Ice Breakers Bring New Meaning to Team
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Synchronized Skating in Syosset
By Andrew Burke
When sitting in the bleachers, joking amongst each other and laughing boisterously, the pack of young girls seem like any others their age. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, with a loud "let's go" from their coach, the girls are transformed into artists, with their pallet being the ice. The crisp sound of the freshly sharpened blades slicing the glass-like ice soon resonates throughout the rink, as the girls create a beautiful vision for everyone watching.
These are the Ice Breakers, a gifted group of female ice skaters. Don't let their name fool you, these ladies float along the ice without breaking a thing.
The Ice Breakers is a competitive program for girls between the ages of six and 17, looking to figure skate with a team at an exceptional level. Last Friday, the girls cruised around Ice Works in Syosset during their final dress rehearsal before a very special weekend.
The teams were all business on this evening, as they prepared for the 11th Annual Terry Conners Synchronized Skating Open, a US Figure Skating sanctioned competition in Stamford, CT. The dress rehearsal was nothing short of impressive, as the group of young girls looked professional and on point. The girls were certainly enjoying themselves, but appeared focused with the competition only a day away. The competition is part of the Eastern Synchronized Skating Challenge and one of the most important in synchronized skating.
The Ice Breakers program has quickly blossomed into a haven for competitive young skaters over three short years. Val Murray put together the team made up of nine girls in a seven week span during the summer of 2008, and they never looked back. Today, there are four different age groups for the girls (beginner, pre-juvenile, juvenile, and intermediate), which speaks not only to the success of the program, but the rapid development in the sport of synchronized ice skating.
The Ice Breakers program provides an opportunity for the girls to grow into exceptional ice skaters, but also creates an environment that fosters new friendships. Five-year-old Elena Abni is the youngest skater in the entire program. She enjoys eating pizza with the girls and spending time with her older teammates.
Megan Romeo, a seventeen-year-old who skates for the intermediate group, has been an Ice Breaker since its birth three years ago, and helps lead that team.
"We had a couple girls who came on the team as quiet, but now they are going out there with us, having fun," said Romeo.
With a growing level of interest in synchronized skating, the Ice Breakers now hold tryouts each year in an attempt to not only compete but win. Last winter, in only the Ice Breakers second year together, the team earned a second place finish at the Terry Conners Synchronized Skating Open. For many of the girls, competing at a high level is what they find most enjoyable about the team.
"Going to the competitions and competing against everyone is definitely one of my favorite parts of the program," said Laurel Mallardi, a twelve-year-old member of the juvenile team. "The preparation that we have before competitions is also very fun."
Synchronized ice skating is unlike any other sport because togetherness is so valued over any amount of individual talent. The entire team must move in unison, no matter how strong of a skater one girl might be and how weak another is. And rest assured, these girls are strong skaters. While moving along the ice in an intricate fashion, the graceful-gliders exemplify the meaning of team.
After practice, Romeo stressed the amount of trust that exists between the girls, which makes the difficult task of skating together seem like second nature.
"You have to learn to trust the people around you," she said. "You're skating really close to each other, so it gets a little scary, but as long as you trust your best friends, the girls on your right and on your left, you're fine."
This concept is reinforced by the amount of time that the girls spend together off the ice, developing friendships with one another. Romeo, who says that she has always been an independent person, loves the camaraderie that has been built among her teammates through competing and traveling together.
"We stay over night in hotels; we basically live with each other for several weekends, so it kind of lets you break out of your shell a little bit," she explained.
With only one practice per week, the team's success is due in large part to the time spent off the ice by each skater, as well as communication during the routine.
"The girls on their free time will do all the steps," Romeo said. "While it's hard, we do it."
Rachel Gorelik, another twelve-year-old Ice Breaker, knows it's all about practice. Despite only practicing once a week, the effort doesn't end there. Over the summer, the Ice Breakers spent a week in Lake Placid, New York, learning their routine and working with Erin Donovan, a synchronized skater from the University of Michigan. The team often practices with collegiate ice skaters during extra sessions, too. More than anything else, it's the constant repetition that makes the girls perfect.
"Once you practice the routine enough, it feels like the steps are being said in the music," Gorelik said.
That hard work has paid off, as some of the girls are looking to continue skating at the college level. Romeo has already taken a trip to the University of New Hampshire to put her talent on display.
During practice, certain girls act as signal callers in an attempt to maintain coordination and rhythm, similar to a center on a hockey team. This is illegal during competition though, and only happens in rehearsals.
"At our practices, we make sure that everyone can hear a step when they are listening to the music, so they know where it transitions."
During the competition, such commands remain in the minds of the skaters as it helps them act as one, which is the main principle of synchronized ice skating. The Ice Breakers program is giving young girls more than just tutelage when it comes to skating, instilling in them values such as hard work and sportsmanship.
To many of the girls, the experience is worthwhile because of the friendships that are created among the teammates. The girls all agree that one of the best parts about being a member of the Ice Breakers is just that, being part of a group. They feel a unique sense of comfort when skating alongside each other.
"When you're doing 'synchro,' you're all connected in a line or some sort of shape," Romeo said. "So when you do it together, it's a whole different type of experience."
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