Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2024 18:23:51 GMT
Team USA’s top two synchronized skating teams this season, the Haydenettes and Skyliners, are set to compete at the pinnacle event of the synchronized skating season, the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2024, taking place April 5-6 in Zagreb, Croatia.
The Haydenettes, the most decorated synchronized skating team in U.S. Figure Skating history, are five-time World bronze medalists and are looking to bring home their first World medal since 2016. The 31-time U.S. champions, which won their 14th straight U.S. title at the 2024 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, have represented Team USA at every World Championships since the event’s debut in 2000.
Entering the World Championships first in the 2023-24 Challenger Series rankings, which combines each team’s scores from their two Challenger Series events, the Haydenettes had the second-highest international score of the season with 234.66 points.
They medaled at both their Challenger Series events, earning silver at Budapest Cup before winning their first-ever Challenger Series gold at Hevelius Cup.
“Coach Saga [Krantz] has said we should be vocal about our goals, be honest about them. We want to win, to put it plain and simple,” Haydenettes team member Autumn Coulthard said. “Our mindset this year is if we skate because we love it and we don’t put that pressure on ourselves, obviously work hard, but if we just follow our heart, everything else will fall into place.”
The Skyliners return to the World Championships for the first time since 2019. This will mark their third time competing with their best result being eighth in 2019.
Earlier this season, the Skyliners claimed silver at the opening Challenger Series of the season, Lumiere Cup, and silver at the U.S. Championships to punch their ticket to Croatia.
“We put so much time and energy into this goal [of making the World team] and we have been explicitly working towards it for years,” Skyliners team member Leatrice Bulls said. “This gives us the confidence that we can be competitive on the world’s biggest stage, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to prove that.”
Competition begins Friday, April 5 at 11:30 a.m. ET with the short program and concludes Saturday, April 6 with the free skate, which begins at 9:30 a.m. ET.
All competition will be streamed live on the ISU YouTube channel. For results, news, bios and more, visit the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.