Magazine - Why Not Synchro by ifailo

Realized and published by Ilaria Failo First Edition / Year 2020-2021 / 9,95€ - $12,45

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT

SYNCHRONIZED SKATING #Why not synchro?

Hi there,

WHY NOT SYNCHRO FANS Synchronized skating is a gender neutral sport where between eight and sixteen (plus four reserves) perform together as a team. They move as a flowing unit at high speed over the ice, while completing complicated footwork and elements. This complex sport was originated in 1956 was first called precision skating, because of the emphasis on maintaining precise formations and timing of the group. Synchronized skating‘s popularity has grow immensely over the past 40 years and has been quickly embraced by several European countries who have produced teams that dominate international championships year after year. Today there are more than 600 synchro teams in the United States alone. Synchroni-

zed skating is not currently an Olympic discipline. The International Federation has twice submitted the participation of synchronized skating to the IOC, even in a demonstrative way. Twice it tried, twice it failed. After the rejection of synchronized skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics, all skaters around the world joined together in the „Why Not Synchro“ campaign in the hope of finally getting this discipline a place on the Olympic stage. In October 2021, a new synchronized skating bid was sent by the ISU (international skating union) to the international Olympic committee. This proposal would allow synchronized skating to participate in the next Olympic Games, hosted by Italy. The skaters are all full of hope that the sport will make it to the ‚Milan-Cortina 2026‘ Olympics.

One of the familiar and friendly faces we see at several competitions is the face of Kaisa Arrateig. A very popular Coach with definitely his own signature.

as a Coach…. It was somewhere in the mountains in Finland, and I thought I was living a nightmare…. total quietness, no traffic, no noise. I‘m a city kind of girl, I need traffic, noise, pollution and people around me, I missed city life. So, I quickly returned to Helsinky, and had to take a job at a floral decoration company, because there were no vacancies for coaches in Ice Dance, neither in Single or even in Ballet.But then I heard about Synchro, but nobody in the greater Helsinki area knew it or were practising it. So, I decided to start this new discipline myself in downtown Helsinki, this was in 1991...a long time ago.I started coaching my first team the Helsinky Rockettes and realised that my passion was synchronised skating. For years I studied to become a high level coach and after many years of study and many courses I became the highest level synchronised skating coach in Finland and one of the main references for this discipline.

How old are you Kaisa? And how did you end up in Synchro Skating anyway? I‘m 54 years old...or young if you prefer. My skating career started rather late, I was already 15 years at the time. I was very attracted to lce Dance, but I only performed on a national level. After 3 years skating with the same partner we decided to stop as a team an I continued as a alone skater. Parallel to my first years in ice skating I took on a study in Economics to end un with a degree in Interior architecture. So I started working at a company that provided in office interior arrangements, besides assisting my coach in ice dance lessons. That‘s about the time when I decided to become an Ice Dance Coach myself. I can still remember my first job

Synchronised skating is a very difficult and exciting discipline, and the public has always loved the sport. A few years ago I was asked (because of my cooperation with the 2018 Olympic Committee) if I would agree to increase synchronised skating from 16 to 12 athletes in order to be eligible for Olympic competition, my answer was no. I would not agree. I denied it because the sport was born with 16 people and will remain that way, the rules of the sport do not have to be changed to be an Olympic discipline. However, I hope that thanks to the „Why not synchro“ campaign, the Olympic committee will try to bring synchronised skating to the Olympics with 16 athletes and not 12. In that case I will certainly make my negative opinion heard and then I will accept it...

What team do you coach and how long have you been their coach? I coach the Helsinky Rokettes, one of the strongest teams in the world. We have won the world championship 3 times and have been on the world podium 9 times in total. I have been coaching the girls for more than 20 years and have become their second mother. What is the best moment you have had with your team? I think it was in 2010 when we won the world championship for the first time in Helsinki. It was a great emotion, the girls were crying with happiness and I was moved for the first time. What do you think about the fact that synchronized skating is not an Olympic discipline? I have been fighting this battle for many years, and many years I have been disappointed. I think the main reason why synchronised skating is not in the Olympics is just the lack of publicity and information for people.

Some pictures of the most important competitions before the pandemic

highlights

The Olympics are a possible and attainable goal. We can never lose any battle until we stop

‟

trying

Presentation of the 2021 Italian champions

team ice on fire

We are now working to qualify for the next World Championships in Hamilton in April 2022. And we hope to qualify as one of the top 5 nations in the world. What was it like to win the first Italian championships after years?

