programs

Collegiate Synchronized Skating

Skaters from all different backgrounds are finding there's no experience like being a member of a collegiate synchronized skating team. Synchronized skating veterans around the country are teaming up with freestyle skaters and ice dancers who are trying this exciting sport for the very first time.

U.S. Figure Skating specifies two levels - collegiate and open collegiate - as teams for college students only. Since the inception of the collegiate division in 1997, which featured three teams, collegiate synchronized skating has grown to more than 35 teams across the country, with more forming each year. Some schools choose to also field teams at the senior and junior levels.

Teams compete at a variety of competitions: qualifying (sectional championships, U.S. Championships), nonqualifying (Mid-America Championships, Dr. Porter Classic, Cape Cod Classic) and intercollegiate team figure skating. Collegiate and open collegiate levels are offered at the three sectional championships - Eastern, Midwestern and Pacific Coast. The top four teams at the collegiate level move on to participate in the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. Teams that compete in the senior division are even eligible to be selected for U.S. Figure Skating's international envelope system!

There are a number of ways teams can be structured on college campuses. Some are club sports, some are student organizations or activities, and there are even a few that are varsity sports!