Synchronized skating

Synchronized skating

Team Paradise at the 2015 Grand Prix
Highest governing body	International Skating Union
Nicknames	"precision skating", "synchro"
First Performed	1956; 68 years ago (1956)
Characteristics
Team members	between 8 and 20 figure skaters including 4 alternates maximum 16 compete on the ice at once
Mixed-sex	Mixed
Type	Discipline of figure skating Team sport Winter sport
Equipment	Figure skates
Venue	Ice rink Figure skating rink
Presence
Olympic	No[1]
Paralympic	No
World Games	No

Synchronized skating, often called synchro, is an ice skating sport where between 8 and 20 skaters perform together as a team. They move as a flowing unit at high speed over the ice, while performing elements and footwork.

This complex sport originated in 1956 and was initially called "precision skating" due to its emphasis on the maintenance of intricate and precise formations and the requirement of precise timing from all members of the group. Synchronized skating is now well-established as an organized sport in several European countries with several of them having produced teams who frequently win championships at the international level. Currently there are more than 600 synchro teams in United States alone.^[2]