Synchronized ice skating will make its Olympic debut at the 2030 Winter Games in France, and skaters at a Pembroke Pines club are already hoping to earn a spot on Team USA. The event, called Synchro9, was announced in July.
Synchro9 combines lifts, spins and jumps, with all skaters on the ice at once performing the same routine in unison. Margarita Tyler has coached the sport at Tropical & Sunshine Blades in Pembroke Pines for six years. She said her students, roughly 40 or 50 of them in synchro, immediately started asking when training for the Olympics would begin.
Leaders in the sport have pushed for Olympic inclusion for years. Heather Page, a synchronized skater, said athletes can now say they dream of being Olympians, something that was not possible before.
Barbara Hidalgo, an 18-year-old who has devoted much of her life to the sport, said the news made her proud at the thought of representing the United States. Anastacia, a 6-year-old skater, said she wants to compete so she can show off her new moves.
Tyler said her club and its board plan to push toward the goal, though she acknowledged it will be difficult. The Olympic debut is still several years away.
