Thats right everyone, synchro competition season has finally arrived. California Gold made our debut this past week at Anaheim Ice, with our Senior, Intermediate and Nuggets (beginner) teams skating. My life experiences with synchro competitions have overwhelmingly involved slushy buses and cramped indoor spaces. Competing in southern California in November is anything but that. Teams sat outside as they prepared for competition, complete with lawn chairs and inflatable mattresses.

It was an incredibly long day for the senior team. We arrived at our home rink in Artesia at 5:45 am and didn't leave the rink in Anaheim until 7:00 pm. We had our own practice and two official monitoring sessions, along with competition and preparation. We got to watch our intermediate team pull out a great performance to, The Princess and The Frog, and take home a silver medal and chant for the adorable Nuggets skating to, The Cat in the Hat. There were also long periods of doing hair etc, where I felt the team was able to bond for the first time.

As I said in my previous blog, this team comes from all over, literally and figuratively, and many of us still don't know each other well. But this past weekend gave us the chance to be silly and chat as we showed off our skills. It made me think about how competitions, in many ways, define a team. A team is who they are at a competition, when a lot is at stake and excitement is high. Those are the memorable moments.

This team has yet to travel together, but based on the tone set this weekend, I look forward to it greatly. We have only been together a short time, but already we have come so far. In Anaheim, we weren't competing against anyone for the short program we put out, but we took it seriously none the less. The skate wasn't perfect, however, we can now see more clearly what we need to do. A memorable moment from the competition for me was getting my hair piece stuck to a teammates tights as I ducked under her leg in our spiral. A synchro snapshot for my memoirs, good for retelling, not ideal for scores

 

Written by:

Emmeline Weinert - Senior Blog Writer
Senior Team Member 2010-Present
Co- Captain 2011-2013
USFS DREAM Skater 2011-2013 

2013 Here We Come!

My name is Emmeline Weinert, but most of my teammates call me Emmy. You will be reading my blogs all season so I thought I should introduce myself. I grew up watching my older sisters skate back home in Michigan which led me to ten years skating synchro with the Hockettes Synchronized Skating Teams. I came out west for College where I joined California Gold to continue my love of the sport. I am a junior at Loyola Marymount University where I am majoring in Political Science and Dance. This is my third season skating with California Gold senior and my second year as team captain. I am also a member of the DREAM Team, representing Team USA in synchronized skating and SoCal on the national skating scene.

Blog Writer Emmy strutting her stuff in Rouen France

California Gold senior has been together for almost seven weeks this season and yet everything still seems rather new. This is my third season with the team and things feel a little different. Teams typically talk about the amount of turn over each season, or returning skaters, but in this case, 'turn over' is a particularly apt phrase. It is not only that we have a very different team from last season, we have also brought back skaters from several years ago, 'turning over' the proverbial pile. as these individuals find themselves being the faces of Cal Gold once again, and not just our base.

2013 Senior Team USA (Alexa not pictured)

This makes for some interesting demographics. Less than half of our team has returned from last season (eight skaters), though an additional five skaters have skated on California Gold senior before. Four skaters moved up from last year's novice team and we are very excited to welcome two young women into the sport of synchronized figure skating for the first time. This totals nineteen individuals and one fantastic team.

Coaches Jill Cipresso and Amanda Falkowski talking with skaters during practice

However, Cal Gold isn't just working with skaters from many different synchro backgrounds, we are all at very different places in our lives. Six of our teammates are in high school, eight of us are college age and five out of school. Our ages range over a decade, from fourteen to twenty-five. Team Captain Brittany got married to Kevin Hurst this past June, while some of our high school athletes had school dances this past weekend. Our skaters come from Orange County in the south, to Santa Monica in the north in order to meet in Artesia early in the morning for practice.

Tiana - Pictured right, ready for her last high school Coronation Dance. Tiana is a 2nd year member of Team USA

Team Captain Brittany with her husband Kevin

Coach Falkowski and Brittany getting ready for the ceremony - Fun Fact: Both Coach Falkowski and Brittany have been skating together since they were elementary kids and met their husbands in the same Ice Rink Pro Shop.

Past and current Cal Gold Skaters at Brittany's wedding - Katie, Britney, Coach Cipresso, Brittany, Coach Falkowski, and Megan.

All of these things can make it difficult to build a team. Our skaters go to school full time, working grown up jobs and one is even an Air Force Cadet. However, with this difficulty comes an appreciation for commitment. The team is still working to get to know one another with after practice Panera Bread bonding sessions and facebook jokes. Practice is full of laughter as we push ourselves to coalesce as a team and prepare for the coming competitive season.

