ANGOLA, Ind. -- After US Figure Skating shared the disappointing news that the Intercollegiate regular season was canceled, the Trine University figure skating team pivoted their focus to dominating virtual competitions and succeeded in landing eight podium finishes and bringing home three gold and three silver medals.
In February, the Thunder participated in Colonial Kick-Off Challenge Virtual Team Maneuver event competing in the Low, Intermediate, High and Platinum divisions. All four teams earned podium finishes with Low and Intermediate placing second in their divisions and High and Platinum placing first. The team also received feedback from the judging panel that helped them prepare for their next virtual competition just a couple of weeks away.
"I am so proud of the way my skaters handled themselves this season, "glowed Head Coach Rachel Franchock, "After not being able to attend Nationals last year and then their entire regular season being canceled this year, they could have easily took on a poor attitude but instead they buckled down, practiced hard and proved that Trine athletes will make the best of any situation and will always prevail in their sport."
In March, the figure skating team prepared Low, Intermediate and High teams to compete against 15 other Midwest conference schools in another virtual team maneuver competition. In a tight division, Low team beat out Adrian College to place first, Intermediate team placed second just behind the Bulldogs, and High team finished 5th, narrowly falling to the University of Michigan. Low and Intermediate teams advanced to the Virtual Team Maneuver Final Challenge where Low team finished fourth in the Nation with a score of 10.80 right behind Adrian College (12.67), and less than four points shy of the University of Delaware (14.09), who took first place. Intermediate team also finished 4th with a score of 20.86 behind Adrian (22.55), and less than six points shy of Boston University (26.06) who finished first.
"Even though this season felt different we were able to stay motivated and be successful because of our team culture" explained senior team member Sadie Woodruff, "We treat each other like family, we push and support each other and try to focus on what we can control at practice. Our team environment and working to hold a positive outlook helped us excel this season."
The Thunder continued to make the most of their limited season outside of virtual events by training programs, advancing in Dance, Freeskate and Moves in the Field tests, creating element competitions at practice and performing in-person several times at Thunder Hockey Games.
On April 10th, the team headed to their final event of the season at Adrian College to participate in a Collegiate Figure Skating Showcase featuring both Thunder and Bulldog skaters. This event made it possible for skaters to perform their competitive programs in front of friends and family which for many, was the first time performing in front of a live audience all year.
"Despite unforeseen challenges this season, I am incredibly proud of our team and their persistence throughout the year" senior and Figure Skating Team Captain, Jessica Westphal stated, "As an entire program, we were still able to practice, connect with each other on and off the ice, and push ourselves to improve. I can't wait to see what the upcoming season holds and I know that our passion for skating and each other will continue to shine."
The Thunder plan to return to a more normal competition cycle for the 2021-2022 season including participating in all three regular season conference competitions and US Figure Skating's National Championship pending qualification. Official practice for Trine University's figure skating team will begin at end of August with competitions happening during both fall and spring semester.
