A Bittersweet Ending- Haydenettes

After our great short performance, we were more than prepared to take charge in our Lady Gaga long program.

Our official practice was in the early afternoon on Friday. We came into the arena confident and ready to put our long program on the World stage. Our practice was solid, but not perfect. We had small mistakes that were simple to fix in preparation for the evening. Shortly after our practice we had video review. Saga reminded us of the important technical details we had to focus on come that evening. We were prepared, and we could not wait to put it all out on the ice.

Preparing for this performance was bittersweet. As we did our hair and makeup, we became excited to skate, but we also remembered that this was our last performance as a team. This team is very close, and we all love our Lady Gaga program. We were ready to make this the best program we have ever skated.

As we put on our Lady Gaga dresses, we put on our “poker faces” and got ready to become “little monsters.” As we prepared to enter the ice, Saga reminded us to remain calm. She knew that we were capable. We all knew that this program had the potential to amaze. We just had to do exactly what we did at every practice.

We stepped out on the ice and were overwhelmed with the support from the audience. Special thanks to our parents and the Crystallettes for the USA cheers! This last boost of confidence is exactly what we needed as we took our opening pose.

We put out an extremely strong program and had the time ofour lives. One the best parts about this sport is the moment when the program ends. In this moment, the 16 of us are united and unstoppable. Pride overwhelms our hearts. This is exactly how we felt after our long program skate. We could not have been more proud of what we had accomplished, no matter the score outcome.

Our performance led us to a silver medal in long, and a bronze medal overall. We were ecstatic with our skates and the result. We send our congratulations to Team Sweden 1 and Team Canada 1! The skating at this championship was outstanding, and we were honored to be part of it.

After awards, our parents threw us a party and we were able to celebrate with them. As many of us live away from home, this time was very special. Saga presented us with our small medal, and spoke to our success. She then said her farewell, as she was headed home to Finland the next morning. We were happy to see her take a break and spend time with her family, as well.

This experience was one of the most humbling of our careers. Standing next to 60 of the world’s best athletes at awards made us realize how truly special this sport and this team is. The Haydenettes are thankful of all that have supported us, not only within our Hayden organization, but also around the country. This has been an outstanding season for all. The 2012-2013 season is fast approaching, and we are excited to get back to work!

Tessa and Audrey 

Worlds With the Crystallettes

The Crystallettes had a fabulous time at the World Championships in Sweden! When we first arrived there, we got settled into our beautiful hotel, the Gothia Towers. A few hours after arriving, we had our first practice.  After a long plane ride we all felt like noodles but that did not stop us from having a very focused and productive practice. It felt so good to get our feet back on the ice again and get our muscles moving after hours of traveling. We knew that, being at the World Championships, every practice was important and a vital performance. So, we strived to do our best at every practice. We had five practices during the days leading up to competition.  Our practices were all strong and focused. We spent most of our time practicing but did have two hours to go shopping and have the true Sweden experience! The food was great and the city is absolutely beautiful. 

The draw ceremony was held Thursday night and consisted of solo performances, a group performance, a mini-concert by singer Amy Diamond and the most adorable beginner synchro team. After the performances, all of the skaters, competing in the competition, laced up their skates and assembled single file behind their flag on the ice. This was where the captains from each team were called over to draw a chip out of the bag. When it was our turn to draw, co-captain Meghan Quigley and I skated over to determine when we would perform for the short program. We were so nervous! I slowly stuck my hand inside the bag and pulled out number 13! We skate in the middle of the second group performing Friday night.  We were happy with our draw and excited that competition was finally here! The next morning we had an amazing official practice. It definitely gave us a boost of confidence and we could not have been more ready to compete.  We planned to go out on the ice and give it our all. We had come way too far to hold anything back and had overcome so many different obstacles.

We competed thirteenth in the short program. We skated the best short program performance of our season and were proud of how we performed out on the world ice. We ended up in 11^th place with places 9^th through 11^th separated by less then a point. Once we were done skating, we got the opportunity to watch the top six teams in the world skate. 

After standing in 11^th place after the short program, the Crystallettes got the opportunity to watch some of the top teams in the world. They were beautiful and amazing to watch! There was so much energy in the arena when they skated. That was our goal tomorrow when we performed our sassy long program – get the crowd clapping. We had the crowd going with us in short and we were eager to perform our upbeat long program. We were sure that our music and program would excite the audience, especially with our two new ending pieces. After a solid and confident official practice, we rested up, and got ready to compete. We performed a very intense and energetic free skate that definitely had the crowd clapping along. This long program was by far my favorite free skate that I have ever performed. Overall, it was a great skate, we had one minor mistake but it didn’t matter because we were so incredibly proud of our season as a whole. We ended up finishing in 11^th place (just over a point away from 10^th) and we were happy with how we skated for both programs and couldn’t have asked for anything more. We are 11^th in the world and second in our nation, not too shabby! 

