SynchroNice / Fourth Edition / 2019

WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING A MEMBER OF A PRESTIGIOUS TEAM LIKE NEXXICE AND HAVING A SOCIAL LIFE? I have been fortunate with my social circle. My close friends are very understanding of the demands of being a competitive athlete and they are always very happy the times it works out for me to be at a social event. Even luckier for me is how supportive my fiancé is of my skating career. He has been by my side for almost 6 years now and before that we were close friends, so he really knows what this sport means to me. He is one of my greatest support­ ers (besides my parents) and even uses his love of photography as an excuse to come to the rink! He spends a lot of time taking photos at practice and at competitions and shows. WHAT DID SYNCHRONIZED SKATING DO FOR YOU? Well, this sport has meant the world to me. Not only have I gotten to see the world but also met skaters from across the globe with whom I keep in contact regularly. It’s crazy to think that without skating I would never have met these wonderful people that I now call my friends. DID IT HELP CREATE YOUR CHARACTER? Yes, I feel that synchronized skating has given me a higher sense of reliability and dependability. Knowing that my team­ mates rely on me to do my job, both on and off the ice, to achieve our goals has affected many other aspects in my life. Just like I would never want to let my team­ mates or coaches down, I feel the same with my family, friends and coworkers. WE'VE ADDED SOME NICE PICTURES OF YOU TO THE ARTICLE, ALLMADE BYYOUR FIANCÉ. IS HE A PROFES- SIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER? No, he's not a professional. He picked up photography as a hobby about 5 years ago and just likes to photograph Synchro, to be more involved with what I love to do. HOW ABOUT MUSIC TO A PROGRAM, IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU? I would say yes; the music is important to me. The more I understand the music the easier it is for me to perform a character more genuinely on the ice. AS A CAP- TAIN, DOYOU HELP PICK THEMUSIC? No, the coaches usually pick the music, but they always choose the music that will best highlight our strengths as a team. IF NOT SYNCHRO SKATING…WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU BE DOING? I’m really not sure what I would do if I wasn’t skating. It’s all I’ve known my whole life. DO YOU HAVE A JOB OR ARE YOU STILL STUD- YING? I am currently working at McDonalds as a shift manager. I started here when I was 15 years old, they are very good about giving me the flexibility of my work schedule to fit my needs for skating. WHAT COMPETITION IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY? One of my favorite competitions is Trophy D’Ecosse in Dumfries, Scotland. It’s an amazing atmosphere to compete in. The energy we receive from the crowd as we skate is incredible and of course, I always really enjoy Worlds. At Worlds we have finally made it to what we have been working towards as a team and it’s the final pay off for all our hard work! ANY SKATERS YOU LOOK UP TO? My favorite skater you’ll find outside of the synchro world, that’s Kurt Browning and of course our Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir! Kurt Browning always brings fun to the ice and watching him skate makes me want to get on the ice. WE SAWYOU TEACHING SKATING SKILLS TO YOUNGER SKATERS? Yes, I have been afforded the opportunity to travel with both Anne and Shelley to be a demon­ strator for their training camps. I love being able to do this because not only do I get to improve my own skills, being so hyper aware of the proper technique in order to demonstrate and explain, it really makes you better at putting it into practice. But I always really love getting to share my joy for the freedom of the glide with young skaters in different parts of the world. Seeing these skaters have break-through moments is so rewarding. SYNCHRO SKATING IS EVOLVING AND GETTING MORE PROFESSIONAL EVERYYEAR. STILL WE KEEP HEAR- ING THAT MONEY OR THE LACK OF MONEY IS HOLDING US BACK. I think money is a big factor, but also so is sustainability. I think that more teams need to have access to Physiotherapy and Chiropractors as carded athletes. The sport alone is expensive and the longer you partake in something so physical, the greater the toll it takes on your body. Along with that I think we are on the right track with adapting our sport every season without losing what synchro really is. ANYTHING MORE YOU’D LIKE TO TELL THE SYNCHRO WORLD? I love that the synchro community can be one big family. And let’s all keep pushing the sport to be better together! Can we use your favorite quote to finish our interview? Sure, No problem. Thank you for your time Kel. You’re welcome.  KELLY BRITTEN’S FAVORITE QUOTE: Albus Dumbledore Great pictures by Spencer Mungar SYNCHRO NICE 137