Wed Apr 02, 2008

Lexington - The Haydenettes, U.S. Figure Skating’s 2008
Synchronized Figure Skating Champions, finished the
skating season with a strong program Saturday evening to
place third in the free skate portion of the World
Championships held this past week in Budapest, Hungary.

The team’s strong performance moved the Haydenettes up to
finish the competition in fifth place overall. The team
was in sixth place after an uncharacteristic performance
in the short program, the team’s traditional strong suit.
However, the team’s free skate performance earned the
team the Bronze Medal for that portion of the
competition, where medals are awarded by the
International Skating Union for the short program, free
skate and overall placement. Finland’s Rockettes won the
overall championship with perennial medalists Team
Surprise from Sweden holding on to the second place with
Canada rounding out the podium in third. The free skate
medal was the first World Championship Medal of any type
for the Haydenettes in their ninth trip to the World
Championships.

The World Synchronized Championship is the final event
sanctioned by the International Skating Union, the
governing body for all skating competitions. The
Haydenettes’ Bronze Medal in the free skate portion of
the competition was only the second medal won by the U.S.
during this season’s World Championships. Johnny Weir
captured the Bronze Medal in the men’s competition with
the U.S. ladies, pairs and ice dance skaters shutout of
the medals this year.

"I am very proud of my skaters in the way they put the
short program behind them and went out and showed that
they are one of the elite teams in the World," said Saga
Krantz, head coach of the Haydenettes. "This is an
experienced group that has risen to challenges in the
past and they did it again. The team skated beautifully
in the free skate, they were expressive and their
presentation of the program to the audience and the
judges was excellent," noted Coach Krantz.

Noteworthy for the team was the perfect score they
received for the technical component of the free skate,
"back to what everyone expects of the Haydenettes," noted
Krantz.

After their performance the Haydenettes returned to the
arena in first place and watched as the leading teams
competed in the final grouping. Sitting at the far end of
the arena, they faced the giant scoring screen and
skating’s famed "kiss-and-cry" podium. It wasn’t until
the final team from Finland skated and the scores went up
that the Haydenettes realized they had skated strong
enough to remain in third place for the free skate
program and their first ever World medal, the ‘small
medal’ as it is referred to in figure skating. It was an
emotional scene of joy around the arena for the Finns,
Swedes, Canadians and yes, the Haydenettes. It was hugs
and kisses and tears of joy for the twenty-three skaters
from Hayden. For some, it was their third, fourth or
fifth trip to the World event but for all it will be the
first time they return to the U.S. with metal detectors
going off at the airports as the medals will surely not
be packed in the checked baggage.

The Haydenettes core group includes returning high school
and collegiate skaters. The team is anchored by five
current LHS seniors this year. They include Lauren
Petroff, Olivia Samia, Amanda Ting, Kate Wilson and
Tracey Daniels. Daniels moved to Lexington from Downers
Grove, Illinois to specifically tryout and skate with the
Haydenettes

Link »
http://www.wickedlocal.com/lexington/sports/x1564572783