2013 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating ChampionshipsFebruary 21-23, 2013

Calgary, Alberta

EDMONTON EDGEEdmonton Edge has been busy preparing for the 2013 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships in Calgary since early summer. Auditions were held in June, to get a good start on the year with the competition season beginning during the Christmas holidays.

It is not often that Edge has the opportunity to skate on Alberta soil, and it is extremely exciting that friends and family are so near and able to share the experience with them. The Intermediate category is a very competitive one, and each team is hoping that their skating skills, speed, footwork and formations will lead to a winning performance. Edmonton Edge is skating to an Egyptian-themed program this year led by Coach, Michele Rowein, and Manager, Lisa Bonderove.

Edmonton Edge is composed of 19 skaters ranging in ages from 16 to 25. Seventeen of these skaters are returning to the team from last year. This has led to a very close-knit team in which some of the skaters have been together within the Edmonton Synchronized Skating Club for over ten years. The ladies of Edmonton Edge are also kept busy away from the ice. Some girls are in high school, many girls on the team are in University full time, and many of them

also have full-time jobs; teaching, banking, court reporting, and more. Yet, they never question whether they are too busy to make it to practices. All team members have really taken advantage of the unique opportunity to be a part of each other’s lives both in and out of the rink. While the synchro season is a busy one, with practices up to 3 times per week, members of Edmonton Edge usually don’t go a weekend without seeing one another. One of Edge’s greatest strengths is their team dynamic. With the capabilities of iPhone group chats, they stay connected 24-7! While the team is diverse, they always have a really good time together, often labeling themselves as “The Herd” when they’re out in public with matching jackets, hair, and make up.

Although Edmonton Edge does not have any teams to compete against in the West, they challenge themselves to beat their own personal best scores and performances leading up to Nationals. On the ice, the team is focused and goal orientated. They use a Facebook page to watch weekly practice videos in order to provide constructive feedback for one another and monitor changes and growth. They stay motivated at the rink with quotes posted outside the dressing room, a run-through tally board, and ‘secret buddies’ (a program where each skater inspires another skater with small cards and gifts and reveal their identity at the end of the season). Edge has also been working with a sports psychologist the past two seasons to help with concentration, and preparation for practices and competitions.

Another important member of Edge is ‘Snack Bear.’ What started as just a teddy bear to remind a skater to bring a team snack to practice has turned into the team mascot and the team’s biggest fan. Snack Bear is often seen riding into the rink in a bedazzled remote control car or simply watching from the boards. He always travels with the team and always tweets all the latest about Edmonton Edge from Twitter @edgesnackbear. He would love if you could follow him!

While training can be tiring, practices are kept upbeat and fun with theme nights; Edge wore pink in support of breast cancer awareness, dressed up for the holidays and Halloween, had a pajama day, and celebrated Valentine’s Day.

During downtime at competitions, Edge likes to put together fun activi-ties like a slipper exchange, where the girls decorate a pair of slippers for a teammate. They’ve done a “Guess the Baby Picture” contest. And then there is the most anticipated activity to end off the competition season – an Air Band competition. Groups go all out to try and win this prestigious

competition! While Edmonton Edge likes to keep the atmosphere fun, they also recognize the importance of togetherness and understand that the greatest reward is in the journey.

As synchronized skating evolves, all of the skaters of Edmonton Edge push each other to be better and understand the sport. While the girls may sometimes get distracted by a University men’s hockey team that practices right after them, they never forget what they have been practicing so hard for all season. They are focused on Nationals and improving upon their fourth place finish from last year. Edge is extremely excited to represent Skate Canada: Alberta-NWT/Nunavut at Nationals this year and thanks to the Section, will be looking stylish with their new Skate Canada skate bags. It’s an understatement to say they are thrilled to be competing at Nationals on home soil. They can’t wait!

SEE YOU THERE!

Team Roster:

Abby LairdBrandi FostveltBrittney MatejkaBrittney NielsenChristina HovdeCourtney BreedeveltCourtney Mielnichuk

Dayle HenriksenHannah SasewichJane GrantJenna MacKenzieKatelynn SchutzKathy GillKatrina Rolf

Kayla KresicKiera GreenlyLindsey ByrtMonyca MarquetteNixen Darling

Coach & Choreographer – Michele Rowein

Manager – Lisa Bonderove

Black Gold Open team is comprised of 18 skaters with skaters from Calgary, Olds, Carstairs, and as far away as Hanna! The team consists of veteran synchronized skaters, who have been together for quite a few years, with some new faces from the past coming back to the sport to join us. Our team ranges in ages from 16 – 36! But when it comes to skating, age lines become blurred, and the love of synchro is the main focus. We have skaters that are married, married with children, teachers, pharmacy techs, accountants, nurses, high-school and university students, human resources and talent specialists, engineers, administrators, dental assistant, personal fitness trainers, sales and marketing coordinators, and family intervention workers. All of us come together twice a week for few hours of hard training, and perfecting our program.

