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STAMFORD, Conn. The Skyliners Synchronized Skating Team officially kicked off its season Saturday with a pep rally at Terry Conners Rink. All eight Skyliners lines skated to a packed house. The 10 routines featured a variety of music, including selections from the Broadway classic "42nd Street," Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory" and Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," from the movie "Black Swan."
The Skyliners hope to duplicate and improve upon their competitive success from 2010-11. The Junior line, which includes skaters up to age 18, is the U.S. Figure Skating Association's reigning Junior Synchronized Skating National Champion. Skyliners' Junior also finished fifth at the Junior World Challenge Cup in Neuchatel, Switzerland, the Junior World Championships, and they won the 2011 Spring Cup in Milan, Italy. They are members of Team USA for 2011-12. The Juvenile line is USFSA's reigning national champion and includes skaters who are younger than 13. Skyliners Novice and Intermediate divisions were also USFSA national medalists last year. The three youngest lines all won the Eastern Challenge series in their divisions.
"I am thrilled with the progress of our skaters, and the Skyliners are eager to kick off the competitive season this Saturday in Plymouth, Mass.,'' coach Josh Babb said. "I am excited to see even more growth as the season continues, and I am looking forward to seeing what accomplishments they achieve this season."
The next competitive event for the Skyliners is the Thanksgiving Classic in Plymouth on Saturday.
The Skyliners feature 164 girls across eight lines, with skaters who range in age from 6 to 22. Many girls are from Fairfield County. The Skyliners qualifying lines, Senior, Junior, Novice, Intermediate and Juvenile, represent the Skating Club of New York. The Pre Preliminary, Pre Juvenile, and Preliminary lines represent Springdale Figure Skating Club in Stamford. All Skyliners teams compete in U.S. Figure Skating Association's sanctioned synchronized skating competitions.
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