Teams Elite junior and Skyliners junior picked up the start of their 2025-26 international seasons right where they left off from the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships 2025 – on the podium together.

Teams Elite junior clinched gold and Skyliners junior secured silver at 2025 Santa Claus Cup this past weekend in Brno, Czech Republic.

The two teams are the reigning gold and bronze medalists, respectively, from the World Junior Championships.

Teams Elite junior kicked off the competition with a flawless performance, scoring Level 4 marks on all five elements with grades of execution of 2.0 or better on four of the five elements – the only team to do so. They were also the only team to score more than 10 points on an element, producing 10.13 points for their Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection.

Their performance to "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston totaled 78.02 points.

In the free skate, the two-time and reigning U.S. champions topped the field by nearly 10 points with 138.29 points.

Skating to music from Carmen, Teams Elite junior earned Level 4s on four elements, highlighted by their Level 4 synchronized spin and a Level 4 move element.

They finished the competition with a total of 216.31 points for gold.

Skyliners junior, skating a gangster-themed short program, generated Level 4s on four elements and secured their highest marks on their twizzle and move elements, both of which added 9.28 points.

They claimed 75.87 points in the segment before garnering 128.91 points in the free skate for a two-day total of 204.78.

Skyliners junior began their Carmen-themed free skate with their two strongest elements, a Level 4 move element and a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 points of intersection – the highest-scoring element of the segment.

Team Image placed sixth overall in Brno with a total of 173.13.

After earning 62.89 in the short program for their routine to "Shake, Rumble and Quake" by Bonti and Latif, Team Image collected Level 4 marks on four elements in the free skate for a mark of 110.24.

The sole senior team in the competition representing the United States, Teams Elite returned with a team at the senior level for the first time since the 2022-23 season. They placed fifth at their first international competition of the season.

Finishing the short program in fourth, Teams Elite skated to "O mio babbino caro" by Vincent Ott. The team from Northbrook, Illinois, were strong out of the gate with a Level 4 synchronized spin and ended with a Level 4 traveling element.

Skating with a theme of "eye of the storm" in the free skate, Teams Elite secured Level 4s on three elements, including a standout group lift toward the end, but suffered two falls on their intersection.

For full results from 2025 Santa Claus Cup, and to follow all U.S. synchronized skating teams this season, visit the U.S. Figure Skating website.