ISU

#SynchroSkating  #UpAgain

Team Les Suprêmes (CAN) perform during the ISU World Junior Synchronised Skating Championships in Innsbruck (AUT) @ISU (International Skating Union)

During the past two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced many Synchronized Skating teams to pivot their training to alternative options. This challenge has helped the sport to evolve into a more competitive field, with many more countries building stronger skaters. Teams around the world were forced to become very creative with their training options, such as virtual off-ice sessions or skating challenges on TikTok.

At the beginning of the pandemic Team Les Suprêmes Junior, a Synchronized Skating team based in Montreal (CAN) coached by Marilyn Langlois and Pascal Denis, did not skate at all. But to keep the team alive and the athletes motivated to improve despite the difficult situation, their coaches came up with some great options. “In the beginning, when it started, we had a three-month lockdown, we did skating skills, but via Zoom on the floor. Which was really useful actually; at first it looked very basic, we were doing basic pushes but, on their feet, instead of in their skates.”, Pascal explained. Through this basic training technique Les Suprêmes Junior skaters figured out new details that they were unaware of, which helped them improve their feeling in their skates once they were back on the ice. “

They could also see themselves on the camera, which helped them with their alignment”, Marilyn Langlois commented. During this long period of not skating the team focused on the basics of synchro, explaining the rules and elements from a more technical point of view. “That helps the athletes to focus on small details and to become more “synchro-wise””, as Coach Langlois likes to call it. Through these technical lessons the skaters learnt about where to look or where their feet should be aligned in certain elements. This learning-outcome gives teams  a head start when it is time to practice program elements.

After the lockdown, the team was able to get back on the ice – but not as a complete team. Les Suprêmes was split into two separate groups, because only a certain number of athletes was allowed to train simultaneously. Marilyn and Pascal saw this as an opportunity to focus on individual skating skills and have a more detailed look at each individual skater. “We were trying to keep them motivated. So, we were trying to find some challenges, like on TikTok, in which you could see Ice Dancers or Single Skaters doing different moves, trying to create a greater variety of skating, not just the typical skating you see in Synchro”, Marilyn added. The variety of skating involved in Synchronized Skating has been expanding over the past years. 

Thanks to coaches such as Pascal Denis, who is also part of the coaching team at the Ice Academy of Montreal, the Synchro world has been getting more influences from other disciplines such as Ice Dance and Single Skating. During practices, Denis tries to tie in elements of Ice Dance into Synchro and vice versa. He tells his Synchro teams that they are training the same exercises as his Ice Dancers and that empowers the skaters to improve and have fun during the sessions. Les Suprêmes’ skaters always look up to Ice Dancers such as Gabriela Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) and they are impressed by the expressions of the Spanish couple Olivia Smart/Adrian Diaz.

“We also really like Madison Chock and Evan Bates, because in our club it is about technical elements, but it’s also about always giving a show and looking powerful on the ice. And that’s exactly what these dancers do!”, team captain Simona Ronca added. According to Denis there are a lot of similarities between Ice Dance and Synchro, therefore he really likes comparing these sports and adding skating skills, like delicate and intricate turns from Ice Dance into Synchro. On the other hand, Denis also commented that even the Ice Dancers come by to watch Synchro practices, because they are impressed by the difficult elements that the teams perform.

Team Les Suprêmes (CAN) perform during the ISU World Junior Synchronised Skating Championships in Innsbruck (AUT) @ISU (International Skating Union)

But the difficulties did not stop there. When the team was allowed to come together on the ice, they still had to skate without contact which is  an essential part in Synchronized Skating, the coaches came up with yet another option for the team. “Our coaches had the great idea of attaching with sticks, like foam rollers.”, Ronca said. Les Suprêmes had to continue skating like this for a full year. According to Langlois and Denis this is very tricky yet has taught the team to have even more tension. When they finally were allowed to attach again in May 2021 the team felt the strength they had built in their torso and arms, that helped them keep aligned and skate in unison more easily.

After being cut off again, due to restrictions that arose in December 2021, Les Suprêmes Junior stayed motivated and came back stronger to claim the gold medal at this season’s Canadian Championships. “We were so proud to have won the Nationals, after putting in a lot of hard work!”, co-captain Josephine Kawa commented. With this achievement unlocked, Les Suprêmes Junior set off to represent Canada at the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships 2022 in Innsbruck, Austria.

Team Les Suprêmes (CAN) perform during the ISU World Junior Synchronised Skating Championships in Innsbruck (AUT) @ISU (International Skating Union)

This is just one story of many – Teams from around the world have shown a lot of perseverance and strength throughout the past seasons. Even though there were a lot of restrictions in place, Synchro teams like Les Suprêmes Junior showed that the sport can and is growing, and that skaters and coaches are determined to do what it takes to be recognized as professional athletes, no matter how many obstacles they must face. “Since the pandemic, teams have started becoming stronger, as they have been improving their skating skills. More countries can participate and so the only thing that is missing is more exposure.”, coach Marilyn Langlois implied.