Finns Lead the Way at World Challenge Cup for Juniors

The Hockettes "send off" the Jazz to their short program.

Event Results, News and Photos

(3/11/05) — The 2005 World Synchronized Skating Challenge Cup for Juniors began Friday with the short program. Because this is only the second ISU synchronized skating competition ever judged under the new system (the first being the 2004 Neuchatel Trophy), the audience was expecting surprises.

However, the Finns proved once again that they are superb skaters no matter which system they are judged under. In fact the results of the short program turned out in the order in which the teams finished last season.

The Musketeers, skating to "Malaguena" and dressed in black dresses with a flowing, yellow underskirt, had the most difficult program of any team, earning 27.63 for technical elements. They began their program with the circle requirement and did a no-hold segment that included brackets, twizzles and other quick steps, then changed direction and traveled. Their intersection included a whip with alternating turns and a box intersection with twizzles as the skaters intersected. The Finns' skating quality, unison and edges were quite evident, and they also earned the highest score for program components — 28.32. The total segment score of 55.95 gives them a lead of 3.89 going into Saturday's free skate.

Fellow Finns and 2004 World Junior silver medalists, Team Mystique, wore unusual purple costumes with flowing purple pants and skated to "Harem and Morocco Dance." Mystique skated well to the music and interpreted the character, which was reflected in their high choreography and interpretation marks.

Mystique began its program with the line sequence which had difficulty and variety, changing easily between one and two lines with difficult footwork. The block element was also strong, with a good no-hold step sequence with triple twizzles in both directions. The team's total score was 52.11.

2005 Canadian silver medalists Gold Ice also had a great night, just edging out teammates black ice by less than a point to head into the free skate in third place. The team selected a strong piece of music, "Anytime, Anywhere," and began the program with a circle that contained a no-hold step sequence and good changes of direction. The line sequence began with two lines that changed to one line on a diagonal pattern.

The U.S. teams also had a good night, though their programs didn't rank quite as high in technical elements as the Canadians and Finns.

The Hockettes skated an excellent program to "Higher Ground" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The team started with a good wheel and executed their line segment, which they had difficulty with in practice, extremely well. The circle at the end of the program was also strong.

“At the end you could tell we were excited,” said longtime team member Lauren Ward. “We could just feel the energy building and we knew we'd accomplished something really special.”

The skaters were happy with their performance and look forward to the free skate.

“We want to have fun and cherish the moment,” Ward said. “Our coach told us to remember the skate, and we want to.”

The Hockettes finished sixth with a technical elements mark of 19.96 and a program components mark of 21.89.

Chicago Jazz also skated well despite having a skater fall during the wheel at the end of the program.

“We were really happy with our performance — we skated crisp and clean and together,” said team member Jackie Paso. “We've made improvements since nationals, adding a lot of practice to increase some of our difficulty, and I think it paid off."

The program was highlighted with their signature intersection — a perfectly straight and clean back lunge intersection. This went right into a second intersection with a triple turn through it. The team's block had a diagonal step sequence where the skaters built speed and excitement. The Jazz look forward to skating their best in the free skate tomorrow.

"We have no fear and we want to show them what we're capable of,” team member Sherri Martin said. “We want to skate awesome and we've got nothing to lose.”

The Jazz finished eighth with a technical elements score of 18.42 and a program components score of 19.74.

The overall scores were close, with seven points separating the top four teams.