in our ourselves, our teammates, our coaches and our love for the sport. Off the ice, the skaters count on each other to be safe for the team and follow all social distancing guidelines. Erin Donovan has been the director and coach of the Hockettes Synchronized Skating Program since 2002. Ded. The goal is that we want to make this a national and worldwide program.. Emmas team coach, Erin Donovan, invited her to become a part of the unified team as a peer mentor. In order to safely perform the skills in this curriculum, it is highly recommended that skaters have passed at least. She furthered her education, also at Miami, by earning her master's in Student Affairs and serving as a graduate assistant in the athletic department. Each has two spokes. Athletes who complete a post-surgery physical therapy program may not yet be ready for a return to full-speed play; our ACL Bridge program bridges that gap. Head Coach. ", "Athletic Republic has helped my son to navigate these awkward tween years by helping him to learn that he can take control of his athleticism even during this awkward time of growth. It really brings joy to the kids. The Hockettes are cited in the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame as the first Synchronized Skating Team (known as "Precision Skating"), created by Dr. Richard Porter in 1956. Collegiate, Open Collegiate, Intercollegiate. Posts. The performance, called "Ghostly Shadows Come to Light", walks through the various aspects of the last two years. In her early elementary years, when her brother began to skate and play hockey, Grace found that no skating programs were available for children with disabilities. Both Grace and Emma have tremendous respect for their coaches. This was the idea that sparked the formation of the Unified Hockettes, a synchronized skating team composed of traditional synchronized skaters and Special Olympics athletes. Visit www.LearnToSkateUSA.com to get started. This grew into the Adaptive Skating Program and a Special Olympics team. The Hockettes have taken every opportunity they are given and used it to their advantage. You can follow her on Twitter at @EmilyM_Little. Grajek recalled attempting to teach younger teams a pivoting block, a maneuver that requires lots of tension through a line of skaters, while disconnected. In the 1950s, Dr. Richard Porter had a vision of a team that would embody many important elements of a successful sport for girls. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. 52999 Dequindre Road, Rochester, Michigan 48307, United States. www.hockettes.com. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Then, as the virus recedes and the darkness lifts, there is celebration, which the skaters portray through jumping and embracing each other. A serious knee injury can be devastating for athletes of any age. Lessons in life. Erin Donovan is the head coach of the Hockettes and the director of the Ann Arbor FSC Synchronized Skating Program. Athletic Republic Shelby has worked with him to improve his agility, strength, and speed. "Because we're definitely more in that middle moment of the program, [where] we're understanding how difficult it was what we went through, but that we're starting to come out on the other side. 2022 Registered Teams: Adult: Esprit de Corps, Team Excel, The Colonials Aspire Beginner: Gate City Synchro, Lower Cape Synchro Beginner, Nor'easters, Skyliners Black, Skyliners Blue, Skyliners Sapphire, Syracuse Symmetry, Team Excel - Beginner, Team Excel - Open, The Sharper Edge Aspire Preliminary: Charlotte Synchro, Connecticut Rinkettes, Lower Cape Synchro Preliminary, Nor'easters . Besides skating, Alison and her husband are the proud parents to a young daughter who is following in her mothers footsteps as another synchro skater in the making! There was a fear of the unknown, said Leah Nagal, a second-year skater with the junior team. Erin began skating at the age of 6 and immediately loved the sport. Alison is very passionate about synchronized skating and is very excited to be joining the University of Michigan this season. Thank you for helping him to learn that through hard work and consistency he can grow and thrive as an athlete despite any challenges he faces. Figure Skating. Terms of Use | Hockettes (JT), Ann Arbor FSC: 9: 48.56 : Free Skate Score Executed Elements Factored Prog. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Michigan ice rinks took a major hit in the wake of COVID-19. By the time she was thirteen and had participated in the Learn to Skate program, she had mastered this skill. U.S. None of the classes are metabolically taxing, so adding them to a routine doesnt increase the risk of overuse injury, and makes them ideal for athletes who are in-season. 