For years, synchronized skaters have competed at National and World Championships. But they never had a place in the Olympics.That will soon change.The Internat
For years, synchronized skaters have competed at National and World Championships. But they never had a place in the Olympics. Salt Lake City hosts U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships amid sport's Olympic pushNielsen has been on the ice since 2000, first as a synchronized skater, now as a coach of the Star Lit Blades in Utah.
After decades of waiting, the sport she loves is finally Olympic-bound.
"It kind of feels validating for synchro skaters," she said. "That they have been doing something for so long that is so difficult. It really is so challenging. It incorporates a lot of aspects of skating.
So, I think it's really exciting that they get to have it on the Olympic stage.
" As Nielsen choreographs a new routine for her novice team, she's helping shape the sport's next chapter. For skaters like Abby Hickok and Lydia Johnson, the Olympics are no longer something they just watch.
"I was so excited," Hickok said. "We've been waiting so long for it to be in the Olympics. It's really exciting to have that opportunity.
" "At the beginning, it was kind of like, 'What are you working for? '" Johnson said. "You are going to Nationals? Awesome.
Worlds? Things, like, are cool, but never the Olympics. Hearing the Olympics as finally something bigger to go for, something more interesting. Something to push yourself for.
" The 2030 Olympics will be synchro's biggest stage yet, but the teams will actually be much smaller. Instead of the traditional 16 skaters, only nine will take the ice at once.
"To be honest, I was a little skeptical at first," Nielsen said. "Then I watched them showcase it. It's pretty exciting. The stuff they can do with nine is more than I expected them to be able to do.
With 16, you have a whole bunch of bodies that can help with lifts and the shapes. I did not expect to be able to see some of those things as clearly as you can with nine.
""I hope they see how unified they can all be," Hickok said. "How much joy can come from working as a team to do the same sport. " "I think there's an aspect of synchro that's a little bit scary," Nielsen said. "They're getting close to each other.
They're lifting each other. I think that excitement will shine through. I think people will love it.
" For Nielsen, Synchro9's biggest Olympic legacy may not come from the podium, but from the children who see the sport for the first time and decide to lace up their skates. "To see it on TV, to see it on the Olympics, I think, is going to light the fire for those little kids who are in 'Learn to Skate' and in 'Aspire' wanting to do a team sport, where in skating there isn't normally a big team aspect.
Synchro is it. I think seeing it on TV will definitely help it grow.
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints set a new record, with the number of full-time missionaries reaching 88,500. The Utah-based church announced TuesA group of teenagers was found in a city park with guns, alcohol, marijuana, and vapes. An officer with the Clearfield City Police Department said one of the breBystanders were credited with saving a woman's life after she lost both of her legs in a boating incident.
The woman, only identified as being in her 30s, was stThere will be no turning back the clock if the House has its way. The House passed a bill Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent. Proponents, incSchool districts across Utah have released their calendars for the 2026-27 school year, with students returning to classrooms beginning Aug. 12. Several distric
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