What is synchro skating?

Answer 1

I am a Synchro Skater for the Synchroettes of the Essex Skating Club of New Jersey.


Synchronized skating is a popular discipline both within U.S. Figure Skating and around the world. U.S. Figure Skating held the first U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in 1984 and also hosted the first World Synchronized Skating Championships in 2000. There are approximately 525 synchronized teams registered with U.S. Figure Skating, and nearly 5,000 athletes participate annually in the synchronized skating sectional championships.

Synchronized skating is a team sport in which 8-20 skaters perform a program together. It uses the same judging system as singles, pairs and dance and is characterized by teamwork, speed, intricate formations and challenging step sequences. As with the other disciplines, all teams perform a free skate with required well-balanced program elements. In addition, teams at the junior and senior level perform a short program consisting of required elements.

There are many different levels of synchro skating:

Beginner 1, 2 or 3: A team of 8-16 skaters. No skater may have passed higher than preliminary in any discipline, and the majority of the team must be no test. Please see the beginner page for specific information related to each beginner level.

Preliminary: A team of 8-16 skaters. Skaters must be under 12, with the majority of the team under 10.

Pre-juvenile: A team of 8-12 skaters. The majority of the team must be under 12.

Open Juvenile: A team of 8-12 skaters. The majority of the team must be under 19. All skaters must have passed the pre-preliminary moves in the field test.

Juvenile: A team of 12-20 skaters. Skaters must be under 13 and have passed the preliminary moves in the field test.

(I'm on juvenile)

Intermediate: A team of 12-20 skaters. Skaters must be under 18 and have passed the pre juvenile moves in the field test.

Novice: A team of 12-20 skaters. Skaters must be under 16, with the exception of four skaters who may be 16 or 17, and have passed the juvenile moves in the field test.

Junior: A team of 12-16 skaters. Skaters must be at least 12 years old and under 19. All skaters must have passed the intermediate moves in the field test.

Senior: A team of 16 skaters. Skaters must be at least 14 years old and have passed the novice moves in the field test.

Open Collegiate: A team of 8-16 skaters. Skaters must be enrolled in a college or degree program.

Collegiate: A team of 12-20 skaters. Skaters must be enrolled in a college or degree program as full-time students and have passed the juvenile moves in the field test.

Open Adult: A team or 8-12 skaters. The majority of the team must be 19 years or older.

Masters: A team or 12-20 skaters. All skaters must be 25 years or older, with the majority of the team 35 years or older.

Adult: A team or 12-20 skaters. All skaters must be 21 years or older. All skaters must have passed at least one of the following tests: preliminary moves in the field, adult bronze moves in the field, preliminary figure or preliminary dance. All teams may have a maximum of four alternates listed on their roster.

Elements in synchronized skating include blocks, circles, wheels, lines, intersections, moves in the field, moves in isolation, no-hold blocks, spins and pairs moves. The variety and difficulty of elements require that each team member is a highly skilled individual skater. The typical senior-level athlete has passed a senior or gold test in at least two disciplines.

Synchronized teams in the U.S. can compete in 15 different levels according to the age and skill level of the team members.

Teams competing at the Basic Skills (beginner) level may compete at any U.S. Figure Skating synchronized skating nonqualifying competition or U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills competition.

Teams competing at the developmental levels of preliminary, pre-juvenile, open juvenile, open junior, open collegiate or open adult may also compete at the Eastern, Midwestern or Pacific Coast Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships, held annually at the end of January.

Teams at the competitive levels of juvenile, intermediate, novice, junior, senior, collegiate, adult or masters compete first at their respective sectional championships. A placement in the top four at sectionals earns them a spot at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. Top-performing teams at the junior and senior levels at have the opportunity to earn a berth to the U.S. Synchronized Skating Team, with the top two senior teams going on to represent the United States at the World Synchronized Skating Championships.

There are so many benefits to participating in a team sport, and synchronized skating is a great way for figure skaters to compete in a sport they love while enjoying all of the aspects of working with others in a team-oriented sport.

Thank you usfigureskating.org for help on this subject.

Answer 2

Synchronized skating is a popular discipline both within U.S. Figure Skating and around the world. U.S. Figure Skating held the first U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in 1984 and also hosted the first World Synchronized Skating Championships in 2000. There are approximately 600 synchronized teams registered with U.S. Figure Skating, and nearly 5,000 athletes participate annually in the synchronized skating sectional championships.

Synchronized skating is a team sport in which 8-20 skaters perform a program together. It uses the same judging system as singles, pairs and dance and is characterized by teamwork, speed, intricate formations and challenging step sequences. As with the other disciplines, all teams perform a free skate with required well-balanced program elements. In addition, teams at the junior and senior level perform a short program consisting of required elements.

Elements in synchronized skating include blocks, circles, wheels, lines, intersections, move elements, creative elements, no holds elements, spins and pairs moves. The variety and difficulty of elements require that each team member is a highly skilled individual skater. The typical senior-level athlete has passed a senior or gold test in at least two disciplines.

In 1956,the first synchronized skating team was formed by Dr. Richard Porter, who became known as the 'father of synchronized skating'. The 'Hockettes' skated out of Ann Arbor, Michigan and entertained spectators during intermissions of the University of Michigan Wolverines hockey team. In the early days, precision skating (as it was then called) resembled a drill team routine, or a precision dance company such as The Rockettes.

During the 1970s, the interest for this new sport spawned tremendous growth and development. As each season passed, more and more teams were developing more creative and innovative routines incorporating stronger basic skating skills, new maneuvers and more sophisticated transitions with greater speed, style and agility. Due to the enormous interest in the sport in North America, the first official international competition was held between Canadian and American teams in Michigan in March 1976. With the internationalization of the sport, it has evolved rapidly, with increasing emphasis on speed and skating skills, and "highlight" elements such as jumps, spirals, spins, and lifts that originally were not permitted in competition.

There are international synchronized skating competitions at the Senior, Junior, and Novice levels (with Senior being the most elite). The International Skating Union held the first official World Synchronized Skating Championships (WSSC) in 2000 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The top junior teams from around the world competed from 2001 to 2012 at the ISU Junior World Challenge Cup (JWCC), held in a different location every year. The JWCC were accompanied in 2013 by the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships, to be held biannually in odd-numbered years with the JWCC in even-numbered years. Other long-running, major international events attracting elite teams at different levels include the French Cup, Spring Cup, Neuchâtel Trophy, Cup of Berlin, Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy and Prague Cup.

The ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships (WSSC) are the world championships for synchronized skating. Held since 2000, the WSSC is an annual event organized by the International Skating Union and attracts the most elite teams from around the world to compete. The top positions have been dominated by Finland with three different World Champions (Marigold IceUnity, Rockettes and Team Unique) and 19 medals and Sweden with the team (Team Surprise) with most World titles and medals for a single team. Other major countries include Canada with two gold, four silvers and five bronzes (for NEXXICE, Les Suprêmes and the now-discontinued Black Ice), as well as the United States with one silver and four bronzes (for Miami University and Haydenettes, respectively).

Answer 3

synchronized skating is when a group of skaters skate in unison doing many different tricks that look cool.