Synchronized skaters sharpen collective skills, polish routine at Porter Classic

Liberty University's synchronized skating team traveled to Ann Arbor (Mich.) Ice Cube, for Friday's through Sunday's 27th annual Porter Classic, where it competed against a much deeper and more talented field than it had at the season-opening Boston Classic.

After striking gold in Boston, the Lady Flames landed in eighth place out of 10 teams in the Open Collegiate division in Michigan, but Head Coach Hannah Pulley was equally pleased with the quality of their routine.

"Although we did not place as high as we would have liked, there were some outstanding programs and performances from all the teams within the open collegiate division," she said. "Our skaters had a strong performance and advanced their program to the next level. They went out onto the competition ice and performed as Champions for Christ."

"(Assistant) Coach Haley (Gram) and I are very proud because we continue to see improvement from each competition, especially with how much more powerful and intentional they were with each element in our program," Pulley added. "We saw each skater step onto the ice with full confidence and had an outstanding performance (as a team)."

Trine (Ind.) University was the overall team champion, followed by Miami (Ohio) University, Adrian (Mich.) College, Western Michigan, the University of Michigan, the University of Missouri, and Michigan State. Liberty placed ahead of both Notre Dame (Ind.) and Mirror Images, a team composed of skaters from various colleges and universities in western New York.

"At the Porter Classic, we also competed against Mirror Images for the second time this season after previously seeing them at the Boston Classic competition in November," Pulley said. "Receiving eighth place out of 10 teams, we continue to look for ways to improve our competition program's skills to advance them going into our next competition."

In preparation for their Eastern Sectional event on Jan. 19-21 in Durham, N.H., the Lady Flames will resume practices on Jan. 8 — a week before classes start on Jan. 15 — with their Spring 2024 Synchro Bootcamp at the LaHaye Ice Center.

"Throughout our Synchro bootcamp, (the skaters) will learn the competition program advancements made (over Christmas Break) from (myself) and (Coach) Haley," Pulley said. "They will also have multiple on and off-ice sessions, team-bonding activities, and a service project to continue building the community around us."

Liberty's team members and coaches were able to introduce high school-aged skaters to the Lady Flames' program at an information table set up during the Porter Classic in the Ice Cube foyer.

"(That) gave us an amazing opportunity to recruit throughout the entirety of the competition, enabling skaters and parents from all over to see what Liberty University is about," Pulley said. "As we continue to Train Champions for Christ on and off the road, we notice that we can impact the lives of those around us by showing care and compassion."

Liberty-Synchronized-Skating-table — The Lady Flames recruited prospective student-athletes to the synchronized skating team and shared information about Liberty.

Synchronized skaters sharpen collective skills, polish routine at Porter Classic

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