SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)— One day while in college, Brittany Hoffmann received a phone call from the president of the figure skating club she skated and coached at and asked if she would create and coach a synchronized ice skating team. This would be the start of the Syracuse Symmetry Organization.
Synchronized ice skating is a team sport composed of 20 skaters who skate on the ice, in unison, at once. The levels of teams range from a beginner level to a senior level, where teams have the opportunity to skate at a World Championship.
The Syracuse Symmetry began in 2012 with only 13 skaters. When Hoffman brought the team to their first competition, they did not come in last like anticipated.
“Not that the placement ever matters, but it was such a weird experience,” Hoffmann said. “We just created an opportunity for 13 young girls to do something really awesome.”
Today, there are over 50 skaters who create five teams for the Syracuse Symmetry Organization. With the growth of the organization, it now faces losing skaters to other teams in Central New York or skaters who look for more competitive organizations.
“In Central New York, we are all in that noncompetitive pack,” Hoffmann said. “So we are seeing a lot of kids who are interested in that [competitive pack]; however, there are not many organizations who are able to take that jump themselves.”
Hoffman’s next goal is to be able to create a team that can compete within the International Judging System, that competitive track, and for her team to qualify for the Synchronized Skating Championships, the largest competition in the United States.