Our season started off in the last weekend of August with 4 intense days of choreography on and off the ice. We worked with Monique and Andrea St. Cyr and Jennifer Beauchamp. We first listened to our music before we even set foot on the ice, and were excited to hear Florence and the Machine’s powerful main title song to Snow White and the Huntsman – “Breath of Life”. We were truly inspired when we heard the emotion from the song, and what we could portray and evoke on the ice, while bringing the program to “life”. It was very exciting and enlightening to work with Jennifer Beauchamp, who is a World Synchro Champion, and has a great passion for the sport of synchro. What a great way to start our year!

This season our goal as a team was to “run” our program as much as possible. By coincidence, one of our skaters started tracking how many run-throughs of the program we have done since October. It is now become a bit of challenge amongst ourselves to see how many we can actually do by Nationals. Mountain Regional’s second skate was our 87th run-through!! We will be over 100 before Nationals!

Our coaches Monique and Andrea St. Cyr always bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to our season. They are able to blend a diverse group of skaters, talents and strengths, to work towards a common goal. We always look forward to what they have in store for us.

Calgary Synchronized Skating Club has been a huge support for the Black Gold Open team. We couldn’t do it without our executives, managers, food moms, travel coordinators, dress maker, parents and fans! They make everything happen, and for that we are truly grateful. We love seeing you in the stands and hearing all the cheers!We hope you love this program as much as we do! See you at Nationals - we look forward to hosting and having you there!

Sincerely,Black Gold Open 2013

BLACK GOLD OPEN

Team Roster:

Alana ForbesAshley GranthamAlisa NixonAshley O’TooleBrooklyn SelbyCassandra Kellsey

Constance ChanDanika DuganHaley CedergrenJinelle St. CyrKatrina GilroyKrista Wright

Kristy CasebeerLaura HladshevskyLeigh O’TooleMajlis TheanderMelissa HillStefanie Jessen

Coaches: Monique and Andrea St. Cyr

Choreographers: Monique and Andrea St. Cyr, and Jennifer Beauchamp

Manager: Connie Gilroy

Photos Courtesy of: Constance Chan and Katrina Gilroy

Team Roster:

Allyson CarrollBailey WhippleBraede BoxmaCara HeinsDanika Hanna

Jazlyn TabachniukJenay KaytorJennifer MoserJordyn ThompsonKelsey Flint

Lauralee LeishmanMalorie EnnsMikayla KaytorTaylor ThomasTosha Heins

The Lethbridge Ice Angels Open Team is honoured to represent the Lethbridge Figure Skating Club and Skate Canada: Alberta-NWT/Nunavut at the 2013 Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships. Our team is made up of 15 skaters ranging in age from 13-31, with the majority of our skaters being 16 years old or younger. The Ice Angels have competed in two competitions this season placing 2nd at the Red Deer Invitational and 3rd at Mountain Regionals in Abbotsford, BC.

“Our coach, Nina Evans, has choreographed a fun, energy filled routine to ‘Knock on Wood’ and ‘Disco Inferno’ that we have practiced and polished for Nationals” says team captains Mikayla Kaytor, 16, and Taylor Thomas, 15.

The team practices twice a week working hard to improve their program as well as sharing in many memories and laughs together as a group. We are looking forward to competing at the national level and cannot wait to take part in such an amazing experience.

The Lethbridge Ice Angels would like to say a special thank you to their “Guardian Ice Angel”, bus driver Ian, who managed to get them home safely from Abbotsford by heroically navigating their bus through two oncoming semis on a dark, snowy mountain road. Thanks to Ian, we will get to skate at the 2013 Synchro Championships!

LETHBRIDGE ICE ANGELS

Coach: Nina Evans

Choreographer: Nina Evans

Manager: Terri Thomas

GOOD LUCK!

Skate Canada: Alberta-NWT/Nunavut wishes Edmonton Edge, Black Gold Open and the Lethbridge Ice Angels good luck at the 2013 Skate Canada Synchronized

Skating Championship!

FOR EVENT INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SKATECANADA.CA