PraiseFest unites two teams of skaters for 17th annual showcase

Sunday, April 26

Lynchburg, VA

3:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Praisefest

The Lady Flames' figure skating and synchronized skating teams combined to put on Sunday's 17th annual PraiseFest at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Emily Cuthrell)

PraiseFest unites two teams of skaters for 17th annual showcase

4/28/2026 6:13:00 PM | Figure Skating, Synchronized Skating

Photo Gallery

Members of the figure skating and synchronized skating rosters joined forces to put on a season-ending performance at the LaHaye Ice Center.

PraiseFest, hosted by Liberty University's synchronized skating and figure skating teams, attracted several hundred spectators to the LaHaye Ice Center for the free event that allowed skaters and their families and friends to experience their original programs and celebrate the love of Christ together.

Synchro skating Assistant Coach Haley Gram headed up the operations for the event for the sixth year in a row.

"It was a lot bigger than last year," she said. "We really tried to get out there in the community, and we saw that the group that we had in attendance was probably one of the most engaged groups that we've had in a long time."

The event opened with a combined skate from both teams to the song "Rescue" by Lauren Daigle. Next, freshman Ellie Pennington, who skates for both teams, performed a program to "My Place in this World," written by Michael W. Smith and recorded by for King & Country.

Figure skating junior Anna Halloway skated to "Bless the Telephone" by Labi Siffre, and the figure skating duo of Dani Martinez and Ava Basler brought some Latin flair, skating together to "Como La Flor" by Selena Quintanilla.

The event had 29 programs performed in total, allowing all the members of the teams to have their moment on the ice.

Vanessa Bradfield, a senior on the synchro team, took the ice for the last time individually, skating to "Glorious Mix" by Shaun Johnson and Chad Truman. Fellow senior teammate Ellie Haynes skated her final individual routine to "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles.

Junior Rachel Duncan and sophomore Maggie Duhaime, Disciple Makers for the figure skating team, used their program to skate to "Promises" by 7Hills. Caroline Colson, a senior also on the figure skating team, had a solo skate, and also skated with sophomore Taylor Zealand to "Luminary" by Joel Sunny.

The event featured two Disney-inspired skates — one to "Under the Sea" from "The Little Mermaid" performed by the figure skating duo of senior Taylor Nordquist and sophomore Jasmine Hodnicki, and the other to "Belle" from the live-action "Beauty and the Beast" performed by synchro skating freshmen Elle Pennington, Sophie Gaudron, and Ruthee Willson.

"It's just really fun to see the different kinds of creativity and different things they come up with, especially in a short amount of time between (U.S.) Figure Skating (Intercollegiate) Nationals and then right to PraiseFest," synchronized skating Head Coach Hannah Pulley said. "It's two weeks, so they're coming up with these skating programs fast, so it's just really cool."

Martinez performed her final individual skate to "Time2" by Half Alive, and Nordquist skated to a "How Great Thou Art" rendition by Carrie Underwood.

There was a final senior skate, which included the four seniors from the figure skating team, Caroline Colson, Nordquist, Martinez, and Emma Zajonc, along with the four seniors from the synchro team, Emma Wikingstad, Haynes, Bradfield, and Ella Micalizzi. The group skated to "Dancing Queen" by ABBA.

"I think the biggest thing for me is seeing the synchro team seniors grow through their four years or three years," said Pulley, who announced she will be stepping down after five seasons at the helm and one season as an assistant to Head Coach Emily Hughes in 2021. "Being a coach for these past five years, I saw all of them come in. I recruited them and saw them go through the whole program."

The four senior figure skaters also left a lasting impact on that program.

"(Our) seniors significantly contributed to the great team culture we had this season," Lady Flames Head Coach Courtney Kirschke said. "They welcomed the rookies with open arms right from the beginning and immediately made everyone feel connected. They supported and encouraged every single teammate regardless of level or year."

"It is always tough to watch their last collegiate performance at PraiseFest, but I am so excited for our high-quality seniors to go out and impact new environments and communities," she added.
The afternoon closed with one last combined number to another rendition of "How Great Thou Art," and all the skaters were recognized throughout the song.

By Amory Doyle/Student Writer

Gallery: (4-28-2026) PraiseFest on ice