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The Skyliners Synchronized Skating Team travelled to Lowell, Mass. for the 2012 Colonial Classic Saturday and Sunday and the Pre Preliminary, Preliminary, and Pre-Juvenile lines all took top honors, while the Juvenile and Senior lines earned silver medals and the Novice and Intermediate lines each finished fifth.
Our skaters have worked extremely hard to improve their skating skills, coach Sarah LeBlanc Blosat said. We are thrilled with their fantastic performances at Colonials and looking forward to the preparation for Easterns later this month.
The Skyliners Pre Preliminary team wowed the crowd in Lowell with a program skated to the music Lollipop. The lines solid technical performance and musical interpretation earned them the top spot in their flight and its first victory of the season.
I am especially proud of our Pre Preliminary skaters, who began the season as a Beginner team and worked hard to move up and compete at the Preliminary level, coach Nina Newby said. This gold medal is a testament to all of their effort and determination.
The Pre Juvenile team captured the gold in a very large and competitive field. Skating to music from the movie The Newsies, the girls skated a fast and technically difficult routine to land on the top of the podium for the third time this season.The Preliminary team kept its winning streak alive with an upbeat and fast-paced skate to music from the Wizard of Oz. Dressed in traditional blue and white gingham dresses, it earned top marks by the entire judging panel and secured its fourth gold medal of the season.
The Juvenile line took the ice with command and spirit as they competed in Lowell. Skating to music from the musical Sister Act, its upbeat program was enough to earn the silver medal. The Senior line also earned two silver medals for their performances in both the short and long programs.
This past weekend success served to prepare the team for the Eastern Sectional Synchronized Skating Championships set for Hershey, Pa. beginning Jan.26. The top teams in the qualifying divisions will then head to Worchester, Mass. for the National Championships at the end of February. The Juvenile and Junior lines are the reigning National Champions, while both Intermediate and Novice brought home medals from the 2011 championships.
Skyline Junior Team Takes Top Honors at World Qualifier
The Skyliners Junior line travelled to Lowell, Mass. to compete in the 2012 World Junior Team Selection Competition against the strongest teams from across the country and Skyliners skated two near-perfect programs in their effort to retain their membership on the USFS World Team for a third year.
The Junior Teams combined program score of 162.44 was enough win the competition and earn the honor of being named Team USA 1.
The Junior line earned 49.61 for its short program, an upbeat and energetic program skated to Lady Gagas "Edge of Glory. The performance earned a third place, only .22 points behind the Lexettes of Lexington, Mass. and five points behind Team Braemar of Braemar, Minn.
The girls really impressed me this weekend, Skyliners Head Coach and Junior line coach Josh Babb said. They did not let results of the short program impact their performance in the long. They took the ice with confidence and grace, and owned the moment. I am looking forward to seeing them against a strong international field in France next month.
On Saturday night, the Skyliners took the ice wearing black-and-white feathered dresses and skated to the music from the movie The Black Swan, earning 112.83 points with a strong performance. Combined with the short program, the Skyliners were in first place with only Team Braemar left to skate, guaranteeing a spot on Team USA. Team Braemar skated a clean program as well with and a long program score of 106.51 to earn them the silver medal.
The Skyliners and Team Braemar will represent the United States in the Junior World Challenge Cup as Team USA 1 and 2 in Goteborg, Sweden in March
The Junior team will next compete in the 2012 French Cup in Rouen, France, February 2-4 as representatives of Team USA. The assignment was awarded by United States Figure Skating on the strength of the 2010-2011 competitive season.
Clinics and tryouts for the 20122013 season start mid March and run through April 15. Please visit the Skyliners at www.skylinerssynchro.com for specific dates and to learn more about this successful team.
From a report by Scott and Gretchen Brooks/Skyliners Skating
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