Finland

Haydenettes lead SynchroFest after short program

The short programs for the 2011 SynchroFest International wrapped up last night–or did they?

After Rockettes’ score was changed during the event last night–they were initially awarded 61.23, which was then corrected to 59.83–another revision was posted this morning. Les Supremes’ original score of 57.87 has been adjusted to 55.20, dropping them into 5th place below Nexxice. That leaves the final final short program standings as follows:  (more…)

Top teams in the world set to compete at London SynchroFest International

It’s a great week to be involved in synchro in Canada.

The synchro community is still buzzing after news broke only a few days ago that the 2013 and 2014 National Championships will both be hosted in Western Canada. Hopefully everyone still has some excitement left in the tank, because there’s a big event to get revved up about in the more immediate future–in less than a week, some of the top teams in the world will be in Ontario to compete for $50,000 in prize money, the biggest purse ever awarded in synchro, at the 2011 London SynchroFest International December 28 and 29.

And the best news of all, for those of us who can’t be there–live streaming! Thanks Santa! (more…)

Worlds 2011 articles and photography

Articles and photos from Worlds have been springing up around the web since the competition ended yesterday. I’ll update this post as I find more. Here’s a start:

UPDATED April 22: link to PJ’s blog

Finland and USA defend podium at 2011 World Championships

Rockettes (FIN1) successfully defended their title as World Champions today, a feat no team has managed to achieve since Team Surprise (SWE1) did it way back in 2000 and 2001. It was also the first time the entire podium has been identical at back-to-back championships, with Marigold Ice Unity (FIN2) repeating as silver medalists, and the Haydenettes (USA1) earning their second consecutive bronze medal.

Full results, including protocols, are here. A few interesting facts:

  • In the free skate, the top 5 teams all earned the same technical base value, though no team received all their calls.
  • FIN2 and USA1 both were both given deductions for a late start in the free (teams must begin skating within 10 seconds of the music starting). Neither deduction affected the overall results, though FIN2 would have won the free program portion without it.
  • For the first time, the top 10 was made up entirely of teams from countries who had 2 entries at Worlds. This was true for all segments of the competition.
  • There has still never been a team from any country other than Finland, Sweden, Canada, or USA on the podium at Worlds. Finland has won 16 medals to date, Sweden 10, Canada 7, and USA 3.
  • Finland is the only country to have had two teams on the podium at Worlds–and they’ve done it an impressive 5 times in 12 championships (2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, and 2011).
  • Finland has only been shut out of the medals once, in 2007. That year, Sweden, USA, and Canada were on the podium.
  • No team has ever won more than two consecutive World Championships. If Rockettes can win gold again next year, it will be the first three-peat. (Team Surprise did, however, win back-to-back World Challenge Cups in 1998 and 1999, followed by a victory at the first ISU World Championships in 2000.)

I couldn’t be there in person this year, and sadly, there was no live feed available outside Finland. Twitter was hopping though, and updates are still coming in from around the globe tagged #SynchroWorlds. In Canada (and perhaps some border cities/states), you can watch the CBC broadcast next Saturday, April 16, from 4-6 PM (EDT).

I’ll likely have some more thoughts after videos start to surface, and I have a chance to scrutinize the protocols further. Congratulations to all the competitors. Though for many of you it will be brief, enjoy your off-season!