FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact Person/Team Spokesman:     Jenny Cherry, Director, Team Ashburn
Organization Name:                             Team Ashburn
Phone Number:                                    703-801-0887 (cell)
E-Mail Address:                                     director@teamashburn.org

Contact Person (secondary):                Lisa Katzman (Parent Volunteer)        
Organization Name:                             Team Ashburn
Phone Number:                                    703-618-6537 (cell)
E-mail Address:                                     lisakatzman@verizon.net

Team Ashburn Synchronized Skating Team Wins Eastern Championship:  
Two Teams Proceed to Nationals

(Ashburn, VA  February, 4, 2016) Team Ashburn Intermediate synchronized skating team won the 2016 Eastern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships in Richmond, VA on Saturday, Jan. 30th.  Prevailing over 16 other teams to win the title, they now advance to the national championship on Feb. 24-27th in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Team Ashburn trains and performs at the Ashburn Ice House.   

The Team Ashburn Novice team won a Pewter medal, and is also proceeding to Nationals.  This is the second time Team Ashburn has sent teams to Nationals, and the first time their Novice team is advancing past sectionals.  The Intermediate Team skates to an elegant, lively and creative “A Chorus Line” theme, while the Novice Team skates to a highly original, extraterrestrial, space theme.  The two teams share the same three coaches: Team Ashburn Skating Director Jenny Cherry, Lynn Eisenhour, and Cassandra Milosh.  Cherry was selected one of Loudoun County’s “40 under 40.”  She was chosen from more than 100 nominees based on her professional accomplishments, community involvement and commitment.  The teams’ routines are choreographed by world-renowned Canadian choreographer, Marilyn Langlois. 

2016 Open House & National Send Off

The 2015 - 2016 Open House, where all teams will perform, is scheduled for Monday, February 22 from 6:10 - 7:10 pm at the Ashburn Ice House.  The annual Open House is the team’s showcase event, where prospective skaters and their families can learn more about the organization and the sport of synchronized skating.  This event will be combined with our National Send Off to wish good luck to the two teams that qualified for Nationals at Eastern Sectionals. 

About Team Ashburn

Team Ashburn is a synchronized skating organization under the direct guidance of United States Figure Skating (USFS) and the Washington Figure Skating Club (WFSC). The organization has been operating at Ashburn Ice House in Ashburn, Virginia since 1999. Team Ashburn skaters range in age from five to 18 years old and practice weekly on and off ice throughout a 10-month season. We currently field ten teams comprising 130 skaters and ten coaches, including professional choreographers. The organization is actively involved in community volunteer efforts, including donation drives for Friends of Ft. Dupont/Kids on Ice, a program whose mission is to make skating accessible and affordable for all Washington-area children.  Several thousand people visit our home rink-- the Ashburn Ice House- each year, and this first-class facility hosts several important skating and hockey events and tournaments throughout the year. Synchronized skating is the fastest growing discipline of figure skating. It combines technical figure skating skills, graceful ice dancing moves, theatrical entertainment and split second synchronized timing. Teams of skaters perform choreographed programs in groups of up to 20 skaters depending on defined criteria and compete at the local and national level. There are currently over 550 synchronized skating teams in the United States alone and submission has been made to the United States Olympic Committee for inclusion of the discipline in the 2022 Olympics.

Visit http://www.teamashburn.org/ for more information about the team and sponsorship opportunities.

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PHOTOS:

Team Ashburn Intermediate Team
2016 Eastern Sectional Synchronized Skating Champions

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Caroline Katzman profile, Flint Hill School Magazine, Spring 2016

​Caroline Katzman profile, Skating Magazine October 2014

Caroline Katzman Community Service with Fort Dupont Kids on Ice:  Coordinating Collection of Used Skating and Hockey Gear, Skating Magazine February 2015

Team Ashburn Junior Coach, Caroline Katzman (selected for leadership position) 

​​​STUDENT, ICE SKATER, & ARTIST 

CNN iVillage Report about Alleviating Stress, February 2013

Caroline Katzman

Team Ashburn Nationals Press Release February 2016

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