A Summary of the French Cup

Feelings before the short

“Everyone has butterflies, champions are those who are able to make them fly in formation”. 

While sitting in the locker room waiting to take the ice for our first official practice (the short program) our Co-team leader Justin Dillon entered the room filled with excitement and spoke those words. We then took the ice and had a very solid official practice, really feeling the ice and skating as a team.

We began our week on Tuesday the 29th with an evening flight out of Boston that landed in the city of Paris around 8a.m. on Wednesday morning. The weather was cloud filled but the temperature was comfortable. We then began our two hour bus trip into Rouen. After preparing for our first unofficial skate we arrived at the arena and were greeted by the sun through the large windows that opened up to the city alongside of the rink. The feeling of skating a program you have been training extremely hard for while looking into a completely foreign land is magical, a dream come true.

Thursday morning began with a very early practice, (as we took the ice at 7:45 am) but due to jet lag,  none of us were too bothered as our internal clocks were already a bit off. From there we were able to get a look at the city. Rouen is extremely gorgeous, scattered with historical cathedrals and old French charm. In the evening we participated  in the competition parade. It was amazing to hear all of the different cheers in multiple languages while winding through the city filled with locals who seemed to be just as excited as we were!

Tonight is the short competition for the Junior and Senior teams from the United States and we could not be more excited and proud to represent our country. Best of luck to all of the teams!

After all was said and done

France was unlike any competition I have been to. From the beauty surrounding the city of Rouen, to the energy in the stands it was really something to behold. It was an absolutely amazing week for synchronized skating. So many teams from around the world illustrating just how far this sport has come. It gives me butterflies to think about where synchronized skating is headed.  After skating a free skate that I am sure the Haydenettes and I will never forget, we had the opportunity to get a look at our competition. As team after team came to the ice I was filled with emotion; what I saw was inspiring. There was so much talent and each and every step was finished with grace and power.  After the competition was over it was a mutual feeling between my teammates that we cannot wait to get back to work!

               

Before heading back to the United States there was one more place on our list of things to see: the Eiffel Tower!  We were filled with emotion as we stepped off the bus, taking picture after picture in hopes of never losing the memories we had made on this trip. We all took the ride up into the first level of the tower, and many of us continued all the way to the top. It was absolutely exhilarating to see all of Paris and its gorgeous landmarks from the Arc de Triomphe to Notre Dame.  There is no other feeling like that of representing one’s country and we could not feel more honored to be members of the United States Figure skating team.

Goodbye for now:]

Lindsay Grajek

               

Skyliners French Cup Wrap Up

Time flies when you’re having fun! Au revoir France!

Our trip to France blew by and I can’t believe we’re already home. After the first three days of sightseeing and practice it was finally competition time on Friday and Saturday. Friday was the short program. We arrived at the rink early and were able to get pumped to skate by playing our animal game and dancing around. When it was time to compete we entered the arena in our shimmering lavender dresses and I could see all the American flags waving in the stands. Although this is my fifth international event, it always seems surreal to see the USA section cheering as we take the ice. Our short program felt good. We had a minor fall, but otherwise a clean skate that we were happy with. The 46.66 we received was not as high as we had hoped and showed room for improvement in both our technical and program components scores. Only 4 points separated our current 7th place position with 3rd place. With such a small gap, we knew the competition was not over yet and were ready to make a come back in the long program. To end the day we headed to “Pizza Pai” for some delicious sundaes, continuing our team tradition of having ice cream the night before the free skate. We all headed to bed excited to bring it for the next day!

At Pizza Pai

 Saturday night we put on our game faces. Knowing we had nothing to lose, we focused on taking each element one at a time, putting our best performance out there and enjoying the skate. We had a blast and a few of my teammates joked that they made facial expressions they had never made before in our program! I would definitely say we brought it that night and had a lot of fun performing! Our score was high enough to pull us up three spots to fourth place overall, which made us incredibly proud.

Performing our free skate

After the junior competition we stuck around the rink to watch senior. We signed some autographs and traded pins with other teams. It was exciting to have a little slice of fame. I ended up handing out all of my American flag toothpicks to a local Novice team from France. We also met a lot of girls from Great Britain. Saying that the senior free skate event was amazing would be an understatement. The programs were stunning and when I thought no team could be better than the last, I would see even better skating. We enjoyed cheering on Team USA, the Haydenettes and Ice’Kateers, who both skated great! The arena was packed. Even the stairs were filled! During intermissions the entire crowd danced and I could see all the different countries’ flags waving. It was like watching the entire world come together, an unforgettable and unique experience. Anyone who bought tickets for senior World Synchronized Skating Championships in Boston is definitely in for a treat!

The crowd for the Senior free skate

Skyliners with Team Great Britain

Team France

Now that we’re back in the States, we are ready to work extremely hard in these last few weeks leading up to U.S. Synchro Championships and World Junior Championships! You’ll know where to find us: At the rink!

Good luck to Skyliners Senior, Chicago Jazz, and Lexettes at Spring Cup this week!

Au revoir!

Dana

The Last Day in Rouen

Saturday morning was bittersweet; we were anxious to show our long program to an international audience, but we also did not want to go home the following day. Because we skated in the latter portion of the flight that evening, our official was mid-morning, which made for a happier, more alert team.

