Synchro News – October 2010

Skating in Pink - In honor of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Albany Figure Skating Club’s Achilles Edge Synchronized Skating Team members and coaches traded their usual all-black practice garb for pink at their October 18th practice at the Albany Academy Fieldhouse.  A number of team members also participated in area breast cancer awareness events during the month, including the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 2nd  and the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on October 17th.

Synchro News – August 2010 

Season Opening Practices:  The Achilles Edge Synchronized Skating Team began the season with two practice sessions on August 22nd or August 29^th.  Skaters performed drills and started learning choreography for the upcoming season.   Achilles Edge will be fielding a competitive Open Juvenile team this year, along with a new exhibition Beginner team.   Download Beginner Team Registration Form

Regular practices will be held on Sundays at 5 pm at the Bethlehem YMCA and on Mondays at 6:45 pm at Albany Academy, starting on September 19^th.  There are still openings on both teams for interested skaters. 

Achilles Edge Synchro Clinic Featured in the USFS “SKATING” Magazine:   The Achilles Edge Synchro Mini-Camp, held at the Schenectady County Recreational Facility on May 15, 2010, was featured in the August/September 2010 issue of “SKATING” magazine!  Haydenette team members Erika Hoffman and Jenna Longo discuss their experience working with synchro skaters from Achilles Edge and Iceworks Ice Breakers at the camp, which was part of USFS’s DREAM program.  Check out the story and photo on pages 45-46 of the magazine! (See photo below.)

Applebee’s Flapjack Breakfast Fundraiser:  The Achilles Edge Synchro Team will be holding their annual Flapjack Breakfast fundraiser at the Applebee’s Restaurant on Route 9W in Glenmont on Saturday, September 25^th from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.  The breakfast features all-you-can-eat pancakes, bacon, juice, and coffee, all served by our friendly synchro team members.  Tickets, which must be purchased in advance from synchro team members, are only $5 each, and proceeds benefit the synchro program.  We hope to see you at the breakfast!  If you have any questions or would like to purchase tickets, please contact Dawn Hopsicker at jhopsicker@nycap.rr.com or Tara DiRisio at Tdirisio@verizon.net. 

Synchro Summer Camps:  A number of our Achilles Edge skaters participated in the prestigious Hayden Synchro summer program this year.  Aislyn DiRisio and Alyssa Hopsicker skated at the Haydenettes Elite Synchro Camp in Marlboro, Massachusetts May 28-30.  This camp was limited to skaters who had passed their Senior Moves in the Field, and was designed to test, challenge and improve the elite level skater.  Aislyn and Alyssa got to skate along with the Haydenettes in this exciting and strenuous weekend program. 

Catherine Amodeo, Danielle Sgroi, Jessica Marinstein and Rachel Gray attended the Hayden Synchro Summer Experience in Ashburnham, Massachusetts for the first time on July 18^th – 22^nd.  Working with internationally-known Haydenettes coaches and skaters, the program focused on skills, drills, off-ice, dance, nutrition, and teamwork.  The skaters had a great time and are looking forward to sharing their new skills with their teammates in the fall. 

Coaches Wayne Hussey and Stephanie Hunter attended the USFS Synchronized Skating Training Festival National Coaches College, held July 29 –August 1 at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.  Both coaches came home with exciting new ideas and plans for the team’s upcoming season. 

Also attending the USFS Synchronized Skating Training Festival were team members Grace DiRisio, Alyssa Hopsicker, Isabelle Lombardi, Stephanie Lombardi, Taylor Kennedy, Aislyn DiRisio, Emma Briceland, and Christina Lombardi, as well as team managers Dawn Hopsicker and Tara DiRisio.  Our skaters had the opportunity to work with nationally-ranked coaches, trainers, and choreographers and to skate with athletes from all over the country. 

Interested in Skating Synchro?  It’s not too late to join our medal-winning team!  For more information about the Albany FSC Achilles Edge Synchronized Skating Team, please contact Dawn Hopsicker at jhopsicker@nycap.rr.com or Tara DiRisio at Tdirisio@verizon.net.

 Silver Level Sponsor
  Stewart's Shops, Inc.
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  CDPHP
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Price Chopper (Golub Corporation)
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 Bronze Level Sponsors
Thomas H. Abele, DMD
 Delmar Dental Medicine

Drs. Decker, Sbuttoni, Boghosian & DiCerbo
 Specialists in Orthodontics P.C.

Andrea Crisafulli-Russo
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If you know of a local business or corporation that may be willing to sponsor our team for the upcoming 2010-2011 season, please contact Paulette Morgan. 

