DE PERE (NBC 26) — Two Green Bay-area figure skaters, Mikayla Garot and Mahkia Cloud, have skated together for over a decade. They earned their second opportunity to represent Team USA in synchronized skating in January.
- The Fond du Lac Blades synchronized skating juniors team represented Team USA in Scotland in January, finishing sixth at the Trophy d'Ecosse competition
- The team is on the way to Las Vegas to compete at the US Synchronized Skating Championship, which begins Feb. 21
- Two of the team members, Garot and Cloud, say bonding on and off the ice is critical to the success of team
- Video shows Mikayla and Mahkia practicing together at De Pere Ice Arena
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
For many aspiring athletes, the ultimate dream is to one day represent Team USA.
We're introducing you to two local figure skaters, who've reached the top after more than decade of skating together.
"Skating on international ice is the most incredible opportunity and it's so exciting," Garot said, "especially doing it with teammates and best friends — it's like no other feeling."
From northeast Wisconsin … across the pond …
Mikayla and Mahkia have grown, from their first time skating together, to competing at the pinnacle of synchronized team skating.
"Seeing our older junior team, when I was on the younger teams, was really cool," Cloud said. "And I just never expected the day that we would be doing that."
Their team — the Fond du Lac Blades — finished sixth as they represented the USA in Scotland.
"We all come together, 16 individuals on the ice, working together to convey a story, a message," Garot said. "It's really really cool when it all comes together."
The two friends have spent countless hours in the car on the way to practice and beyond — and believe that bond is key to taking leaps of faith on the ice.
"We put a lot of trust in each other […]" Cloud said.
"We've built a lot of trust with each other, with our skating and in our friendships," Garot added.
"[…] Being able to practice on our own, and practice the skills that we need for synchro," Cloud said.
The next step is nationals this week — where hours of training culminate in seven minutes of performance.
"I think that we're really just trying to have two clean skates that we're proud of, as individuals and as a team," Garot said. "We're just gonna see what happens, go from there, put our best foot forward."
Mikayla and Mahkia travel Monday to Las Vegas to compete at the US Synchronized Skating Championship, which will be streamed live on Peacock starting Wednesday.
