Magazine

"We do plan to continue the California Cup next year"


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Les Suprêmes Senior (CAN) at California Cup. (Credits: Cynthia Slawter Photography - 2019)

It has been a week since the California Cup 2019 in Irvine, CA, took on the west side of the American coast. Let's talk about this first historic edition of the Synchronized Skating Challenger Series with the president of the organizing committee Russ Scott from the Glacier Falls FSC.

How was the California Cup for you?
Russ Scott, president of the Glacier Falls Figure Skating Club: I think the competition was a great success. It was a big undertaking considering it was scheduled in conjunction with our regular competition, the Synchronized Fall Classic, which meant over 1400 athletes were in attendance. The energy and excitement in the building during the competition was amazing. I know all of the skaters, coaches, officials and spectators enjoyed the skating and our amazing California weather.

That was the first time in history that a Challenger Series was organized and took place in the U.S.A!
I believe the Challenger Series for Synchro is a great step forward for the discipline and having this first one take place in the U.S. was great.

Many fans around the world were disappointed that there was no livestream to follow such an important event. What do you want to say to them?
Unfortunately, the ISU determined that they did not want live streaming for this event.  Our hope is that moving forward that might be a possibility.  We were able to have live scoring and the videos from California Cup will be available to watch for free on the USFS Fan Zone page later this week.


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California Cup 2019 - Irvine, CA

Will you apply to host in Irvine a new Challenger Series stage next year?
My understanding is that there will be a Challenger Series event in North America each year and we will alternate with Canada. We do plan to continue the California Cup next year as a standard international competition with our Synchro Fall Classic.

For many international teams, it was the first time a competition was held in California. How is synchronized skating developed in that part of the US?
Synchronized skating is not as big on the west coast as it is in the rest of the U.S., but it is constantly growing.  Having the California Cup here and giving the local teams the opportunity to see the International competitors will provide a big boost for the local synchro community.

Thank you so much Russ!

We wish you good luck for this synchro season in California! 


To go further...
Discover:

- A new photo gallery about the California Cup 2019

- An article with the reactions of the participating teams

- A recap of the second day of competition (Free Programs)

- A summary of the first day of competition (Short Programs)

And have a look below at the reaction of Helsinki Rockettes (FIN) just after their victory in duplex of Irvine (USA):



Results - TOP 3

California Cup
Irvine, CA (USA)
NOV 06, 2019 - NOV 09, 2019

Senior
TEAM Score
1Helsinki Rockettes (FIN)211.57
2Haydenettes (USA)203.60
3Les Suprêmes (CAN)191.58

Junior
TEAM Score
1Team Mystique (FIN)185.24
2Skyliners (USA)181.17
3Nexxice (CAN)154.35