Ok Synchro. Skaters!!!! In your very own words...what was your very first day on a Synchro.Team like?

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FSWer

With so many new skaters coming to the team, my team's first day was spent just going over some basic moves and getting used to skating with one another. We mainly worked on basic drills, like Russian circles and blocks, for instance, and did some individual footwork drills (rockers, counters, etc.), sprials, lunges, and so on. With four more skaters coming to my team this fall, I'm expecting much of the same...

During the first few weeks, we spent a lot of time doing on-ice conditioning, mainly power stroking drills, which are killer! We also got to know each other a little more and since the start of this season, I've gotten to know some really great girls, one of who became one of my best friends.

Well, I was 10 or so, and got put on the very end of a line that went around a pivot. The line went faster and faster, and all the girls were older than me and could skate faster. At some point I lost the shoulder hold with the girl next to me and went flying off the end of the line into the hockey boards.
Not the best way to start...

Say,I have a question?...If you are a Newbee,and it is the VERY FIRST Team you've been on. In which case you've NEVER been a Synchro. before,and your a complete Novice to being a Synchro. Does anyone know if in that case your first day might be more of getting to know each other and all that? In which case they wouldn't expect to much skating from you on that day? In which case you would start actually skating the next time the Team met. Anyone have an answer. How was other skaters first day here?

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FSWer

My team had one girl who planned on joining our team come to the first couple practices. I felt bad for her because she clearly could not skate up to the level that the rest of us were at. I tried working with her to help her catch up, but she was really frustrated and in the end quit the team, despite several of my teammates helping her out.

In her case, our coach forced her to at least try the footwork we were doing. I believe this girl was only at a Preliminary MIF level and was being asked to try counters, rockers, choctaws, etc., so I could see how she could get easily discouraged there.

We had a session of introductory synchro classes, and then we formed teams. We did it that way because there hadn't been synchro at our rink before. We certainly all skated, even on the very first day. After all, we'd paid for ice time. If a team were going to have a getting-to-know-you event, it would be some kind of off-ice party, not during a practice session. Anyway, even on the first day, as long as you are a good enough skater to meet the requirements of the team you're trying for, there's no reason why you wouldn't skate. Things are a little trickier when you're trying to coordinate with a bunch of other people instead of just doing something by yourself, but the skating skills are basically the same. There'd be no point to sitting out. You have to skate with them sooner or later.

When I was "shopping" for a team I went to skills sessions for about 3 different teams (the team I eventually chose folded and I ended up skating with my second choice). Since it was skills sessions and the beginning of the season we did a lot of individual skills and then moved into the synchro moves. I've been skating for most of my life and a lot of that was spent dancing at a national level so the skills were no problem at all. When we started in with the synchro skills it was a little intimidating because everyone else had skated together for a while and had skated synchro for most of their lives but all the teams I tried out with were very welcoming and will to help me out. It was a pain having to remember the arm positions.

So all in all my first time doing synchro was a good experience. One of the teams I tried out with that first year had a CRAZY screaming coach and halfway through the session I had enough of her berating everyone and decided to stop trying and paying attention. If that team had been my only experience then my first time trying synchro would have been TOTALLY different!

My first day at synchro was SCARY!!!

I refused to be anywhere but the end of a line so that when things were moving too fast for me, I could just let go head for the boards.

The team started in mid-August that year, and it was at the first practice after New Year's, that a teammate commented that 'Raye made it through the entire session without heading for the boards even once!'

I can even be in the middle of a line now, because it is rare that I need to bolt anymore.

Here's to my team for putting up with me long enough for me to find my confidence

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If you keep your eyes on God, you can walk on water.

Say,how long DOES it take to become a full-fledged Synchro.? To get used to everything,etc. What's the adverage time?

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FSWer

I imagine that you never stop improving! But, depending on your basic level of skating, your team could probably put a fairly competent, if basic, performance together within six months or so.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

So true! Take my team, for instance. My university just started an open-collegiate team (could have been collegiate, but we didn't have enough skaters ) in October 06. We began skating twice a week for two hours, skated an exhibition in our rink's Christmas show, and competed at Tri-States in Mentor, Ohio in early January. Less than 3 weeks later we went on to compete at the 2007 Eastern Sectional Synchronized Team Skating Championship where we took 6th place out of ten teams, including Princeton University, Brite Ice, and the St. Anslem Lady Hawks, who were around longer than we were. (Two of the judges even gave 2nd place ordinals! )

What Mrs. Redboots said about the skill level of teams applies here too. All of the skaters on my team have passed Senior MIF and range in freestyle ability from Intermediate - Senior (passed). Most of the girls also do dance; some are as basic as Preliminary, most skate at the Pre-Gold level, and others have passed their Gold dances. Had our individual skill level been lower, we may not have improved as fast, but we're all really hard workers who found a way to combine all our strengths to build a pretty decent team.

My university's team is also intercollegiate, so we do singles/manuever team events in addition to synchro. In February, my team ended up placing 5th out of the 17 colleges and universities at Boston University's Intercollegiate Championship...not bad for our first intercollegiate competiton!