After the competition ended and the awards ceremony was over, we returned back to the hotel and got ready for the competitors party. With help from a few stylish parents, we purchased the most adorable outfits for the competitor’s party.  After we got all dolled up and took thousands of pictures in our cute outfits, we walked down to the party. We had a nice dinner and got the chance to interact with all of the teams that participated in the competition. Then a DJ came to the party and it turned into a nightclub, everyone was dancing and having a great time with each other. We got to take pictures with many of the teams and it was a very memorable experience.

The Crystallettes had a great time at the 2012 World Championships! It was an experience that will be cherished forever. We wanted to congratulate all of the teams in the competition, especially  the Haydenettes for their bronze medal. It was nice to represent USA together and we hope to have the opportunity again next year in Boston!

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

World Team Competitors

This year at the 2012 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships I had the opportunity to participate as a DREAM skater. I was given the privilege of distributing the gold medals for the Juvenile Awards Ceremony. I loved every minute of that experience with the other DREAMers! It was nice to meet my fellow DREAMers that I had not had the chance to meet yet. I am very proud to be a member of the DREAM team and I am thankful that I was given this opportunity. I am excited for the camps in the summer and whatever else is in store for me!

The 2012 U.S. Synchronized Championships were a very rewarding and successful trip for the Crystallettes. We were incredibly excited with the outcome! After skating two solid, fun, sassy, and engaging programs, we were rewarded with a silver medal and the spot on the World Team. It was a very proud moment for the Crystallettes! We had worked all season for this moment and for our season goal to come true was an incredible feeling. We had many obstacles to overcome before making the World team. We were mentally focused and committed to working hard. We changed our short music mid season, changed our program, and we had quite an eventful trip in Switzerland with sicknesses and injuries. It has been a challenging but amazing ride for us and we are so humbled and proud to represent the USA.

Since the U.S. Synchronized Championships, we have been busy working hard and dedicating hours of practice both as a team and individually. From the feedback that we received at the U.S. Synchronized Championships, we have improved all of our elements. We also changed the ending piece of music in our long program! The songs are spunky, exciting, and will make you want to dance! We absolutely love the new songs and cannot wait to showcase our new ending at the World Synchronized Skating Championships! We are eager to see how the crowd reacts.

The last few weeks have been busy! The Crystallettes had their ice show last weekend (March 31^st-April 1^st) where we got to perform both of our programs and many people in our club got to see our long with the new ending for the first time! We received a great response from the audience; they were clapping along and enthusiastically applauded at the end. The Crystallettes also had a World Send off exhibition with a spaghetti dinner fundraiser afterwards. Many people from our club came to watch us and cheer us on; we are truly lucky to have such a great and supportive club. Our parents have been amazing too! They have spent countless hours fundraising and shopping for us! Earlier this week, we were interviewed on the radio. Monday, April 2^nd, Meghan Quigley and I were asked to come in to be interviewed by Paul Smith on channel 760 am. Both of us were excited about this opportunity and had a blast, we also received a very generous donation from Paul Smith, which we are very thankful for.

Even though the Crystallettes have been very busy, we have loved every second of making the World Team and we can’t wait to represent the United States in Sweden. We are thankful for this amazing opportunity and want to wish all of the teams good luck!

A Bittersweet Ending

Although there is no such thing as a “perfect” season or team when it comes to synchronized skating, I have to say that this year came pretty close in the minds of Miami’s senior team. All results aside, this team was truly one in its own. We had it all, including two outstanding programs that we loved to perform. Most importantly though, was the indescribable bond we shared on and off the ice. Our never tiring work ethic and passion were unsurpassed.

We could not be more proud of the programs we put out and impression we made at Nationals. The team and coaching staff were so honored when we were awarded the EDI award for Best Performance at the 2012 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. But beyond that, the feeling that I know we all mutually experienced when we finished our long program reminded us all of why we are here. When we hit the ending pose, numbers or placements didn’t matter. We had already achieved what we had set out to do; in our minds we were already champions. I am humbled by each and every one of my teammates – together we felt limitless.

Of course it is awesome to win championships; that is always a goal. But that’s not what it’s really about. Winning championships is certainly not what has kept me in this sport for so long. It’s about a shared passion and relentlessly working towards a common goal, even though you know the results are out of your control. It’s about learning to allow yourself to put it all out there and be vulnerable. It’s about working through adversity and accepting challenges as they come. I’ve placed first, last, and everywhere in between, but it is hard to compare anything to this season and this team. Miami’s motto of love and honor has never been more applicable.

Being a student-athlete at Miami is a one-of-a-kind opportunity that I’m so grateful to be a part of. I’m so fortunate to have my teammates as a part of every aspect of my life, not just skating. Although the season is over, we are still hard at work. We are on the ice training and getting excited for our annual ice show at the end of April, in addition to studying hard to finish out the semester strong academically. We are all trying to enjoy each moment and most of all, enjoy each other in these last weeks of school before we once again part ways for summer. Before we know it, a new year will be among us.

