OUR TOWN
FORMATION SYCHRONIZED SKATING
“The team is a safe place where they can be accepted for who they are. They all work, have fun, laugh, and cry together, and that is what is valued the most.” —Jannika Lilja, Head Coach and choreographer
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riangle Formation Synchronized Skating has got it all together. The nonprofit based in Wake Forest is working to make synchronized skating one of the fastest growing team sports in the South. Synchronized skating, or synchro for short, is a team form of figure skating. The difference is instead of one or two skaters on the ice, there is a group of eight to 16 people skating in unison. “It combines all the different figure skating disciplines,” says the group's head coach and choreographer Jannika Lilja. The team skates in a hold formation, meaning arms linked, with sequences of no hold as well. Most of the skating is done in perfect unison, with skater's movements matching each
other. The skating is quite technical, closer to ice dancing in style. “You have to be able to go really fast, have good edge quality, and step technique. It's fancy footwork,” says Lilja Lilja should know. Originally from Helsinki, Finland, which boasts world class synchro club programs, she grew up skating and was part of a team that won three consecutive Finnish National titles. She is a world champion as well, with plenty of gold, silver, and bronze in her trophy case. Lilja says that skating has always been her passion. “It's what I truly care about,” she says. And, in 2016, she made it her career. Lilja left a career in fashion to move south and help build Triangle Formation. In just two years, Triangle Formaphotography by EAMON QUEENEY
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tion has experienced incredible growth. Athletes from all over the Triangle, including Apex, Cary, Raleigh, and even Fuquay Varina travel to the Wake Forest facility to train. Experienced skaters practice ten hours a week combining conditioning, stretching, and ballet lessons with on-ice training. Triangle Formation's goal is to empower and inspire with an emphasis on building deeply connected teams—a formation family. The young skaters, who range in age from six to 19, are committed and ready to make a name for themselves. This season Triangle Formation teams, grouped by age and skill level, will participate in four competitions with the dream of one day having a team qualify for a national title.
