By Care Lucas
ON April 26, Langton’s Ice Crystals Synchronized Skating team placed second while competing for the Ice Crystal Trophy in Ghent, Belgium.
For Alexandra Casier-Smith, the team’s coach, the opportunity to compete on the international stage was a dream come true.
“Competing internationally is not something that a lot of us had the chance to experience as young skaters,” she said.
Ms. Casier-Smith spent most of her life as a singles skater. She said it made it difficult to compete, even at the provincial level—something that took her seven years to accomplish. She said
synchronized skating has granted more opportunities to compete at the national and international levels, and the experience in Belgium is a result of that.
“We are all feeling so blessed and grateful to have the chance to continue to chase these opportunities and accomplish those skating dreams that we once had when we were [kids],” Ms. Casier-Smith said.
Although the competition was smaller than what the skaters might be used to, Ms. Casier-Smith said it was interesting to see how the events differ from the competitions here.
“We actually had a couple of adult teams approach us about wanting to come to Canada for a competition! They were asking about rules and what to look for while researching since our requirements [here] are just a tad bit different.”
After the competition, Ms. Casier-Smith and her team were encouraged to join their opponents on a summer patio the event organizers had set up outside—an unusual scenario for the Canadian skaters, who are accustomed to competing during the cold winter months. She said the teams they competed against were great sports and made them feel welcome.
“All the adult teams were there chatting away and getting the chance to connect with each other,” she said. “As much as we are all competitive, this was the part that truly showed how a sport can bring people together.”
Ms. Casier-Smith said she has a special place in her heart for every team she has coached throughout her synchro coaching career, but she will remember this team fondly as the team that helped her earn her first international medal.
“I can’t thank them enough for putting their trust in me,” she said, adding that the team made “amazing memories together” while in Belgium.
They embraced the experience as much as possible, touring Brugge, Antwerp and Ghent. At the end of the trip, some skaters continued to Paris and others to Amsterdam.
Ms. Casier-Smith said they left the trip in great spirits, having shared a lot of laughs. “There were nights my cheeks hurt so much from laughing. It was such a great group of women to travel with.”
While this was the first international competition the team has attended, Ms. Casier-Smith said it may not be the last.
“I know a lot of our adults were disappointed that they weren’t able to make it! So who knows, maybe in the future we’ll look at another competition elsewhere,” she said.
For now, she has taken home quite the souvenir. “It’s such an accomplishment to be able to say that we won a silver medal internationally!”
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Originally published May 14, 2025
