Vick444~No Spam~@aei.ca
05-08-2008, 12:45 AM
Apr 06, 2008
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competition among the synchronized skating countries at
the senior level is fierce.
A substandard performance could send a team free-falling
in the world standings.
So when the Canadian champion Nexxice senior team, with
plenty of Burlington representation, arrived in Budapest,
Hungary last week, head coach Shelley Barnett had no clue
whether her goal of a top-five finish was in the cards or
not.
She and the team got their wish and more, however,
outpointing the Finland 2 team by a razor-thin margin to
earn a bronze medal.
Consistency of performance -- Nexxice was fourth in both
the short and long routines -- allowed it to outscore
other teams such as the Finns, whose No. 2 team was third
after the first program but slipped in the second.
Nexxice's performances were reminiscent of last year's
worlds when the team also gained a bronze with two
fifth-place skates.
Finland 1 won the gold medal with 210.48 points, Sweden 1
was the silver medalist with 205.71 points, and Canada
edged Finland 2 198.81 to 198.03 to make the podium.
Rounding out the top six were the United States at 195.87
and Canada 2 from Montreal in sixth with 188.59.
EDGED FINLAND 2 BY LESS THAN A POINT
"We were delighted (with the bronze) because we didn't
know until after the last team (Finland 2) skated and the
final score went up," said Barnett. "They were .2 points
ahead of us after the short program and I thought they
skated pretty well in the long."
Judges ranked the Finns fifth, dropping them to fourth
overall behind Nexxice.
Barnett, who coaches the team along with choreographer
Anne Schelter, gave one of the the U.S. teams as an
example of how challenging it is to stay in medal
contention on a regular basis.
"The top nine are really strong," said Barrett. "The
American team that finished second last year was ninth --
it's not that they were terrible. It's just so tight
among those nine."
Nexxice's skates were to the Masquerade Waltz (short) and
New Zealand Maori music (long).
Members of the team include Catherine Devries, Carla
Coveart, Danyel Dykstra, Julia Horan, Sheri Moir, Sarah
McAuley, Michelle Moore, Denver Flintoff, Jen Beauchamp,
Alison Proudfoot, Emma Moriarty, Taylor Kemp, Maddie
Wendland, Emily Penrose, Niki Rodgers, Cara Moir, Lauren
Zbucki, Taryn Milne and Morgan Harper
Link »
http://www.burlingtonpost.com/news/article/166294
Large Medium Small Print This Article Tell a friend The
competition among the synchronized skating countries at
the senior level is fierce.
A substandard performance could send a team free-falling
in the world standings.
So when the Canadian champion Nexxice senior team, with
plenty of Burlington representation, arrived in Budapest,
Hungary last week, head coach Shelley Barnett had no clue
whether her goal of a top-five finish was in the cards or
not.
She and the team got their wish and more, however,
outpointing the Finland 2 team by a razor-thin margin to
earn a bronze medal.
Consistency of performance -- Nexxice was fourth in both
the short and long routines -- allowed it to outscore
other teams such as the Finns, whose No. 2 team was third
after the first program but slipped in the second.
Nexxice's performances were reminiscent of last year's
worlds when the team also gained a bronze with two
fifth-place skates.
Finland 1 won the gold medal with 210.48 points, Sweden 1
was the silver medalist with 205.71 points, and Canada
edged Finland 2 198.81 to 198.03 to make the podium.
Rounding out the top six were the United States at 195.87
and Canada 2 from Montreal in sixth with 188.59.
EDGED FINLAND 2 BY LESS THAN A POINT
"We were delighted (with the bronze) because we didn't
know until after the last team (Finland 2) skated and the
final score went up," said Barnett. "They were .2 points
ahead of us after the short program and I thought they
skated pretty well in the long."
Judges ranked the Finns fifth, dropping them to fourth
overall behind Nexxice.
Barnett, who coaches the team along with choreographer
Anne Schelter, gave one of the the U.S. teams as an
example of how challenging it is to stay in medal
contention on a regular basis.
"The top nine are really strong," said Barrett. "The
American team that finished second last year was ninth --
it's not that they were terrible. It's just so tight
among those nine."
Nexxice's skates were to the Masquerade Waltz (short) and
New Zealand Maori music (long).
Members of the team include Catherine Devries, Carla
Coveart, Danyel Dykstra, Julia Horan, Sheri Moir, Sarah
McAuley, Michelle Moore, Denver Flintoff, Jen Beauchamp,
Alison Proudfoot, Emma Moriarty, Taylor Kemp, Maddie
Wendland, Emily Penrose, Niki Rodgers, Cara Moir, Lauren
Zbucki, Taryn Milne and Morgan Harper
Link »
http://www.burlingtonpost.com/news/article/166294