By: Dylan Nazareth

Ontario’s top senior synchronized skating team NEXXICE is hard at work on the rink this October, preparing for a big season ahead. With a couple of gala performances in line for November and a successful monitoring session last week, team captain Olivia Tworzyanski shares the group is in a good place to start the year.

Olivia (left) pictured with team mate Sadie Hoover

“So far this season, we’re feeling pretty great,” said Tworzyanski. “We have our short program finished, and the free program is pretty much done, we just have a few little tweaks. We’re really excited to be this far ahead this early in the season, and are very excited to share what we’ve been working on.”

Co-coach Jennifer Beauchamp-Crichton started with the team as a skater, later transitioning into a coaching role with the team. She’s now been with the senior group for nearly half a decade and shares that while the team has many goals for the season, their sights are set on one key competition.

“Our ultimate goal is to be back representing Canada on the world scene,” said Beauchamp-Crichton. “Then utilizing all of those steps along the way: how we approach our training, our mindset around that, is extremely important. Enjoying the process, day-to-day, all things that we have to do to build to that goal.”

NEXXICE’s Senior team placed fourth in their last appearance at Worlds in 2023. Working to earn their way back to the sport’s grandest stage, the team’s captain shares they have three guiding words to help keep their focus.

“Connectedness, passion, and persistence, we’ve been trying to integrate those three words into our training when we’re at the rink,” Tworzyanski said. “I think that’s been helping us in terms of performance. We’re trying to go out and perform at any opportunity we can, so that by the time we get to competitions, it doesn’t feel any different from practice.”

NEXXICE Senior

Leading the Charge

Tworzyanski has been with the team for six years now. While she was only officially named captain this season, it’s a role the 23-year-old Unionville native has naturally grown into. It’s a real testament to the character Tworzyanski has shown through her tenure with the team, her coach shared.

“I think Olivia’s always had the qualities of a leader,” said Beauchamp-Crichton. “She’s patient, she’s understanding, and leads by example. So those have always been there. But I think her years of experience on the team have allowed her to show those more to the new skaters coming on the team. Olivia’s a good communicator and a strong leader for our team.”

Now donning the official title of captain, Tworzyanski is taking the honour to heart. In leading the team through a long season of training, performances, and competitions, she shares her philosophy to keep the big group motivated and in sync.

“Something I very much believe in is positive psychology,” she said. “I’m very big on hyping up my teammates, always cheering them on and giving them praise when they do something great. And off the ice, just hanging out with everyone, trying to get involved with the skaters on the team and asking how they’re doing on and off the ice. Just doing mental check-ins. I think it’s been helping to build trust, to get to know each person on the team and form a connection in that way.”

NEXXICE Senior

Olympic Dreams

Synchronized skating has seen a whole lot of growth domestically over the past few years, becoming a part of the Canadian National Championships in 2023. As the sport continues to gain more recognition globally, the ultimate dream for Tworzyanski and her team is to be able to compete in synchro one day at the Olympics Games.

“It’s quite a special sport,” said Tworzyanski. “I’ve competed in singles in the past, but was always more drawn to synchro, mostly because of the community and being able to perform with my friends. I feel so fulfilled creatively with the amount that we’re able to do with creative lifts, group lifts. We’re doing death spirals, jumps are becoming more prevalent in the sport. I just think it’s becoming such a hybrid of every single discipline … It’s very high performance, very elite, and I would love for more people to get to see that.”

Beauchamp-Crichton echoed the captain’s statement, touting the growing popularity and vibrant atmosphere of the sport.

“The audience dynamics are amazing,” said the coach. “If you’ve ever been to a synchro event, it’s amazing to be in the stadium witnessing 16 athletes participating in these programs and how the crowd gets behind them. It’s a very good community and one that I think would be welcomed by the Olympics.”

NEXXICE founder and coach Shelley Simonton-Barnett has a long history with the sport and shared she’s confident that it’s only a matter of time before synchro makes its way to the world’s biggest stage.

“The ISU, the skating federations, athletes, coaches, judges, everyone is working towards making this a reality,” Simonton-Barnett said. “Artistic swimming is such a well-regarded, well-watched program. I believe that synchronized skating could be the same thing, just on frozen water. It’s the team sport for skating and it deserves to be in the Olympics. It will be, I believe.”

The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled for this February, with some of Ontario’s top skaters set to take the ice on the world stage. While NEXXICE Senior will just be in the cheering section this year, there’s plenty of reason to be inspired and dream big about what the future could hold for this hard-working team.