Chesterfield Skater Headed to National Championship with Synchronized Skating Team

For at least six hours a week for a year, 17 teenagers clad in pirate costumes have been training to a remix of the theme songs from the movies Pirates of Caribbean, Muppets Treasure Island and Hook at Metro Edge Figure Skating Club in Webster Groves and Hardee's Ice Plex in Chesterfield.

All the hard work paid off earlier this month for Chesterfield resident Alex Friedman, 17. Her team, the St. Louis Synergy Intermediate Team, got second place in the Midwest Sectionals Competition in Rochester, MN. The accomplishment qualified the team for the 2011 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championship, which will happen on March 3 in Ontario, CA. 

“They finally got at the point to compete for a medal at the national competition,” coach Ramona Peterson said. She came from Anchorage, AK, to work with the team six years ago and became their primary coach last year. Peterson said the girls have been developing their skills for at least six years.

Some of the girls on the team have been ice skating since they were young; Friedman started when she was 5. She said she decided to learn how to skate after going to the rink all the time with her brother, who played hockey. 

“I traveled all over competing and went to three Regionals,” Friedman said.

A junior at Whitfield School, Friedman spends most of her time skating on her own, practicing for the synchro team, or playing field hockey and soccer. She said plans to major in psychology in college, but is not thinking about joining a synchro team while she is in university.

Skating for the Synergy Team takes a lot of dedication, hard work, and determination, she said.

“Most people think it's really cool how committed our team is. We practice at 6:30 a.m. most Saturdays, which takes dedication,” Friedman said.  

Friedman said people who see them skating are also amazed with the skill level of the Synergy Synchro Team, adding that each person on the team has contributed to its success.

To get ready for the nationals, Friedman and her teammates said they are training the same way they had been practicing for other performances. They are working hard and trying to keep calm.

“We want to treat this competition like others. We're hoping we get the same results with our skates!” Friedman said.

Peterson said the team is working to hit their full potential in time for the March 3 competition. She said that every week the girls practice three and a half hours on the ice to work on speed and movement and another three hours off the ice to work on facial expressions, placement and synchrony.

“They have to get at the point where they are not doing the moves, but they are feeling,” Peterson said.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the number of hours per week the girls practice as a team. (Updated at Feb. 21, 11:00 p.m.)