Posner Skates to New Heights

After moving from the quaint city of Bridgewater to the heart of Boston, Northeastern University freshman, and 2011 graduate, Alyssa Posner has transitioned seamlessly.

Outside of missing her family and friends, Posner does admit to not having another amenity at her disposal in Boston.

“I love the freedom and being in the beautiful city of Boston,” Posner said. “But I [do] miss home, especially my mom doing laundry.”

Other than dealing with the laundry dilemma, Posner has achieved outstanding success in the classroom and on the ice rink in the sport of synchronized ice skating.

Posner, a physical therapy major, made the Dean’s list and is currently in the six-year doctorate physical therapy program. She’s also interning at the Hordon Health in Boston.

On the ice, after a successful stint in high school on New Jersey’s Precisely Right team, Posner tried out and made Team Excel Collegiate of Boston, one of the preeminent synchronized skating teams in the Northeast. The 21-girl squad—16 skate regularly—achieved unprecedented success this season.

In early March, Team Excel hosted the 2012 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. The top teams came from across the country to compete for the title, and Excel finished fifth, the highest place finish in the team’s history.

“Competing in nationals this year has been the most amazing experience,” Posner said. “There are no words to describe the feeling of getting on the ice and having an entire arena cheering for you."

“On top of that, we had a really good skate," she added. "When we got off the ice, I was so happy. I’m so proud of everyone on my team and I can’t wait for next season.”

Another captivating experience for Posner at the nationals was taking part in the opening ceremonies.

“We got to be part of opening ceremonies, and I got to represent New Jersey,” she said. “[I held] our state flag during the ceremonies, which was a very cool experience.”

The championships were competitive, Posner said.

“The competition was tough because it was right in our backyard,” she said. “Besides Delaware, no other East Coast team has ever placed this high."

“We also had the second highest base value out of all the teams, which was a huge accomplishment,” she added.

The judging system, Posner said, is complicated.

“The judging system is complicated, and there is a base value for each element," she said. "Level four would be the highest, and you have to hit a certain amount of checks off a list to get it. If you don't, you get bumped down to level three and so on. Each element also gets a grade of execution, a score that can be positive or negative and is based on how good the element looked."

"Then there is a separate score for things like presentation, skating skills and interpretation that get factored in," she added.

Most of all, Posner will take the memories she shared with her teammates, who she has grown close to in her first year in college.

“I love Team Excel and I think I fit in really well,” she said. “I have definitely grown so much as a skater and a person since I have come to this team. I can’t say enough good things about Excel and the girls I’ve met here. They are all amazing people on and off the ice.”

There is a lot of familiarity with Posner and her teammates, even before she joined the team. Her teammate from Precisely Right, Grace Holzer, is a second-year member of Excel.

“There are several graduating seniors from Precisely Right that are coming to Excel’s try outs,” Posner said.

Excel competed in four competitions this season, and recently capped the year with a performance at Ice Chips, the annual skating festival hosted by the Skating Club of Boston. The event was the 100th show in its history, and among the featured skaters were Evan Lysacek, a 2010 Olympic champion; Mirai Nagasu, a three-time U.S. medalist; and Ross Miner, a U.S. Bronze medalist.

“I have looked up to Lysacek since I was little,” Posner said. “I [had] the honor to be skating in the same show as him, as well as the many other talented and accomplished skaters."

“Ice Chips was put together beautifully and I am honored to have been able to skate in all three of the performances,” she added.

With her first year nearly complete—Posner worked three jobs on campus in addition to her studies and skating—she is looking forward to some relaxation this summer and working at her craft.

“For the next five summers I will be in classes or on co-op. so I'm planning on enjoying the summer and relaxing,” she said. “I will definitely practice and am hoping to get through some dance tests, you take tests in freestyle, moves and dance."

"The more tests you have passed, the higher level a skater you are and the more well-rounded you become,” she added.