Introduction: The History of Synchronized Swimming

Synchronized swimming has truly developed as a sport through the ages from its original water ballet performances to its recognition on the Olympic committee as a sport worthy of global recognition and competition. Synchronized Swimming is a very difficult and intricate sport requiring a lot from the athlete both physically and mentally. Synchronized swimming, or synchro to those more familiar with the sport, consists of one to ten swimmers swimming choreography in a pool to music while all staying synchronized with each other and the music. Routines are comprised of both above and underwater sections; the above water sections are called “arms” and consist of leg movements done while lying across the surface of the water, and arm movements.

 Arm (Russia’s Olympic Team 2004) (http://synchronizedswimmingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/synchronised-swimming-1.jpg)

As for the underwater sections, those are called either “figures”, or “highlights”. Figures are the movements made with the legs above the water while the body is upside down in the water.

 Figure (Spain’s Olympic Team 2012) (http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/originals/2014/Sport_Synchronized_swimming_085244_.jpg)

Highlights, however, are anything that draw the eye of the viewers so these could be boosts, which is when an athlete is lifted or launched out of the water, or a partner lift, which is the same as a boost except with 2-4 swimmers instead of the whole team. Both of these highlights can be done with the athlete moving head or feet first; it is up to the coach to decide what fits best into the choreography and theme of the routine. (http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=86%3Asynchronised-swimming-rules&Itemid=184)

Boosts (At the 2012 London Olympics)

This is a double boost, so two are going off at the same time

(http://irishrainphotography.com/irishrain/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/olympics-london-synchronized-swimming-aug-2012-1-of-1-3.jpg)

A.1 Accessories Required For Synchronized Swimming

Synchro also requires certain accessories for competitions such as a swimsuit designed specifically for the routine being swum, a nose clip to stop water from going up the athletes’ noses while they are upside down, various hair supplies with the goal of putting the athlete’s’ hair into a bun, gelatin to keep hair out of the athletes’ faces while competing, makeup to help add to the suit and theme, and finally music along with both above and below water speakers. All these added together help create a theme for the routine. The above and below water speakers allow the athletes to keep time with the music and counts as well as stay synchronized with the music and each other. For practices there are many other accessories necessary such as head caps, goggles, practice swimsuits, stretchy bands for flexibility training, a water bottle to stay hydrated, and on the odd occasion toe pointers to assist swimmers attain the desired aesthetic foot position. (http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=345%3Ass-13-routine-sessions&catid=86%3Asynchronised-swimming-rules&Itemid=184)

 Nose clip used by synchronized swimmers to block out water when upside down. (http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDQ0NA==/z/eMgAAMXQEgpTBNdV/$_35.JPG)

 

A.2 Synchronized Swimming Events and Judging

Synchronized swimming itself consists of 3 main events: solo, duet and team. Solos consist of a single swimmer in the pool swimming synchronized to the music and their theme, duets are with two swimmers who are synchronized with each other as well as with the music, and finally a team which consists of usually 4-8 swimmers synchronizing with each other and again with the music. (http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=345%3Ass-13-routine-sessions&catid=86%3Asynchronised-swimming-rules&Itemid=184) Synchro is marked by judges who give scores from zero to ten in two categories: technical merit and artistic interpretation. Technical merit is comprised of execution which is the perfection of swimming strokes, propulsion techniques, figures, patterns and transitions, synchronization which is based on the swimmer’s ability to synchronize with the other swimmers as well as the music, and finally difficulty. Difficulty is evaluated based on the height of movements above the water, complexity and multiplicity of movements, the strength required to perform the movements, length of time of movements and complexity of synchronization. Then there is artistic impression which is composed of choreography which is evaluated based on the variety and creativity of movements, transitions, fluidity, patterns and pool usage, music interpretation, manner of presentation which is the poise with which the routine is presented, ability to communicate through the choreography and seeming effortlessness of the performance. These two categories are what the judges mark on with half the judges marking technical merit and the other half marking artistic impression and are what coaches and choreographers pay attention to when creating the routines. ( Lord, C. (2008)) Routines last anywhere from two to five minutes of performing at lactic acid threshold by all athletes on the team to make the routine appear effortless and flawless. One of the hardest aspects of synchro is even though the athletes are pushing themselves to and past lactic acid threshold, they still have to keep a smile plastered on their face no matter what. “Ever been kicked in the face or in the head, but had to keep on swimming with that fake plastic smile?” said a commenter on http://www.thetoptens.com/hardest-sports/synchronized-swimming-464503.asp describing a synchro swimmers average practice.

Here is a visual of all the elements of synchronized swimming that are explained above. This is Canada’s Olympic Team swimming at the London 2012 Olympics.

A.3 History of The Development of Synchronized Swimming As a Sport

Now here is some history of the development of synchronized swimming as a sport throughout the ages and how it has developed into the sport it is present day.

Synchronized swimming, like many other sports out there, did not start out as it is today, it evolved over time and with the help of many pioneers. One of the American founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, was actually a pioneer for synchronized swimming and is thought to have possibly invented it. Franklin grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and swam frequently in the Atlantic Ocean to experiment with exercise and its health benefits. He performed manoeuvres he called “ornamental swimming” for spectators in the Thames River on a trip to London in 1724 which people believe lead to the appearance of the sport. We are unsure as to whether Franklin was the actual creator of synchro but he most definitely increased the popularity of swimming which contributed to its invention. (http://synchroswim.isport.com/synchronized-swimming-guides/history-of-synchronized-swimming).

Synchro originally started as a primarily male dominated sport but then became a more female dominant sport since women’s bodies are more buoyant in the legs causing women to be able to make better pictures on the surface of the water with their bodies. It developed from ornamental swimming and into a recognized sport in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with swimmers performing round-dances in the water as a swimming art form. The first contests were held in Berlin in 1891 and in London in 1892 but were only for men. It was not until after this that females were accepted as being more suitable for the sport. ( Lord, C. (2008))

The early competitions were called “water ballet competitions” and it was not until after these competitions that the sport was named “synchronized swimming”. These competitions also caused synchro clubs to start popping up in Australia, the USA, Canada, and France with the intent of hosting and competing in these competitions. Modern synchronized swimming was invented by Annette Kellerman, an Australian-born actor and swimmer who was a champion in distance swimming, and diving. She was also a practiced ballerina throughout the early 1900’s and caused quite an uproar in the media when she went to a beach in Boston, Massachusetts wearing a one piece swimsuit that did not cover her arms or legs. Again in 1907 Kellerman caused more uproar in her fabulous one piece swimsuit while performing underwater in a large glass tank at the New York Hippodrome. Kellerman opened the door for women to be more comfortable with their bodies and showing them off. Her performance in New York added to the rising popularity of synchro and raised lots of awareness for the sport.

Over the next 30 years more and more countries began developing synchro clubs as well as college teams, one of the most famous venues being the University of Chicago’s water ballet club, started by Katherine Curtis. “In 1934, sixty of Curtis’ Modern Mermaids swam in the lagoon at the Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago using what they called, “a combination of strokes, tricks and floating formations.”

(http://www.internationalposter.com/pimages/USX09759z.jpg)

The act received rave reviews. The announcer at the event inadvertently named the sport when he called the performance “synchronized swimming.”” (http://synchroswim.isport.com/synchronized-swimming-guides/history-of-synchronized-swimming) After this momentous development in the sport’s history aqua shows became more popular as a form of entertainment though it was still recognized as a sport as well.

(http://synchroswim.isport.com/synchronized-swimming-guides/history-of-synchronized-swimming) Synchro also had its time in the spotlight when Hollywood discovered Ester Williams, a swimming champion and Olympic contender.

Esther Williams in “Million Dollar Mermaid”

(http://askmissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/esther-williams-1024×744.jpg)

Esther Williams did movies involving synchronized swimming and featuring herself as the lead role. These films included elaborate sets, water slides, fountains, and stages that emerged from the pools and involved many swimmers in the water at once. It was also common for men to be swimming along with Williams in her films and it wasn’t until after the films started appearing that the sport became almost entirely a women’s sport. It was Esther Williams fame on screen that made a place for synchro in American pop culture in the 1940’s and 50’s. (http://synchroswim.isport.com/synchronized-swimming-guides/history-of-synchronized-swimming)

In the 1940’s competition in the United States heated up and synchronized swimming was officially adopted into the Amateur Athletic Union as a competitive sport, including both a team and duet category. In 1942 the first attempt at a National Championships was held but only three clubs showed up and they were all from Chicago. In the 1950’s a solo competition category was added and it was a Canadian named June Taylor, from Ontario, who was named the first solo champion in the Indoor event. These US National Championships were held twice a year, once indoor and once outdoor until 1990 when they started only doing one a year regardless of the pool type, whether it be indoor or outdoor.