Our official practice was a little shaky at times, but overall a good, solid showing. We had reviewed our mistakes on video after the short program, and tried to apply these same technical corrections to our free skate official. Both the skaters and coaches were pleased with that morning’s practice.

Later that afternoon, we bussed to the rink to cheer on our fellow teammates in the junior free skate. This event was so exciting to watch, as there were many impressive teams from many different countries. However, Team USA again prevailed, and Team Braemar took home the gold. I had not seen their long program yet this season, and I was absolutely blown away. The Alice in Wonderland theme was interpreted and presented extremely well, and their skating skills were far superior to the rest of the flight. I was honored to be traveling with such a dignified, talented group of girls. Congratulations again, Team Braemar!

The audience for the senior free skate was very energetic and supportive. Stepping on the ice as “Team USA” is rewarding no matter how many times a skater has competed internationally. We felt like a different team in our newly beaded dresses and new hairstyle. Our program began with two falls in the angled intersection, but most of the rest of the program went along swiftly. With another fall at the end of the program, we left the ice disappointed. It is always difficult to recover from these types of performances, but I believe that we responded quite well to the scores. It was a learning experience for us, and I hope that it will only make us stronger in the future.

Team USA left the competition with a bronze and a gold medal, which we believe to be a favorable result. It was one of the best international competitions I have ever attended, and I was fortunate enough to share the experience with 18 girls that I love. We will be back to work shortly preparing for the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, which are approaching quickly!

Hope to see you all in Ontario!

Twenty Americans in Paris (Rouen)- Short Program Day!

I’ll begin with our day on Thursday. It began with a few practice sessions, which were extremely strong. We took the ice with confidence and pride as we sported our black Team USA tank tops. The competition arena is amazing- we were thrilled to have the chance to skate on that surface before our official practice. While warming up, we started the flashmob dance, and before we knew it, we had teams in the crowd standing up and joining us. This was a fun, short preview of the events to come later that night.

We also had the chance to explore Rouen, which is absolutely gorgeous. The architecture is just stunning and the stores surrounding our hotel are adorable. The shoes here are what caught our eyes most frequently. Almost every girl on the team ended up with a new pair of French shoes!

Later that night, the competition held a special welcome parade and ceremony. They had a small marching band that played popular tunes while the competitors sang along. The parade featured all of the athletes, and we walked around the streets of Rouen chanting USA cheers behind our beloved flag. (Team Braemar and Crystallettes below)

Once we all returned, the fun really started. The song “The Time” by the Black Eyed Peas blared through the speakers, and Team USA immediately ran to the front to lead the group in the flashmob dance. Watching every country and every team perform the dance together was very special- a memory that none of us will soon forget. It was remarkable to see what a simple youtube video could produce- people from all around the world united as one.

After this day of fun and excitement, we had to calm ourselves down and approach the next day with a focused attitude. Friday morning began with our official practice, which was very smooth and confident. We left the arena in high spirits, with a restored sense of security and trust in one another. We were overjoyed to hear that Team Braemar had conquered the Junior event. We are even more excited to cheer them on in the long program tomorrow!

It seemed like a very long day, but finally it was our time to shine. We entered the arena in our beautiful royal blue dresses, ready to perform our “Rhapsody in Blue” and “I Got Rhythm” short program. Our skate was similar to our practice- smooth and connected. Our presentation (the element of our performance we have drilled the most) was top notch tonight. We left the ice excited and proud, which was our ultimate goal. The (mini) French fans asked for our autographs as we left the ice, which was another rewarding aspect of the experience. We are pleased with our scores, but are looking to move up in the free skate tomorrow!

Needless to say, we’re pretty exhausted from this eventful day. Make sure to tune into the livestream video tomorrow! We skate 10^th, the first team in the third group.

here's a link to the video of the flashmob:

http://player.vimeo.com/video/19539490?title=0&amp%3Bbyline=0&amp%3Bportrait=0

(this one features the USA teams)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWHFXXPAJ7s

(this one includes more views)

à demain (see you tomorrow)!

"Pillow Pets" Pave the Way to France for Crystallettes

We kept a running countdown measuring the days, hours, minutes, and seconds before we boarded the plane for the French Cup. This Sunday, however, these long awaited plans took a sudden turn when Mother Nature threw a severe snow storm our way.

On Monday, our managers worked all day long and were able to change our flight to 6 AM the next morning in order to avoid the upcoming midwest storm. We frantically packed and slept as much as we could before our 4 AM meeting at the airport.

The next leg of our journey took place in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. Our newly altered travel plans included a 10-hour layover in this airport. This time was spent venturing through the complex transit systems and relaxing in the terminal. It was a long day, of course, but it was great time for team bonding. We practiced our “flashmob” dance and got some homework done before we finally boarded the 6.5-hour flight to France.

We attribute our optimism partly to our collection of pillow pets, which provided a great way to relax within the short intervals we were given.

By the time we arrived in Paris, we were absolutely spent. But we knew that we had to revive our energy and reap the benefits of our daylong tour. We took hundreds of pictures and learned a lot about the beautiful city of Paris before we boarded the bus to Rouen. Needless to say, the group was silent for the entire two-hour trek.

Tomorrow we have a few practices and then the competition welcome ceremony. Hopefully in between we can explore Rouen. We are extremely excited to get some sleep tonight and to finally skate on the competition ice tomorrow!

Talk to you later this week! GO USA