Chappaqua Synchronized Skaters Advance To National Championships

CHAPPAQUA, NY — Skaters from Chappaqua — Allison Bray, Rhianna Gold, Lauren Sallay and Emmy Sloan — have earned spots to compete at the National Synchronized Skating Championships in Portland, Oregon this February.

Gold and Sallay competed at the Eastern Sectional Championship in Florida recently with the Skyliners Novice line, and took the Bronze medal with their dramatic "Phantom of the Opera" program. Bray also competed this weekend with the Skyliners Juvenile line, crowned Eastern Champions with their spirited "Hello Dolly" program. Sloan's line - Skyliners Junior - earned a bye to Nationals as they are currently preparing to represent Team USA in Rouen at The French Cup.

Also this weekend, younger Chappaqua skaters Devisi Goel and Sophia Huang of the Skyliners Pre-Juvenile line and Jayne Kim of the Skyliners Preliminary line earned Gold medals at Easterns, and Caroline Caruso of the Skyliners Pre-Preliminary captured the Pewter medal.

Chappaqua skaters Marissa Wachs and Avika Goel of the Skyliners Beginner line have had a fantastic season so far, earning two Golds and one Silver medal in their competitions.

The Skyliners Synchronized Skating Team traveled south to the 2018 Eastern Synchronized Sectional Championships on a mission – to perform their best and earn the coveted spots to the National Championships. But their results were even bigger – Skyliners became the gold-medal champions in four divisions (Preliminary, Pre- Juvenile, Juvenile and Intermediate), earned a bronze medal in the Novice division, and all five qualifying lines (Juvenile, Intermediate, Novice, Junior and Senior) earned spots to Nationals.

“We knew we had a strong chance at performing well at Easterns, and we are very proud of the results,” said Josh Babb, Skyliners Head Coach and Director of Synchronized Skating. “The skaters have been working incredibly hard, and now our qualifying lines get to compete on the national stage at the U.S. Championships in Portland, Oregon this February.”

More than 1500 synchronized skaters gathered in sunny Florida to compete at the Eastern Sectional Championships. Of those, Skyliners sent 126 skaters, ranging in age from 7-18. Among the nationally-qualifying lines, Skyliners earned a season high score of 67.99 in the Novice division for their dramatic “Phantom of the Opera” program, taking the bronze medal. In the Intermediate division, Skyliners earned a season high score of 69.75 for their entertaining “Addams Family” program and were crowned Eastern champions. And in the Juvenile division, Skyliners earned their eighth-straight Eastern championship title with their rousing “Hello Dolly” program, which earned a 52.25. All three of those qualifying lines move on to Nationals as well as Skyliners Junior and Senior, both of which earned byes to Nationals due to their international competition schedules representing Team USA.

Among the non-qualifying lines, the Skyliners Pre-Juvenile skaters were crowned Eastern champions out of 18 teams competing, with their entertaining “Queen of Hearts” program. In the Preliminary division where 15 teams competed, Skyliners had two lines in the field: Skyliners Preliminary captured Gold in the final round with their fun “Elvis Medley” and Pre-Preliminary took 4th place with their sassy “Roaring 20s” program.

“To have our talented skaters on Skyliners perform so well at Easterns was amazing,“ said Sarah Blosat, Skyliners Director of Non-Qualifying Lines. “For many of our younger skaters, this was their first Eastern Championship and an exciting culmination to all their practice over the season.”

Skyliners will now devote the early part of February to preparing for the 2018 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, which will take place in Portland, Oregon February 22-24.

Tryouts and clinics for Skyliners 2018-19 season will be announced soon. Please check the website at www.skylinerssynchro.com for the latest information.

The Skyliners Synchronized Skating Team was established in 2001 by a group of parents who wanted to create the most competitive synchronized skating club in the tri-state area. In that first year, the team had three lines. Over the last 17 years, Skyliners has grown into one of the top synchronized skating teams in the country - now with 12 competitive lines, and 230+ skaters ranging in age from 5 to 24. While the majority of the skaters reside in the tri-state area, Skyliners also draws members from Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. The tremendous growth and success of the team are attributed to the dedicated athletes, talented coaches and devoted Board members and parent volunteers who make Skyliners possible season after season.

About Synchronized Skating:

Synchronized skating consists of 8-20 highly skilled athletes performing a program on ice together, moving as one flowing unit at high speeds. It is characterized by teamwork, speed, intricate formations and challenging step sequences. There are approximately 600 synchronized teams and nearly 5000 synchronized skaters in the United States alone, with elite competitions at both the national and international level. Although not currently an Olympic sport, there is significant movement toward including it at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Visit the Skyliners at www.skylinerssynchro.com to learn more about this successful team.

PHOTOS: Chappaqua residents Emmy Sloan; Rhianna Gold; Allison Bray/ Leigh Gold