2008-2009 Synchronized Skating Team

 

Recent News

New Head Coach: Erin Donovan

The University of Michigan Synchronized Skating Team is pleased to announce that Erin Donovan will be the head coach for the 2009-2010 season. An accomplished skater and coach, Erin is currently the director of the Hockettes Synchronized Skating Program. Erin skated for the Miami Varsity Senior Team for 4 years during her undergraduate years. Our team is looking forward to a great season with Erin!

Michigan places 7th at Nationals

The Wolverines wrapped up their season in Portland taking seventh at Nationals this past weekend. Miami University skated away with the title, scoring 100.63 points to beat out runners-up University of Illinois by over 14 points.

Place                      Name                                                    Points  
1       Miami Univ Collegiate(C), Miami University      100.63
2       Univ of Illinois(C), Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign       86.79
3       Michigan State Univ Team(C), Michigan State University  85.79
4       University of Delaware(C), University of Delaware FSC   85.36
5       Indiana Univ Team(C), Indiana University        79.64
6       Western Michigan Univ(C), Western Michigan Univ SC      74.29
7       University of Michigan(C), University of Michigan SC    71.75
8       Boston Univ Terrierettes(C), Boston University  71.38
9       The Colonials(C), Colonial FSC  66.20
10      Univ of New Hampshire(C), University of New Hampshire   61.14
11      Cornell University(C), Cornell University       60.14
12      Ice Effects(C), Oswego State University of NY   57.21

Nationals was a really exciting competition.  Many of the teams scored
much differently than in previous seasons, showing how quickly the
collegiate division is growing and changing.  Our team practiced great
all week and had a strong skate with one fall.  Although we wish the
marks would have gone more favorably, we are proud of how we finished
off the season.

-Annie Kirkpatrick

Meet-a-Skater #2: Katie Pynnonen

Click HERE to get to meet Michigan Senior, Katie Pynnonen.

Announcing: Wolverine Weekend

On Friday, March 20th the Michigan Synchronized Skating Team will host prospective high school skaters for an inside look at a day in the life of a collegiate skater. The day begins with a tour of campus, followed by lunch in a dorm cafeteria. After lunch, the tour continues with a trip to a dorm and a sorority house. Skaters will then have an opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with the team and head coach, Ashley Diederich. The day concludes with the Winter Ice Show where perspective skaters can catch the collegiate team in action at Yost Ice Arena. If you are a high school skater and are interested in attending, please send us an email with your name, grade, and high school    

February Newsletter Now Available

View the February Newsletter HERE.

Wolverines Victorious at Tri-States Competition

Michigan narrowly edged out Adrian, scoring 68.82, just 0.75 ahead of the Bulldogs to take the Tri-State Competition Championship in Dearborn, Michigan on Saturday, February 14th. Michigan will next take the ice the first week of March in Portland, Maine for the National Championships

Meet-a-Skater: Annie Kirkpatrick

Get to know Michigan's Team President a little bit better through our "Meet-a-Skater" feature.

Michigan Takes Fifth at Midwestern Sectional Championships

Boulder, CO--The University of Michigan Synchronized Skating Team traveled to Boulder, Colorado, finishing in fifth place at the Midwestern Sectional Championships. For the second weekend in a row, Michigan State claimed the top spot, scoring 88.38 points. Just as the weekend before, Western Michigan finished as the runners up with a score of 81.16. Indiana University and University of Illinois rounded out the top four.

Michigan received a score of 73.31 to edge out Adrian College for fifth place. The Wolverines tally included a four point improvement in the skating skill and artistic interpretation from their last competition. "The team skated a great program. Unfortunately the overall marks didn't go our way," reflected Team President, Annie Kirkpatrick. The team took a lot out of the competition, she continued, "We are getting a lot of judge feedback from now until nationals in order to make the changes we need to score higher."

Michigan will next be in action on Valentines Day (2/14) at the Tri-State Competition in Dearborn, MI

Michigan Takes Fifth at Mid-America Competition

Fraser, MI--The University of Michigan Synchronized Skating Team took fifth place at the Mid American Competition held in Fraser, MI. It was a return to familiar ice for many Wolverines, as several have skated for Fraser Skating Club in the past including Head Coach, Ashley Diederich.

Michigan State posted a score of 89.15 to top the six collegiate teams in the competition. Western Michigan finished in second place, 14 points behind the Spartans. Indiana received a score of 74.56 to round out the top three.

While the team was disappointed with the fifth place finish, they remain optimistic for the upcoming Midwestern Regional Championships as the scores for second through fifth place were all very close. Although Michigan placed fifth, they were just five points behind second place WMU. 

