[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 12 (Thursday, February 10, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E116-E117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE HERSHEY KIXX SYNCHRONIZED SKATING TEAM UPON THEIR 
 ACCOMPLISHMENT IN RECEIVING THE BRONZE MEDAL AT THE EASTERN DIVISION 
                SYNCHRONIZED TEAM SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 10, 2000

  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Hershey KIXX 
Synchronized Skating Team for receiving the Bronze Medal at the Eastern 
Synchronized Team Skating Championships in Lowell, Massachusetts.
  The ``Synchro East 2000'' Competition included teams in the Eastern 
Division of the USFSA with the gold and silver medal winners in the 
qualifying division advancing to Nationals in Detroit in February 2000. 
With the coming Olympic games in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, 
synchronized team skating will be added as a new Olympic sport. 
Synchronized skating is guided by the United States Figure Skating 
Association, which divides all competitors into fourteen individual 
brackets. Within each bracket, skaters are divided into groups 
depending on skill level, age and style. Each team usually contains 
between eight and twenty members. The teams skate in formations which 
are judged in a variety of categories which include artistry, speed, 
and difficulty, while onlookers are marveled, mystified, and enthused 
by a wide range of daring skating tricks, tremendous feats, and gallant 
efforts. In the United States there are only 325 synchronized skating 
teams, with the Hershey KIXX team being the only synchronized 
competitive team at the Junior Classic level in all of Pennsylvania.
  The Hershey KIXX team was first created in 1996 and immediately began 
winning ribbons, gaining national recognition, and hosting a variety of 
honors In early 1999 they took first place in the junior classic 
division at the Colonial Classic in Lowell, Massachusetts, going on to 
win second place at the Garden State Classic in New Jersey later in the 
summer. They have performed at a variety of venues, including club 
Christmas shows, the Winterfest at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, summer 
camps in New England, as well as amaze the local crowds in frequent 
performances at Hershey Bears hockey games.
  The team is now in its third year of competing and continues to gain 
in popularity with girls and young women from statewide elementary 
schools, high schools, and even colleges. The girls currently attend 
Cedar Cliff, Cumberland Valley, Mechanicsburg, Central Dauphin, 
Hershey, Lower Dauphin, Palmyra, and Lebanon School Districts, along 
with Meyer High School in Wilkes-Barre and Gettysburg College. 
Currently, the team is coached by Amy Henderson, along with the 
assistance from Elizabeth Beichler and Dr. Ellen Geminani. Similarly to 
synchronized swimming, the team constantly rehearses their routines to 
the point where every part of their bodies move synchronized to one 
another fitting brilliantly with the music and mood. But unlike 
synchronized swimming, the skaters are in constant view, skating at 
extremely high speeds without the benefit of underwater reconfiguring. 
The show only lasts about three to five minutes, but each performance 
is guaranteed to be filled with drastically precise, vulnerable, and 
complicated maneuvers. When these young women decide to embark in art 
of synchronized skating, they are learning about the vast 
responsibility, utmost discipline, and sheer sacrifice the sport 
entails. The team practices on the ice every Saturday and Sunday 
morning at 6:30 a.m., with each session followed by off the ice 
practices where various new and complicated moves are attempted without 
skates. When competitions or performances are scheduled, you can be 
certain that the local ice rink will be rented out for a grueling 
practice. But in the end, the dedication and hard work of each team 
member is rewarded with awards, honors, and respect from the community 
both on the ice and off.
  Supporting the Hershey KIXX are the parents who vigorously and 
selflessly help raise money, sew uniforms, transport equipment, and 
cheer their devoted girls at all competitions. The club also gets 
financial help from the community who help the skaters by purchasing 
hoagies, lollipops, or any other various seasonal fundraising items the 
team decides to sell. These supporters, who help the team continue to 
pursue their interests,

[[Page E117]]

dreams, and expectations for the future, also deserve our thanks.
  The Hershey KIXX team is currently scheduled to perform in the 
Opening Ceremonies at the Keystone State Games at Twin Ponds-West in 
February 2000, and at a future Hershey Bears game. I wish them the best 
of luck in these performances and all their future endeavors.
  Mr. Speaker, again we take this opportunity to acknowledge and 
commend the Hershey KIXX Synchronized Skating Team for their 
outstanding achievement in winning the Bronze Medal.

                          ____________________