Yet again, the ice of Walter Brown Arena has become the breeding ground of national prestige.
And this time it’s not a Terrier hockey player drawing the attention. The Boston University Terrierettes, the University’s synchronized skating team, placed ninth overall in the Collegiate Division at the 2001 United States Synchronized Team Skating Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo., in their first-ever appearance at the competition.
“Very few people have been to a synchronized skating competition of that size. It was awesome to see top seeds compete and exhilarating to perform in front of judges for the first time as a team,” said Korina Ramsland, a sophomore in Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Coach Barbara Pinch said the competition provided her team an opportunity to perform on a grander scale, even if it meant sacrificing Cancun for Colorado.
“We had a lot of good publicity at nationals,” Pinch said. “On top of that, it was a great experience. The girls bonded real well and became a team.”
Janet Kalandranis, a sophomore in the College of Communication, said the team really came together before and at the competition.
“We gave up our Spring Breaks and practiced three hours every day and really bonded,” Kalandranis said. “At nationals, even though there were so many personalities on the team, we all strove toward the same goal. And when we messed up, we would never blame it on one person.
“It was an unbelievable experience. There were many teams and each had so many good qualities. It was interesting to learn about other teams, their experiences and how they prepared for this competition.”
“It’s an incredible experience to see some of the best skaters in the fastest growing sports under United States Figure Skating Association and a future Olympic sport,” Ramsland said.
The Terrierettes finished second among teams from the east, which included, Princeton University, the University of New Hampshire and the University of Delaware, who was the top finisher of the eastern teams.
Before heading to Colorado, the team had a warm-up competition at Providence College. It has another performance exhibition slated for April 21 at 7 p.m. at Walter Brown.
“We used [the Providence event] so we wouldn’t be as nervous and to work out all the kinks in our routine before we go to Nationals,” Kalandranis said.
Synchronized team skating is a rapidly growing team sport in the United States. More than 100 synchronized teams participated in the four-day competition before two teams from the Senior Division were selected by the USFA to represent the United States at the World Championship.
“It’s all about synchronizing the footwork, edgework, speed and formation,” Pinch said.
Synchronized skating involves groups of skaters skating varying formations, circles, wheels, lines and other patterns while matching up their footwork.
“It’s a group of 12 to 24 skaters that perform synchronized movements. We make formations, like in a marching band, and the judges watch from above,” Kalandranis explained. “People call it a combination of figure skating, synchronized swimming and the Rockettes.”
The Boston University figure skating club team began in 1975 under Coach Pinch. They have been a competitive club intermittently since 1984, though this is only the second year the club has experimented with synchronized skating.
The team usually carries about 30-35 skaters in total, with a slight falloff in skaters this year. Thirteen members currently constitute the synchronized skating team and 8-10 skaters participate in the freestyle competition.
“We had an exhibition last year, and this is our first year in competitive competition [in synchronized skating],” Pinch said. “It’s all new to me and a learning process for us all.”
Some skaters, however, did have previous experience with synchronized skating.
“I skated [synchronized] when I was young,” Kalandranis said. “Then, last year we had a trial team, but it turned into something bigger.”
“You get the best of both worlds,” Ramsland said of synchronized skating. “You get to skate, and it’s a team sport. Most disciplines of figure skating don’t allow that. It’s adding a more complete aspect which is how some people criticize it as an egotistic and self-centered sport. It gives it another dimension.”
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