Synchronized Skating Team Travels to Italy for Spring Cup
2/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Synchronized Skating
Feb. 7, 2005
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FROM MIAMI TO MILAN: Miami's senior synchronized skating team makes the farthest road trip of any RedHawk squad this year when it travels to Milan, Italy, for the Spring Cup. The team competes in the short program on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time and skates its long program at noon Eastern on Sunday.
THE COMPETITORS: Miami is the lone United States representative at the Spring Cup, competing against five other squads including Germany's Team Berlin 1, Great Britain's Team Storm, Italy's Hot Shivers team, Sweden's Surprise squad and Switzerland's Cool Dreams team.
MIAMI'S SHORT AND LONG PROGRAMS: The RedHawks designed their short program to a scene from the movie The Italian Job called "The Chopper Chase." It lasts two-and-a-half minutes. The long program was designed by choreographer Sarah Kawahara and is called "A Venetian Fantasy." It lasts four-and-a-half minutes.
THE VENUE: The Palasesto ice rink (Cap. 3,500) in Milan, Italy, which is used for hockey as well as synchronized skating and other ice events, has an ice surface of 56 meters by 30 meters, or about 15 feet shorter than an Olympic hockey rink and less than two feet thinner than an Olympic hockey rink.
LAST YEAR'S SPRING CUP: Miami's senior squad took second at last year's Spring Cup, also held in Milan, behind Russia's Team Paradise. The RedHawks led seven other teams from Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia and Australia. It was the highest finish for a Miami squad at the Spring Cup, which took fourth in 1996, second in 1999 and ninth in 2000.
STORYLINES:
1. The U.S. Senior Nationals are Miami's next meet after returning from Italy, making the Spring Cup the team's last tune-up before a bid to the International Skating Union's World Championship is on the line. With the ISU Worlds in Sweden this year, Miami checks out its European competition before the World meet.
2. Miam's collegiate squad is off from competition until Feb. 24-26 at the U.S. Senior Nationals. Its last meet of the year is April 8-10 in Oxford for the National Intercollegiate Championships.