Six synchro teams from New Zealand qualified for Nationals this weekend.

The New Zealand national championships are this coming weekend, with a tight synchro competition awaiting. Learn more about this event.

New Zealand is a nation not often heard from in the synchro community, with only 7 ice rinks in a country comprising of three islands, the number of figure skaters is limited, let alone those interested in synchro. 

There are a few Kiwi’s (colloquial term for New Zealander’s named after an indigenous bird) who have fostered the sport and without their passion, it would not exist. The New Zealand National Figure Skating Championships take place this weekend from the 3rd – 6th of October at the Gore Multisports Complex in the South Island. A fierce synchro competition will take place on Saturday the 5th, between the six teams who qualified to attend.

Four divisions

There are four synchro divisions being challenged at the championships. Mixed Age is a tight competition between reigning National champions Black Ice from Auckland and Kia Kaha previous 4-time National title holders from Christchurch. Titanium from Auckland is the only team in Advanced Novice, moving up from Basic Novice last season. Basic Novice has two teams competing from Auckland – the Ice Angels and Platinum. Adult this year only has one team competing, Momentum again from Auckland.

Skating in Australia

The level of synchro in NZ continues to improve year after year. Many Kiwi skaters attended the recent Australasian One Team MVMNT camp, and coaches such as Natalie Bartlett and Madonna Randell from Australia often visit to help teams with skill development, technical elements, and choreography. There can only be further development. For some Kiwi’s, traveling and moving to Australia has been a common pathway to compete in an ISU eligible Senior team, with a select few others trialing with Canadian and Swedish teams and some competing with Australian teams in Europe and at Worlds in Finland.    

Synchro before... rugby!

Teams represented New Zealand at both the 2009 and 2010 World Synchronised Skating Championships. The hope for the nation is that one day there will be a team able to attend again. For now, the focus of New Zealand will be on Synchronised Skating in Gore for the National competition this weekend, second only to the Kiwi’s #1 sport team the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup in Japan.