The Rochester United (RU) High School Figure Skating Team captured the Michigan High School State Championship in both “A” Team and “B” Team events on March 27 at the Dearborn Ice Skating Center. This marks back-to-back titles for the A Team and the first medal for the Rochester United B Team.
Rochester United High School Figure Skating team combines 30 figure skaters from Rochester Adams, Rochester, Stoney Creek and International Academy (Rochester). The teams are coached by Helene Wolf and Daniel Palmeri at the ONYX Suburban Ice Arena in Rochester. The Rochester United (RU) A team is the highest skill level of high school competition and is considered varsity level. There are more than 20 A level teams in Michigan and 12 teams qualified to compete at the State Championships.
Rochester United B Team tied for first place with Troy Unified, forcing a final round of competition consisting of three elements. Jenna Duby and Adrianna Semioli were the chosen members who performed the skating elements and represented the team. Their performance earned the official win and State Championship for B Team.
“It’s been a crazy, wild shortened season and these athletes not only made the best of the circumstances but also stepped up to put out their best skates,” said Helene Wolf, coach of the Rochester United teams and ONYX Synchronized Skating teams at the Onyx Suburban Ice Arena in Rochester. “We’re so grateful to the Detroit Metro Council for working so diligently to host an ‘in person’ high school competition season.”
The 16 members of A Team include Alexi Chen, Alison Chen, Molly Evans, Cassidy Ha, Jillian Jones, Bianca Kerr, Maddie Laviolette, Emily Saari, Grace Schultz, Lily Sorensen, Ethan Sun, Evan Sun, Francesca Schena, Alessia Taylor, Sofia Williams, and Grace Wang
The 14 members of B Team include Aaron Chen, Samantha Colburn, Nicole Blankenship, Mallory Doelle, Jenna Duby, Grace Kim, Rose Kueten, Jenny Kim, Addison Maul, Emily Mikami, Adrianna Semioli, Isabella Toma, Abbey Weinsenstein, and Samantha Yu.
Michigan High School Skating
Introduced in 1999, and continuing to grow every year, the Michigan High School Skating series offers great opportunities for skaters to participate in team sports and to be part of their school’s athletic program. Starting with 10 teams and a single competition in 1999, the 2018 series has 39 teams and 19 competitions. Currently in Michigan there are six districts, and each district is typically composed of five to seven teams which combine skaters from neighboring high schools. There are typically three District competitions from December to February and the teams within each district compete against each other.
About Rochester Media