Next up for the Wolverines is a trip to Boulder, CO to participate in the Midwestern Sectional Championships January 29-31. Michigan will compete against Adrian College, Indiana University, Michigan State University, University of Illinois, Western Michigan University, and (BYE) Miami University in the Collegiate Division.  

January Newsletter Now Available

Click HERE to download the January Newsletter

Competition Videos Now Posted

Videos of UMSST in action are now available. Check out the video from the Kalamazoo Competition, Porter Competition and Winter Ice Show by clicking the videos link on the yellow sidebar to the left.

Introducing the President's Podcast!

From time-to-time I will be posting podcasts from Team President, Annie Kirkpatrick. The first installment is now available for listening by clicking here.

UMSST Places 6th in Porter Competition

12/7/2008

Ann Arbor, MI-- The University of Michigan Synchronized Skating Team finished in sixth place at the annual Dr. Richard Porter Synchronized Skating Classic held at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The competition brought in skaters from all over the country, representing 161 different teams competing in 21 different divisions over two days.

Michigan skated to a selection of music from the film, National Treasure. The routine yielded a score of 72.47. Miami University, a varsity program, coasted to the first place title with a score of 101.2. Finishing second and third were Michigan State and University of Delaware with scores of 80.01 and 77.33 respectively.

The scores for places 2nd through 6th were very close with less than eight points separating sixth place Michigan from 2nd place Michigan State. This provided a sign of encouragement to the team as the prepare for Mid-Americas in January. "They were pretty close scores, so we're excited to see how the rest of the season works out," said Team President, Annie Kirkpatrick after the competition.

The team will have the next month to practice before competing in Mid-Americas, held at Belle Tire Arena in Fraser, Michigan. Many Wolverines have links to Fraser, MI. Kirkpatrick, Emily Hammond, Erin Collins, and Head Coach, Ashley Diederich all skated for Fraser at some point in their careers.

December Newsletter Now Available

The December newsletter has been distributed. If you did not receive a copy and would like one, please send me an email. I will be archiving all of the newsletters on this site which you can access via the E-Newsletters link on the left sidebar. 

Media Guide Now Available Online

Those who attended the Winter Ice Show had the chance to pick up a copy of the 2008-09 UMSST Media Guide. For those who were unable to attend or no longer have their copy, the media guide can be accessed here:

University of Michigan Synchronized Skating Media Guide Part I

University of Michigan Synchronized Skating Media Guide Part II

Synchro team opens competitive season at Kalamazaoo Kick-Off Competition

November 22^nd, 2008.

Kalamazoo, MI --The University of Michigan Synchronized Skating Team finished as the runners up on Saturday evening in Kalamazoo, MI. The Wolverines finished with 66.78 points, behind the first place Indiana University's 70.22. The University of Illinois rounded out the top three, receiving a score of 65.42.  

UMSST thrills fans at Winter Ice Show

The University of Michigan Synchronized Skating Team with their "I Love the Decades" themed show. The UMFSC officers (Jennie Bander, Emily Hammond, Annie Kirkpatrick, Ann Lesnefsky, and Katie Pynnonen) began the show with a Boy Bands/Brittney Spears medley. The 60's were represented by Chelsea Lindblad's solo routine skated to "Drive My Car," by the Beatles. Next up was Courtney Canada, skating to Journey's "Open Arms." Juliana Bailey followed skating a routine to Thurston Harris's "Little Bitty, Pretty One." To close out Act I, Ann Lesnefsky performed to "Porgey and Bess" by George Gershwin.

Act II began with the Synchro Team performing their competition routine to music from the movie "Natural Treasure." The next group to go were the sophomores (Baily, Canada, Jacki Fisscus, Lindblad, Shannon McDevitt, and Nikki Wylan). To close out the show, the UMSST upperclassman (Kiersten Busse, Erin Collins, Hammond, Kirkpatrick, Lesnefsky, Pynnonen, Kristel Travis, and Mackenzie Vaillancourt) entertained the crowd to a Tina Turner medley.   

Announcing UMSST E-Newsletter

The Synchronized Skating Team will be publishing a bi-weekly newsletter for all who are interested. The newsletter will have features on some of the skaters, skater and coach interviews, as well as alumni updates. This is an excellent way to stay informed with how the season is progressing. If you would like to receive the news-letter, click here.

UMSST to make home season Debut

The Synchronized Skating Team will be performing during the Michigan vs. Western Michigan Hockey game 11/14. The team will be previewing a segment of their competition program between the first and second periods of the game. Tickets are still available for the game which will be held at Yost Ice Arena.

Announcing our new Coach!

Ashley Diederich is the new head coach of the synchronized skating team. Ashley is relatively new to coaching but she brings with her four years of skating experience with Miami University's Senior Synchronized Skating Team.