SANDY — Synchronized ice skating is not to be confused with synchronized swimming, and considering the venues of each, they have very little in common. But one thing they do have in common: Few know what they are.
Enter the Ice Angelzz. Home base for these girls is the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center, and they represent the Cottonwood Heights skating club. On the weekend of Jan. 19 and 20, the Ice Angelzz traveled to the Chicago area and competed in a competition and distinguished themselves by coming away with a silver and a gold medal.
The discipline is characterized by speed, accuracy, intricate formations and breathtaking transitions. Teams perform a program set to music with required formations including circles, lines, blocks, wheels and intersections.
Synchronized ice skating originated approximately 50 years ago when a group of skaters got together and performed at the University of Michigan's hockey games. The Ice Angelzz originated in 1998 — about the same time everyone in town was naming their sports teams by substituting two z's for an s.
The Ice Angelzz are divided into two age groups: 7-12 and 13-18. The younger team won the silver, and the older took the gold.
The gathering in Illinois was no small competition. The 2007 Synchronized Team Skating Championships involved 157 teams from the Pacific Coast Sectionals and the Midwest Sectionals and more than 2,500 skaters. According to the U.S. Figure Skating Web site, this was the largest U.S. figure skating event in history. However, the breakdown of competition resulted in the Ice Angelzz competing against some 30 teams.
Quite an accomplishment for a collection of girls from all over the Wasatch Front. Coach Erika Roberts explained the benefits of an ice skating team in a sport more commonly known for individual competition. "It gives the kids an opportunity to be part of a team and share experiences with teammates, not just themselves."
"You have to work hard as a team," said Laura Thackeray, who lives in Cottonwood Heights. "Individuals don't shine. You have to blend as a team."
An astute observation for a 10-year old.
Added 9-year-old Hailee Cerva, also from Cottonwood Heights: "We really had to work hard for it (the silver medal)."
The trip back to the Midwest proved enjoyable to all, and Hillary Russo, who attends Olympus Junior High, said, "It was a really cool experience."
Ellie Karamati, a member of the gold medal-winning Open Juvenile team, described synchronized skating "like a drill team on ice." She is a senior at Brighton High and would like to continue skating in college but noted, "I would have to go back East." There are virtually no schools in the West with skating programs.
Juan Diego's Alisa Stansbury thought the experience was very rewarding. "Everyone gets along on the team," she said.
Alysha Willden lives in Taylorsville and talked about what the girls did in their spare time in Chicago: "We made a movie."
The skaters are looking forward to another trip to Rhode Island in March. Anyone interested in tryouts for the team can call team manager Jan Poulsen at 943-6289.
E-mail: wjewkes@desnews.com