Juniors Katie Spear and Anna Ilivicky had a busy last couple of weeks. First, they went to Austria to compete in the Mozart Cup for synchronized skating.

“We went there and competed against 18 teams, and we were representing team USA,” Ilivicky said.

Ilivicky and Spear are members of the St. Louis Synergy Synchronized Skating Club. In synchronized skating, there are 16 skaters on the ice at a time. The Synergy is composed of girls up to their freshman year in college from around St. Louis. Last year, the team placed second at nationals, earning an international assignment.

“They sent the top two from Nationals last year, which was us and another team from Boston,” Ilivicky said. “They sent us to the same competition in hopes that one of us would get a medal … They send you where they think you’ll do best.”

The assignment was to Salzburg, Austria. Competition came from all over the world–there were skaters from Finland, Russia and Canada. At the Mozart Cup, the Synergy placed seventh.

“…[T]he coaches are talking to them in a different language, but they’re probably saying the same thing our coach says to us,” Spear said.

After returning to St. Louis, the Synergy received media attention. The group was featured in a Fox 2 Now ‘In Your Neighborhood’ segment. And, less than two weeks after arriving home, the skaters left for another travel tournament: Junior World Qualifiers.

Junior World Qualifiers took place in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The top two teams at Junior World Qualifiers go to the World competition. The Synergy placed fifth in the short program and sixth in the free skate program, falling short of qualifying for Worlds.

In order to attend competitions around the world, Ilivicky and Spear miss significant amounts of school. Being absent is a struggle, but in the end, it proves worthwhile for the skaters.

“You go into it knowing its going to be hard, and the whole week after you’re tired,” Spear said. “You’re doing the homework from last week, the homework from this week, trying to understand what’s going on, but its worth it.”

Though neither Spear nor Ilivicky currently plan on skating in college, the sport and the international travel has given both of the skaters unique experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.

“It was just really cool that we can all come together in one sport,” Ilivicky said.