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Spinning strong at figures competition

Courtesy+of+Celeste+Franke-Joyce+%E2%80%9816
Courtesy of Celeste Franke-Joyce ‘16

By Hannah Connors ‘16 | Copy Editor

The Grosse Pointe unified figure skating team performed well at their second competition of the year, Tuesday Jan. 12 at Dearborn Ice Skating Center.

The team consists of 14 girls, a combination of Grosse Pointe South and Grosse Pointe North students. The team is then split into A, B, and C teams depending on ability level, captain Celeste Franke-Joyce ‘16 said.

The team is in a district with six other teams, and at each competition they compete against all of them, captain Julia Barnes ‘16 said.

“At each competition there are three categories: jumps, moves and spins. Skaters perform different elements in these categories and are judged on them,” Franke-Joyce said.

The team started out a little shaky in the jumps portion of the competition, coach Claire LaDue said.

“We had a few falls which brought our scores down for both the A and B teams. The C team, however, held their own, finishing with the silver medal (in that category),” LaDue said.

In the moves category, the A team finished with a gold medal and the C team with a silver medal, LaDue said.

“(During moves) we started to feel the ice and get down in those knees a little more,” LaDue said.

Finally in the spins event, the C team brought home their first gold medal of the season, LaDue said.

The team practices every Monday morning before school at the St. Clair Shores Civic Arena, Barnes said.

“Skaters are required to practice at least 2-3 more hours outside of that (individually), if they want a varsity letter,” Barnes said.

Barnes said overall, she is happy with the outcome of the competition, and is hoping each team will qualify for the state meet. In order for this to happen, the team has to be ranked 2nd or 1st in the district.

LaDue hopes the B team will be more consistent at the next competition, and that the entire team’s jumping will be stronger, she said.

“Figure skating is not like track, it is more subjective because of the judging system. It is not as simple as who passes the finish line first to declare a winner,” LaDue said. “Nerves can play a huge factor on competition day, so our girls need to become more confident and mentally tough moving into our last meet.”

The team’s next competition is Feb. 10 in Port Huron.

 

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