Synchronized Skating championship held in Mentor

MENTOR, Ohio - Skaters from Northeast Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Canada all came to the Mentor Civic Arena on Saturday for the 3rd annual Diamond Classic Synchronized Skating Competition.

The stands were packed with fans, there to cheer on their local team. 

Synchronized skating is not a sport that is currently included in the Winter Olympic Games, but it is one of the fastest growing disciplines in skating. 

U.S. Figure Skating has been pushing hard to get the sport included in the games and they are hoping that in 2014 it will become a reality.

When most people think of synchronized skating (or "synchro" for short), they think of the Rockettes, only on ice.  Skaters perform in groups of 8-20 to music, performing various footwork patterns, pinwheels, circles and skating in block formations.

It's the only discipline in figure skating that allows kids to skate on a team.

Synchro is not just for kids; the Diamond Classic competition featured skaters ranging in ages from 4 all the way to 65.

There were 34 teams competing at this year's competition in 10 different categories based on age and skill level.

For more information about Synchronized Skating in Northeast Ohio, visit: clevelandskating.com