U.S. figure skating championships Local girls to skate in opening ceremonies
For the first time in 32 years, Kansas City is hosting the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and a local team was invited to participate in the opening ceremonies. On Jan. 19, the 14 members of Kansas City Illusion Intermediate Synchronized Skating team will perform their three-minute routine on ice at 7:30 p.m. to the music of Daft Punk’s Harder Better Faster Stronger.
The Figure Skating Championships are taking over the Sprint Center and Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, Mo. from Jan. 14 to 22. More than 600 skaters will be competing for national titles in five divisions. The event also draws celebrity skaters, such as 1988 Olympic champion Brian Boitano. He’ll be mixing cocktails and signing autographs at a U.S. Championships Happy Hour at Cleaver & Cork on Jan. 20.
For KC Illusion, the only synchro team participating in opening ceremonies, accepting the invitation provided a whirlwind start to the new year. The championships are taking place about halfway through their competition season, which runs from September through April. Besides routine team practice three hours a week, off-ice conditioning and individual work on the ice, the team competed last weekend in Fond du Lac, Wis., against other synchronized skating groups and is preparing to compete in North Dakota on Jan. 25. They’ve also been rehearsing their opening ceremonies routine with a choreographer.
“It makes it a busy, hectic time,” says their coach, Amy Fankhauser.
None of the Illusion team’s skaters were around to see the championships last held in Kansas City in 1985, but Fankhauser was. The director of Synchronized Skating for Kansas City Illusion has been skating for 40 years; she’s been coaching for the past 25 years.
All but one of the 14 members of the Illusion Intermediate Synchro, ages 13 to 18 have been skating as a team for about seven years although new skaters join every year. This year’s newcomer to the team is 15 year-old Emily Krowe. The Shawnee Mission East High School sophomore passed her intermediate field test last year.
“Getting to intermediate was a big accomplishment for me,” she says.
It was the result of “lots of practice with a coach,” memorizing intricate patterns, mastering the skill sets and executing the required moves for the field testing judges. Qualifying to join the intermediate synchro team rewarded her efforts, she says. Having skated since age six, she’s long known the other girls on the team, who are much more to each other than fellow team skaters; they’re friends. They celebrate together special occasions like birthdays and regularly socialize.
Their role in the championships will earn the team national exposure. On top of performing, they will take to the ice throughout the weeklong championships in their glittery red shorts and crop top costumes with other skaters to sweep the ice, pick up gifts and flowers thrown on the ice after performances and help with closing ceremonies.
Among millions watching will be Krowe’s family – her parents, older sister and maternal grandmother, Maria, a native of Chihuahua, Mexico. Even as hard as the team is working to prepare, it’s difficult for Krowe to contain her anticipation.
“I’m very excited because national skating competitions don’t usually take place near Kansas City, and I’ve always wanted to see a lot of Olympic skaters up close. My favorite skaters, (Olympic gold medalists) Meryl Davis and Charlie White will be at the championships,” she says. “It would be thrilling to meet them.”
Sidebar
Tickets are still available for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships events. Single event ticket prices range from $13 to $90; all-event passes range from $336.50 to $802.25. Tickets can be purchased online at www.2017usfigureskatingchampionships.com or by calling the box office at 816-949-7000.
CAPTION:
Pictured are (from left to right) — Top row: Michela Saverino, Zoey Davis, Megan Blair, Emma Marsh, Samantha Mealman and Ava Rock. Bottom row: Emily Krowe, Audrey Wolz, Hannah Holliday, Ashlyn Carlson, Kendall Ivey, Madison Saverino, Korby Pyles and Becca Deatherage.
