by Anne Calder
The World College Winter Video games is the biggest multi-collegiate athletic occasion on the earth. The occasion is held each two years within the odd yr. The 2023 Video games had been held in Lake Placid, NY and a number of other surrounding cities. It was the second time the small Adirondack Mountain village hosted the Video games.
Over 1400 athletes from 595 universities and 43 nations participated in 86 competitions in 12 sports activities. The USA had the biggest delegation (150), adopted by JPN (139) and CAN (121). The determine skaters competed in males (31) and ladies (34) singles and ice dance (13 groups).
The determine skating competitors was held on the Olympic Heart 1980 Herb Brooks Enviornment, web site of the “Miracle on Ice”. The constructing additionally homes the 1932 Jack Shea Enviornment, the primary Winter Olympic indoor ice floor and the USA Follow 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. Each July, the Olympic Heart hosts the Ice Dance Championships, the oldest steady ice dance competitors on the earth. The primary occasion was held in 1933, the yr after the Village hosted the 1932 Olympics. In 2015, the Lake Placid Ice Dance Worldwide (LPIDI) was added to the ISU calendar.
The six ice dancers who represented the USA on the Video games additionally competed in July 2022 on the LPIDI or the Lake Placid Championships. After the Video games, they shared their ideas about their current distinctive expertise and likewise competing on the smaller summer season occasion.
IDC: What had been your total impressions of the Video games.
Lorraine: The power is gorgeous – magnificent. It was so memorable. It wasn’t simply the magical environment however due to the opposite athletes. You’re surrounded by such elite athleticism, so inspiring. Each competitors we go to is fantastic with completely different skaters from different nations, but it surely was completely different there assembly athletes from completely different disciplines.
It was actually exceptional and so inspiring since you see the drive and the hearth of each athlete differently 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 all know there’s the fantastic aspect of the competitors, however Lake Placid in its personal proper is gorgeous and particularly for Workforce 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 superb. There was an enormous crowd – very receptive, very heat. It would go down as one in all my favourite competitions.
IDC: How was the Lake Placid expertise completely different from the summer season competitions?
Anton: It was a totally completely different expertise. On the Lake Placid Ice Dance Worldwide all people is used to going. It’s virtually like coming dwelling each time, however this was such an enormous occasion. There have been so many alternative sports activities, nations and skaters and disciplines. We’ve by no means been to the Olympics but, however all people stated it was just like the Olympic expertise – the Collegiate Olympics.
Lorraine: After 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 truly met a number of actually cool velocity skaters and received to know them. They got here to observe us, and we watched them. Lake Placid is gorgeous in the summertime, but it surely’s additionally made to be a winter city. To see it in its absolute factor 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.
IDC: What was your expertise like on the Opening Ceremony?
Caleb: Doing the March into the Enviornment was one thing we’ve by no means finished 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 bit of 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 special expertise, however actually good.
Angela: The viewers received enthusiastic about issues a typical skating viewers wouldn’t. They didn’t care in regards to 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 finished a contest with different sports activities. Within the eating space we received to see completely different athletes from completely different sports activities. We received to observe them do the lengthy monitor. They had been warming up and training, but it surely 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 College) and Alexey Shchepetov (Temple College) (154.03) are the 2022 Lake Placid Championships bronze medalists.
IDC: What was the general impression you took dwelling from the College Video games?
Raffaella & Alexey: It was completely unimaginable taking part in such an unlimited worldwide occasion and seeing so many athletes from different nations taking part 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 super assist every nation (and followers) had for his or her athletes.
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 actually surreal. We felt a lot delight and honor with the ability to partake in one thing so massive, 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 nations and seeing how genuinely completely satisfied and excited everybody was to be there.
It didn’t really feel like this was a contest between nations and athletes, however slightly a as soon as in a lifetime expertise that all of us received 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 so as to get again to Florida and practice for Nationals. We did get to see a number of the velocity skaters training 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 pals?
Raffaella: Sure, We each made pals.
Raffaella: I undoubtedly received to know and grew nearer to the opposite skaters representing Workforce USA. It was good assembly dancers from different nations!
How was this Lake Placid expertise completely different from competing in July?
Raffaella & Alexey: It was a lot completely different. This competitors felt MUCH larger, like a mini Olympics. All the Lake Placid village was reworked. There was a Workforce USA sales space, free S’extra stations down the road, flags for each the USA and different nations in all places, an enormous outside TV displaying reside determine skating occasions as they had been occurring. There have been individuals on stilts, music, and a lot extra. I
It felt so heat and welcoming, together with creating an thrilling surroundings. It was a winter wonderland – it was snowing, the lakes had been frozen over, fairly a special really feel than the summer season heat throughout LPIDI, however simply as stunning. And a LOT extra individuals!
IDC: What’s going to you bear in mind essentially the most in regards to the Video games?
Raffaella & Alexey: We are going to all the time bear in mind the insane quantity of assist for Workforce USA on the video games. We might be strolling down the road in our Workforce USA gear and folks would always shout “Go workforce USA!!” and begin cheering. It was actually cool.
Raffaella: One of many issues I’ll always remember is listening to ‘representing america 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 Workforce USA. I felt like I used to be a part of an enormous household whereas I used to be there. It was actually surreal. I wouldn’t have traded this expertise for the world. The quantity of delight felt by the athletes and followers displaying their assist for Workforce USA was unimaginable.
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 College Video games Exhibition the final evening of determine skating?
Gage: That was enjoyable! There was a great crowd. It was good coaching apply earlier than the US Nationals two weeks later. It was an excellent expertise – our first time skating on the 1980 rink in a very long time (2019 LPIDI).