Local Synchronized Skating Team Take Bronze at Sectional Championships

In their first season competing in the Preliminary division, ONYX Synchronized Skating took third place at the Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships, held January 30 – February 2 at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This is the highest level of competition for a Preliminary division team. This year, the division included ten teams from across the Midwest.

The new ONYX Synchro Preliminary Team took the Bronze medal at the Midwestern Synchronized Skating Championships in Kalamazoo

The ONYX Preliminary team is made up of 12 skaters, ages 8 through 10, from the Rochester and Macomb areas. They practice together at the ONYX Suburban Ice Arena under head coach Helene Wolf of Oakland Township and coach Erin Bridge of Troy.

“I’m so proud of these young skaters, how hard they worked and how much they developed,” said Coach Helene Wolf, director of ONYX Synchronized Skating in Rochester. “They surpassed all of the expectations that we had envisioned for the them in the beginning of the season; their speed and confidence improved 120 percent. It was so much fun to watch them grow and accomplish their goals and to also to win a Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championship bronze medal.”

ONYX Skaters: Sevanna Beh, Tallulah Boyette, Ashley Abele, Olivia Larente, Megan Chen, Emma Sommer, Brooklyn Twork, Grace Campbell, Elise Buban, Gabby Hill, Jacalyn Yakel, Alyssa Cross.

The Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships are held annually for teams across the Midwest division to qualify for the National Synchronized Skating Championships. As the youngest division allowed to enter the competition, the Preliminary division teams do not advance to national competition under US Figure Skating rules.

ONYX Synchronized Skating teams represent the ONYX Suburban Skating Academy in Rochester, Michigan. Founded in 2016, the nonprofit organization currently fields multiple teams of varying ages, from pre-K through adult. Tryouts are held annually in the spring.