Synchronized skaters finish second in nation
March 19, 2001
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Western Michigan University collegiate synchronized skating team finished second in the nation at the U.S. Team National Championships on March 17. Miami (Ohio) took home first place. Michigan State finished third, followed by Delaware in fourth, Bowling Green in fifth, and Michigan in sixth. WMU placed fourth in this same event last season.
"I am very proud of our team," said first-year head coach Jillian Janik. "We skated a clean program. It was our best performance of the season."
The week did not get off to a great start for the Broncos, as their original flight out to Colorado was cancelled. Western Michigan was then forced to drive east to Detroit, then fly west to Denver and take a bus into into Colorado Springs.
"As a coach, I was concerned about how our change of schedule would affect our team, especially with the altitude" stated Janik. "We did have some fatigue problems, but we responded as well as we could have."
After a final practice on Friday, where the judges observed the Broncos in action, WMU performed one of its best routines of the season in the competition on Saturday.
"We came out ready to attack," said Janik. "The team had speed, and we performed at the highest level we could."
Janik gave credit to Miami, the gold medal winning team, whom she skated for at the senior level when she attended college.
"Give Miami credit," said Janik. "They had not performed a clean program in a while. They responded to the challenge that we gave them."
The season wraps up for the Broncos on March 24, when WMU will take part in the National Collegiate Conference in Boston. Twelve Broncos will compete in individual events. No team competitions will take place.
For more information, visit the Broncos on the Web <www.wmubroncos.com>.
Media contact: Travis McCurdy, 616 387-3221, travis.mccurdy@wmich.edu