by Anne Calder
The World University Winter Games is the most important multi-collegiate athletic occasion on this planet. The occasion is held each two years within the odd yr. The 2023 Games had been held in Lake Placid, NY and several other surrounding cities. It was the second time the small Adirondack Mountain village hosted the Games.
Over 1400 athletes from 595 universities and 43 international locations participated in 86 competitions in 12 sports activities. The USA had the most important delegation (150), adopted by JPN (139) and CAN (121). The determine skaters competed in males (31) and girls (34) singles and ice dance (13 groups).
The determine skating competitors was held on the Olympic Center 1980 Herb Brooks Arena, website of the “Miracle on Ice”. The constructing additionally homes the 1932 Jack Shea Arena, the primary Winter Olympic indoor ice floor and the USA Practice rink.
ICE DANCE PODIUM
- FRA – Marie Dupayage & Thomas Nabais (176.04)
- USA – Lorraine McNamara & Anton Spiridonov (175.33)
- FRA – Natacha Lagouge & Arnaud Caffa (167.35)
Lake Placid has a 90-year historical past with ice dance. Every July, the Olympic Center hosts the Ice Dance Championships, the oldest steady ice dance competitors on this planet. The first occasion was held in 1933, the yr after the Village hosted the 1932 Olympics. In 2015, the Lake Placid Ice Dance International (LPIDI) was added to the ISU calendar.
The six ice dancers who represented the USA on the Games additionally competed in July 2022 on the LPIDI or the Lake Placid Championships. After the Games, they shared their ideas about their current distinctive expertise and likewise competing on the smaller summer time occasion.
Lorraine McNamara (University of Maryland) & Anton Spirodonov (Community College of Northern VA) (175.33) are the 2022 Lake Placid Ice Dance International (LPIDI) gold medalists.
IDC: What had been your total impressions of the Games.
Lorraine: The facility is gorgeous – magnificent. It was so memorable. It wasn’t simply the magical ambiance however due to the opposite athletes. You’re surrounded by such elite athleticism, so inspiring. Every competitors we go to is fantastic with completely different skaters from different nations, nevertheless it was completely different there assembly athletes from completely different disciplines.
It was actually outstanding and so inspiring since you see the drive and the fireplace of each athlete another way than what we’re used to, and it simply fueled us all through our competitors.
We took it with us leaving the competitors. It stayed with us. We know there’s the fantastic facet of the competitors, however Lake Placid in its personal proper is gorgeous and particularly for Team USA such an Olympic spirit. It was only a effectively rounded journey.
IDC: Describe your Opening Ceremony expertise.
Anton: We felt that the Opening Ceremony and assembly all the opposite athletes was wonderful. There was an enormous crowd – very receptive, very heat. It will go down as certainly one of my favourite competitions.
IDC: How was the Lake Placid expertise completely different from the summer time competitions?
Anton: It was a totally completely different expertise. At the Lake Placid Ice Dance International everyone is used to going. It’s nearly like coming residence each time, however this was such an enormous occasion. There had been so many alternative sports activities, international locations and skaters and disciplines. We’ve by no means been to the Olympics but, however everyone stated it was just like the Olympic expertise – the Collegiate Olympics.
Lorraine: When we go as much as LP in the summertime, we don’t get to see the velocity skating exercise. The oval was proper there, so to see it getting used was so cool. We really met a number of actually cool velocity skaters and acquired to know them. They got here to observe us, and we watched them. Lake Placid is gorgeous in the summertime, nevertheless it’s additionally made to be a winter city. To see it in its absolute component was actually magical.
IDC: Did you get to go to different competitions?
Anton: We had been actually busy and centered on our personal competitions, however on the final day we went to observe ski leaping. There was this sense of camaraderie. You actually get to understand different athletes of their completely different sports activities.
Angela Ling (University of California, Berkeley) and Caleb Wein (University of Maryland) (158.52) attended the 2022 Lake Placid Championships, however withdrew after the Rhythm Dance attributable to harm.
IDC: What was your expertise like on the Opening Ceremony?
Caleb: Doing the March into the Arena was one thing we’ve by no means achieved earlier than, and that was very cool.
IDC: What had been the audiences like?
