Minnesota synchronized skating team has its best season in 8 years; laying groundwork for Olympics
The Twin Cities-based Northernettes Junior team recently represented Team USA at a World competition in Poland and took home gold for the first time.
The synchronized skating club took home even more hardware in other age divisions, making it their most successful season in eight years.
The Northernettes Novice team won their first medal at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado earlier this year.
"Last season we lost the podium by .06, and so the whole season was about redemption," said Suzy Balvance, a novice synchro skater.
"It gave us so much more drive to come back for the next season," said Audrey Lee, a novice synchro skater.
Balvance, Lee and their teammate Julia Holmes proudly wore their Pewter medals, which was a fourth-place finish. This is the highest award the novice team has earned.
"We're competing against all the best teams in the country and everyone is putting out their best skates at the end of the season, so to place in the top four was really impressive for them," said Alana Christie, the founder and director of the Northernettes.
The synchro skating club is a true passion project for Christie. Growing up in Minnesota, she fell in love with this sport as a synchro skater in high school and college, but the club she formerly competed for ultimately folded.
"When I moved home after college in 2017, there was no really high-level synchro here and I was like, 'We need this, let's do it,'" said Christie.
Christie filled the void in Minnesota creating the Northernettes. She started with just one team of 20 skaters. Now, eight seasons later, the Northernettes is composed of seven teams and 120 skaters, and it's growing.
"This is the state of hockey, and we have so many rinks and figure skaters and kids on the ice, I just know that this could be a really good market for synchro," said Christie.
Another successful Northernettes team this season was the Aspire team, which is made up of the youngest skaters.
"We won all of our competitions," said Ellie Anderson, an 8-year-old skater on the Northernettes.
Team members have big dreams for their growing sport that's pushing to be in the Olympics in the near future.
"My dream has always been to go to the Olympics in figure skating," said Anderson.
"Our organization, and just synchro and figure skating in general, are working really hard to get synchro into the Olympics, and I know it will happen at some point," said Christie.
Members of the Northernettes enjoy getting the experience of being a part of a team when skating is often an individual sport.
"It's not all eyes on me, so it gives me less pressure," said Nadalyn Johnson, an 8-year-old skater on the Northernettes.
"The support system is really nice to have," said Balvance.
"It feels like you're not alone, and you have people to back you up," said Eleanor Ewald, an 8-year-old skater on the Northernettes.
March 22 is the last open house for skaters who are interested in joining the Northernettes next season. Any level skater at any age can attend.
