From Jan. 5-8, the Lexettes, a synchronized figure skating team based in Lexington, competed in the Hevelius Cup, an international skating competition in Poland. After competing for two days against teams from the Netherlands, Finland, and Russia, the Lexettes finished fourth overall.

Due to the pandemic, the team was unable to compete internationally for the past two years. This year, the team was able to compete overseas after agreeing to take certain travel and health precautions.

“We had to have a negative test, be fully vaccinated, and [take a] test before leaving. We tried to keep our bubble as a team so that none of us would get sick,” Miu Hagio, a junior at Lexington High School and a member of the Lexettes, said.

The competition in Poland was both the team’s first large-scale event in two years, but also the team’s first international competition with its new members.

“The rink was much larger than we were used to training in, so it did add a little to the intimidation. Obviously, there was also a drastic change in environment, being surrounded by teams from all over the world speaking all different languages, but everyone was overall pretty welcoming and friendly to each other,” Julien Song, a senior and a member of the Lexettes, said.

The Lexettes recognize that their strong fourth place finish was a result of the team’s resilience and determination during setbacks.

“We had a few falls in both of our programs and didn’t have the best skate, but we didn’t let it get to our heads and were able to recover well. You could clearly tell that we fought to push through the obstacles and had improved our programs a lot since our last competition back in November, which we are very proud of,” Song said.

Though the two days of competition were intense, the Lexettes learned the importance of teamwork and perseverance.

“From frustrating practices and sleep-deprived nights, to locker room karaoke and winning medals, my teammates and I have gone through it all together. Being able to have all twenty of my friends’ unconditional support and love through every high and low is a privilege and joy like no other,” Song said.