Fourth-Place Finish In Nationals For Local Synchronized Skating Team
“Synchronized what? Other than sharing a word and the chemical composition of the performance space – one frozen, one liquid – synchronized skating has little in common with synchronized swimming,” the New York Times writes.
“Although casual observers may question the legitimacy of both sports, there is no doubting their athleticism.
“To some, synchronized skating packs more action and is even more interesting than conventional figure skating. Synchro, as it is called, is a fast-growing discipline of figure skating that combines the athleticism and artistry of singles, pairs and ice dancing with the timing and coordination required for 16 skaters to perform as one.”
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Here’s the free skate performance that momentarily put the Chicago Jazz in first place at the junior championships in Michigan earlier this month. They eventually placed fourth.
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The winners.
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Background:
“The Chicago Jazz began its program in 1987, as the Jazz Babies under the direction of Coach Lisa Darken,” the club’s Facebook page says.
“With a team of 22 skaters, the Jazz Babies began their climb to perfection and in 1991 became the U.S. Figure Skating Bronze Champions in the Intermediate Division of the U.S. National Precision Championships held in Anchorage, Alaska.
“The team kept growing and in 1994 earned entry for all four divisions (80 skaters) to the U.S. Figure Skating National Precision Team Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. Every year since then, the Chicago Jazz has been represented in the U.S. National Championships.
“In 1996, the Jazz Babies merged their precision skating program with the Rolling Meadows Rockettes Precision Ice Skating Club. This new family of over 160 skaters, representing eight divisions, became known as the Chicago Jazz Precision Ice Skating Club. Utilizing skating facilities in Rolling Meadows, Park Ridge, Buffalo Grove and other Chicagoland communities, the Chicago Jazz has established themselves as a mational powerhouse.”
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The Jazz juniors’ short program:
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Chicago Jazz on Twitter.
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ChicagoJazz.com.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on March 12, 2013