Synchronized skaters secure gold medal at season-opening Boston Classic

Friday, November 17

Norwood, MA

TBD

Liberty University Club Sports

Boston Synchronized Skating Classic

Liberty's synchronized skating team with Head Coach Hannah Pulley (left) and Assistant Coach Haley Gram (front right) pose with roses after their first-place finish.

Synchronized skaters secure gold medal at season-opening Boston Classic

11/20/2023 4:13:00 PM | Synchronized Skating

Liberty won the Open Collegiate division of the five-team competition and will next travel to Michigan for the Porter Open on Dec. 1-2.

Skating to a program entitled "Champion," to reflect Liberty University's mission of "Training Champions for Christ," the Lady Flames rose to the occasion at their first competition over the weekend, skating a gold-medal performance in the Open Collegiate division of the Boston Classic Synchronized Skating Competition at the Skating Club of Boston rink in Norwood, Mass.

Liberty skated a clean program and was awarded first place from all five judges, followed by the runner-up Orange Experience from Syracuse University, University of New Hampshire in third place, Mirror Images from New York in fourth, and the University of Vermont, which finished fifth.

Synchronized-Skating-Team — The Lady Flames huddle up after their performance at the Skating Club of Boston rink.

"We felt confident going into the competition and felt the skaters were adequately prepared especially after their mock competition skate at LaHaye Ice Center on Wednesday before we left," said Lady Flames Assistant Coach Haley Gram. "In the weeks leading up to it we had a few minor injuries, and sicknesses which the girls pushed through and kept practicing and their hard work really paid off this weekend in Boston."

Gram said for the first competition of the season, the Lady Flames showed poise under pressure and executed their routine to near perfection.
Former Liberty synchronized skating Head Coach Tatiana Payne attended the competition and was excited to provide feedback to the team as well as to see the girls take home a gold medal.

"Overall, we feel we put out a strong, confident, technically-sound program this past weekend," Gram said. "We will continue to make our program more challenging in the technical aspects of skating and will make our choreography more intricate and begin to focus on the details of the program which add up to make a big difference."

Lady Flames freshmen Ava Galitsky, Emma Wikingstad, and Amber Banghart all made their collegiate synchronized skating competition debuts and passed the test gracefully.
"The team put out a confident and fierce performance, and I'm proud of each girl on the team," said Liberty graduate student Hailey Jordan, a fourth-year team member. "I think we're in a good position going into our next competition in just a couple weeks."

Gram said the selection of songs that comprise the routine's "Champion" theme help bring out the heart of the team and its desire to do everything with excellence in honor of Christ.
"The music is designed to reflect the confidence we have in the Lord, and how we can bring glory to Him through our skating, and share this message with the skating community," she said.

Outside of the skating competition, the team reached out to the skating community over the weekend by leaving water bottles with encouraging notes on them for other teams, writing "Thank You" cards to the event organizers, and cards to inspire younger skaters before their performances. The Lady Flames provided intentional encouragement as they cheered on the other teams while they were practicing.

On Dec. 1-2, the Lady Flames will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to compete in the Porter Classic, featuring predominantly teams from the Midwest, which are traditionally some of the strongest in the nation.

Video by Kylee Lilge/Club Sports Video & Media Coordinator