Merrimack Skaters Go for (More) Gold in Finland

Freshman Ava Dimmick and sophomore Annmarie Schmid are competing in the World Synchronized Skating Championships 2019 in Helsinki, Finland April 12-13 as part of the storied Haydenettes team based in Lexington, Mass.

“We’re pretty excited,” Dimmick said. “We’re coming down to the final practices so we’re trying to focus on the little details and keep everything as consistent as possible.”

The team has had a stellar season highlighted so far by its victory in the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Plymouth, Mich. Feb. 28 – March 2. That gold medal victory qualified the team for the world championships.

The Haydenettes won a bronze medal in the free skate competition at the 2019 Leon Lurje Trophy in Gothenburg, Sweden in January where it represented the United States in the international competition against teams from eight other countries.

The team also placed fifth in the 2019 Mozart Cup in Salzburg, Austria during the same trip in January.

Dimmick, of Jefferson, Md., is a health sciences major, and Schmid, of Maple Grove, Minn., a biology major. They balance their school work with off-campus practices as often as four times a week, plus international trips to compete.

They are driven by the exhilaration of the competition and the roar of the crowds as they skate at breakneck speeds.

Dimmick and Schmid said they were happy to win the bronze but want to reach higher. “We always strive to be the best in the world so we took it as motivation to come back to the United States and work harder,” Schmid said.

The Haydenettes is a 26-time national champion in the International Skating Union’s senior division. It leaves for Helsinki on April 7.

“It’s a lot of hard work so when it pays off, it’s indescribable,” Dimmick said.

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