FAQs

Often tryouts are the Sunday one week before school begins and bootcamp is the following Monday-Friday. Please visit our Recruiting page for more information and join our interest list for up to date information.

Another opportunity for potential incoming skaters is Wolverine Weekend which is usually held mid March. More information can be found on our Recruiting page.

*Please remember admission applications to the University of Michigan for Fall 2024 are due February 1, 2024.

The competitions UMSST attends are subject to change depending on our school calendar and what the board/team decides. The competitions we will attend for the 2023-2024 season are

Kalamazoo Kick-Off Classic | Kalamazoo, MI

Dr. Porter Classic | Ann Arbor, MI

Midwestern Sectionals | Wichita, KS

Tri-States | Dearborn, MI

Nationals Championships | Las Vegas, NV (Collegiate only)

We occasionally perform at select NHL Red Wings games, U-M Hockey games, and local exhibitions.

During tryouts, skaters will be asked to show their skills in a range of turns, moves-in-the-field, twizzles, basic jumps and spins, etc (see next question). There will also be an opportunity to present specialty spins, jumps and other tricks. Coaches are interested in the skater’s willingness to learn and try new things. Another good tip current skaters advise is to be confident in your skills and be enthusiastic.

All skaters that try out will have a team placement. Tryouts differentiate and place skaters in the division where they will exceed the most.

U-M Synchro has two teams — Collegiate and Open Collegiate. Please see our Teams page for more information.

We are interested in having a diverse roster of skaters. Synchronized Skating is a unique discipline that incorporates elements of freestyle and ice dance so we look for a breadth and depth of skill versus one set standard. This covers basic skating skills like stroking, crossovers, and edgework as well as difficult turns like rockers, counters, and twizzles. Moves in the field elements are also important and having the ability to perform a variety allows for our choreography to be more versatile. Examples include 170s, spirals, spread eagles, and biellmanns. We also look at some freestyle skills as well as the ability to track/mirror other skaters and count music. However, we continue to welcome skaters of varying levels of experience that have an eagerness to learn.

Nope! We welcome skaters with any and all experiences; some people who join the team have no prior synchro experience at all!

Members of both teams have varying test levels for dance, freestyle, and moves.

For Collegiate, US Figure Skating requires a minimum of Bronze Skating Skills (née Juvenile Moves-in-the-Field) to skate, however, members of UMSST Collegiate have an average test level of Gold/Senior as well as varying levels of ice dance and freestyle.

For Open Collegiate, US Figure Skating has no test requirements, however, members of UMSST Open Collegiate have an average test level of Silver/Novice.

Based on the Title IX requirements within athletics, we are not considered a varsity program. Although we are not funded by the University, we operate very much like our varsity counterparts but with a lot more student involvement. We receive funding from Michigan Club Sports and are part of the In-Game experience for Ice Hockey and thus are able to receive priority ice time at Yost as well as earn Athletic Department recognition. One of our coaches is also an academic counselor on campus, so we have the added bonus of academic assistance in terms of course balancing and exam proctoring.

Including synchronized skating in your application is always a smart choice as it will likely set you apart from other applicants; however, it won’t impact your admissions decision. You’ll want to explain how synchronized skating (or any topic) has helped shape you and what it would mean to you to be able to continue to be a part of that community at the University of Michigan.

The team elects a board of officers each year who are skaters on the team that take on responsibilities that are typically held by coaches, managers, and/or parents within other programs. This gives skaters the opportunity to hold leadership roles within the team and to have more input on how the organization operates as a whole. Some of the board’s decisions include what competitions we attend, what we want to wear, how our training is structured, how we want to warm up, ice time, food at competitions, etc. Additionally, we encourage our skaters to get involved. Almost every skater on the team holds one or more of our many chair or board positions. Many of our skaters like this approach because it allows for more independence and helps develop essential life skills.

We understand that synchronized skating is an expensive sport and, therefore, we do our best to keep costs as low as possible. The monthly dues are $235 for Open Collegiate and $480 for Collegiate, and are to be paid for 8 months. These figures cover ice time, coaching, transportation to competitions, competition fees, hotels, dresses, and accessories.

However, they do not include required clothing, such as team uniforms, and meals during competitions.

There is also a dues waiver available. See scholarship question below.

Yes! The Ann Arbor Ice Cube (about 10 minutes away from campus) has many distinguished coaches specializing in moves, dance, freestyle, synchro, etc. who are happy to take new students. Many UMSST skaters practice or take lessons at the Cube and often coordinate carpools for easy transportation.

No! A few of our skaters attend the other U-M Campuses like U-M Dearborn or U-M Flint.

We are very excited and fortunate to offer dues waivers for UMSST skaters in partnership with our University’s club sports organization. Like a scholarship helps to pay for academic costs, these waivers cover a portion of the dues required to participate on the team.

In total, there are two dues waivers available for members of our collegiate team, including cross skaters, and two waivers available for Open Collegiate skaters. The two waivers for members of the collegiate team award about $1000 each and the waivers for open collegiate skaters each amount to about $500. The selection process for these waivers begins in the early fall. Selections for these waivers are solely based on financial need indicated by university records and is conducted by the University representative & coaches, completely independent of the UMSST board.