‘THE THUNDEROUS SOUND’ Memories shared from 2000 World Synchronized Skating Championships
BY TROY SCHWINDT
huge,” Botens said. “Everyone was wearing red, white and blue, waving their flags. It wasn’t like at normal competitions when you can hear the roar — this time you could feel it in your bones.” A total of 504 athletes from 21 teams, representing 16 countries, com- peted at the epic event, hosted by the Twin City Figure Skating Association and its 17 member clubs. The Haydenettes (Team USA 1), from Lexington, Massachusetts, and Team Elan (Team USA 2) finished fifth and eighth, respectively, both skating clean programs. Sweden’s Team Sur- prise captured the gold medal. Canada’s black ice earned the silver medal, while Finland’s Marigold IceUnity secured the bronze medal. Before the first World Synchronized Skating Championships, the ISU World Precision Challenge Cup was held. From 1996 to 1999, the competition was unofficially considered the discipline’s World Championships. The ISU officially adopted the name “synchronized skat- ing” in 1998 to appeal on a global level. Team Elan coach Jeannine (Cullen) Weinschrod remembers her team’s per- formance to a classic patriotic medley, which, she said, “evoked emotion at so many levels.” The team from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, skated choreography intend- ed to depict certain times in U.S. history. It had worked with a Radio City Music Hall Rockettes choreographer to devel- op a feeling for the music. “My fondest memory is the roar of the crowd,” Weinschrod said. “The thunderous sound required that I speak directly into each skater’s eyes to let them know how proud I was and tell each to have the time of their life.” Weinschrod added that she will always be grateful for having shared the experience with lifelong friend and Haydenettes Hall of Fame coach Lynn Benson. The Haydenettes, who were al- ready 10-time U.S. champions in 2000, received a standing ovation for their entertaining and upbeat free skate to music from Fosse , a musical revue.
It’s been 23 years, but the mem- ories of the inaugural 2000 World Synchronized Skating Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota, remain as vivid today as when they were created more than two decades ago. A quote in the June/July 2000 issue of SKATING magazine from Team Elan’s Renee Botens described the electric atmosphere inside the Mariucci Arena, as the Detroit-area team took the ice at the historic competition. “Coming through the tunnel underneath the stairs, walking out and just seeing the massive crowd — it was One of Erin Bridge’s most coveted medals is from the first World Synchronized Skat- ing Championships, where Canada’s black ice earned silver.
Former Haydenette captain Sarah (LeBlanc) Blosat
In the 2000 article, Benson said her team learned important lessons off the ice at the event. “I think the best thing my team picked up on was watching practices and seeing some of the other teams compete,” Benson said. “It’s important for a team who competes in that arena to see how the teams are jumping ahead each year, so they have motiva- tion to work hard and get stronger.” Sarah (LeBlanc) Blosat, a captain of the Haydenettes from 1996 to 2000, said she understands the significance of being part of the first championships. “At the time, synchro was still looked at as the easier way to succeed in skating, and Worlds was an important step for the sport to show the world- wide skating community how incredible and strong synchro skaters and teams are,” Blosat said. Blosat has been part of the Sky- liners (SC of New York) coaching team since 2001. She regularly sees friends and former teammates at competitions. “I always tell all of my skaters and parents that I feel so lucky to be involved with synchro, as it has been my life since I was 9 years old,” Blosat said. “I love sharing the love for this sport with the athletes of tomorrow — maybe future U.S. synchro skaters in the Olym- pics; we are all hoping!” Erin Bridge competed for Canada’s
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