The Genesee Express Open Junior and Pre-Juvenile synchronized skating teams competed in their first event of the season at the Skaneateles Invitational which was held in Skaneateles on November 30th, 2007.
The Open Junior Team brought home the gold medal with their four-minute program to music from Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity”. The team, comprised of 15 skaters ages 13 to 17, performed a competitive program with both speed and precision. The skaters on the Open Junior Team are Samantha Corrigan, Stephanie Cowey, Emma Daitz, Annie Edmundson, Alexandra Edmundson, Jordana Gilman, Carly Maldonado, Ali Mancuso, Leni Mundt, Stephanie Northwood, Risa Robinson, Claire Stack, Tracy Standish, Brianna Vay, and Lija Zurovskis.
The 12 skaters on the Pre-Juvenile Team earned the silver medal debuting to Madonna’s “Vogue”. This was the first synchronized skating competition for many of these skaters. The Pre-Juvenile skaters include Yarden Abittan, Lexi Bozza, Katrya Cichanowicz, Kimberly Couse, Kristen Goodrich, Ashley Jarkowski, Amy Li, Jenna Loeffler, Emily Papa, Emily Slifkin, Laura Vannozzi, and Meredith Watson.
Both teams’ programs include various elements such as lines, blocks, pinwheels or three-spoke wheels, and pass-throughs with greater difficulty and speed in the Open Junior level.
The teams are led by coaches Aaron-Taylor Austin, head coach for the Genesee Express teams, and Richard Hoffman who has brings many years of skating, competing and coaching expertise to the teams. Both teams practice at RIT’s Frank Ritter Arena and are part of the Genesee Figure Skating Club.