 Fun fact: I'm the coolcat in the stunna-shades

We are also thrilled to announce the news that Coach Cipresso is expecting her second child, due to arrive April 2013! It is sure to be another exciting season in the California Gold Family, and we look forward to sharing it with you.

Jill, Mario and Luca on their summer camping trip.

Written by:
Emmeline Weinert - Senior Blog Writer
Senior Team Member 2010-Present
Co- Captain 2011-2013
USFS DREAM Skater 2011-2013

California Gold celebrates another successful season in 2012

California Gold Synchronized Skating teams conclude their 2012 season with both the Senior and Novice teams showing incredible growth.  December, they traveled to the Dr Richard Porter Classic in Ann Arbor, MI competing against teams from the US and Canada.  January, the Novice team traveled to the Pacific Coast Sectionals in Dearborn, MI and won the Silver Medal.  Days later, California Gold –Senior. Team USA, was off to Rouen, France for the French Cup.  The 2012 French Cup was a challenging competition with the top junior and senior teams around the world competing for the top monetary prize.  California Gold placed a respectable 7^th behind six world teams.  Both teams finished their season at the 2012 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Worcester, MA.  We are so proud of all the accomplishments the California Gold skaters have earned this season. 

California Gold is looking forward to a competitive and enthusiastic 2012 / 2013 season.  They are seeking skaters for Senior, Novice, Collegiate and Adult Teams.  Synchronized Team skating utilizes and advances your freestyle and dance skills at all levels.  Additionally, California Gold has a Beginner team at the East West Ice Palace skating school.   If you are looking for a challenge - try synchronized skating! You can get information about California Gold workshops on our website, www.californiagoldteams.com or on Facebook: California Gold.

2012 US National Championships

This past weekend California Gold traveled across the continental United States to attend the Synchronized Skating National Championships in Worcester, Massachusetts. After a long flight, our Novice and Senior teams did a small amount of sightseeing at Quincy Market in Boston, but then it was all skating, all the time.

As a member of the senior team, my teammates and I were eager to improve on our scores from our international assignment in Rouen, France. Since France, our team had really amped up our presentation skills and hoped that we would see that reflected in our Program Component scores. All season we had worked hard to ensure that every member of our team understood our technical requirements, so that we would be skating smart, thinking about what needed to be done in each element. We knew going into our final skates of the season that a competition can be won or lost on those technical calls.

After several days of practice and preparation in Massachusetts, it was time for competition. In those two days of competition, we had several team talks and focus sessions, discussing reminders with one another and pumping ourselves up for the culmination of the season. We had practices both competition days between our official ice time in the morning, when the panel watched, and when we competed, to ensure that everything had been solidified.

Both our short and long programs were strong, clean skates that we are very proud of. I know that I feel incredible about how far this team came over the course of the season and how much each member grew. With a sixth place finish overall, we are pleased with out accomplishments and the wonderful season we had representing the Los Angeles area, the Pacific Coast and the United States of America. We will be cheering for the Crystallettes and Haydenettes as they represent the US once more at the 2012 Synchronized Skating World Championships! GO TEAM USA!

Its odd to have the season over, it feels so soon to me. Personally, I will enjoy sleeping in (far) past 3:30 a.m. for about a week and then be happy to trade in that lifestyle for more synchro practices!

Written by:
Emmeline Weinert - Senior Blog Writer
Senior Team Member 2010-Present
Co- Captain 2011-2012
USFS DREAM Skater 2011-2013

Cal Gold Wraps Things Up in France

At the beginning of this month California Gold senior had the amazing experience of traveling to Rouen, France to compete in the French Cup international competition. After the long flight we got half a day in Paris to see Notre Dame cathedral, the Musee d'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower. Then it was to Rouen for the next several days to practice and compete.

Participating in the event's opening parade and hanging out with our other Team USA members were so much fun. Our team grew in leaps and bounds while overseas and the experiences while there were priceless. We are so excited to have finished in the top half of the competition and seen the amazing international talent present on the ice.

While neither of our two competitive skates was flawless, we had some of the best official practices we've had all season and our presentation improved immensely. The team is motivated and ready to go into nationals with a renewed vigor from the experience of representing the US.

One highlight for me was watching the top senior teams compete in the free skate after we had competed. Many of my teammates had never had the opportunity to see teams like Team Unique of Finland skate before. I love seeing the choices that teams make in their choreography and style and it reminded me not only how much I love to participate in this sport, but also how beautiful it is to watch.

