Colorado Springs / United States

WSYSC-Preview-520019260The ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships will be held in Colorado Springs, CO (USA) on April 7-8. A total of 24 teams representing 19 ISU Members have been entered for the Championships. This is the 18th edition of the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. The event will be held for the second time in Colorado Springs and for the fourth time in the USA. Finnish teams have been dominant, winning 21 medals including eight gold medals since the inaugural championship in 2000.

However, the defending champions come from Russia, Team Paradise, who won the first gold medal for their country in this discipline in 2016 at the World Synchronized Championships in Budapest (HUN). The Russians had good results earlier this season and hope to repeat their success, but competition will be tough. The challenge should come from the traditionally strong Finnish teams, the reigning World silver medalists RCKT (also known as the Rockettes) and Marigold Ice Unity as well as from USA’s Haydenettes who won the bronze medal a year ago and are looking for another podium finish on home ice.

Other contenders include the 2015 World Champions Nexxice (CAN), Les Supremes (CAN) and the multiple World Champions Team Surprise from Sweden as well as The Crystalletes (USA), Team Berlin 1 (GER), Team Tatarstan (RUS) and Team Boomerang (SWE).

Teams from Australia, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey are competing as well.

Originally called Precision Skating, Synchronized Skating was introduced in the 1950s. It is a highly technical form of Figure Skating characterized by speed, precisions, unison, intricate formations, synchro elements, difficult footwork, spectacular lifts and exciting transitions. A synchronized team consists of 16 skaters (plus up to four alternates).

The Short Program consists of five required elements: Intersection Element, Move Element, No Hold Element, Pivoting Element – Block and Rotating Element – Circle. The Short Program is 2 min 50 seconds +/- 10 seconds in length.

The Free Skating program contains seven required elements: two different Group Lift Elements, two different Intersection Elements, No Hold Element, Travelling Element – Wheel, Pair Element (one of pair pivot, pair spin, pair step sequence) plus two elements that have to be chosen from two different groups of elements. The Free Skating program is 4 min 30 seconds +/ - 10 seconds in length.

The ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2017 are available as a live stream and on demand on the ISU Skating Channel worldwide (geoblocked in the USA): http://www.eurovisionsports.tv/isu/

The schedule of the Championships is as follows:
Friday, April 7: Short Program
Saturday, April 8: Free Skating

For more information, full entry lists and results please see: /en/synchronized- skating/calendar-of-events/2017/04/world-synchronized-skating-championships and the official event page www.2017synchroworlds.com Hashtag: #WorldSynchro