Synchro News – May 2010 

Pre-Juvenile Team Places Fourth in the 2010 Synchronized Skating Challenge Series:  Congratulations to the Achilles Edge Pre-Juvenile team, which placed fourth out of ten teams in their group in the 2010 Synchronized Skating Challenge Series held by USFS during the 2009-2010 season.
Synchronized teams at the Beginner 1, 2 and 3, preliminary, pre-juvenile, open juvenile, open collegiate and open adult levels were invited to take part in the series. Participating teams were required to compete in at least three nonqualifying competitions in their sections, and teams earned points for their finishes. Points from the three best finishes were counted toward the results.  The Achilles Edge skaters finished fourth in Pre-Juvenile Group B.  Results are posted in the synchronized skating section of the USFS website, www.usfsa.org.   Way to go, team! 

Synchro Mini-Camp:  On Saturday, May 15, the Albany Figure Skating Club hosted a United States Figure Skating-sponsored DREAM program synchronized skating mini-camp at the Schenectady County Recreational Facility/Glenville Rink.  Instructors for the program included Erika Hoffman and Jenna Longo from the Haydenettes, U.S. Figure Skating’s 2010 Gold Medalists and reigning National Champions in Team Synchronized figure skating and the 2010 ISU World Championship Bronze Medalists.  The 23 participants watched videos of the synchro world championships and other synchro events and had the chance to learn drills and footwork from the Haydenette skaters.  Sessions also included skating expression and teambuilding exercises.  Everyone had a great time and learned a lot from these world-class skaters.   

A big thank you to Erika and Jenna for sharing their expertise with our synchro skaters in this fun program.  Thanks also to coach Wayne Hussey for creating the program, to coach Stephanie Hunter for assisting, and to Dawn Hopsicker and Tara DiRisio for their organizational assistance.

Achilles Edge Tryouts:  On Sunday, May 16, the Achilles Edge Synchronized Skating Team held preliminary team tryouts for the 2010-2011 season at the Schenectady County Recreation Facility.    Skaters at the tryouts participated in synchro drills and had the opportunity to work on some of the elements that might be in their programs in the fall.  Achilles Edge expects to field two teams this coming year, a Pre-Juvenile or Open Juvenile team, and an Intermediate team.  There are still openings on both teams for interested skaters. 

Interested in Trying Synchro?:  The Albany Figure Skating Club sponsors the largest and most experienced competitive synchronized skating program in the Capital District.  In 2009-2010, the Achilles Edge Pre-Juvenile Team placed 5th in the finals of the U.S. Figure Skating Eastern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships in January, and our Intermediate team members are three-time consecutive New York State Empire State Winter Games Medalists and the current 2010 Silver Medalists. 

Synchro is great training for individual skaters, since it helps improve coordination, stamina, edges, footwork, and speed.  In addition, it allows skaters to participate in a team sport and to attend synchro parties, group fundraisers, and separate synchro-only competitions.   

The Achilles Edge synchro program intends to have a series of open practices over the summer during which skaters can come and skate with the teams.  We would love to have you join us!  Watch your e-mail for more information about these sessions. 

Synchro News – March 2010

The Albany FSC Achilles Edge Pre-Juvenile and Intermediate synchro teams finished their season by performing their routines for the last time at the Albany FSC Spring Ice Show on March 7^th, to the delight of the home crowd. 

SEASON RECAP  

Here are the final synchro 2009-10 season results:  

• Thanksgiving Classic, Plymouth, Massachusetts, November 14, 2009 – Pre-Juvenile Team: 4^th place; Intermediate Team:  4^th place.
• Cape Cod Classic, Bourne, Massachusetts, December 11-12, 2009 – Pre-Juvenile: 4^th place; Intermediate: 5^th place.
• Colonial Classic, Lowell Massachusetts, January 8-9, 2010 – Pre-Juvenile Team: 4^th place; Intermediate Team: 8^th place.
• 2010 Eastern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships, Lowell, Massachusetts, January 28-29, 2010 – Pre-Juvenile Team:  5^th place; Intermediate Team: 15^th place.
• Empire State Winter Games, Lake Placid, New York, February 20, 2010 – Intermediate Team: 2^nd place.

Congratulations to all the synchro skaters and their families, as well as to coaches Stephanie Hunter, Liz Spiller, and Wayne Hussey, Team Manager Dawn Hopsicker, Assistant Manager Tara DiRisio, and all the parents and families who worked so hard to make this season a success.  We are very proud of all you’ve accomplished this year.

JANUARY NEWS
Our Synchro Teams have a new banner! It was proudly displayed for the first time at the Colonial Classic Competition.

The Pre-Juvenile Team placed fourth out of 11 teams at this competition, taking home pewter medals. The Intermediate Team placed 8th in a very competitive field of 15 teams.