Inside: Intermediate 2020-2021 - Ngin
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Dec 22, 2020 vol. 1i Richmond Synchro Newletter
Intermediate 2020-2021
Inside:
Leadership Notes • P2
Skate Sharpening 101 • P3
Porter 2020 • P5
Family Exhibition • P6
Team Building • P7
Upcoming Events• P8
Test Sessions • P9
Birthday Wishes • P10
Leadership Notes - Happy Holidays!
Jessica Chaffee Stephanie Meier
Director Richmond Synchro Richmond Synchro Founder &
Coach
The year 2020 is coming to an end, and it’s been one that we will remember as the “COVID-19 Year”.
The pandemic influences every aspect of our life, including skating. What we took for granted a year
ago, may no longer be self-evident.
We are very pleased with the progress, versitility, and dilligence of our teams. The skaters come to
each practice and show 110% percent effort. While we have been unable to compete in-person, we
are pleased with the results from the Porter Classic; a testimate to the skaters hard work and
dedication. We are excited to see how the teams do in the Colonial Classic in early January.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone again in January and would like to wish the skaters and
familes a very Happy Holiday Season!
Cathy Diskin
General Manager Richmond Synchro
Dear Skaters and Parents.
Congratulations to all of our skaters on the successful exhibition on 12/12. For those that missed the
performance, the complete video can be found at the following link: https://youtu.be/_vDc76X_QZ0.
As a reminder when we return from break, the format of practices will shift to focusing on mastering
unconnected elements and individual skills; improving the capabilities of our teams while maintaining a
safe distance to protect our skaters and families. The coaches will also be weaving some fun activities
into the practices!
Although we do not have any in person competitions for the remainder of the season, we will still have
the opportunity to participate in virtual competitions focused on elements. The next virtual competition
will be the Colonial Classic running January 4-10, 2021. Please see Page 9 of the newsletter for more
information.
This season has been a unique one for sure and the flexibility of our skaters and parents is so
appreciated. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, wishing you a very happy and safe Holiday
Season!
page 2
Skate Sharpening 101
The Process of Sharpening – How It Works:
If you’ve ever looked closely at the bottom of your skates,
you’ve noticed that each blade has not one edge like a
knife or an axe, but rather two, connected by a hollowed-
out region in between. This shape is created by passing
the blade along a grinding wheel (often called a finishing
wheel). If you were to break this wheel into two
semicircular pieces, you’d notice that the cross sectional
edge is rounded, like a segment of a circle. Passing your
skate runner along the wheel, parallel to the direction of
the wheel’s travel, will impart this rounded shape into the
bottom of your blade. Your skate is clamped into a jig
(most commonly one that holds the blade horizontally)
which is aligned with the finishing wheel. The blade is then
gently passed along the finishing wheel about 10 times,
until the edges are sharp and the bottom is fully hollowed
out.
Customizing Your Sharpening:
There are a few aspects to skate sharpening that can be customized, the most common of which
is the hollow. The smaller the hollow radius, the more responsiveness your skates will be to turns,
stops, and acceleration. The trade-off is that energy will be lost to the ice, resulting in lower top
speeds compared to a larger hollow radius.
Most beginner figure skaters start at a ½ inch hollow. The following are recommendations based
on skater Moves In the Field levels:
Basic Skills, Freeskate levels through Preliminary MIF: 1/2 in
Pre-Juvenile MIF: 1/2 in to 7/16 in
Juvenile MIF: 7/16 in
page 3
Why Do I Need to Sharpen My Skates?
Over time, ice conditions and skating habits will wear down the hollow resulting in very little
bite in every direction, making it difficult to push, turn, stop, or do much of anything. It can
also result in improper alignment which can be dangerous.
How Often Should My Skates be Sharpened?
It really is a personal preference as to when skates should be sharpened. For top level
skaters working on triple and quad jumps, it is extremely important that the blades are
always properly aligned, thus resulting in frequent sharpening. However, for the typical
skater and coaches, here are recommendations:
Use number of hours on-ice as a guide to when skates should be sharpened.
Normally coaches recommend sharpening every 15-40 hours of ice time.
Coach Jessica and Coach Stephanie’s recommendations:
Synchro skills skater + group lesson – About every 12 weeks (around 25 hours of ice
time).
Average pre-juvenile and open juvenile skater: About every 8 weeks (20-25 hours of
ice time).
Average intermediate skater: About every 6-8 weeks (20-25 hours of ice time).
Where Can I Get My Skates Sharpened?
Skate sharpening costs between $10-20 dollars. There are a few options in the Richmond area.
Beginner Skaters:
Both Skate Nation Plus and Ice Zone offer sharpening. Please drop off you skates with the
front desk and allow 24-48 hours for the rink to complete the request.
