2019 World Synchronized Skating Championships Preview

by Grace Leonard

This weekend, the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships will return to Helsinki, Finland for the first time since 2011. 24 senior level teams representing 20 different countries will compete in front of a sold-out crowd for the highest accolade in synchronized skating, the title of world champion. In anticipation of all of the action, here’s a preview of what to expect based on results from the 2018-2019 season.

 

Placement “Predictions”

Last year’s ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships saw the second lowest point spread in history between 1st and 10th place and this year the gaps might shrink even further. Largely due to the scoring adjustment that factors grade of execution (GOE) on a -5 to +5 scale as opposed to -3 to +3, several teams outside of the usual top contenders have found success with clean, fast and sharp elements.  

There’s no clear front runner heading into this weekend’s event and given that no team or even program went undefeated all season, it is unlikely that the leaders after the short program will all remain on the podium after the free skate, making for an exciting two days of competition. Nova (CAN), Nexxice (CAN), Rockettes (FIN), Marigold Ice Unity (FIN), Paradise (RUS), Tatarstan (RUS) and Haydenettes (USA) all put up scores surpassing 200 points internationally this season and we saw shifts in 1st through 5th place at major competitions like Mozart Cup and French Cup.  It should not go unnoticed that Skyliners (USA) also surpassed 200 points twice this season at the Dr. Porter Classic and U.S National Championships, leading the Haydenettes in the short program at the latter.

 

New & Absent Faces

Four new competitors will make their world championship debuts in Helsinki this weekend. The Ice Pearls will be the first team ever to compete on behalf of China. This will hopefully be the first of many performances for them on the international stage as their synchronized skating programs continue to strengthen. Team Starlight will represent Switzerland and receive a warm welcome back after the country’s absence from last year’s world championships. In their first year at the senior level, Team Icicles will represent Great Britain. They promise both sass and fierceness – a sure fire way to energize the crowd. Finally, Nova of Canada will compete for the first time at worlds. In only their third season at the senior level this team caught the attention of everybody after winning the Mozart Cup in January and the Canadian title in February, topping teams like Haydenettes, Marigold Ice Unity, Team Unique, Nexxice and Les Supremes along the way. Their “Paint It Black” short program is intense and powerful, but their “Light” free skate captivates with precise synchronicity, intricate choreography and awe-inspiring pair movements. Amidst their success, they’ve remained consistent, so it should come as no surprise to find them near the top one last time to cap off this dream season.  

Back in October, Team Surprise of Sweden shocked the synchronized skating community when they announced that their team would no longer be competing to prioritize a revamp of Swedish skating from the bottom up. Only two months later, their world team counterparts, Team Boomerang, also announced their withdrawal from competitions this season.  At the 2018 world championships in Stockholm, Team Surprise took home the silver medal and Team Boomerang finished in 14th place. Without other Swedish teams to fill these spots, their absence surely leaves room for Team Germany, Team Italy, Team France and Team Japan to climb up the leaderboard and potentially claim a second qualifying spot for their respective countries at next year’s world championships in Lake Placid, New York.

Another team absent from this year’s world championships will be Les Supremes from Montreal, Canada. This team is known for putting out fan-favorite performances at the World Championships every year and their speed, flare and innovative choreography will surely be missed. After the Canadian Championships in February, they found themselves in third place and out of contention for the world team for the first time in recent history. Although it is easy to focus on how great it would be if every highly skilled team were allowed to compete at worlds, in a bittersweet way these results were a huge leap forward for synchronized skating. As Finland proves time and time again, intense national competition makes every team better. After an entire season of solid performances, the defending world champions, Marigold Ice Unity, didn’t beat out Team Unique to qualify this year until their final competition in March and even still, only by a few points. As a result, the Finnish flag is almost always raised once, if not twice, at every world championship. Likewise, for Team USA, Skyliners and the Haydenettes would not be as strong if they did not have to outperform other powerhouse organizations like the Crystallettes and Miami University. Even in Russia, Mozart Cup silver medalists, Crystal Ice, challenging both Paradise and Tatarstan will only push their skating to new heights. Sadly, Team Unique’s feisty short program and Les Supremes’ sophisticated long will only be available for fan viewing online this week, however next year we expect all of these aforementioned competitors to return better than they’ve ever been.

 

Must Watch Programs

Although Friday’s short program competition is sure to be jam-packed with great skating across the board, this year’s emphasis on creativity in free skate elements pushed coaches and choreographers to differentiate their teams in the longer programs like never before.

Nova (CAN): Light

As previously mentioned, this program is a show stopper. The music combined with their graceful skating style and speed can bring an audience to their feet. When asked about team culture, their captain mentioned that they decided to celebrate the strengths of every member this season, instead of focusing on where they fall short. Perhaps this positive outlook is why the uplifting music suits them so well. For those who haven’t had the chance to yet, check out their previous performances at either Mozart Cup or Canadians.

Haydenettes (USA): Greatest Showman

Perhaps the most recognizable theme this season, Hayden’s free skate incorporates all the tricks an audience would come to expect from a circus. Their twizzles are a WOW moment and members of the team skate in different colors to add whimsy. This program was well received by international judges all season and bumped up their overall placement at both the Mozart Cup, Leon Lurje trophy and U.S Synchronized skating championships, where their performance brought the house down.

Marigold Ice Unity (FIN): Transformers

Leave it to MIU to go for a pivoting block while simultaneously performing a lift (x2). This is the same team that used skaters to create a heart-rate monitor in 2014 and helicopters in 2015. So, when they announced their intention to embody the multi-faceted, rapidly changing and large robot Optimus Prime for their free skate this year, expectations were set high. They delivered. With intense music building in the background as they maneuver from one vaulted transition to another, they skate as a singular unit, embodying a transformer built up from multiple cars. With every performance, you can tell this team has confidence in their individual skating skills and ability to execute difficult choreography. As a result, they topped the free skate competition at both the Mozart Cup and French Cup.

 

On top of these anticipated performances spectators can expect to see ten teams with male skaters, five bunny hops extremely well executed in a line transition from Nexxice, four flawless lifts from Team Paradise, tons of triple twizzles, several pair features and one sick hand slide.  We wish all teams traveling to Helsinki great skates and unforgettable memories. Every world championship sees our sport that much closer to an Olympic bid and this year’s competition will be no exception. Make sure to follow along with Get It Called on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for live updates and competition coverage from #WorldSynchro.