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WATERTOWN — Skaters from the Watertown Figure Skate Club have already made their mark on two 2026 U.S. Figure Skating national events with another one on the way.
Here's more on each of the competitions:
The WFSC's Juvenile and Open Ensemble teams returned home from Irvine with personal best performances, national recognition and unforgettable memories.
Representing South Dakota on one of the sport's biggest stages, 13 WFSC athletes competed in three national events, showcasing months of dedication, teamwork and artistic excellence in Theatre on Ice.
The club's Juvenile team delivered an outstanding week of competition. After finishing seventh in the nation following the Choreographic Exercise event, the team returned to the ice for its Descendants-inspired free program. The athletes earned a personal best free program score, improving by 8.75 points and finished the championship eighth in the nation.
MINOT 2026: WFSC skaters bring home 55 gold medals from N.D. competition
Members of the team included Sarah Hahn, Dasia Woertink, Savannah Sovell, Abigail Reeves, Elin Gossen, Elizabeth Reiter, Madison Johnson and Dorothy Peterson.
The Open Ensemble team also enjoyed a successful national championship. Performing their Sister Act-themed free program and choreographic exercise, the team finished 10th in the nation in both events while earning a personal best free program score with a nine-point improvement over previous performances.
Johnson, Woertink, Peterson and Sovell were also members of the OE team along with Lucy Barthel, Lily Musielewicz, Lennix Adler, Shaylee Helle and Katie Socia.
Throughout the competition, Coach Taylor Johnson said the WFSC athletes demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship, professionalism and resilience while competing against many of the nation's most established Theatre on Ice programs.
The Watertown teams finished ahead of programs representing Delaware, Virginia, Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, Colorado and several other states, proving that a small-town club can successfully compete with some of the country's largest skating organizations.
The 2026 National Championships also marked another important milestone in the continued growth of ToePick Ice Productions. Each season, the program continues to expand its competitive success while providing athletes opportunities to develop as skaters, performers, leaders, and teammates.
Woertink, Barthel and Johnson each competed in the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Excel Series National Final & Festival at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood. They are the first WFSC skaters to qualify for the competition.
More than 900 skaters competed in the event.
Woertink qualified for the final in the juvenile excel division and placed 18th out of 24 skaters with a score of 27.72. Entering the event, she ranked eighth in the Midwest and 16th in the nation.
2025 SKATE GAMES: Compete USA figure skate competition held in Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Johnson and Barthel both qualified for the competition in the gold medalist ranking position. The Gold Medalist designation recognizes skaters who finished among the highest point earners in their respective Excel Series divisions during the qualifying season, reflecting consistent performances across multiple competitions.
Johnson finished fifth out of 10 skaters in the Excel Pre-Preliminary Girls Group B Free Skate with a score of 15.14. Barthel placed third out of seven skaters in the Aspire 2 Girls Group D with ascore of 12.95.
The USFS Excel Series is a nationwide competition series designed to provide competitive opportunities for skaters at the Aspire through Senior levels. Throughout the season, athletes earn points by competing in sanctioned Excel Series competitions across their region. Those points determine qualification for either the Excel Series National Final, which features the nation's top-ranked skaters in qualifying divisions, or the Excel Series National Festival, a national celebration of achievement that brings together many of the country's highest-performing Excel athletes.
Woertink, Barthel and Johnson and teammates Reiter, Reeves, Peterson, Gossen, Sovell, Musielewicz, Helle, Socia, Hahn, Brooklyn Bloom and Molli Schmeling qualified as individuals for the USFS National Showcase. To qualify, skaters had to place in the top four of their event while also earning the required qualifying score.
The WFSC National Showcase team also will four production team athletes (Adler, Courtney Heath, Paige Huyvaert and Rachel Scheidt), who will represent the WFSC in the production ensemble and/or mini-gold ensemble performances.
Team WFSC will compete in a variety of showcase events while also performing production routines inspired by Descendants, Sister Act and Hairspray.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: WFSC skaters compete in two national events with a third one to come
Continue reading...
- The WFSC's ToePick Ice Production teams competed in the USFS Theatre on Ice National Championships June 22-27 in Irvine, CA.
- Three WFSC skaters recently returned home from competing in the USFS Excel National Festival July 15-19 in Norwood, MA near Boston.
