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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. The Skyliners synchronized skating team has earned a variety of medals in competitions in Massachusetts, Michigan and Stamford during a busy stretch of the competitive season.
The Skyliners include girls from many Fairfield County communities. Synchronized skating, originally called precision skating, consists of 12 to 20 athletes skating on ice at one time, moving as one flowing unit at high speeds.
The Skyliners are among the top teams in the country and showed their skills last weekend in Bourne, Mass. Competing in the Cape Cod Synchronized Skating Classic, the Skyliners took home four golds, three silvers and a bronze. The Junior and Preliminary lines remain undefeated on the season.
The Junior line received top marks in the short and long programs. Its long program score of 100.28 was a season high and had a solid lead over the Synchronettes from West Orange, N.J., and the Lexettes of Lexington, Mass. The Junior line remains undefeated as it looks toward the Junior World qualifier in early January. Area girls on the Junior line include Cos Cob's Brooke Abbott and Mairead Brock and Greenwichs Alexandra Scarpulla.
The Skyliners Juvenile line also earned gold. The girls skated an upbeat and challenging program to selections from the Broadway musical Sister Act." Competing against the two other top teams in the Eastern section, the girls had to wait and see whether they had found their way to the top of the podium. In the end, their strong performance was enough to earn straight first place marks from the judges and bring home the gold.
The Juvenile line includes Greenwichs Stephanie Acho, Whitney Elmlinger, Nathalie Felton and Kathryn Goodfriend; New Canaans Maddie Zomb; Stamfords Christine Kao and Christina Landle; and Westons Arielle Belluck.
The Skyliners Preliminary line remained undefeated by claiming victory in the Preliminary A division. Skating to music from The Wizard of Oz, the girls gave a near flawless performance and earned unanimous first place marks.
Preliminary girls from area communities include Dariens Maggie Brooks and Victoria Van Ingen; Greenwichs Madison deBlasi, Katherine Elmlinger, Emma Hentemann, Nicole Huber, Heidi Jacobson and Michelle Woo; Stamfords Juliette Lipson; Norwalks Kelsey Zarembski; and Westons Jillian Belluck.
The Prepreliminary line, competing in the Preliminary B division, skated to the song Lollipop" and won bronze. The Prepreliminary skaters from the area include Dariens Mae Archie, Audrey Pizzolato and Mia Sparks; Riversides Hanna Tulchinsky; New Canaans Lucy Potter, Sophie Potter and Katerina Root; Stamfords Quincy Connell, Deanna Gladstone, Olivia Marshall, Kara McLaughlin and Elizabeth Watkinson; and Westports Cordeli Chen and Layla Rejhsinghani.
The Novice, Intermediate and Prejuvenile lines won silver medals.
Novice skaters include Stamfords Lily Brouwer, Erin Crutchley and Tina Isola, and Fairfields Sarah McCarrick.
On the Intermediate team are Greenwichs Jordyn Young and Marisa Goff, and Westports Michaela Macdonald and Katherine Orlin.
The Prejuvenile line includes Dariens Sophia Cortellesi, Katharine Foster and Michelle Han; Greenwichs Kristen Lewis and Raven Vaz; Old Greenwichs Lizzie Essaid; Stamfords Autumn Iafrate and Alexandra Watkinson; Norwalks Samantha Lamb; and Wiltons Samantha Newman.
Earlier this month, the Skyliners Junior line earned the title of Champion at Dr. Porters Synchronized Skating Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich., finishing first in both the short and long programs. The team earned top honors in the long program, clinching the championship in a competition that attracted top national and international competitors.
The Intermediate, Novice and Senior lines also competed at Dr. Porters. The Intermediate and Novice teams earned silver medals in their divisions, with the Novice line missing gold by less than half a point. The Senior team, in its competitive debut, skated to fourth place in both the short and long programs, earning the pewter medal. The team has been skating together for only five months in the sport's most advanced division.
The Skyliners younger lines stayed closer to home and competed in the Terry Conners Synchronized Skating Open. The Preliminary line won gold, Prepreliminary skaters took fifth, the Prejuvenile team won gold, and the Juvenile line took silver.
The Skyliners will be practicing throughout the holidays to prepare for their next competition, the Colonial Synchronized Skating Classic in early January. This event is especially important to the Junior line, because the results will determine the teams that will compete at the Junior World Challenge Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden, in March.
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