Colonials Teams Deliver Medal-Winning Synchronized Skating Performances and Qualify for Spots at 2008 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships

(Jan 2008) The spirit of The Colonials Synchronized Skating Teams was alive and well in historic Richmond, Virginia this past weekend. The Richmond Coliseum was the venue for the 2008 Eastern Synchronized Team Skating Sectional Championships where Colonials Juvenile, Intermediate, Senior and Adult Masters teams all competed. Eastern Sectionals was the qualifying competition for garnering the right to compete at U.S. Nationals which will take place on February 20-23, 2008 in Providence, Rhode Island.

The Intermediate Division provided some of the most exciting competition at Easterns with fourteen teams from New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, each vying to qualify for one of only four available spots for teams from the Eastern region at the forthcoming U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Providence. The Colonials Intermediate team knew that the competition would be very stiff at Easterns and they worked hard as a team to master their program, choreographed to an exciting, fast-paced medley of vintage Michael Jackson songs including all-time favorites,"Thriller" and "Beat It." Skating ninth in their flight, the Colonials Intermediates delivered their best performance-to-date this season. They were awarded the 2008 Eastern Sectional Silver medal, receiving a score of 50.67 under the new International Judging System (IJS). This was a 17% increase in their total score as compared to the Colonial Classic in early January, where they were the Pewter medallists.

The Colonials Juvenile team received a bronze medal for their strong performance at Easterns in a field of seven teams and earned a place at Nationals. The Colonials Juvenile team skates to a "Good Day/Bad Day" theme including the music of "Hannah Montana." The Colonials Juvenile team earned a gold medal at the 2008 Colonial Classic.

T he Colonials Senior Team skated their short and long program at Eastern Sectionals. The Colonials Senior short program is set to the upbeat music of "High School Musical 2" and is a real crowd-pleaser. Perseverance, dedication, and teamwork are hallmarks of The Colonials Synchronized Skating Teams and the Senior team is no exception. Their total dedication was in evidence at Easterns with a 19% increase in their short program score vs. their performance at the Colonial Classic. Their long program, skated to Motown music from "Remember the Titans," also showed continued improvement over past performances.

The Colonials Adult Masters team, coached by Amy Boucher, has 13 members hailing from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine. The Masters team skates to a 50s sock hop medley dressed in pink poodle skirts, really bringing the crowd into their program. Team members range in age from 32 to 68. Some team members skated as children and left the sport to later return, while others started skating as a hobby in their adult lives.

Merita Mullen of Wayland, MA is the Director of Synchronized Skating for The Colonials and is the head coach and choreographer for the Juvenile, Intermediate, Junior and Senior teams. Merita is joined by Nancy Schricker, Assistant Coach, Jane Gruber, Physical Therapist and Fitness Coach, and Kara DeFreitas, Guest Synchro Coach.

While they are still savoring the joy of their skates at Eastern Sectionals, The Colonial Juvenile, Intermediate, Junior and Senior teams are all looking ahead to competing at Nationals. The Adult Masters team will next be competing at the Hamden, CT synchro competition in February. In the true spirit of The Colonials, all of the teams will be training hard in the coming weeks to maximize their individual and team potential, realizing that with their commitment to hard work and teamwork, anything is possible.

The 2008 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships will take place in Providence, Rhode Island on February 20 - 23, 2008 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The host club is the Colonial Figure Skating Club of Boxborough, MA. More information about Nationals can be found at www.synchronationals2008.org. Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster at www.TicketMaster.com and will be available at the box office on the day of the events. All seating is general admission.

Fran Bernitz, Carol Marine
Publicity (Publicity@ColonialSynchro.org)
Colonials Synchronized Skating Teams