Photo Credit: Cynthia Slawter Photography
By Marissa Pederson
Carla DeGirolamo has served as the head coach of the Miami University senior synchronized skating team for the past 15 seasons. After two decades with the organization, she kicked off the 2023-24 season with a new, bold approach.
“On our first day of training for this season, Carla sat us all down and said, ‘Everyone stand up and welcome the 2024 national champions,’” said Melissa Marchetti, a junior RedHawk from Peekskill, New York. “Right from the start there was a lot of fire behind this season and it felt different.”
After finishing sixth at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2023 in Lake Placid, New York, the RedHawks came into the new season with a mission to capitalize on the progress that has been building over the past few seasons.
“We are definitely riding off the momentum from last season, but there is a lot more determination and we don’t want to get complacent,” Marchetti said. “We are happy with what we have put out, but we want to close the gap even more and there is a lot further that we can go.”
Miami University closed the 2022-23 season with their best international scores in Lake Placid – 70.07 for their short program, 139.87 for their free skate and 209.94 overall. They opened the 2023-24 international season right where they left off, scoring 70.40 and 133.07 for a total score of 203.47 in their sixth-place finish at Budapest Cup.
“This team keeps recalibrating themselves to a higher level of expectations and execution, which doesn’t always happen,” said Lee Ann Shoker, Miami’s assistant coach for the past 18 seasons. “Throughout the season, they have been performing very closely to the great skating we see at home.”
Their short program is set to "The Big Smoke" by Audiomachine and has powerful, mysterious tone. Their free skate music was composed by DeGirolamo and Shoker to portray a story of mermaids and sailors.
"It has been fun to see the short program performance grow throughout the year as we work on our full body movement,” said Annie Givens, a senior RedHawk from Elk River, Minnesota. “It really pushes us to be fierce and show our power and strength. In the free skate, it has been really fun to play mermaids. We will go from being flowy in the water to attacking at different points.”
“As a coach, you have a vision in your head of what you hope the programs will be,” DeGirolamo said. “This year, I think both programs really converted into real life perfectly. The introduction sets the tone for each program really well and I think that the athletes do a great job of getting into their performance and committing from the first beat of music.”
Commitment to the music and their overall goals for the season has been engrained since the first training session of season for this Miami team.
“There is a lot of really great skating experience within the whole group,” DeGirolamo said. “They are very driven and they are very willing to try new things in order to learn and to grow. They have been doing that since the beginning of the season and sometimes it takes a while to get into that space. This group was ready to go right away.”
The intense focus and determination of this year’s team took on a deeper meaning this December after the Miami skating program made a huge announcement – the 2023-24 will be the last under DeGirolamo and Shoker.
“We are so happy for them,” Marchetti said. “They have put so much into this program and we are excited to see what they do next. We definitely want to make this season count since it is their last one with us.”
With a combined 39 years on the RedHawk skating staff, DeGirolamo and Shoker have helped usher in 16 national titles (2 senior; 14 collegiate) and qualified for nine World Championships, including the historic 2007 event where Miami University earned the first ever World medal for the United States. Additionally, they have helped the collegiate team to a record 12-consecutive national titles from 2005-16.
“Change can be hard, but it can be really exciting too and it allows people to share talents that they didn’t even know they have,” Shoker said. “I have no doubt that the culture here will set the team up for success in the future. Miami and the athletic department are committed to that.”
“At the end of the day, some of the faces leading the program will change, but the athletes are the heart and the soul of the program,” DeGirolamo said. “Throughout our years, they have been the emphasis, and it is not about the two of us. They will continue on and thrive.”
Both alumni and former student-athletes themselves, DeGirolamo and Shoker have deep ties to the history of Miami’s program and extension alumni network known as the “sea of red.”
“Last year was the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which was the igniter that moved us from a club sport to a varsity sport,” Shoker said. “In my first year as a varsity athlete, Miami University had to discontinue several men’s sports. There was a population of student athletes that last their status when we came on board, so we really had to prove ourselves. It is great to see the celebration around the program now by the University and athletic program. That is very special to me.”
“It is a joy to get to walk beside athletes as they navigate life and figure out who they want to be,” said DeGirolamo. “It is amazing to see our alumni go on to do great things, with many of them continuing within the skating community. Every competition is a reunion of sorts, no matter where we travel, there are alumni around coaching, skating, officiating. Seeing the Miami network grow in the synchronized skating community is really special and is something I am really proud of. We give back to the sport every season on the ice and through our alumni.”
Despite the bittersweet nature of the season, Miami University remains centered on their shared values and goals for the season – family, authenticity, excellence. And of course, a national championship and Worlds berth.
“This is a place where we really collaborate together,” DeGirolamo said. “We are in this together for the good, bad and otherwise. You ride the highs and the lows. This is a space where you are encouraged to be yourself and bring your unique talents and interests to the group to learn from each other. We come together for that love of sport and commitment to excellence every single day.”
Follow Miami University when they compete this weekend at Hevelius Cup. To follow along, visit the Challenger Series Synchronized Skating Competition Central. They then will look to solidify a spot on the World Championships team at the 2024 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. To purchase tickets, visit ussynchrochampionships.com.