Written by:
Emmeline Weinert - Senior Blog Writer
Senior Team Member 2010-Present
Co- Captain 2011-2012
USFS DREAM Skater 2011-2013

Novice Team competes at Sectional Championship

The novice team competed at the Pacific Coast Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships in Plymouth, Michigan the week before last. After a rough early morning official practice, the team came together for many hours of off-ice practice. We made a list of all the sections of the program where we were unsure of the counts. The coaches clarified the counts and together the team ran through the sections again and again. We ended the day with an awesome unofficial practice. The team was definitely ready to compete. After some more off-ice practice in the morning, we headed to the rink confident with “a fire in our bellies,” as Coach Falkowski would say. Our great skate earned us a 12-point improvement from our last competition and the silver medal! The team was really proud of the accomplishment, especially since most of the points were earned through our off-ice the previous day. Our only disappointment was that President Obama didn’t come to watch us skate, even though he was staying in the hotel next door.

Written By: Emma Hamilton - Novice Blog Writter
Novice Team: 2011-Present
Senior Team: 2011 - Present

Anaheim Competition

Last weekend California Gold took the ice for our first competition of the season in Anaheim, CA. The senior team arrived early to cheer on our novice team as they skated (beautifully) to Stardust. The program earned the team a second place finish and beat their goal by 6 points.

After some time spent preparing for our own competition, doing our hair and make up, we returned to the rink to lend our support to our beginner team, the California Gold Nuggets. The Nuggets skated to music from the animated film Rio and were adorable in their feathered blue dresses. Coach Falkowski smiled up to the stands as the Novice team, Senior team, Gold Alumni and parents chanted “Nuggets! Nuggets!”.

 The senior team then left once more to make our final preparations and warm up for our competition. We did not compete against anyone this time around, as the Ice Kateers Senior team competed their short program and we our long. However, attending the competition was extremely beneficial as it gave us an opportunity to perform and get feedback on our program. Getting a chance to see how our program will be scored helps us to figure out which elements need to be altered or worked on the most. While the program certainly isn’t perfect yet and we know we have a long way to go, we were proud to put out a strong performance so early in the year. It’s going to be a great season!

Written by:
Emmeline Weinert - Senior Blog Writer
Senior Team Member 2010-Present
Co- Captain 2011-2012
USFS DREAM Skater 2011-2013

Happy Haunting from California Gold

This past weekend skaters on the Senior and Novice teams wore their frightful costumes to practice. From Herb Brooks to Pirates, various animals, batman, a gypsy and many others it was a scene unlike any other.

These costumes were voted favorites by the skaters:
The Black Swan
Elf
Twister
The White Swan

I am the shadow on the moon at night
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright
-Oogie Boogie Man, Nightmare Before Christmas-

California Gold wishes you an enchanted Halloween night.

2012 Team USA Monitoring Session Update

We had our official Team USA monitoring session this past Monday, October 3rd. We will be traveling to France February 2012 for the French Cup Competition, so we were very excited to get feedback from international panelists so early in the season, to help us to prepare. However, it being so early in the season, we were also a little nervous. We have had both of our programs finished for a couple of weeks and have been running them, however it still hasn't been much time.

We scheduled a special afternoon practice and showed off the hard work we have done so far to Dan Kruger, Karen Wiesmeier and Jeanette Davey. They were very understanding of the fact that since it is so early, we do not yet have our lifts integrated into the program and are still figuring out how best to apply new rules and requirements. We were given advice on how to alter elements like our wheels to make sure that we receive top credit. We were very pleased to get positive feedback on our programs, as well as helpful corrections and suggestions. We as skaters were given reminders of how much ice we need to cover and to always remember to commit to those body movements.

It was a great opportunity to put ourselves out there for this season and I think that it helped the team to prepare mentally for competition mode. We were all very pleased with our performance over the course of the monitoring session and our coaches said that we skated some of the best programs that we have so far this year.

Written by:
Emmeline Weinert - Senior Blog Writer
Senior Team Member 2010-Present
Co- Captain 2011-2012

Meet the Golden Girl, Emiko!

Emiko has skated with California Gold for two years, her first year was the 2009-2010 Novice team, and this is her debut season on the Senior team. Emiko does not only skate with California Gold, but also volunteers to teach children at the Westminster Ice Palace on a regular basis.

In her little free time she enjoys cooking, gardening and most importantly volunteering. Combining her two interests of gardening and volunteering, this Girl Scout did a lot more than selling cookies. She recently attained her Gold award- planning and making a healing garden at the Los Alamitos Cancer Center. This serene healing garden, which held plants of specific healing essences, took over 65 hours of planning and work. Adding to her philanthropy, she also does charity work through the American Legion Auxiliary.

