Skyliners junior is in position to win their seventh U.S. crown in the junior division after taking first place in the short program on the opening day of the 2023 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Peoria, Illinois.

The reigning U.S. junior champions, Team Image, are currently in second, while the Lexettes and DC EDGE round out the top four ahead of Thursday's free skate.

"We have nothing to lose," Skyliners junior team member Amanda Zhong said. "We just want to prove how good we are to everyone and show them what our best is, and we're really looking forward to doing that tomorrow." 

Looking to continue their medal streak after finishing in the top three in the junior event the last seven years the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships have been held, Skyliners junior lead the competition with a score of 69.91. Their short program to "The Impossible Dream" by Josh Groban earned all positive grades of execution and was awarded Level 4 marks from the judges for their pivoting block, twizzle element and no hold element.

"I think it was pretty good," Zhong said of the performance. "It was similar to other skates we've put out in the past. I think there could have been some improvement on some elements, but overall it was good." 

Less than half a point behind Skyliners junior, Team Image also has their eyes set on the gold going into the free skate and hopes to defend their title.

The team out of Hackensack, New Jersey, secured its highest-ever short program score at the U.S. Championships, tallying 69.52 points. With the highest total element score of the competition and all positive grades of execution, Team Image began their performance to "Scream" by Michael Jackson with Level 4s on their pivoting block and twizzle element before ending with their highest scoring element, a Level 3 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection.

"[It was] absolutely incredible," said Jenna Reynolds from Team Image. "We left everything we possibly could on the ice. We gave it our all. We put everything into every element, and it really paid off."

The Lexettes currently rank third. Skating to "Rhythm Nation" by Janet Jackson, the team representing The Skating Club of Boston received the second-highest component scores of the competition.
After an early fall on their intersection, the Lexettes earned Level 4s on three of their final four elements and clinched their best short program score at the U.S. Championships since 2017 with a score of 65.26.

"I think leading up to our skate, we were definitely in our bubble. We were very focused on ourselves," said Lexettes team member Julien Song. "We didn't have the best skate. We stumbled here and there, but we really fought, and I thought we made a good recovery."

Prior to the U.S. Championships, Skyliners junior and the Lexettes were named to the 2023 World Junior Synchronized Skating Team and will compete in Angers, France, March 10-11.
In fourth place, DC EDGE will have the opportunity to stand on the podium for the first time in the junior event at the U.S. Championships.

They earned Level 4s on their twizzle and no hold elements for their performance to "Never Enough" by Loren Allred, claiming 63.56 points, DC EDGE's highest short program score at the U.S. Championships.

Competition continues tomorrow with the adult free skate, masters free skate, senior elite 12 short program and junior free skate. The junior, senior elite 12, senior and collegiate competitions can be streamed live on Peacock Premium. The juvenile, novice, intermediate, adult and masters competition are available on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. Fans can also follow along on the competition central page.