Love & Honor,

Ashleigh

(Photo Credit: Tom Ostin and Wendy Arnold)

2012 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships

This year’s U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships are definitely something we will remember forever. After not doing as well as we had hoped in Switzerland, the Haydenettes came home ready to prepare for Nationals. We worked very hard changing every element in our short program and rearranging and changing elements in the long. We were determined to improve our programs to ensure we would get things called. Spending countless hours on the ice, we worked with Saga to figure out the series of four turns with which we were most comfortable and best showcased our edges.

This past weekend, all our hard work paid off. We went into this National competition feeling confident that our “New Package” was better than ever. Wednesday afternoon we had our regular practice at the Hayden Recreation Centre in Lexington, and then we went to our teammates’, the Lapucks’, house for dinner. Mrs. Lapuck prepared a wonderful dinner of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and many other goodies. We had enjoyed Thanksgiving at their house so much (earlier in the season) that she decided to repeat it! After the team dinner we got on the bus with Lexettes and headed to our hotel in Worcester.

Thursday morning we had a great unofficial practice. We did sections of our programs, really focusing on being neat with the changes. After practice we ate lunch then went to the DCU Center to watch the day’s events. We were able to watch the Intermediate division and were so excited when the Star Mates won. They have overcome many struggles this season, with injuries and sickness, and it was amazing that at their National Debut they were able to secure the gold.

After the Intermediate Free Skate, we met up with our fellow Dreammates to do Juvenile Awards. Presenting medals to these teams is a very special opportunity and we were so happy that we got to give the Bronze Medals to our juvenile team, the Mini Mates. We had missed their skate earlier in the afternoon because we were at practice, but we heard it was amazing and everyone was very proud of them.

On Friday we woke up bright and early for short official practice. We did one run through and a of couple sections. The practice went very well and we were all excited to get to compete that night. Back at the hotel we did video review, ate, and rested until it was time for hair and makeup.

Finally it was our turn to compete. We were focused during our warm up off the ice and ready to show the Nation our great new program. On the ice we worked together and stayed calm. Our short program earned 64.26 points, a huge improvement from our score in Switzerland.

We were ecstatic.

Saturday morning we woke up ready to put on our Poker Faces and go Gaga. We drew to compete first after the ice make, and were happy to have the clean ice. Saga reminded us to stay relaxed. The ice was so smooth that all of our glides flew without any extra push. Official practice felt really great. After we skated, we rested and ate until it was time to prepare for the competition.

When we took the ice for our free skate we were focused and ready to perform. Our program is so crazy and fun. Saga has given us amazing choreography and we all love emanating Lady Gaga with our expression. Taking one element at a time, we skated strongly. We could feel the energy from the crowd while on the ice. The excitement built throughout the program as every element seemed better than the last. When we completed our pivoting block, the audience cheered so loudly. We got an extra boost to take us through the last minute and a half of our program. At the end of our moving circle and before our no hold step sequence is our favorite part of the program. We all get really into our Gaga character and do an awesome dance. At the end of the program we were so happy with our skate. Everything was left on the ice. Our hearts and souls were poured into that skate and it could not have been better. When we got our score we knew all our heard work over the past few weeks had paid off.

We are thrilled to have helped the Haydenettes to their 20^th national title this year. We are even more thrilled to be heading to Sweden in a few short weeks with the Crystallettes. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and cannot wait to update you all from Göteborg! GO USA!

Audrey & Tessa

Photo Credit: James Smith and Ted Castro

2012 Synchronized Skating Championships Recap

What an amazing day it was at the US Synchonized Skating Championships today! With the Masters and Adult division up first, I had a ton of fun cheering with my old teammates on the Starlights, as well as marveling at how much the Adult division has grown. I was so impressed by the speed and precision of the top teams, and it was incredible to watch. Then came the collegiate division, another division that is just getting more and more competitive every year! I especially love watching these two divisions, a pleasure I didn’t always have when I was competing, and because of how much FUN the programs always are.

It was really great to see all of the familiar faces that I have missed being absent from the skating world this past year. I got to spend yesterday cheering with my fellow dreammate, Annaleigh, and then was able to spend today cheering with my fellow Starlights alum, Samantha. Here’s a picture of us, standing on the OTHER side of the ice this year J

Finally, it was time for the Senior Free Skate, always the highlight of the competition! It was really cool to see how widespread the music choices were for this year: from Charlie Chaplin to Trans Siberian Orchestra to Lady Gaga! This diversity really showed how coaches and choreographers are really stepping outside of the box and out of their own comfort zones to create unique programs that will catch our eye. Overall, it was a wonderful competition. Congratulations to the 2012 US World Team Members, Haydenettes and Crystalettes!

I have to admit, it is strange attending the Synchro Championships as a spectator, rather than a skater. Making the decision to attend Dartmouth College, where there is not a synchronized skating team, was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. While I’m loving my time at college, watching everyone skate here in Worcester, seeing the excitement and passion of all the skaters, has reminded me how much I love to skate. Although I may not be competing at Dartmouth, I know that skating is going to remain a large part of my life for years to come. That’s the beauty of this sport: it’s a family, a community, of wonderful people with one common passion: skating!

Love, Bianca