Emiko is a national AP Scholar as well as Girl’s Stater, ranking her in the top 500 girls excelling in academics and leadership throughout California. During the off-season of synchro, she is the varsity captain of her high school track and field team where she competes in the triple jump.

We are so glad to have this gifted and accomplished girl scout on our team!

Written By:
Melissa Lee - Senior Blog Writer
Senior Team 2009-Present

Meet Kaitrin

California Gold would like to introduce you to one of the newest members of our team. Kaitrin Curran is from Santa Rosa, California and started skating synchro in 1995 with The Pacific Skates followed by one season with Team Mystique. Unfortunately, the rink closed and the team moved too far away for Kaitrin to continue skating with them. She did stay on the ice however, and even played the role of Snoopy in Snoopy on Ice.

When it came time for college, Kaitrin decided to move down to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Marymount University, where she was an animation major. During her time there Kaitrin traveled to Japan and in place of skating took up dance and joined one of LMUs dance crews, B-Boy Status.

After graduation, Kaitrin says she decided she needed to look for something new to give her purpose and started researching synchronized skating teams in Los Angeles. She found California Gold and we're so happy she did! Kaitrin adds a lot of swag to our team and has quickly become one of our most vocal comedians. When she's not skating, breakdancing or drawing, Kaitrin works at the Apple Store and enjoys nerdy TV shows, such as Doctor Who.

Written by:
Emmeline Weinert
Senior Team Member 2010-Present
Co- Captain 2011-2012

Getting Ready for the 2011-2012 Season

Yesterday we had our last off-season practice! The whole team, both senior and novice, is looking forward to hearing the music on August 6th, the first practice of the 2011-2012 season. Working on last week’s focus of crossovers, a simple yet paramount skill needed in synchro, Coach Cipresso explained the intensity and sharpness of the style Cal Gold is aiming for this year. Not forgetting about the artistic side of skating, Coach Falkowski also explained the need for emotion to be expressed through the body and not only by the face. After moving on to one of the more difficult maneuvers, a pivoting block, Coach Falkowski also explained how new rules required the block to consist of four consecutive turns- as if it wasn’t hard enough! Pushing through the newly choreographed steps- literally! – the team managed to get through the block by counting and knee bend..

Overall the team is excited and energized to start the new season.
Go gold! (:

Melissa Lee
Senior Team 2009-2012

April Workshops

Synchronized skating is a fun team sport that skaters of any age and level can enjoy! Come try it out at California Gold's April Workshops!
Location: East West Ice Palace
Date: Saturday April 2 and 9

• Novice
• Time - 5:30 to 6:45 am (please arrive 15 minutes early)
• Requirements - Juvenile, Intermediate or Novice MIF
• Cost - $20.00 per session
• Preliminary/Juvenile
• Time - 6:45 to 7:15 am (please arrive 15 minutes early)
• No test required
• Cost $10.00 per session
• Senior
• Time - 7:30 to 9:15 am (please arrive 15 minutes early)
• Requirements - Junior and Senior MIF
• Must be at least 14 years of age
• Cost - $30.00 per session

2011-2012 Season Tryouts

Date: Saturday and Sunday April 16 and 17
Location: East West Ice Palace

• Preliminary/Juvenile - Team placement will be assessed at workshops
• Novice
• Requirements - Juvenile MIF and Must be under 18 years old
• Saturday April 16 - 5:30 to 6:30 am (Please arrive 30 minutes early)
• Sunday April 17 - 6:00 to 7:00 am (Please arrive 30 minutes early)
• Cost - $55.00
• Senior
• Requirements - Junior MIF and Must be at least 14 years of age (exceptions must be approved by coaches)
• Saturday April 16 - 6:30 to 8:00 am (Please arrive 30 minutes early)
• Sunday April 17 - 7:00 to 8:00 am (Please arrive 30 minutes early)
• Cost - $65.00

For more information, click on the links in the side bar connecting you to the California Gold Website or Facebook Page.

Nationals: Saturday

Cal Gold supporting the Adult Team!

Cal Gold Adult Competition

It was an early morning for both Adult and Senior, but the strong practices brought confidence to Adult going into their competition and to Senior who skated their official practice later that morning. The nice thing about having competition in California is that we can do off ice outside in the warm sun! When we skated, our program was solid and powerful which made us excited for the competition later that night. When we got back to the hotel, we had a little bit of down time before we left to watch Adult team compete. And didn't we look fantastic!? Every California Gold supporter was geared up with funky glasses and headbands! They skated with a couple bobbles, but all in all, we thought it was amazing!
Then, after coming back to the hotel and resting awhile, Senior got ready for competition and headed to the rink for the last time. Off ice was intense as we got into our warrior character. When we had our skated on and stood by the side of the rink, we shouted our motto for this season: "We will rise and rise again, until lambs become lions." Our program was not the best that it could have been, but it was still enough to maintain our fourth place finish. We held our Pewter medals with pride and 14 of the 18 on our team were ecstatic to have our first Senior division National title.

