One of iowskaters.com’s favourite synchronized skating events, the Leon Lurje Trophy, took place on 18 and 19 January in Gothenburg, Sweden. The trophy usually sees some fantastic skating from top Swedish and Finnish synchronized skating teams, and last year the IW sent teams to compete.

Unfortunately, this season the event coincided with the British Synchronized Skating Championships and IW teams were therefore unable to attend. In future it would be great if the events did not clash, because the Leon Lurje Trophy is one of the early events in the new year that UK junior and senior teams can easily get to to try to rack up points to qualify for NISA’s world championships selection formula.

At senior level, IW favourites Team Surprise of Sweden  (181.77) were second to Team Unique of Finland (199.15), with Team Boomerang of Sweden third (172.19).

At junior level, Team Convivium of Sweden were 1st with 156.45, Synchroettes of the USA were second on 136.28, and Team Spirit of Sweden third on 136.07. Convivium and Spirit are according to Sweden’s earlier qualifying events the teams destined for the 2014 JWCC; Synchroettes were fifth at the USA’s qualifying event for the JWCC with 134.06. Nottingham Icicles’ 121.46 at the British suddenly does not look all that far off putting them in contention.

Results: http://skatesweden.wehost.se/13-14/Synchro/LeonLurje/html/index.htm

Event website: http://leonlurje.buster.se/