Photo Credit KrPhotogs Photography
By Marissa Pederson
Team USA is set to compete at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2024 starting tomorrow.
The Haydenettes and the Skyliners will represent the red, white and blue as both teams look to cap their successful international campaigns with solid skates in the season finale.
Haydenettes – Embracing a “Clean Slate”
The Haydenettes travel to Zagreb following arguably their most successful international season to date. The team representing The Skating Club of Boston medaled at both of their international placements and earned their 14th consecutive U.S. title, marking their 31st win for the historic organization.
With a long history of excellence, this year’s team has made a point to focus all of their energy on a new mantra: skating with passion.
“Every year, we want to do our best and set big goals, but last year, coming off of a home World Championships in the Lake Placid, there was a lot of pressure,” Haydenette veteran Autumn Coulthard said. “At the beginning of this season, we had a team meeting with our sports psychologist about how we don’t want to put pressure on ourselves this year. We love this music and the programs we build, so we are just going to enjoy skating. We always have fun skating, but we have been more explicit this year about stating our purpose.”
Skating the "Clair de Lune" by Imagine Music in the short program and a rendition of the Queen classic “Who Wants to Live Forever” for their free skate, the team has no shortage of inspiration for their new mantra.
“I think the free program really shows off our range and power, while the short program showcases our skating skills and presence on the ice,” said Rosa Hahn, a second-year skater on the team. “When we skate this program, we think about it as ‘Who Wants to Skate Forever,’ which allows us to put a little bit more of our personal journeys into the program.”
With 12 new skaters this season, the Haydenettes have embraced a “clean slate,” which is emphasized every time the team steps on the ice for practice, in competition and especially in between competitions. With such a successful international season, veteran team members found themselves in some unique situations that required them to recalibrate their focus.
“Getting to Budapest (for Budapest Cup), we were delayed 48 hours and we all lost our luggage,” Coulthard said. “We are really great at adapting and rolling with the punches. After we skate, we wipe the slate clean and focus on the new day. The Haydenettes have not had a lot of experience sitting in first after the short program. It is a different mindset that we had not had to deal with before internationally and I think we handled it super well. After Budapest, we had some confidence heading into Poland (for Hevelius Cup), but that also comes with some pressure and fear about whether or not we can do it again. I think we did a great job staying focused and thinking about one skate at a time.”
Heading into the World Championships this week, the Haydenettes will continue to embrace their passion for skating and come into each ice session with fresh eyes and a clean slate. But of course, Hayden wouldn’t be the organization they are without their constant pursuit of excellence.
“The goal is always the same,” Coulthard said. “We want to win. We want to bring home a World medal. It’s not even so much about the medal or the results; it’s about pushing the sport and being the best we possibly can. You can’t be on this team if you don’t believe that we can win the whole thing. During this prep time, we sat down and wrote down all of our worries going into Worlds. We all then looked at the list and collectively decided to let those fears go. It really helped us let go of our expectations and focus on these skates and this team.”
Skyliners – Creating Magic on the Ice
Much like their World teammates, the Skyliners have also found success this season after a 2022-23 docket that left the skaters hungry for more. The Skating Club of New York squad placed in the top four of both of their Challenger Series events this year, earning the silver medal at Lumiere Cup. They went on to capture the silver medal in Las Vegas, marking their best finish at the event since 2020. The 2019-20 season was also the last time the Skyliners qualified for the World Team.
“There was a real hunger this year and a willingness to work together in a profound way to get to the end goal,” said Leatrice Bulls, a four-year veteran on the team. “I think every single person on this team wanted to make the World Team really, really badly. A lot of people on this team have tried before and didn’t get the opportunity. When you have tried and failed at something, there is an inherent fire that is born and makes you want it even more.”
The Skyliners have pulled out all the stops in pursuit of making the World Team, a goal that was four years in the making. Both programs are intense and packed with drama, skating to the James Bond hit "Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith for their short program and a modern Romeo and Juliet compilation in the free skate.
Adding to the drama, the team has fully embraced the new rules this season by adding a high stakes intersection into the free skate. During their creative whip, half of the team is doing cartwheels while the other half does lunges, creating an intense pass through flying blades. This element was just one of the magical moments that wowed the crowd at the U.S. Championships, where the Skyliners earned the PSA Performance Award for their free skate performance.
“The feeling that I had at the end of our long program was unlike any feeling I’ve had before as a synchro skater,” Bulls said. “The crowd was so loud and we had an overwhelming feeling of excitement and gratitude for the whole team. We did not put out a technically perfect performance; we had mistakes that we are continuing to work on. But we put out an incredible performance. I think it was because we had so much fun with it and skated for ourselves and our teammates. The takeaway is that when we do that truly, whole heartedly and have fun, the results are phenomenal.”
After creating an unforgettable moment in Vegas, the World Team nomination was the cherry on top. With just five new skaters on the team, it was the sweet victory that majority of the skaters had been fighting for over multiple seasons.
“For Leatrice and I, we have really worked through the ups and downs of this team,” said Emily Schneider, a third year Skyliner. “We have really grown over the past few years and have been working up to this for a while. It was incredible to have it happen on a skate that we were super proud of. It all came together in one awesome moment. We are very happy, grateful and humbled by the experience and look forward to keep working in the lead up to Worlds.”
Heading into Croatia, the Skyliners are working on cleaning up their technical calls, refining their body moments and taking their performance to the next level. For nearly every skater on the team, it will be their first experience at a senior World Championships.
“Confidence and gratitude are the two words that come to mind for this competition,” Bulls said. “We know we are there because we earned our spot and we can have confidence in our ability to perform on that stage. Also, gratitude for the opportunity and the hours of work it took to get there. It is an honor to get to represent ourselves, our families, and our organization on this stage.”