California Gold Senior - Pewter Medalists

As our season comes to an end, I look back on all of the amazing memories that have come from this team over that past eight months, and I would not take back one minute of it. This was one incredible season for California Gold as an entire organization, and I am so proud to be a part of it.

Congratulations California Gold!

Nationals: Friday

Today was an awesome day starting out with short official in the morning. We had a rough first run with a problem with the music, but stepped it up for an amazing second run through. We felt confident going into short program that night. We came back to the hotel for a little bit of down time, but got right back out to cheer on the adult team in their official practice. Their program has improved so much since sectionals and have added another skater too! They are very impressive for the ten practices they've had since they started.

Fans Cheer of Cal Gold

Then, Novice got ready for their competition and the Senior team sent them off with a "tunnel" to their bus. Unfortunately, we couldn't go and scream for them in the stands because we had to prepare ourselves for short program, but we were definitely watching on icenetwork! They skated an awesome program that got all but one of their calls! We are very proud of them!

Novice Competition (watched on icenetwork)

After putting our hair up and make up on, the Senior team stepped onto the bus and to the rink for a bit of off ice before we competed. We put our skates on and got on the ice and skated a smooth and powerful short program. We were very happy with our skate and accomplished our goal of getting 3's in our G.O.E. that counted. We are sitting in fourth place right now and ready to blow the judges away with our long program Saturday night!


GO GOLD!!!

Nationals 2011

The U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships are upon us once again, but unlike other years, they take place just a short drive from our rink. This weekend, in Ontario, California, Novice and Senior Short are on Friday night and Adult and Senior Free Skate will be on Saturday Night. We are so thrilled to have the chance to perform for our friends and family in a national competition, so come out and support us and our fellow synchronized skating teams!

Sectionals: Saturday

Throwin' up peace signs for the Adult Team!

It's always exciting to sleep in when you're a synchro skater. And this morning, everyone got to sleep in :] Unfortunately, one of our skaters is sick with a fever and another has an injured wrist. But, we conquered these obstacles at Senior Long official practice in which we did an amazing program and two more awesome sections. After our practice, we went back to the hotel and had some downtime while Adult and Novice slicked their hair back and put their make-up on. A short bus ride to the rink later, we cheered for Novice team and they are now the Pacific Coast Silver Medalists! Then our Adult Team skated and, again, we cheered loudly with our "groovy" hair bands tied around our heads and psychedelic flower cutouts. They are currently the Pacific Coast Champions and are committed to working hard to place at nationals! Tonight, Senior Team rocked it in our long program! And again, we set the goal of breaking 100 points and we were able to achieve and surpass it! We are proud of what the California Gold teams have accomplished today and we're all ready to keep training when we get home.

Senior Award Ceremony

Sectionals: Friday

Novice Skates Their Official Practice

Friday morning, Novice woke up early to go to an unofficial practice to get used to the ice. It was a little shaky, but they had a great off ice and skated two awesome programs for their official practice. Then, Adult and Senior went to their unofficial practices at a separate rink. We both had very productive practices and Senior ended with a fabulous short program. Team manager Cheryl complimented the Adult team in saying that every single time they skate, they look so much better! After that, we went back for a Panera lunch and some down time.

Everyone on California Gold!

Last night, Senior competed short program with a goal of breaking 55 points. We were so pleased with our skates and the fact that we scored over our goal and broke 60 points! In California Gold history, we have never scored a short program over 60 points. We know that our competition is not over yet and had another unofficial practice last night to prepare for our long program today. Novice is all ready to compete this afternoon with their Wizard of Oz program. The Adult team will reveal their program tonight as well.

Today, everyone competes, so let's finish it out strong! GO GOLD!

Pacific Coast and Midwestern Sectionals!

The Adult Team skates their official practice.

Hello from Rochester, Minnesota! California Gold is safe and warm inside their hotels right now after two great official practices. First, the senior team skated their short program with confidence and poise. They are ready to blow the judges away with their presentation and speed! Then, the adult team went out and skated their program to "Hair" and everyone loved it! The parents and senior skaters were shocked at how amazing they were after only 6 practices! Since the coaches were busy skating, Annaleigh helped critique their program. Tomorrow, Novice will have their official practice and Senior will skate second for short program. We'll be sure to keep you posted, but if all fails, you can visit the official website at http://www.rochsports.org/synchro/