INTERESTED IN JOINING STARFIRE? PLEASE CONTACT HEAD COACH MICHELLE MARTINEAU AT FS_DIRECTOR@ROCKET ICE.COM OR BY CALLING 630-679-1700
Congratulations to the 2009-2010 Starfire Beginner Synchronized Skating Team on their perfect season!!!
ISI Kickline in Franklin Park, IL – First Place
USFS Swan Synchro Skate in Beaver Dam, WI – First Place
ISI Synchronized Skating Championships at Miami University in Oxford, OH – First Place
STARFIRE Synchronized Skating
Rocket Ice Arena’s STARFIRE Synchronized Skating program has been in existence since September 2000. The purpose of our STARFIRE program at Rocket Ice is to provide skaters with the opportunity to participate in the ever growing sport of Synchronized Skating. Our program improves individual skating skills, enhances self confidence and performance technique through both on-ice and off-ice practice. The STARFIRE program stresses Good Sportsmanship, Cooperation, Leadership and Community Awareness through the competitive experience and service projects.
Meet Coach Michelle
Growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan it’s no wonder why Michelle has been a part of figure skating and coaching her entire life. As a figure skater her accomplishments include; USFSA Gold Medals in Dance & Moves in the Field, SkateCanada Gold Medal in Dance and she has passed all ten International Dances. As a coach for over fourteen years, Michelle has enjoyed success as her synchronized skating teams in Michigan have earned medals at the Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships. She has also coached figure skaters who have gone on to skate for the University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University and compete internationally as members of Team USA. Some of these collegiate level skaters have competed and earned medals at Sectionals and Nationals. In 2007 she was named to the Professional Skaters Association Honor Roll of Coaches.
Michelle also values the importance of a higher education. She holds two bachelor’s degrees. One from Michigan State University in Advertising and another from Michigan Technological University in Biological Sciences, with a concentration in Secondary Education. Michelle and her husband, Gabe have a 3 year old daughter Gabbie.
As Head Coach of Starfire Synchronized Skating Teams, Michelle is dedicated to making sure your child maximizes their skating potential. Please feel free to contact her with any questions you may have at 630-679-1700 or email her at fs_director@rocketice.com
Meet Coach Margaret
Starfire Synchronized Skating Team is thrilled to introduce its new Assistant Coach, Margaret Madaras! Margaret has skated for four years on the University of Illinois Collegiate Synchronized Skating Team. This past year the team finished 5th at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. Margaret served as team Secretary and was later elected President of the team. As President, she was in charge of managing over 33 skaters on and off the ice, as well as assisting with choreography for the Collegiate and Open Collegiate team programs. Margaret has also coached many individual skaters from beginner and up, including ice dance and moves in the field. The past two summers she attended the U.S. Figure Skating Synchronized Skating Training Festival in Delaware as both a skater and a coach. Before her college skating career, Margaret skated out of Homewood Flossmoor Ice Arena. She has earned her USFS Gold Medal in Moves in the Field. Her hobbies include playing musical instruments, watching her 3 younger brothers play hockey, and cheering for her younger sister on the University of Illinois Synchro team. Margaret graduates from the University of Illinois, Champaign this May with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. As Assistant Coach of the Starfire Synchronized Skating Teams, Margaret will bring her strong skating experience as well as her outgoing, positive attitude. Welcome aboard Margaret!
What is Synchronized Skating?
Synchronized skating is a popular discipline both within U.S. Figure Skating and around the world. U.S. Figure Skating held the first U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in 1984 and also hosted the first World Synchronized Skating Championships in 2000. There are approximately 525 synchronized teams registered with U.S. Figure Skating, and nearly 5,000 athletes participate annually in the synchronized skating sectional championships.
Synchronized skating is a team sport in which 8-20 skaters perform a program together. It uses the same judging system as singles, pairs and dance and is characterized by teamwork, speed, intricate formations and challenging step sequences. As with the other disciplines, all teams perform a free skate with required well-balanced program elements. In addition, teams at the junior and senior level perform a short program consisting of required elements.
Elements in synchronized skating include: blocks, circles, wheels, lines, intersections, moves in the field, moves in isolation, no-hold blocks, spins and pairs moves. The variety and difficulty of elements require that each team member is a highly skilled individual skater. The typical senior-level athlete has passed a senior or gold test in at least two disciplines.
Synchronized teams in the U.S. can compete in 15 different levels according to the age and skill level of the team members.
There are so many benefits to participating in a team sport, and synchronized skating is a great way for figure skaters to compete in a sport they love while enjoying all of the aspects of working with others in a team-oriented sport.
Synchronized Skating in College
Skating does not have to end when college begins! Each year, approximately 35 colleges participate in U.S. Figure Skating’s Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships, entering the Open Collegiate, Collegiate, Junior and Senior levels.
There are only two colleges in the United States that have a varsity synchronized team – Miami University and Adrian College. These schools cover most team-related expenses for their student-athletes. Most other skating programs are recognized by their schools as club sports and receive some level of financial support from the university.
There are many Universities in the Midwest that have a Synchronized Skating program such as: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, Illinois State University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Indiana University, Central Michigan University, Miami University of Ohio, Ohio State University and Western Michigan University. For a list of all colleges with figure skating, go to the list of colleges on U.S. Figure Skating’s Collegiate Skating page: http://www.usfigureskating.org/Content/colleges.pdf
What about the Olympics?
Although not currently an Olympic sport, fans and participants of this fast-growing discipline have begun to strive for recognition by the rest of the skating and athletic world. In 2007 synchronized skating took one step closer to Olympic contention when it was selected to be part of the World University Games as a demonstration sport.
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