SynchroNice / Fourth Edition / 2019

learning how to apply the scales from -5 to +5. Even a tiny difference may raise an element from level four to five or lower it to level three. What will happen next? What is the future of our discipline? Artistic elements are no doubt a good addition but they are still taking shape. How could we introduce more difficulty and skating skills into free programs? Would there be room for step sequences within creativity? I wish that whatever we are expected to include and do in the programs and whatever is regarded as positive bullets, we were given enough time to test the new challenges. It takes a long time and a lot of effort to construct programs that comply with the technical requirements and are artistically interesting, and shaping them further during the season is a slow process. I feel that it is also unfair to the athletes if rules are adjusted or changed during the current season. Even a minor adjustment may result in major changes in the program, which means that the routine built during thousands of repetitions is lost. Our shared future goal and dream is to be finally accepted as an Olympic sport – perhaps already in 2026. What does this require? What are we prepared to do to reach this goal? If the teams are to be reduced to groups of 12 skaters, I think we will lose something from our identity as a discipline. In practice, it would be challenging to meet the expenses for coaching and practice conditions if a team had only 12 skaters. I believe that we should invest in sportiness and impressiveness, and nurture and increase co-operation on a broad front. This will make us appear stronger. The frontline work should also involve the ISU and many forms of the media that can help to make synchronized skating to be seen and heard better than today. Two negative decisions by the Olympic Committee must not defeat us; we must continue to have faith in becoming included in the Olympic program in the future. What is even more, the decision makers must have faith in us, because the Olympics are likely to contribute to higher standards for our discipline, as soon as we can participate in the Games.  Synchro Team Collection available in the Elite Xpression INNOVATION collection at www.elitexpression.com Custom synchronized skating costumes and training wear available at synchro@elitexpression.com X P R E S S YOUR P A S S I ON WI TH E L I T E X P R E S S I ON @xpressionelite Elite Xpression