Who are you?

Already from the first lockdown we all kept in touch to continue with off ice work and not to miss training. Of course, we have had to deal with difficult situations over the months, but we have never given up. We wanted to look ahead by bringing two new programmes on the ice and also taking our own risks. The success at the Italian Grand Prix gave us awareness, and on Saturday and Sunday it all helped. We will remember that shout of jubilation in the locker room for a long time. Even if we only really realised it yesterday when we woke up... Now we are focused on the next competitions of the season and on the world championship which will be in Canada this year. We hope that despite the COVID situation of now we will be able to compete. We keep our fingers crossed.

We are the Ice on Fire team, a national synchronised ice skating team founded in Trento in 1996. For four years we have been competing in the Senior category (the highest category in this discipline) and we train at the ice rink in Trento. For three years in a row we graduated as absolute Italian vice-champions and instead we obtained the title of absolute Italian champions in April 2021. In 2019 we finished second at the Shanghai Trophy, an international invitational competition for the world‘s top five nations. We managed to qualify for the world championship (the highest existing event in this discipline) for the first time in 2020 and again in 2021. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, both years this competition was cancelled, which prevented us from realising our dream.

BEST LIFTS of the last season

GLOBAL SYNCHRO

ambassador Introducing the Global Ambassador Program: An innovative way to promote synchronized skating worldwide & bridge the gap between developmental and elite levels.

OneTeamMVMT Program Coordinator Amber Scott shared, “The Global Ambassador Program is truly groundbreaking for the sport of synchronized skating. With the power of social media, we have the opportunity to connect with teams and share with the world how unique and special this discipline of skating really is. Not only are the ambassadors trying to prove this sport deserves to be in the Olympics, but they are passionate about inspiring and connecting to the next generation of synchronized skaters.”

In an effort to grow synchronized skating and continue moving in the direction of the Olympic Games, OneTeamMVMT is launching their Global Ambassador Program. The 2021-2022 Global Ambassador Program consists of 18 senior level synchronized skaters from 15 different countries, working together with a common goal; to grow synchronized skating worldwide and bridge the gap between developmental and elite levels within the sport.

Why did the surprise team in 2018 disband? We decided to disband the team because a lot of people had jobs and other commitments outside their sporting life, I for example got pregnant... These were the main reasons and also our coach Andrea was very tired and full of commitments that she could not manage anymore. We have made great strides in synchronised swimming and are very happy with our sporting career. Of course we were all very sorry but we knew that our career had to end sooner or later...

Who are you and why did you start skating? I am Natalie, former captain of the Surprise team. I started skating when I was very young, about 3 years old. In Sweden, sport is very important, from a young age all children are obliged to do sport. My parents decided to let me practice synchronised skating, a discipline that had just started in Sweden.

What are you doing now? Now I am an architect and coach of a new Swedish team. Andrea Dohani, my old coach is helping me to develop my athletes and when I coach them she takes care of my little girl who is now 2 years old. The team I am forming is called ‚Team Illuminiers‘ and the athletes are aged 12 to 18. I am very happy with my little warriors. Being a coach, being an architect and being a mother is definitely difficult but I have a lot of people, friends and relatives who help me with all this.

How many times have you won the World Cup team surprise? My team has won the world championship 6 times and has been on the podium for 12 years. Sweden has always been a very strong nation in this sport, especially thanks to Andrea Dohani, our coach and one of the first women in the world in synchronised skating.

Emotion is the soul of this sport, here are some photos to prove it

euphoria

MOZART

cup

Mozart Cup is an annual ISU recognized synchronized skating competition and one of the biggest figure skating events in Europe! Mozart cup is the first international competition of the year and many teams participate. This competition is a „Challenger series“, one of the competitions needed to qualify for the world championships. The winning nation in this competition was Canada, with a score of 215.88.

Many people think that it is a distinctly female sport, but it is not true.

NOT ONLY

girls

Men are a very important part of the sport. The best teams in the world have male athletes in them. Men are stronger than women, and most of the time teams with men in them manage to create magnificent elements and figures. It is just a stereotype that synchronised skating is only a women‘s discipline.

SKATERS PASSION All your tips and ideas for the next edition are welcome!