This synchronized skating competition began in 1999 with 11 teams. The competition now hosts more than 130 teams (more than 1700 skaters) from throughout the Midwest and sometimes even Canada. Competitors from beginners to senior levels, youth to adults, participate in the event. Additional features of this competition include team critiques and a judges’ school.
What is Synchronized Skating?
Synchronized skating offers athletes the chance to compete with a team and learn the value of teamwork and camaraderie. Formed in 1956 by Dr. Richard Porter in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the sport was known as “precision skating” for the intricate moves skaters perform on the ice together. U.S. Figure Skating held the first U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in 1984 and the first World Synchronized Skating Championships in 2000. Today, there are about 600 registered synchronized teams in the United States. Teams of eight to 20 skaters perform challenging formations and step sequences together, and competitions use the same judging system as singles, pairs and ice dance. As with other disciplines, all teams perform a free skate with required elements, and junior- and senior-level teams also perform a short program.