, and when Even Lysacek asked us what we skate to, we all replied, "Phantom of the Opera." He laughed and said, "You speak in unison too?" We were star struck.

Skating was surreal. The audience was huge, full of people who had never seen synchro before. They especially enjoyed our moves-in-isolation and moves-in-the-field elements. The crowd responded to our program with a standing ovation.

Overall, going to Greensboro was an awesome experience. Watching the skating was amazing and performing was incredible. We had so much fun. And to top it all off, we got a picture with Tara Lipinski at the airport on our way home!

Ci vediamo a Milano! (See you in Milan!)

Audrey

December Madness

Typically, December is a month filled with shopping, preparing for the holidays and hanging out with friends and family. Well, this month definitely was a busy one, but filled with so many exciting synchro events, that there was minimal time for shopping. Still, with all of these events came several reunions and countless hours spent with teammates.

The month started with a trip to Michigan for the Dr. Richard Porter Classic. The Skyliners junior team was excited because it was the first time we would get the chance to compete against the midwestern junior teams and a few teams from Canada. Before competing the short program, we headed to the rink to cheer on our intermediate team. As they took the ice, we (the novice team, too) cheered as loud as we could to support our fellow teammates. They wowed us once again with their fast and fun "Glee" themed program and won gold in their group.

Finally it was our turn to compete and we were so excited to show the crowd our energetic and bright program to “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” We skated well with just one small fall and were BEYOND ecstatic with our second place finish.

As we waited to perform our long program the next day, we spotted three former teammates, who now compete on two different collegiate teams, coming to cheer us on. We were very happy with the way we skated while still knowing there was room to improve. Hearing our score of 101, we were thrilled and could not believe that we had won the long program and came in second overall to one of the top Canadian teams, Gold Ice. We were extremely proud of our performance that weekend and had a wonderful experience at the Porter competition. Throughout the weekend, we were happy to reconnect with several friends we hadn’t seen in a while, as well as catch up and take a few quick pictures with our Dreammates.

The second weekend of December was upon us and we were off to Cape Cod for the second competition weekend in a row. We once again competed against the East Coast junior teams including the Lexettes, Team Image and the Synchroettes. We were really happy after competing the short program. The next day we had some time before we competed, where we were able to help the younger teams prepare for their competitions including sewing in the juvenile skaters hair pieces for their “Hairspray” program.

As the last division that night, we competed our “Phantom of the Opera” long program placing first. Cape Cod is always a fun competition that brings back so many memories of competing there year after year in the younger divisions.

Weekend number three put us into our favorite city, New York. That Friday, directly after school, we all raced to the train stations in our towns, just in time to board extremely crowded trains and meet each other at Grand Central Terminal. From there, we traveled together to the Chelsea Piers rink, home of the Skating Club of New York, for the annual "Holiday on the Hudson" skating show. We had a great time spending the night together as a team and performing under the spotlights in front of a crowd that doesn’t often get to see synchronized skating.

Finally, this last week of December has been spent busily preparing for the Junior World Team Selection Competition to be held next week in Fond du Lac, Wis. We have spent this week at the rink, once again, for our “Christmas Bootcamp,” as we like to call it. It has been hard, but a lot of fun and we have loved getting to spend so much time together. We are extremely excited to compete again next weekend and cannot wait reunite with friends from all over the country.

See you all at Fondy,

Ashley and Audrey

Introducing Audrey McQuade

Hi! My name is Audrey McQuade, and I am a member of the Skyliners junior team. I am a senior at Valhalla High School. I enjoy school, and I know I definitely want to go to college next fall, but I do not know where I want to go or what I want to study.

I started skating at the age of 5 and joined the Skyliners when I was 9. During my first skating lesson my coach told me, "The ice is your friend. Don't be afraid to fall on him. He will always catch you." To this day, that is the most useful thing I have ever learned from a coach. Whenever I am nervous to try something new on the ice, I hear her voice in my head, and I remember that it's okay to fall because the ice is my friend and he will always catch me.

Before I joined Skyliners, I dreaded competing. It was intimidating getting on the ice all alone, with the judges outnumbering me three or four to one! Stepping onto the ice at my first synchro competition, I felt confident. It was comforting being surrounded by my teammates and best friends. That's when I realized how fun and exhilarating competitions could be, and how much more I preferred team skating.

My favorite Team USA memory happened at my first international competition in Zagreb, Croatia. The competitors' hotel was within walking distance from the arena. To get to the competition, all we had to do was walk across the courtyard. On our way to compete the short program, a little boy ran up to me and asked, "Where are you from?" In response I waved the mini-American Flag I was holding in my hand. When he saw this and recognized the flag, he started chanting, "USA! USA!" in an accent influenced by his native tongue. Feelings of excitement and pride overwhelmed me. I love having the privilege to wave red, white and blue. They are powerful colors.

When I am not on the ice, I am usually doing homework or hanging out with my two younger sisters. They can make me laugh until my stomach cramps and tears stain my cheeks. Once a month, the three of us, along with my mom, deliver groceries to underprivileged people in our area. We have fun driving all around town and annoying my mom with loud music and dancing in the car. Also, it always feels good to help people. I do not really follow any professional sports, but I love going to my sisters' volleyball, basketball and softball games and watching them play. I have never been involved with sports teams at school, so I participate vicariously through them.

Here are some of my favorites. . .

Favorite Sports Figure: Herb Brooks
Favorite City: New York
Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite Book: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Favorite TV Show: Law and Order: SVU
Favorite Vacation Spot: Wildwood, N.J.
Favorite Food: Nutella
Favorite Place I've Traveled for Skating: Zagreb, Croatia