Western Michigan synchronized skating team skates at nationals

Western Herald - sports

The Western Michigan University synchronized skating team competed at the National championship in Rockford, Illinois this past weekend.

If you’re unfamiliar with synchronized skating, it’s essentially dancing on ice with the goal in mind to create a routine where the entire team enacts the same movements at the same time, all working together. This requires a lot of skill and practice to master, especially at the collegiate level, according to head coach Alyssa Sutter.

“We jump right into it, we train 15 hours a day during the school year, between our on-ice sessions and off-ice workout sessions,” Sutter said.

This is necessary, especially when they are considered a club sport competing against varsity programs. The only difference between the two, when it comes to synchronized skating, is the funding. This is due to synchronized skating not being under control of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, but U.S. Figure Skating instead.

Since the Broncos had such a young team with 11 new girls coming in, they had a different approach to their goals for the season to accomplish success. They wanted to get their training all on the same page and have everyone looking the same.

“When you have so many new skaters, it can take almost a full season to get it there and beyond,” Sutter said.

The team was taken at a slower pace this year to ensure they had success before they moved on with the routine.

“We were never, this season particularly, given goals for our placements,” Sutter said. “It was always, you know, how could we make our season, moving forward.”

Junior captains Courtney Dziadosz and Lauren Karlin are motivators for the team and help Sutter stay informed when it comes to things that she may be unaware of. Communicating often about how things are going and what the mood of the team is like.

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