Intermediate Skaters:
Kenneth Ressler is a member of the Richmond Synchro Adult team and sharpens skates for
many of our team members. Skates can be either left at the rink or dropped off at Kenneth’s
home for sharpening. You can contact Kenneth via text at 540-223-2109 to arrange skate
pick-up, drop-off, and timelines. Payment is accepted via Venmo and PayPal.
Valentin Nikolayev is one of our Richmond skating coaches and offers sharpening. Please ask
the SNP front desk for contact information.
Advanced Skaters:
Most advanced skaters who require customization take their skates to pro-shops in Northern
Virginia. Recommendations include Fairfax, Ashburn, and Prince William.
page 4
Porter Pandamonium 2020
Congratulations to all of our teams on their performances and placements in the Porter
Classic 2020 - Virtual Edition.
Intermediate Team - Silver Traveling Circle
Open Juvenile Team - Gold No-Hold Element / Silver Traveling Circle
Pre-Juvenile Team - Bronze Rotating Wheel / Pewter Pivot Block
Richmond Synchro Intermediate 2020-2021
page 5
Family Exhibition
On December 12, the teams skated an exhibition for family members. Each team
conducted two shows to allow immediate family members to see the hard work they have
put in this season. We would like to congratulate all teams on their amazing performances!
Thank you to Stacey Margolis for the wonderful photos from the event. Her pictures can be found
throughout this edition of the newsletter. Please check-out the full set of pictures at:
https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-NrC7R3/ Password: synchro
Richmond Synchro Pre-Juvinile 2020-2021
page 6
Team Building Teamwork is one of the pilars to sucess in the sport of synchronized skating. While we have not had the oppurtunity for travel/competition activities due to COVID-19, the teams have remained busy here at home. In October, the team decorated pumpkins and dressed up as their favoite Halloween characters. In December, the team put on a exhibition for family members. In December, the teams created gingerbread houses, exchanged presents, and participated in some holiday synchro acitivtes on-ice to Chrstmas music. We would like to thank the team managers and volunteers who made these events possible. Look out for more team building surprises as we move into 2021! page 7
Congratulations!
To the following team members on passing the December 2020 Test Session in Richmond,
VA
Preliminary Dance Juveneile MIF
Marlene Fawcett (OJ) Anju Natarajan (Int)
Pre-Bronze Dance Olivia Kloc (OJ/Int)
Anju Natarajan (Int) Ellie Qureshi (OJ/Int)
Isabelle Zafutto (OJ) Mickella Ferrer (int)
Pre-Silver Dance Preliminary MIF
Izzy Cox (Int) Maura Hallman (OJ)
Novice MIF Pre-Preliminary MIF
Joy Branch (Int) Simran Govil (PJ)
Intermediate MIF
Annabel Tang (Int)
Ali Eubank (Int)
Richmond Synchro Open-Juvinile 2020-2021
page 8
Upcoming Events: Upcoming Test
January 2021
Virtual Colonial Classic - January 4-
Sessions:
January 2021/February 2021
10.
Ashburn, VA - MIF/FS - Jan 3
Virtual Colonial Classic - LiveStream Fairfax, VA - MIF/FS/Solo-Partner Dance -
January 10. Jan 10
Lynchburg, VA (Liberty)- MIF/Solo-Partner
Happy New Year! Practice resumes
Dance - Jan 13
January 7 (Int), January 8 (OJ),
Leesburg, VA (Ion) - MIF/FS - Jan 17
January 9 (PJ).
Leesburg, VA (Ion) - All Dance - Jan 23
Prince William, VA - MIF/FS/All Dance -
Colonial Classic Feb 15
For livestream information, please follow
Next Richmond Test Session -
the event on Facebook:
Announcement Coming Soon for
https://www.facebook.com/ColonialCl
February 2021.
assicSynchro/
page 9
Happy Birthday!
We would like to wish a Happy Birthday to
the following Syncho team members!
December 2020 January 2021 February 2021
Anna Chernault (OJ) Claire Bates (PJ) Alexis Harnish (OJ)
Emma Wikingstad (PJ/OJ) Simran Govil (PJ) Ellie Qureshi (OJ/Int)
Heidi Chernault (PJ) Evie McCombs (PJ)
Isabelle Zafutto (OJ) Anooshka Pendyal (OJ)
Belle Broussard (PJ) Abby Diskin (PJ/OJ)
Andralyn Lesley (Int) Matty Diskin (PJ/OJ)
Kinga Bality (Int)
Sophia Lukasik (PJ)
Pre-Juvenile 2020-2021 Open Juvenile 2020-2021
Volunteer opportunities with Richmond Syncho are currently available.
Please consider signing-up at the following link to support our teams:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D44A4AB28A31-richmond2
Follow Us On Social Media @richmond_synchro @RichmondSynchro
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