Team Forget Me Not at the Synchronized Fall Classic at the Great Park Ice & Fivepoint Arena in Southern California on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019. (Courtesy Photo | Leah Farzin)

Team Forget Me Not at the Synchronized Fall Classic at the Great Park Ice & Fivepoint Arena in Southern California on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019. (Courtesy Photo | Leah Farzin)

Synchronized skaters nab bronze in California

It’s the best they’ve ever done competitively.

Team Forget Me Not lived up to its name on Sunday at the Synchronized Fall Classic at the Great Park Ice & Fivepoint Arena in Southern California.

The 14-member youth synchronized skating team placed third of 13 teams in the open juvenile division, a result that left much of the team in shock.

“We’ve never competed against that many people, and this is the best we’ve ever done in a competition. So it was kind of like, ‘Is this actually happening?’” co-captain Meredith Fritsch said in an interview Wednesday. “And then once it kind of sunk in, it was very exciting to have been able to do so well.”

The teams were ranked by a panel of five judges. Team Forget Me Not received one second-place score, two third-place scores and two fourth-place scores for a majority third-place decision.

The Fond du Lac Blades of Wisconsin and Team del Sol of California placed first and second, respectively.

Head coach Leah Farzin said a big emphasis was on presentation. Farzin said judges put down marks for not only technical skills, but also for how well teams interact with the music and come across artistically.

The Juneau team also mastered the technical skills of the program.

Team Forget Me Not started the program by skating backwards length-wise down the hockey rink in two single file lines. After crossing over the center ice, the two contingents meet for a brief second in the middle of the ice, crisscrossing each other in close proximity.

On a video of the routine, the move drew loud applause. All together, the routine took just under three minutes.

Fritsch, 17, who competes along side her twin sister Katherine, said competing earlier in the season helped lead to their success.

“I think the difference this year was this competition was a lot earlier than most of our competitions,” she said. “Usually we compete in early to late January, so the fact that we didn’t have as much time to get our program together was definitely an incentive to work a lot harder than we usually do. I think we were all just more motivated this year.”

Catch their next performance

Team Forget Me Not will perform at the Juneau Skating Club’s Holiday Show on Sunday, Dec. 15 at Treadwell Arena. The event takes place 1-3 p.m.

More in Sports

The author in one of his favorite pastimes — sitting in the mountains. (Photo courtesy Becky Bohrer)
Pure Sole: My Mudrooms

A friend of mine from the Haa Yaitx’u Saiani’s Kin Support Program… Continue reading

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Nordic Ski Team member Ida Meyer competes at the Region VI Championships Friday in Fairbanks. Meyer placed seventh overall in the girls 7.5km Mass Start. The JDHS girls team placed second in the two-day regions, the boys third. JDHS senior Finn Lamb led the Crimson Bears boys with a sixth place finish in the 7.5km. (Photo courtesy JDHS Nordic Ski)
JDHS Crimson Bears take snow show on the road

Nordic Ski Team girls second, boys third at Region VI Championships.

Twigs of red huckleberry are green all year, but brighter in summer than winter. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
On the Trails: Tree bark

The center of a tree or shrub stem (from roots to trunk,… Continue reading

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé sophomore Layla Tokuoka (14) floats a jump shot over Wasilla senior Layla Hays (52) during the Crimson Bears’ 46-30 loss Saturday to the Warriors in the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
A small Layla, a tall Layla give highlight plays on Saturday

JDHS’ Tokuoka, Wasilla’s Hays key second matchup of the weekend as Warriors prevail 46-30.

Lucas Bovitz of Juneau-Douglas: Yadaa.at Kale carries the puck with attention from Kenai Central goalie Evyn Witt and William Howard at the First National Cup Division II state hockey tournament Saturday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Crimson Bears hockey place third on state ice

Juneau-Douglas gets revenge win over Kenai

Wasilla junior Katie Jackson drives and passes around Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé seniors Cailynn Baxter and Addison Wilson (10) during the Warriors’ 65-34 win Friday over the Crimson Bears in the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Wasilla girls storm Juneau-Douglas home court

Warriors down Crimson Bears in George Houston Gymnasium

In this file photo Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Dylan Sowa (35) is congratulated on a scoring goal by senior captain Luke Bovitz (4) during senior night weekend against Kenai. Sowa had two goals Friday in the Crimson Bears’ 5-2 loss to Palmer at the 2025 ASAA Division II Hockey State Tournament in Soldotna. JDHS will face Kenai in the 3rd/5th-place game Saturday. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Moose push Crimson Bears aside 5-2 in state semifinals

Palmer will play for title, JDHS for third at state hockey tournament.

Snow is also a four letter word with more than one proper use. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Pure Sole: WTF with the F word

The F word. F… U… and no need for that third and… Continue reading

Jessica Larsen of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute describes her research on Alaska’s Mount Churchill at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Alaska Science Forum: The threat within an Alaska mountain

Mount Churchill stands in a white corner of the Alaska map, deceptive… Continue reading

Most Read