By Betsy Frances
Last month, the 20-member New York metro area-based Skyliners Junior skating team, of which four of its athletes are based in Greenwich, clinched bronze at the World Junior Synchronized Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden in triumphant style.
This stellar squad, who is coached by Josh Babb, put the pedal to the metal, racking up the event’s third-highest score, a 201.27, among the event’s formidable 24-entry roster that featured teams from such countries as Canada, Finland, Croatia, Sweden, Japan, Great Britain, Spain and Australia.
This contingent, who trains in the New York metro area, stood on the podium alongside Teams Elite Junior of Northbrook, Illinois, the other Team USA entry who claimed first with a 205.28 and Team Fintastic Junior of Finland, who scored silver with a 201.87.
These results, in turn, also designated this as a golden moment for the U.S. with the two Team USA entries bringing home two of the three total medals at this celebrated event.
The Skyliners, who were second at the 2025 U.S. National Synchronized Championships last February (where Teams Elite was first), meanwhile, earned high marks for their short program to ‘Turandot’ by Puccini and free skate to the ‘Interstellar’ film soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer, both of which they performed with great speed, flow and command while executing such moves as lifts, line footwork sequences and slides in outstanding fashion.
Notably, the four-member Greenwich squad on this team included Emily Duarte, 17, a Greenwich High School senior, Jenny Kessler, 17, a Greenwich High School junior, Danielle Kim, 17, a Greenwich High School junior and Anna Dolgov, 14, a Greenwich High School freshman, who collectively comprised one-fifth of the team’s 20-member roster.
“It was an incredible experience to see everyone skate and knowing that hundreds of individuals were supporting us, whether they were in the stands or at home watching,” said Jenny Kessler, who is coached individually by Liz Leamy and Nancy Leamy of Greenwich as well as by Jason Briggs of Rockland County, New York. “The skating community is close knit and everyone [there] felt like family. In fact, I remember this one time after the Short Program competition was over, teams such as Italy, Finland and Canada all came together in a circle and started to dance and celebrate with music. Overall, even when we were competing against one another, we will always support one another at the end of the day.” (Kessler, meanwhile, also mentioned how delicious the Swedish candy was as well.)
Her teammates agreed.
“We are very proud of the two skates we were able to put out, especially our short program,” said Duarte, the Skyliners Junior Team Captain who is trained individually by Nancy Leamy, Director of the Greenwich Skating School at the Dorothy Hamill Rink in Byram. “We were all focused and driven throughout the week because we knew how much the competition meant to one another.”
Duarte further elaborated about the great chemistry among everyone on the team.
“As the team captain, I carried a lot of pride in the team chemistry and trust we had built,” said Duarte. “I was able to call the other skaters on Skyliners Junior my family after working together all season and forming memories that I will carry with me into adulthood.”
Over the years, all four of the Greenwich-based Skyliners have spent a significant amount of their time training at the Hamill Rink, with the majority, Duarte, Dolgov and Kessler, having also started skating in its Learn to Skate group lesson program.
“I’m very proud of them,” said Leamy, who also coaches Dolgov and Kim on an individual basis. “They represented the U.S. in a memorable manner and their result was both hard earned and well deserved.”
Leamy also spoke about their excellent work ethic.
“With each of these skaters, the primary focus was their desire to skate and the motivation to do things correctly and well,” said Leamy. “They always work hard and are all about learning through their practice and experience and to not get frustrated from mistakes or making mistakes, and instead use them as learning tools.”
According to these athletes, all of the time, energy and effort they’ve put into their skating thus far has been a fulfilling experience for them on so many levels.
“Skating has always been an important part of my life and living in such a close-knit community has allowed me to share this part of my life with family and friends,” said Duarte. “Whether it is skating at the Dorothy Hamill Rink with my mom (Amanda) and younger sister (Valentina) or showing my friends synchro videos at school, I have always been able to express my love for skating.”
