When you first hear the word “synchronized,” a majority of people think of synchronized swimming or diving. In this case, it’s something much more than that. Synchronized Skating, also known as synchro, is a figure skating discipline that includes 8-20 skaters creating and performing intricate elements on the ice and in sync with one another. It’s strictly scored through the International Judging System, (IJS), putting intense pressure to succeed on the skaters. This sport is like no other, the close-knit community filled with committed, dedicated, and hardworking individuals creates magic on the ice and in the audience.
A student at Brunswick High School, Hannah Davis, states, “I knew the overall concept of figure skating, but not the details of it. I haven’t heard of synchronized skating till now.”
DC EDGE is the largest team in the DMV, and their Junior team is a proud member of Team USA. They just performed at the recent event “Legacy on Ice” at the Capital One Arena, honoring those who passed on flight 5342.
A Senior DC EDGE member, Rena Mastramico, joined the team during the 23-24 season after previously skating on a team local to her in Pittsburgh, PA.
Mastramico drives herself to team practice twice a week, on average 3 to 3 ½ hours one way depending on the rink.
Being a part of synchro, you need to love it to stick to it. Mastramico explains, “I love it because I can have a consistent and reliable form of working out, as well as being able to form relationships with not only people in my team but with people from other organizations as well. It has helped me overcome a lot of performance anxiety I struggle with because of the support from my teammates and coaches!”
Mastramico started when she was around 5 years old, she noticed a figure skater at a competition, feeling inspired, she said, “I wanted to skate the same way she did.” Mastramico later skated for the next 13 years of her life, synchro & solo, and she will hopefully continue skating in college at Miami University.
Photo used with permission from Jurij Kodrun (Lucy Caulton)
Teams Elite are National Champion repeats on multiple qualifying levels and a hotspot for aspiring successful athletes. On March 8th, Teams Elite Junior made history at the World Synchronized Skating Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden. They are now the first USA team to be classified as world champions ever. One word: incredible.
One of the tireless skaters a part of this sport, Sabrina Stephens, who was originally a Brunswick High School student, moved her life to Chicago, IL, to pursue her skating career on Teams Elite.
During the past 2024-25 season, Stephens has worked tremendously hard training 40 hours a week every day. She has done synchro her whole life and couldn’t imagine what it would be without it.
What pushed her to move to Chicago was the amazing team offered there. Stephens says, “I always wanted to be at a good organization, win, and to be on Team USA. The best place for me to reach that was at Teams Elite.” She reached these lifelong goals this season along with winning nationals for the second time.
In California, the first competition of the season took place, Fall Classic. On November 8-10th, Stephens competed her short & free program. This resulted in her favorite moment this season all in one weekend, “Getting second at our first competition, being named Team USA, and finding out we would be representing the USA in Poland.”
At the Hevelius Cup in Poland, Stephen’s team was greatly successful, scoring a total of 178.62 points and ended up in 2nd place.
Coaches can make or break the sport, and one of the coaches, a part of DC EDGE, makes it. Amanda Fogle has been in this field for the past 23 years.
She has led teams to multiple sectional championship titles, guides her skaters to success, and overall cares an exceptional amount about her students. Fogle expresses her fondness for coaching and communicates, “I love watching my students achieve their goals and dreams.”
People base their lives off synchronized skating, which shouldn’t go unrecognized. Time, money, emotions, and sweat, all for it to be unknown to the public. Skaters have to balance between school, jobs, and their hours of dedication every week with this sport. When the season is done and the intensity is over, you miss it an unbearable amount, no matter how much was lost or how much you won.
Following the tragic plane crash of flight 5342, the figure skating community has a hole in it. The talented figure skaters on the flight were remarkably local. Coaches, skaters, and families in this area are all affected by this tragedy, and it’s something that will never be forgotten.
To support this cause, please consider donating to the
U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund.