By Lexi Rohner
While thinking of Florida doesn't conjure images of a winter wonderland, the Sunshine State does have a thriving ice skating scene, including its newest synchronized skating team made up of boys.
The Palm Beach Skate Zone is home to the Palm Beach FSC and the Palm Beach Blades synchronized skating teams. The ice arena’s synchronized program began in June 2018 and its six teams (the most in the state) include Snowplow Sam, Synchro Skills 1, Synchro Skills 2, preliminary, open juvenile and a boys team. The teams train under Director of Synchronized Skating Lauren Pye and coaches Tina Bonnevier, Hyaat Aldahwi and Gina Cipriano.
Pye created the boys team after offering an introduction to synchronized skating class for the brothers of some of the synchronized skating teams’ female members.
"The boys saw how much fun everyone was having and decided it would be fun to join,” said Pye, who also serves as the club’s test chair and is a certified personal trainer.
While it was difficult to find enough boys to start a team, Palm Beach Skate Zone staff and coaches were supportive. Pye searched within the rink and other rinks in South Florida until she had eight boys. Pye recalled the boys and their parents asking weekly if she had found any more boys for the team.
Pye is the team’s primary coach but she has male guest coaches come in for inspiration.
“It’s important for the boys to see that other boys and men are in skating and enjoying it,” Pye said.
Pye participated in synchronized skating when it was called precision skating.
“As its popularity has grown, I thought back to how much fun those memories were,” Pye said. “I never really thought about coaching it again but realized I would be able to make synchro grow here in Florida, so I took it on.”
The boys and their parents are thrilled with this opportunity.
“It was something new being offered and the boys were excited to participate in a group activity with all their friends,” said Mariela Feldman, whose daughter Sonya skates. “They’re having a lot of fun and can’t wait to show off their program.”
Feldman hopes her sons, Adrian, 8, and Nicholas, 10, will gain more knowledge of the sport and learn how to be part of a team and support each other.
The Palm Beach Blades are the only all-male team in the U.S.
Pye is connecting the boys team with U.S. Figure Skating’s Icemen program. The Icemen program attracts and retains male figure skaters by building a supportive community inclusive of athletes, parents, officials and fans of figure skating. The Icemen program is committed to changing the narrative as figure skating is for everyone.
