Above photo credit: Cynthia Slawter
Team USA kicked off the 2025 Challenger Series Synchronized Skating with top-five finishes in the junior and senior divisions at Mozart Cup in Salzburg, Austria.
In the senior event, the Skyliners finished fourth and Miami University placed fifth while Team Image and the Northernettes took fourth and fifth in the junior event, respectively.
Competing in the Challenger Series for their sixth season and looking for their second international medal of the season, the Skyliners finished just off the senior podium in fourth place.
The reigning U.S. silver medalists’ short program to "En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor" by Andrea Bocelli, London Symphony Orchestra and Lorin Maazel was highlighted by a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection and a Level 4 move element, which scored 9.00 and 8.45 points, respectively. Counting one fall, they finished fourth with a segment score of 63.22.
Their free skate featured six Level 4 elements. Finishing strong, their final three elements in their unseen human-themed program were each awarded more than seven points, including a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection – the last element of their performance – which earned 8.68 points. They totaled a free skate score of 124.59 and generated 187.81 points overall for fourth place.
Miami University finished just behind the Skyliners in fifth with 180.37 total points.
Skating to "Move" by St. Motel and "Whole Lotta Love" by Ike and Tina Turner, Miami University’s short program featured a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection and a Level 4 traveling element. A fall on their final element cost them a one-point deduction, totaling 58.61 points in the segment.
In their free skate to "The Trio" and "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone and "Daughter" by Beyonce, the 2024 U.S. bronze medalists jumped up from seventh place in the short to fifth overall.
They garnered positive grades of execution for every element. Opening with a pairs element worth 7.61 points, the first of six Level 4 elements, Miami University went on to finish with 121.76 points for their final performance in Salzburg.
In the junior competition, Team Image led the way for the United States with a fourth-place finish.
After securing bronze last weekend at Britannia Cup, Team Image’s short program set to “As If We Never Said Goodbye" by Barbra Streisand earned its highest points for a Level 3 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection. The team out of Hackensack, New Jersey, also earned positive GOEs on every element for a segment score of 62.45.
On day two, Team Image collected Level 4 distinctions on four elements, including a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection that was awarded 9.21 points. Their skate, which depicts the battle between good and evil, included three falls, but received 104.79 points and a two-day total of 167.24.
Also competing for the United States in the junior event was the Northernettes. Skating to "Elastic Heart" by Sia in the short program, the team opened with a Level 4 twizzle element and concluded with a Level 4 intersection with a Level 4 point of intersection followed by a Level 4 no hold element. With positive grades of execution on all elements, they placed fourth in the segment with 64.06 points.
The team out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, struggled in the free skate, suffering three total falls on two elements, but their traveling element collected Level 4 marks and their second intersection claimed more than eight points. Their skate to “"My Way" by Frank Sinatra was awarded 97.49 points for 161.55 points overall and a fifth-place finish.
For full results from 2025 Mozart Cup, visit the Challenger Series Synchronized Skating Competition Central on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
