General | February 25, 2019 | 10:37

USA HOCKEY ARENA
FEB. 28-MARCH 2, 2019
TICKET INFORMATION

The 2019 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, presented by United States Figure Skating and hosted by the Detroit Metro Skating Council, will be held in Plymouth, Michigan at USA Hockey Arena. Events will begin Thursday, Feb. 28 and run through Saturday, March 2.

U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships include more than 1,600 figure skaters from nearly 90 of the top synchronized skating teams in the nation. The event serves as the U.S. selection event for the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2019 in Helsinki. In 2018, the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships generated an estimated $2.3 million in economic impact for the city of Portland, Oregon.

Synchronized skating teams are made up of 8 to 20 skaters performing routines in unison. Using the same judging system as singles, pairs and dance, teams are judged on their choreography consisting of intricate formations and challenging step sequences set to music. Teams perform difficult, and often complicated, steps with difficult turns, spins, jumps, movements and lifts. Elements in synchronized skating include blocks, circles, wheels, lines, intersections, moves elements, creative elements, no-hold elements, spins and pairs moves. The variety and difficulty of elements require that each team member is a highly skilled individual skater.

Synchronized teams in the U.S. can compete in 14 different levels according to the age and skill level of the team members. Teams at the highly competitive levels of juvenile, intermediate, novice, junior, senior, collegiate, adult or masters compete first at their respective sectional championships. A placement in the top four at sectionals earns them a spot at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships.

To learn more, visit ussynchrochampionships.com.

Michigan-Based Teams at 2019 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships
 

Team	Location	Level(s)
Adrian College	Adrian, MI	Senior/Collegiate
Crystallettes	Dearborn/Livonia, MI	Senior/Novice/Adult
Hockettes	Ann Arbor, MI	Junior/Novice
Michigan State University	East Lansing, MI	Collegiate
University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI	Collegiate
Western Michigan University	Kalamazoo, MI	Collegiate
Allegro!	Plymouth, MI	Adult/Masters
Evolution	Bloomfield Hills, MI	Masters

Synchronized Skating Timeline

1956: Dr. Richard J. Porter organizes a group of Ann Arbor FSC skaters to perform at University of Michigan hockey games. The new precision team is called the Hockettes.
 
1976: U.S. and Canadian teams compete in the first International Precision Team Competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
 
1983: Canada holds its first National Precision Skating Championships in London, Ontario, won by The Supremes.

1984: First U.S. Precision Team Skating Championships held in Bowling Green, Ohio won by The Fraserettes of Fraser, Michigan.

1989: Seven nations compete in Mölndal, Sweden, at the first international precision skating competition held outside of North America.

1994: International Skating Union (ISU) officially recognizes precision skating as the fifth competitive discipline.

1996:  Sweden's Team Surprise wins the first ISU World Precision Team Skating Challenge Cup held in Boston with 17 teams from 13 countries competing. Unofficially considered the discipline's World Championships, the last event was held in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1999.

1998: The ISU adopts the name synchronized skating to appeal on a global level.

2000: First ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships are held in Minneapolis; won by Sweden's Team Surprise.

2001: First ISU World Challenge Cup for juniors is held in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Won by Finland's Team Fintastic.

2015: ISU petitions the International Olympic Committee to include synchronized skating at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Although declined, the process marks the first step in defining requirements needed for full inclusion at future Games. Later that year, a synchronized free skate competition is included at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, Spain.

2017: An ISU working group was selected to put together a proposal for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. The proposal was ultimately not accepted.

2018: Skyliners junior won a historic silver medal at the 2018 ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

2018: The late Dr. Richard Porter was inducted in the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame for his working founding the sport of synchronized skating.