Fanshawe student on top of the world
We all know the big-name ice sports- hockey, speed skating, figure skating and even curling. But when was the last time synchronized skating has come up in one of your sports discussions?
For first-year fashion merchandising student Taryn Milne, the answer would be ‘quite frequently.' Milne is part of a synchronized skating team that has not only won national championships, but has a recent international win under their blades.
The sport, Milne explains, is growing in popularity, and though she'd competed in singles figure skating before joining the current team, NEXXICE, she saw it as being the better of the two options.
“I'd done singles skating for my whole life,” said Milne. “I made a change because there's a little bit more of an opportunity here. With singles there's less of a chance to travel and it's more fun on a team working together and having these people support you.
“It's similar to ice dance, so there's 20 of us girls, 16-skaters and four alternates subbing in and out, and you have two routines, a short and a free program.”
That team and its companionship is what's kept her with NEXXICE, despite the fact that the Barrie native regularly has to travel over an hour for practice in the western region. And that dedication is what she believes has helped them succeed, as they've all been willing to sacrifice a little bit. And the team, which has been training together since last April, has been able to reap the rewards of their hard work.
“We won the nationals last year,” Milne continued. “And because we won the nationals last year, we went to a competition in Milan, Italy and finished first with another Canadian team, from Quebec, getting second place.
“And we just got back from Chilliwack, British Columbia where we were competing in the Nationals, and won that. And because the top two teams at the nationals get to go to the worlds in Budapest, Hungary.”
And as much as she loves the skating and the team, Milne isn't going to discount the draw being able to travel is, explaining that the team will be able to train in Austria before the worlds to go along with their trips to Boston and Italy this year. The more they compete, the more attention they attract, and the better the chance they have at achieving one of their biggest goals.
“We're trying to get the recognition so that hopefully in 2010 it becomes a demonstration sport in the Olympics,” Milne conceded. “We're crossing our fingers, but that's kind of our focus. It's really in the past three-years it's become more popular and people are getting kind of wowed by it.”
The sport is such a large part of Milne's life that when she applied to Fanshawe she originally came in to speak with the professors, to explain that she may be away for extended periods training or competing, but was happy to learn that the college would help accommodate her.
“I don't sleep really,” Milne laughed thinking about her schedule. “With travel time and everything, we're going out four or five times a week to train four to five hours a night. So it's hard, but they've helped work with me, which is great because I've been skating my whole life, and it's kind of a huge part of my life.”
When it comes to the worlds Milne is hoping that this preparation will help the team finish higher than their third place behind Sweden and the United States last year.
“We're just focusing on the worlds,” Milne continued. “We watch them skate on YouTube a lot, it's the only way we really see them skate. But synchro is a small world so we're getting feedback, and hopefully we'll be ready.”
The world championships in Budapest start on March 28, for more information on the team and the competition go to www.sysworlds2008.hu.
For first-year fashion merchandising student Taryn Milne, the answer would be ‘quite frequently.' Milne is part of a synchronized skating team that has not only won national championships, but has a recent international win under their blades.
The sport, Milne explains, is growing in popularity, and though she'd competed in singles figure skating before joining the current team, NEXXICE, she saw it as being the better of the two options.
“I'd done singles skating for my whole life,” said Milne. “I made a change because there's a little bit more of an opportunity here. With singles there's less of a chance to travel and it's more fun on a team working together and having these people support you.
“It's similar to ice dance, so there's 20 of us girls, 16-skaters and four alternates subbing in and out, and you have two routines, a short and a free program.”
That team and its companionship is what's kept her with NEXXICE, despite the fact that the Barrie native regularly has to travel over an hour for practice in the western region. And that dedication is what she believes has helped them succeed, as they've all been willing to sacrifice a little bit. And the team, which has been training together since last April, has been able to reap the rewards of their hard work.
“We won the nationals last year,” Milne continued. “And because we won the nationals last year, we went to a competition in Milan, Italy and finished first with another Canadian team, from Quebec, getting second place.
“And we just got back from Chilliwack, British Columbia where we were competing in the Nationals, and won that. And because the top two teams at the nationals get to go to the worlds in Budapest, Hungary.”
And as much as she loves the skating and the team, Milne isn't going to discount the draw being able to travel is, explaining that the team will be able to train in Austria before the worlds to go along with their trips to Boston and Italy this year. The more they compete, the more attention they attract, and the better the chance they have at achieving one of their biggest goals.
“We're trying to get the recognition so that hopefully in 2010 it becomes a demonstration sport in the Olympics,” Milne conceded. “We're crossing our fingers, but that's kind of our focus. It's really in the past three-years it's become more popular and people are getting kind of wowed by it.”
The sport is such a large part of Milne's life that when she applied to Fanshawe she originally came in to speak with the professors, to explain that she may be away for extended periods training or competing, but was happy to learn that the college would help accommodate her.
“I don't sleep really,” Milne laughed thinking about her schedule. “With travel time and everything, we're going out four or five times a week to train four to five hours a night. So it's hard, but they've helped work with me, which is great because I've been skating my whole life, and it's kind of a huge part of my life.”
When it comes to the worlds Milne is hoping that this preparation will help the team finish higher than their third place behind Sweden and the United States last year.
“We're just focusing on the worlds,” Milne continued. “We watch them skate on YouTube a lot, it's the only way we really see them skate. But synchro is a small world so we're getting feedback, and hopefully we'll be ready.”
The world championships in Budapest start on March 28, for more information on the team and the competition go to www.sysworlds2008.hu.
