Photo credit Cynthia Slawter Photography/U.S. Figure Skating
By Troy Schwindt
Defending U.S. junior champions Teams Elite continued their outstanding season, winning the short program on day one of the 2025 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The team from Northbrook, Illinois, posted a score of 76.18 – their best-ever short program score at the U.S. Championships – and lead the field of nine teams heading into Thursday’s free skate at the Broadmoor World Arena.
“We’ve had a few competitions this season, so we weren’t as nervous,” said Madison Ortiz, who has competed with Teams Elite for five years. “I felt we got into the ice.”
“The crowd was great, and we were able to feed off their energy,” Evie Stuckey, who is on her sixth year on Teams Elite, said. “That helped motivate us to tell our story.”
Being present and taking one element at a time, Teams Elite achieved grades of execution of 2.32 or better on four of their five elements and earned all Level 4s in their program to Mozart’s “Lacrimosa.” Their intersection generated a program-best 10.18 points.
The Skyliners, who with Teams Elite will represent Team USA at the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships 2025 in Hungary next month, also posted a season’s best score of 73.22. They skated to the classic “Nessun Dorma" by The Tenors. The team from Fairfield, Connecticut, sits in second place.
“It felt energetic and lively,” said Emily Duarte, who has been with the team for eight years. “Going as the last team, we just wanted to perform and leave everything on the ice.”
The team’s Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection at the end of their program, which was awarded 10.18 points, was the evening’s highlight, Duarte said.
“We really just give it our all at the end of the whip,” she said. “That’s when the music is at a high and the energy. We are almost through with the program, and we want to give it our all.”
The Skyliners are the event’s defending silver medalists. They are also the winningest team in the history of the U.S. Championships at the junior level.
The Lexettes from Norwood, Massachusetts, sit in third place with a team-best score of 69.68. They performed to music from The Mask of Zorro soundtrack.
“We’ve been trying to put the finishing touches on this program, and I think that showed up on the ice tonight,” third-year Lexette Alexa Kennedy said.
The Lexettes’ opening intersection produced a program-high 9.53 points with a GOE of 2.28. The team finished fourth at the 2024 U.S. Championships.
Team Image from Hackensack, New Jersey, placed fourth with a score of 67.51.
Fans can also follow along by visiting ussynchrochampionships.com.
