Competing for a medal requires hard work, dedication and a lot of time. It is something very few athletes ever accomplish.
For the Bowling Green synchronized skating team their dream of bringing home a medal is within reach as they will be competing in a National Competition starting tomorrow and running through March 9.
The team will be heading to Huntsville, AL to compete in the United States Synchronized Skating Championships where the top four teams will earn a medal.
“We’ll be competing for a medal this year and are a pretty good contender,” skater Kori Brown said.
They will compete in the Collegiate Division against teams such as Western Michigan, Michigan State, Miami, Delaware and the University of Michigan.
“We’ve had some really good practices, so we’re excited,” skater Kelly Moran said. “We’re getting pumped up and pulling things together right before Nationals.”
With 20 skaters and one alternate on the Falcons roster that places them in the most competitive group.
“Other teams that were more competitive will have 24, while some of the lower teams will have eight girls,” Brown said.
While at the competition each team will compete once, skating one program for four and a half minutes. The rest of the trip will consist of practices and team bonding activities.
“The bonding activities are to get us motivated to compete, but we only have four minutes,” Brown said. “We drive all the way down there for four and half minutes to skate one program.” This year the Falcon’s program contains music from different video games and Jackie Chan movies.
“We’ve been working on it all year since we got into school,” Brown said. “It’s all different kinds of Chinese numbers.”
“Our program is stronger than last year,” Moran said. “We have a more difficult beat. We’re more into it. It’s a little more intense.” The program is designed by their head coach Stacy Holland from Ann Arbor, Mich.
“She does all of the choreography and picks out all of the music,” Brown said.
Holland has been skating for 23 years and skated for the Crystalettes out of Dearborn, Mich.
“A lot of us competed against her when we were on our teams at home,” Brown said “It’s kind of ironic that she’s our coach now and we skated against her at one time.”
In order to get ready for the championships the Falcons have been practicing three times a week, either late at night or early in the mornings.
“We’ve been putting up with a lot of different things,” Brown said. “We get a lot of bumps and bruises. Because we’re going so fast when you do fall, all that impact on your knees leaves you with a couple of bruises. They’re war wounds, but you’re always proud of them after you get them.”
The Falcons have had a few skaters out for a couple of weeks with stitches, but no major injuries that have kept anyone out for an extended period of time. One skater was out recently for two weeks because she had eight stitches in her knee.
Despite these injuries the team has still prevailed and the skaters are confident in their ability to bring home a medal.
“We’ve had a different practice schedule, but I think overall it’s worked out better. We’re hopeful. We just want to win a medal this year.”
The team competed in Nationals last year and finished in fifth place in the Collegiate Division, just one spot out of medal contention.
The Falcons have already skated in five competitions this year including three conference competitions and have improved each time they step out onto the ice.
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be in the top three after the last two practices,” Holland said. “I haven’t seen the team look so good in two years.”