1/28/2022 9:25:00 PM Not only does the program give the team a chance to tell their story, but Grajek hopes it inspires those in the audience. Succeeding in the goals you have set for yourself requires dedication, continual feedback, and our training expertise. 535 talking about this. In 1956 a new sport was born. Finding a place of accomplishment and belonging can be difficult. She talks with them and finds creative ways to guide them to learn a new program. . Ded . Using state-of-the-art performance testing tools with synchronized video to document progress, weve tested, studied, and perfected our training programs so you can improve your play and gain the confidence to win. All Rights Reserved. In figure skating, four kids from the East . The original synchronized contour skating people are molded because of the Dr. Richard Porter, which turned referred to as 'father of synchronized skating'. The team would have to jump other hurdles, too, like figuring out how to adjust their skating style to compete virtually rather than in a rink. Checkout all options that Onyx-Suburban Skating Academy has to offer for beginner skaters. She was a competitive synchronized skater at the National level from 1991-2001, while also testing and competing in freestyle, dance, figures, and field moves. The team has been in existence for 49 years and has competed at the national level since the first U.S. Synchronized Team Skating Championships in 1984. Some competitions for the season have been shifted to a virtual setting, while others will be in-person with limited attendance. "It was the little things that you added to it that made it really even that much more fun, even though it's out of your way." Since being part of the team, Grace expresses that she feels very energetic and strong and values the support she receives from her teammates. We recommend AR Shelby for all athletes. She has made big strides in athleticism, speed, strength and most importantly confidence. By the time she was twelve, Coach Johanson had begun including adaptive skaters in her new program. The Learn to Skate USA program plays a major role at the rink and within the club. In her free time, she enjoys watching Netflix, and . Hockettes Synchronized Skating. Each ice rink has its own protocol to ensure skater safety. The routine starts off scary and intense with the two groups of skaters separate but intersecting. The ability to devote more time to off-the-ice aspects of the sport was a silver lining of the pandemic, according to Grajek. For more information about the adaptive skating programs and the Unified Hockettes Synchronized Team, please contact Mary Johanson at. Sara Syms dedicated her life to synchronized skating beginning at the age of 7 or 8, all while also pursuing singles skating, ice dance, classical piano and singing in a world-renowned childrens choir. The Synchro 1-4 app introduces skaters to synchronized skating fundamentals. When COVID-19 closed ice rinks in March, the Hockettes junior team, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, didnt let this halt plans to move forward into the skating season. Saras piece is actually the pivotal moment of it where you look inside yourself and you understand that ghost is there to support you, Donovan said. The program ends on an uplifting note when the shadows are fully in the light and the skaters are all intermixed. Novice Teams - Novice. No one knew when they would be allowed back on the ice together, but they kept to their goals and priorities. She began the first unified team in 2018. Moves in isolation, used in advanced levels, consist of one or more skaters separating from the rest of the team to performs freestyle type moves. At the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club, every skater and program intertwine with each other. "An important part of her legacy is the number of people that she has . Hockettes (NT), Ann Arbor FSC : Score Executed Elements Factored Prog. Governor Gretchen Whitmer only allowed gyms and recreation centers to open on September 9, leaving many teams like the Hockettes without a practice facility for months. At this year's event, 13 teams from eight clubs will represent the state of Michigan in Plymouth, including the historic Hockettes, 2018 U.S. senior pewter medalists Crystallettes and Adrian College." Synchronized Skating Championships schedule (all times Eastern) Thursday 6:45 p.m.: Junior short program ( GOLD LINK) Friday Our underlying mission is to tip the scales of sport in your favor. This year, teams are making these adjustments on a much larger scale a pandemic scale. This unified team was invited for a special performance at the World Synchronized Skating Championship in 2020, which was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic. GOE Score : The coaches and skaters used every possible opportunity to practice together, whether virtual or in-person. [CDATA[// >