On Jan. 4, the Ice Mates synchronized skating team competed in the 40th Colonial Classic, an annual skating competition hosted by the Colonial Figure Skating Club at Tsongas Stadium in Lowell, Massachusetts.
The Ice Mates placed fourth out of the eight teams in the competition. Despite not securing a podium finish, the team has progressed significantly.
“I felt amazing,” Katie Pak, a junior at Lexington High School and a member of the Ice Mates, said. “I think our team came a long way from the beginning of this season, and we still have a lot more to look forward to.”
While the team was aiming to place higher in the competition, they still view their result as an opportunity to learn in preparation for future competitions.
“We were trying to strive for a bit better, but we’re going into Easterns next week, so we’re hoping to do better,” Resara Seneviratne, a sophomore at LHS and Ice Mates team member, said.
The Eastern Sectional Championships will be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania at the end of January. The Ice Mates will have the chance to meet and compete against other teams in the region. Pak is looking forward to observing and learning from other teams.
“I’ve never been to Pennsylvania before so I’m really excited to see that, but I’m also excited to get to see other teams,” Pak said.
The team is currently practicing four times a week in preparation for the championship. These training sessions are essential for the Ice Mates to refine their performances ahead of their upcoming competitions.
“We’re really focusing on the little details here and there,” Seneviratne said. “We’re really drilling everything in.”
The team is constantly using their practices to build on their performance from the Colonial Classic, and do better in the upcoming Easterns and National competitions. Christina Xiao, a sophomore at LHS and Ice Mates member, shared her thoughts on what the team could develop further.
“We could definitely improve on presentation, which is how skaters have their expressions and upper body and posturing,” Xiao said.
For the Ice Mates, the Colonial Classic marks an important season milestone, and team members are eager to display their hard work and talent on the ice in Hershey.
“I know everyone is going to try their best and bring everything they have to the competition,” Pak said.
