Synchronized skating is a variant of the specialized skating sport in which a group of 8 or more professional skaters participates and perform beautifully yet, challenging formations, moves and drills in a synchronized manner.
The sport is also regarded as "Synchro". Canada is viewed as the leading champion in synchronized skating. Dr. Richard Porter led the sport in the year 1956, and at that time, it was regarded as ‘Precision Skating’. The competition lies on the same judging criteria for singles, duals and ice dancing.
Objective
The objective of the skaters participating in the sport performs as a single unit where they execute various stunts with blocks, lines and wheels on edgy music. The skaters also perform diverse straight line or circular sequences along with other elements such as dancing, intersection, etc.
All the skaters perform the skating elements with each other in a synchronized manner and maintain their balance in a proper way so that they may score maximum points. The distribution of the highest points depends on how difficult moves and stunts.
The judging criteria solely based on how skilled and difficult performance the team has portrayed over the music in a given time.
History of Synchronized Skating
In 1838, the Oxford Skating Society in England for the very first time recorded a combined figure skating event in which almost 12 skaters participated together. In 1954, the first team was prepared to perform the Precision Skating in Michigan. In 1976, the first international competition for synchronized skating was organized where teams from the United States and Canada participated.
In 1983, Canada hosted its first-ever officially sanctioned precision skating competition. By the next year, the United States founded the first national governing body for skating, U.S. Figure Skating Association (USFSA). In due time the popularity of the sport outnumbered and by 1987, Japan and Australia also participated in it. In 1994, the International Skating Union (ISU) officially recognized the sport and promoted various international events.
In 1996, it endorsed the first
ISU World Precision Skating Challenge Cup in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Later in 1998, the name was officially changed into synchronized skating by the ISU. In 2000, the first
World Synchronized Skating Championship was organized in Minnesota. In this event, a total of 21 teams belonging from 17 different countries participated.
