On Feb. 26-29, the 2020 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships will bring the best synchronized skaters in the country to Providence, Rhode Island, with medals – and spots on the World Team for the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2020 in Lake Placid, New York – at stake.
Heading into Providence, there are well-established teams looking to extend their reign of dominance, up-and-coming programs looking for their first U.S. Championships medal, and deep fields across the board that make the podium picture as murky as its ever been.
Before action kicks off, read on for a look at the major players, sleeper picks and storylines you can expect to see at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships.
JUNIOR
The defending champion is...
The
Skyliners junior team won its third consecutive U.S. title in 2019 and is coming off an incredibly strong stretch internationally, having won bronze at the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships 2019, as well as silver in 2018. Their 2019-20 international season has been good as well, as they placed second at the California Cup and fourth at the French Cup – their two events in the inaugural Challenger Series – and won the Britannia Cup. The team finished the Challenger Series in second overall, just behind World champions Junost.
Officially named to the World Junior team this week, the
Skyliners junior will look to continue their dominant reign in Providence.
But also look out for…
Teams Elite,
Starlights and
Lexettes are all strong contenders for a spot on the U.S. podium.
Teams Elite is just a second-year junior team and claimed the second World Junior spot for Team USA. As a first-year junior team in 2019, they received an international assignment based on their early-season performances – an extremely rare accomplishment – and won it. This year, they received two Challenger Series assignments and won the silver medal at Spring Cup and finished fifth at the French Cup, right behind the
Skyliners junior. They will make their first ISU Championship appearance in Nottingham, Great Britain this March.
The
Starlights were on the World Junior team for the first time in 2019, and their 2019-20 season has trended consistently upward. While they did not have their strongest performances at the California Cup, they did well at the Britannia Cup, where they beat the
Skyliners junior in the free skate and finished second overall.
The
Lexettes have a history of going to the World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships, but missed out on the team in 2019 after a shocking fifth-place finish at the 2019 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships – their lowest finish since 2007. The
Lexettes are looking to redeem themselves, and could play spoiler for the teams challenging for the podium.
Also of note:
The junior division is in a period of unprecedented depth, with
Team Image leading other up-and-coming teams that could make a run at the podium.
"I think the junior division is so exciting, because they are mostly made up of high school-age skaters," said Leslie Graham, U.S. Figure Skating's senior director of synchronized skating and skating programs. "When those skaters graduate high school, many of them go on to skate on senior or collegiate teams. So you do see a pretty big turnover year-to-year with the teams, but it's that depth of their lower levels in these programs that really sets up their junior teams for success. And we're seeing that come into play now."
SENIOR
The defending champion is…
The
Haydenettes are 27-time U.S. champions, and 2019 was their 10th consecutive title. With a well-earned reputation for being well-prepared and consistently one of the strongest U.S. teams, they set a progression in their season to peak at the World Synchronized Skating Championships in April. They finished sixth in 2019, and this season placed second at the California Cup, fifth at the French Cup and first at the Britannia Cup.
But also look out for…
The
Skyliners senior line has consistently been pushing the
Haydenettes. Last season, for the first time in a very long time, the
Haydenettes were in second place after the short program, unseated by the
Skyliners.
This season, the
Haydenettes and
Skyliners only competed against each other at the California Cup. At that point, the
Skyliners' scores were 20 points behind. But, while the
Haydenettes' scores have stayed consistent throughout the season, the
Skyliners have grown, and have the highest senior score to date internationally among U.S. teams.
Also of note:
While the
Skyliners didn't beat the
Haydenettes in 2019, even just the short program victory is an exciting sign for the sport.
"I think it's good for our country, and for the discipline, for the
Haydenettes to have some sort of contested competition, that they don't necessarily go in and win," Graham said. "It is so exciting, because we only have five teams, but the skill level of those five teams, the depth, is incredible. And I think for the first year this year, we really don't know who the top four are going to be, and that makes it even more exciting because they are so competitive."
Miami University, the
Crystallettes and
Adrian College will duke it out for spots on the podium and on the World Team.
COLLEGIATE
The defending champion is…
Miami University returned to the top of the podium in 2019 to claim the collegiate title after missing out in 2017 and 2018 – an unexpected blemish for a successful program. They've had a strong season thus far, winning the 2020 Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Some of the Miami skaters have voiced that their goal is to get the top collegiate score ever in Providence. So they're not just looking to win: they're looking to make history.
It's a welcome return to form for Miami, as the team that would normally skate through seasons undefeated had its fair share of defeats in the last several years. While the Red Hawks won the U.S. title in 2019, it was almost unexpected.
But based on this season's scores, Miami is the team to beat.
But also look out for…
Adrian College, Michigan State, University of Delaware, University of Michigan and Western Michigan are all among the teams that are expected to challenge for the remaining spots on the podium.
Also of note:
The teams from Miami, Adrian and Trine University are all fully funded by their university, making them varsity skating programs. While synchronized skating is not recognized as a varsity sport in the NCAA, skaters at these schools pay for their education but skate for free.
Trine is fielding a collegiate team for the first time, after fielding an open collegiate team in 2019. They were able to grow into a collegiate team for 2020 and, since they're fully funded, this creates more opportunities for skaters looking to continue the sport in college.
Don't miss a second of the action next week in Providence! Watch the junior, senior and collegiate competitions live and on-demand on the
Figure Skating Pass on NBC Sports Gold.
