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Stamford Synchronized Skating Team Earns Bronze At Easterns

STAMFORD, Conn. --The Shadows of the Stamford-based Southern Connecticut Synchronized Skating team won the bronze medal Saturday in the Open Juvenile division of the Eastern Synchronized Sectional championships in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The Shadows of the Southern Connecticut Synchronized Skating team won a bronze medal in the Open Juvenile competition at the Eastern Championships last weekend. The team is based in Stamford. See story for IDs.

The Shadows of the Southern Connecticut Synchronized Skating team won a bronze medal in the Open Juvenile competition at the Eastern Championships last weekend. The team is based in Stamford. See story for IDs.

Photo Credit: Contributed

The Shadows competed against 28 other teams from along the Eastern Seaboard at the Olympic Oval Training Center.  

The Shadows performed their 2:40 minute program to “Why Don’t You Do Right?” by Sinead O’Connor.  

DC Edge from Washington, D.C., won first place and CNY Blizzard Green from Pittsburgh took second.

Shadow skater Emily Merole, a Stamford resident and a student at Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford, said, “It is a big deal for us to be No. 3 on the entire East Coast." 

Teams came from the entire East Coast of the United States - from Maine to Florida and from the Ohio border east.

Another Southern Connecticut Synchronized Skating Team, the Shimmers, skated Thursday and placed fifth of 21 prejuvenile teams in the qualifying round. On Saturday, they faced stiff competition and finished seventh out of 12 in the final round.

“I could not be any prouder of both our teams. Each team skated beautifully to qualify for the championship round in their respective divisions and then went on to better their performances in their final events," said Head Coach Gina Valenzano-Gomez. "It was a pleasure to watch them skate. They did everything that we set out to do. It was a great weekend for SCSS.”

The 2015 Eastern Synchronized Sectional Championships, sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating, are the qualifying events leading to the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. The Open Juvenile level, such as the Shadows, is considered a nonqualifying line and is one of six levels that competes only at the sectional championships level. There are eight other levels that advance to the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships.

It has been a successful year for the Shadows, with a gold medal at the Colonial Classic in Lowell, Mass.; a silver at the Terry Conners Open in Stamford and now a bronze medal at this Eastern Sectional Championship. The team competes next month at the Connecticut Synchronized Skating Classic in Hamden.

The SCSS team consists of 40 skaters residing in Stamford, Greenwich, Westport, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk; and White Plains, N.Y.  

The club will host tryouts for the 2015-16 SCSS team in March. Visit the website for more information or follow the team on Facebook.

Picture of the Shadows: Front Row left to right: Stephanie Tancs, Sami Scordo, Danielle Nugent, Brooke Ferris Back Row left to right: Assistant Coach Kari Pace, Klara Hoherchak, Amanda Brea, Michelle Han, Kalaudia Auz, Emilly Hernandez, Emily Merole, Natalie Pesantez, Head Coach Gina Valenzano-Gomez, Assistant Coach Val Legutko.

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