It might seem counter-intuitive, but a group of Juneau girls will travel from Alaska to southern California for ice skating.
Team Forget Me Not, a synchronized figure skating team, will start its season with a Californian competition next week, but first they had a home ice performance Saturday at Treadwell Arena. The team seemed excited about the impending trip and skating in general.
“I love just so much about it,” said Allison Hoy, 16, in a short mid-practice interview.
Hoy said her teammates are her favorite aspect of the team.
“We’re just a really good group of friends,” Hoy said.
Team Forget Me Not, a synchronized figure skating team, practices before a performance at Treadwell Arena, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. Toward the end of the practice session, team members donned jackets. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire)
Lydia Powers, 14, said the team aspect sets Team Forget Me Not apart from her past skating experiences. Powers has been skating for four years, she said, but this is her first year skating with the synchronized figure skating team.
“I like being part of the synchro team,” Powers said. “Most skating is individual, and when you have a team, it makes it so much more fun.”
The program the girls performed Saturday and is taking to California has a floral inspiration.
In the beginning of the program, skaters gather in a circle around trio of girls who rise before the circle blooms into separate lines of skaters that ultimately reunite.
Hoy said she most enjoys the part of the program when the team moves as a single line.
Powers had a different favorite part.
Team Forget Me Not skaters perform a “trust fall” while practicing before a performance at Treadwell Arena, Saturday, Nov. 2. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire)
During the routine, lyrics about relaxation are a cue for some of the skaters to recline while holding one leg out in front of them.
“I like when we do the trust fall part,” Powers said.
Dawn Welch, manager for Team Forget Me Not, said Saturday’s short showcase won’t be the last chance to see the team perform in Juneau.
There will be a Dec. 15 performance, and the annual spring performance is scheduled for April 4.
Team Forget Me Not rehearses its program during an off-ice practice at Mount Jumbo Gym, Friday, Nov. 1, 2019. (Ben Hohenstatt Juneau Empire)
• Contact reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.