- Eighteen athletes will represent the WFSC in the USFS National Showcase Aug. 3-8 in Denver, Co.
You must be registered for see images attach
Here's more on each of the competitions:
Theatre on Ice National Championships
The WFSC's Juvenile and Open Ensemble teams returned home from Irvine with personal best performances, national recognition and unforgettable memories.
Representing South Dakota on one of the sport's biggest stages, 13 WFSC athletes competed in three national events, showcasing months of dedication, teamwork and artistic excellence in Theatre on Ice.
The club's Juvenile team delivered an outstanding week of competition. After finishing seventh in the nation following the Choreographic Exercise event, the team returned to the ice for its Descendants-inspired free program. The athletes earned a personal best free program score, improving by 8.75 points and finished the championship eighth in the nation.
MINOT 2026: WFSC skaters bring home 55 gold medals from N.D. competition
Members of the team included Sarah Hahn, Dasia Woertink, Savannah Sovell, Abigail Reeves, Elin Gossen, Elizabeth Reiter, Madison Johnson and Dorothy Peterson.
The Open Ensemble team also enjoyed a successful national championship. Performing their Sister Act-themed free program and choreographic exercise, the team finished 10th in the nation in both events while earning a personal best free program score with a nine-point improvement over previous performances.
Johnson, Woertink, Peterson and Sovell were also members of the OE team along with Lucy Barthel, Lily Musielewicz, Lennix Adler, Shaylee Helle and Katie Socia.
You must be registered for see images attach
Throughout the competition, Coach Taylor Johnson said the WFSC athletes demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship, professionalism and resilience while competing against many of the nation's most established Theatre on Ice programs.
The Watertown teams finished ahead of programs representing Delaware, Virginia, Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, Colorado and several other states, proving that a small-town club can successfully compete with some of the country's largest skating organizations.
The 2026 National Championships also marked another important milestone in the continued growth of ToePick Ice Productions. Each season, the program continues to expand its competitive success while providing athletes opportunities to develop as skaters, performers, leaders, and teammates.
You must be registered for see images attach
Excel Series National Festival
Woertink, Barthel and Johnson each competed in the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Excel Series National Final & Festival at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood. They are the first WFSC skaters to qualify for the competition.
More than 900 skaters competed in the event.
Woertink qualified for the final in the juvenile excel division and placed 18th out of 24 skaters with a score of 27.72. Entering the event, she ranked eighth in the Midwest and 16th in the nation.
2025 SKATE GAMES: Compete USA figure skate competition held in Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Johnson and Barthel both qualified for the competition in the gold medalist ranking position. The Gold Medalist designation recognizes skaters who finished among the highest point earners in their respective Excel Series divisions during the qualifying season, reflecting consistent performances across multiple competitions.
Johnson finished fifth out of 10 skaters in the Excel Pre-Preliminary Girls Group B Free Skate with a score of 15.14. Barthel placed third out of seven skaters in the Aspire 2 Girls Group D with ascore of 12.95.
The USFS Excel Series is a nationwide competition series designed to provide competitive opportunities for skaters at the Aspire through Senior levels. Throughout the season, athletes earn points by competing in sanctioned Excel Series competitions across their region. Those points determine qualification for either the Excel Series National Final, which features the nation's top-ranked skaters in qualifying divisions, or the Excel Series National Festival, a national celebration of achievement that brings together many of the country's highest-performing Excel athletes.
You must be registered for see images attach
National Showcase
Woertink, Barthel and Johnson and teammates Reiter, Reeves, Peterson, Gossen, Sovell, Musielewicz, Helle, Socia, Hahn, Brooklyn Bloom and Molli Schmeling qualified as individuals for the USFS National Showcase. To qualify, skaters had to place in the top four of their event while also earning the required qualifying score.
The WFSC National Showcase team also will four production team athletes (Adler, Courtney Heath, Paige Huyvaert and Rachel Scheidt), who will represent the WFSC in the production ensemble and/or mini-gold ensemble performances.
Team WFSC will compete in a variety of showcase events while also performing production routines inspired by Descendants, Sister Act and Hairspray.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: WFSC skaters compete in two national events with a third one to come
Continue reading...
