While many people were home for spring break, the Collegiate and Senior Synchronized Skating Teams competed at their National Championship event in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Collegiate team came home with a silver medal, and the Senior team earned their first-ever national medal, which was pewter.
For the first half of the week, the teams remained on campus, training for the competition and presenting their programs at an exhibition at Arrington Ice Arena. Then, the teams flew to Colorado, where they spent two days training in altitude before taking the competition ice.
The first event of the weekend was the Senior Short Program. With a season’s best score, the team earned 61.70 points. Their highest-scoring element of the program was the intersection element, receiving nine points. Going into the Senior Free Skate, the team was in fourth place with a nine-point lead to remain on the podium.
Before resuming the Senior competition, the Collegiate Free Skate took the ice. There were 13 teams in the Collegiate division this season, with very tight competition between the highest-scoring five teams, some only within a point or two of each other.
Collegiate Captain Megan Muzy said, “Stepping on competition ice and hearing ‘Adrian College’ is a feeling that you will never forget. It gives me a sense of pride, knowing it is our time to shine. We have worked all season for this one skate, which can be nerve-racking, but I know that we will all work together and skate the best we can.”
The Collegiate team brought their “Bohemian Rhapsody” Free Skate to life at the U.S. Championships, earning second place. Much like the Senior teams’ Short Program, their highest-scoring element was the second intersection. In total, the team earned 105.74 points, which is the highest the team has scored in this division. Additionally, their silver medal is the Collegiate team’s fourth consecutive National medal.
Assistant Collegiate Captain Shelbea Frank said, “Through a season that was full of so many unexpected turns and challenges, we could not have asked for a better experience. This team continuously fought and gave 100 percent all season, which was not easy.”
The night was not over for Adrian Skating. The last event of the weekend was the Senior Free Skate. After earning 122.05 points in the Free Skate, the team secured their place on the podium for a combined score of 183.75 points. The element that brought the team the most points in their Free Skate was the group lift, where they received the highest level possible and a positive grade of execution.
After nine seasons in the Senior division and placing fifth in the previous four seasons, the Senior team made their inaugural podium debut. However, despite their victory, many were simply happy to compete on the national stage again.
Senior Jocelyn Kalkman said, “Being back at Nationals this year following the pandemic brought a new love to the sport. While competing, it was inspiring to watch the camaraderie between the athletes— we were all just happy to be there and skate with one another. Synchronized skating has a special way of bringing people together, thanks to a sport we all treasure.”
This season was also a special one for the Synchronized Skating program as five team members earned two National medals in one night. Adrian Skating had five skaters who were members of both the Collegiate and Senior teams.
Senior Kayleigh Mulligan said, “It was an honor to be able to compete on behalf of both Collegiate and Senior this season. I enjoyed the atmosphere and team culture. Both teams accepted the additions to the rosters and kept us motivated during tough practices. I am thankful to walk away with two national medals this season and show off all the hard work we have been doing behind the scenes.”
After a record-breaking season, Collegiate Captain Sofia Rosenqvist said, “We skated our hearts out and left it all out there.”
Though their competitive season has ended, a few events are still left for the Bulldogs this year, including an exhibition and tryouts for the 22-23 season.
Come see all three Synchronized Skating Teams and members of the Intercollegiate Figure Skating perform at the annual Ice Show Mar. 20 at 1 pm at Arrington Ice Arena.
The College World 