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Secure Building
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education guide
PA Early Learning Standards
for Infant through
Preschool Curriculum
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412-343-4363 250 Mt. Lebanon Blvd., Suite 425
Pittsburgh, PA 15234
www.creativemindslearningctr.com Open M-F 6am – 7:30pm
Seton Center
School of Arts
Join us for Theater Tots , Ages 3-5, 5-7
Theater Beginners
For the adult who always wanted to act
but didn’t know how or where to start.

T’weens and Teens
Basic acting and theater skills
Dancing for the Stage
An introduction to basic dance steps
frequently used in theater productions.

REGISTRATION NOW THRU NOV. 1, 2008
Private lessons in: Piano, Guitar, Viola,
Violin (Traditional and Suzuki Methods)
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CALL 412-561-5511
www.mtlebanon.org 41



story by lois thompson
The Steel City Blades junior
synchronized skating team goes
for the gold.

Below: The team holds some
events at Mt. Lebanon Ice Rink.

d S
e k
a z
i t
i n
n g
o r
h c
Syn ou work as a team and set goals, and it’s excel-
lent when you achieve them because you get
to celebrate with friends. It feels like family.”
That’s Emily Smokonich’s explanation of why
she enjoys participating on one of the Steel
City Blades synchronized skating teams.

A senior at Mt. Lebanon High School,
Smokonich, Vanderbilt Drive, became in-
volved when one of her friends approached
her in ninth grade and asked if she would
be interested in trying synchronized skating. “She said they
needed people to join the team, so I thought I’d see if I liked
it,” Smokonich says. “And I really enjoyed it. I skated (single
figure skating) for many years, and I still do, but I definitely
like the benefit of having teammates.”
Lindsay Mullen agrees. Mullen, Valleyview Road, has been
skating since the age of 6 and says she likes synchronized skat-
ing. “It’s everyone working together, because if one person
doesn’t do it right, it affects everyone’s performance. And I’ve
made a lot of close friendships.”
A 2008 graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, Mullen now
attends Villanova University, which does not have a synchro-
nized skating team. She says she may join an adult team in a
42 mtl • october 2008
few years, but for now will concentrate on school.

If you don’t know what synchronized skating is and don’t
understand what the excitement is about, imagine the Rockettes
on ice—skating in exact formation and executing perfect
maneuvers—and you’ll have the right picture.

Although the sport has been around for more than 50 years in
other parts of the country and is especially popular in Europe,
synchronized skating is just starting to take off in this area.

Teams range in number from eight to 20 individuals skating
at the same time, as one unit, and performing various steps set
to music. As with individual and pairs figure skating competi-
tions, the participants are required to cover certain elements in
their routines, including a circle, a block (four lines of four), an
intersection, a long line, and a pinwheel (a long line with half
of the skaters facing one way and half the other).

Affiliated with Robert Morris University and under the
umbrella of the U.S. Figure Skating Association, the Blades
were formed in 2004 and are composed of six teams, including
the Little Team (beginners), the Junior Competitive Team (ele-
mentary and middle school), the Competitive Team (middle
school and high school), and the Free Spirits (adults). The ages
run from 6 to 60-plus.

Marsha Snyder was the coach and choreographer of the teams