Caleb: The viewers there was completely different as a result of it wasn’t simply skating followers. You had different sports activities and households of different sports activities plus the locals, so their reactions had been a little bit completely different, so it was enjoyable. We didn’t fairly know what we had been going to get, however they had been tremendous pleasant. It was a distinct expertise, however actually good.
Angela: The viewers acquired enthusiastic about issues a typical skating viewers wouldn’t. They didn’t care concerning the twizzles, however thought all of the sliding was so cool.
IDC: Did you get to mingle with athletes aside from determine skaters?
Angela: It was actually cool. We’ve by no means achieved a contest with different sports activities. In the eating space we acquired to see completely different athletes from completely different sports activities. We acquired to observe them do the lengthy monitor. They had been warming up and working towards, nevertheless it was cool as a result of we go in the summertime and by no means get to see the oval in use.
Raffaella Koncius (Pennsylvania State University) and Alexey Shchepetov (Temple University) (154.03) are the 2022 Lake Placid Championships bronze medalists.
IDC: What was the general impression you took residence from the University Games?
Raffaella & Alexey: It was completely unbelievable collaborating in such an unlimited worldwide occasion and seeing so many athletes from different international locations collaborating in the identical competitors you might be…it was surreal. It was additionally actually cool experiencing ice dance on a world stage like this, and seeing the great assist every nation (and followers) had for his or her athletes.
IDC: What was it like marching into the Arena with all of the athletes in the course of the Opening Ceremonies?
Raffaella & Alexey: The opening ceremony won’t ever be forgotten. We felt like we had been marching within the opening ceremony on the Olympics. It was really surreal. We felt a lot pleasure and honor with the ability to partake in one thing so huge, and it was so cool seeing USA march out final and getting the largest cheer. It was superior being backstage with all of the athletes from different international locations and seeing how genuinely glad and excited everybody was to be there.
It didn’t really feel like this was a contest between international locations and athletes, however relatively a as soon as in a lifetime expertise that all of us acquired to share with one another.
IDC: Did you get to see different disciplines compete?
Raffaella & Alexey: We didn’t since determine skating was one of many first sports activities to compete. We needed to depart as quickly because the competitors was over as a way to get again to Florida and prepare for Nationals. We did get to see among the velocity skaters working towards on their outside monitor.
Raffaella: I actually wished to see the skiers! I used to be unhappy to have missed that.
IDC: Did you make some new associates?
Raffaella: Yes, We each made associates.
Raffaella: I positively acquired to know and grew nearer to the opposite skaters representing Team USA. It was good assembly dancers from different international locations!
How was this Lake Placid expertise completely different from competing in July?
Raffaella & Alexey: It was a lot completely different. This competitors felt MUCH greater, like a mini Olympics. The complete Lake Placid village was remodeled. There was a Team USA sales space, free S’extra stations down the road, flags for each the USA and different international locations all over the place, a large outside TV displaying stay determine skating occasions as they had been occurring. There had been folks on stilts, music, and a lot extra. I
It felt so heat and welcoming, together with creating an thrilling atmosphere. It was a winter wonderland – it was snowing, the lakes had been frozen over, fairly a distinct really feel than the summer time heat throughout LPIDI, however simply as lovely. And a LOT extra folks!
IDC: What will you bear in mind probably the most concerning the Games?
Raffaella & Alexey: We will all the time bear in mind the insane quantity of assist for Team USA on the video games. We can be strolling down the road in our Team USA gear and other people would continuously shout “Go team USA!!” and begin cheering. It was actually cool.
Raffaella: One of the issues I’ll always remember is listening to ‘representing the United States of America…’ after which our names, adopted by the largest cheers we have now ever heard.
Raffaella: This was by far the good competitors expertise ever. I’m so grateful to have been representing Team USA. I felt like I used to be a part of an enormous household whereas I used to be there. It was really surreal. I wouldn’t have traded this expertise for the world. The quantity of pleasure felt by the athletes and followers displaying their assist for Team USA was unbelievable.
Oona Brown & Gage Brown carried out within the exhibition-only. The New York siblings are the 2022 World Junior Ice Dance Champions.
IDC: What was it like skating your Free Dance within the University Games Exhibition the final night time of determine skating?
Gage: That was enjoyable! There was a great crowd. It was good coaching follow earlier than the US Nationals two weeks later. It was an amazing expertise – our first time skating on the 1980 rink in a very long time (2019 LPIDI).