All the right moves for Yang
NP junior helps Skyliners shine at Synchronized Skating Championships
Sarah Yang said she watches all of her surroundings and just listens to the music.
Those are just two of the intricacies she has mastered in not only learning how to perform on a synchronized skating team, but also doing it at such an elite level.
Yang recently won gold, as she and her teammates, the Skyliners Novice skaters, earned their second consecutive National Championship title with their best skate of the season at the 2018 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Portland, Oregon.
“It was really exciting, a great experience,” said Yang, a junior at North Penn High School. “(The competition) was intense, a lot of good teams.”
Quite possibly the ultimate team sport, synchronized skating demands every skater be in tune with all of the others. Set to music from the “Phantom of the Opera,” the Skyliners went to another level at nationals, their rousing program earning them a season-high score of 72.11.
“I used to go with my sister, Alice, to watch her skate,” said Sarah of how she got started in the sport. “I would watch her and I knew it was something I wanted to do.”
The commitment is tremendous. In fact, Yang makes a twoand-a-half hour commute to practice with her team, out of the Skating Club of New York. But she has found her nirvana.
“The whole team, we’re really close friends,” she said. “I like the traveling, and the feeling you get on the ice when everyone is cheering...”
Yang wants to keep working her way up to Skyliners Junior, Senior, and possibly beyond. She wants to attend college in the New York/Connecticut area to be
closer to the team.
“I want to keep challenging myself,” Yang said. “My ultimate dream is to one day represent Team USA.”
The Skyliners Synchronized Skating Team was established in 2001 by a group of parents who wanted to create a competitive synchronized skating club for the tri-state area.
In that first year, the team had three lines. Over the last 17 years, Skyliners has grown into one of the top synchronized skating teams in the country — now with 12 competitive lines, and 220-plus skaters ranging in age from five to 24.
While the majority of the skaters reside in the tri-state area, Skyliners also draws members fromMassachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Synchronized skating consists of 8-20 highlyskilled athletes performing a program on ice together, moving as one flowing unit. It is characterized by teamwork, speed, intricate formations and challenging step sequences. There are approximately 600 synchronized teams and nearly 5000 synchronized skaters in the U.S. alone, with elite competitions at both the national and international level.
Although not currently an Olympic sport, there is significant movement toward including it at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Said Josh Babb, Skyliners coach and Director of Synchronized Skating, in a press release. “It’s been a record year for Skyliners. As our team grows, so do our accomplishments. Our skaters and coaches work extremely hard, and their efforts have really paid off this year.”