Synchronised skating (or synchro) is a branch of figure skating in which teams of between 8 and 16 skaters perform routines that have the musicality and performance of ice dance, and the stunning tricks and athleticism of singles and pairs skating.
Synchro began life in the 1940s in the US, and was initially called ‘precision skating’. It is now the fastest growing ice sport, and the synchro community is campaigning for it to be included in the winter olympics.
Routines are based around key elements such as wheels, circles, intersections, lines and blocks. They can also include pair elements (imagine 8 synchronised death spirals!), group lifts, group spins (with at least 3 skaters) and more.
Synchro competitions are very supportive and collegiate. Teams give each other good luck gifts and cards. This collegiate atmosphere has formed into a global ‘One Team MVMT’ – a movement that promotes a ‘one team’ mentality that pulls us together to promote this amazing sport.