By virtue of its strong aesthetic appeal, figure skating was the fifth–most–watched sport in the 2010 Winter Olympics and third–most–talked about online, according to a Nielsen article. At the University of Toronto, the Varsity Blues men’s and women’s figure skating team are a talented team whose members bring the beauty of the sport to Varsity Arena.
The team commits to four days of on-ice training a week, off-ice training on Sundays, and encourages its members to adhere to an off-ice fitness program. This rigorous training schedule necessitates a level of commitment which counts as just one of the qualities that head coach Craig Ruttan and his five assistant coaches look for in their prospective team members. The coaching staff expects skaters to be able to work positively with one another; this ability to work on a team is a point of consideration concomitant with the technical skill of team member hopefuls.
The emphasis on cooperative ability has had notable effects on the experience of new members of the team. Amanda Stojcevski, one of the newest members to the team, has had no issue fitting in with the rest of the team. “My experience as a rookie has been great! Everyone is very encouraging and offers helpful advice and constructive criticism,” she said.
This seamless integration is, in part, facilitated through team socials and competitions. Most recently, the Blues travelled to Ottawa to attend the Carleton Invitational. “Cheering your team on really brings you together,” observed Stojcevski, despite the team failing to place in the competition.
Last year at the McMaster Invitational, the skating team placed third, foreshadowing its third-place finish at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships later in the season. The team is looking to recreate similar success, and looks ahead to this year’s OUA championships at Ryerson University.
“Our goal is to make the best synchro performance we possibly can,” notes Stojcevski. As the only program that simultaneously involves nearly everyone on the team, one of the team’s main goals involves the synchronized program. Preparing for the event, the team has to focus on a number of details if they hope to place: “pointing toes, high arms, straight legs, and, of course, smiles,” added Stojcevski.
Stojcevski herself has yet to skate in any competitions, and looks forward to the “synchro” performance and the possibility of dancing in the next two competitions.
The team will be competing February 13–14 in the OUA championships, where they hope to repeat their strong performance from last year.
