IU figure skating team keeps crown

Going into the IU figure skating club’s sixth season, the team has made its mark in Midwest competitions.

The team is made up of two divisions: freestyle and recreational.  

The competitive component of the team is the freestyle division. The division is made up of 12 women who participate in four competitions each year.  

The club competes against other Midwest schools including Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.  

The team has been the Midwest champion for three years in a row and continually qualifies for nationals.

Last year the freestyle division finished fifth in the Intercollegiate National Championships, and club president Ashley Whaley said she hopes this will be another good year.

“We have a lot of potential this year,” Whaley said. “These are girls that are continuing their competitive skating and are good at it.”

The team looks forward to another successful year with a new group of strong freshmen coming in.  

Stephanie Klair, freestyle team vice-president, said she believes that the new women will play a large role in this year’s team.

“I think we are going to do well this year,” Klair said. “We have some new freshman that will be a big asset on the team.”

In the past, the team has also had a strong and competitive synchronized skating division.

The synchronized team finished in fifth place at the U.S. Synchronized National Championships in the 2008-09 season.  

Synchronized skating is much like synchronized swimming.

The team had 14 girls that were connected throughout the entire program while doing a variety of configurations.  

IU’s figure skating team is open to all girls dedicated to skating.  

“If you have the desire to be on the team, we can put you on the team,” Whaley said.  

Girls that have skated in the past, but do not wish to remain competitive, can join the team as a part of the recreational division.

Currently, the team does not have enough girls to field a synchronized division, but Alex Weil, former synchronized skating vice-president, still believes the club is strong.  
“We have come so far since it started, and I am proud to say I was a part of it,” Weil said. “I hope that in the future we can continue to succeed as an intercollegiate team.”