You’ve heard of synchronized swimming – always a big hit at the Olympics.  And, chances are, you’ve enjoyed the guilty pleasure of watching ‘Dancing on Ice’ on the telly.

So if your eyes lit up upon reading that opening sentence, you’re in for a treat – because synchronized skating is in town – and it’s a big hit in Scotland.

Synchronized skating is one of the fastest growing ice sports in the UK.  Teams of between eight and 20 skaters compete by performing a series of skating moves and step sequences to music, in unison.

As well as requiring intense concentration, unrelenting hours of practice and an eye for detail that would elude most sports, synchronised skating is an event where style and flair rule the roost – and the more elaborate the routines, the better.

“There are a number of specific elements required,” says Allan Lilly, President of Aberdeen Synchronized Ice Skating Club.

“These include Wheels, where the team rotate around a central pivot of one or two skaters; Circles, where the team rotate either linked or separate but in time and equidistant throughout; Blocks where the skaters move in short lines three or four deep; or Lines, where they skate as a line across the ice, generally performing an intricate step sequence and intersections where a line of skaters cross through another line.”

Complex indeed.  Especially considering that many of the competitors are barely into their teens – some being as young as 11 or 12.

But each of these elements have varying degrees of difficulty depending on the technical abilities of the skaters. Competitions are decided by judging, but there is also an element of presentation and marks are awarded for interpretation of the music as well as technical ability, so even the less adept of skaters can do well for their team.

Lilly oversees two of Aberdeen’s skating teams –  Zariba and PiZazz. Both compete with 12 skaters in each team and both are currently all-girl teams. The girls range in age from 12 to 19 years and many have been skating either as part of the team or as solo skaters (dance or figure) for a number of years.

Zariba settled into its present form in 2007 under coach Sara Paterson (herself a champion figure skater), and finished second in that year’s British championships in Sheffield. 

Sara went on to coach the team to first place at the Scottish Open in Dumfries and followed up this success by taking gold in the Intermediate category at the British Championships in 2008 – the first time any team has held both titles simultaneously.

In 2008, Sara began coaching a new team (PiZazz) and took both squads to the Scottish Championships in Dumfries. PiZazz came fourth, while the senior team, Zariba, successfully defended their title.

Last year, Zariba took second place at the British and Scottish championships in 2009 at Intermediate 2 level, while PiZazz became Scottish Champions at Preliminary level.

So far in 2010, the success has continued for Zariba and PiZazz.  Despite limited time on the rink in Aberdeen due to refurbishment, leading to many late nights and early starts, Zariba reclaimed their British crown once again, with PiZazz also taking gold in the Preliminary category – a unique double triumph for Aberdeen.

Coach Sara Paterson said, “I couldn’t ask for any more from my girls. This win was the best reward for them and for me. I am so proud of each and every one of them.”

Team Managers, Liz Cameron and Fiona Johnston added, “We are absolutely delighted with the results, both teams have worked so hard in the past few weeks and deserve their victories.”

And what about the young skaters themselves?

PiZazz Team Captain, Christina Johnston, lauded her team’s performance: “I was very proud of my team especially as we managed to improve a lot on last year.”  While Zariba’s Kirsty Cameron commented: “We were really pleased to get a team-best score, it shows we are still improving.”

The culture of constant improvement the girls discuss is one that serves some of the world’s top competitors well.  Just ask Chris Hoy and the British cycling team, who stole all the headlines at the Beijing Olympics.

And, speaking of Olympics, following the first official World Synchronized Skating Championships in 2000, this year synchronized skating was a demonstration sport at the Winter Games in Vancouver, with a view to it being an Olympic sport in 2014.

So who’s to say we won’t see some of the Aberdeen starlets on the biggest stage four years from now in Russia?

RO
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You Tube links for Zariba and Pizazz programmes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlbc_JcjLgo

http://www.youtube.com/user/slaine1610#p/a/u/1/-hGTnVRteYs