International competitions were also occurring annually with the first World Aquatic Championship being held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1971, which North America dominated. The synchronized swimming community had its sights on having the sport included in the Olympics so in 1952 the US and Canadian teams performed at the Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They also performed at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland as well as in the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City where Mexico decided to include synchronized swimming as an official event but the International Olympic Committee was not convinced. The US team did a lot more demonstrations including one at the Rome Olympics in 1960 meanwhile at home more and more national competitions from age group and junior level competitors were becoming more organized. Officials worked on compiling rules and regulations which lead to the creation of the figure competition. Synchronized swimming finally made its Olympic debut at the 1984 in Los Angeles with a duet and a solo competition after having to prove its legitimacy and demonstrating for two decades. The 1996 Olympics only had a team event instead of the duet and solo events, however, duet was added back into the event options in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. To date countries are permitted to enter synchronized swimming teams and duets into the Olympics games. (http://synchroswim.isport.com/synchronized-swimming-guides/history-of-synchronized-swimming)

Synchronized swimming has truly developed as a sport through the ages from its original water ballet performances to its recognition on the Olympic committee as a sport worthy of global recognition and competition. Throughout its history, synchronized swimming has developed and different streams have been created to meet the demand for availability to learn the sport. There are recreational, competitive and Olympic level athletes all around the world with the same love for the sport and this research paper will be focusing on how these streams differ from each other in required body types, cellular advantages, nutrition of athletes, and training styles.

Chapter Four: Physical Training Styles For the Different Levels of Sport

Once the athletes are fueled they are ready to train having obtained the required nutrients and fuel to get them through practice. They need to be training their body successfully to have the optimal success in the sport. However, throughout the different levels there are different training programs and styles that develop the athletes in different ways that help those athletes succeed in their level of sport.

 

4.1 Recreational Level Training Methods

At the recreational level there is an emphasis put on fun and the coaches are supposed to create a very relaxed and not strenuous environment while the girls are at practice. That being said the athletes are still learning the skills required for their level within the sport but they are learning in a fun and creative way as promoted by Nepean Synchro. (http://www.nepeansynchro.com/2014-15-recreational-season/program-info-2014-2015-1)

Recreational team practices are organized differently and are longer depending on the level of the swimmers. The young teams, of girls ages 7-8, practice for 1.5 hours a week while older teams, of girls ages 9 and up, practice 2 hours per week. Then there is the Advanced Recreational level, for girls ages 13-18, which practices for 4 hours a week and is the most demanding level, commitment wise, in the recreational stream.

For very young swimmers they do very few laps during practice, change activities often to make sure to keep the young athletes’ attention for the entire practice, as well as incorporate games into all of the skills being learned. They do a total of 8-16 lengths throughout the entire practice and focus on 3 or 4 skills throughout the practice time. They will learn a new skill, practice it, then play a game that requires them to use that skill to win. This way they are learning the proper technique as well as a situation where that technique is used and must be used in order to be successful. Then when they practice that skill in a routine situation they have the foundation and the fun attitude associated with that skill that makes their synchro experience to be more fun. Here are examples of practice plans for three different levels of recreational teams. These templates are taken from the 2013 recreational coaching program at Nepean Synchro and were resources for the coaches to help them plan their practices effectively.

You will notice throughout all three of these templates that the coaches make a practice goal as well have a monthly goal so that they are able to focus their practices accordingly to their season’s training plan. They also have time put aside for dryland training to promote cross training in the recreational level so if/when they move up to competitive they are more accustomed to the idea. They also all do 15 plus minutes of laps and workout to warm up the athletes for their practice. They all then proceed to focus on the more synchro specific aspects of practice such as routine and skill development. Overall the recreational teams practice enough to succeed in their level and fulfill the goal of having fun and building a love for the sport. (http://www.nepeansynchro.com/2014-15-recreational-season/program-info-2014-2015-1)

 

4.2 Competitive Level Training Methods

Competitive teams train significantly more than recreational teams, often practicing 6 times a week with both drylands and water practices, lasting for a minimum of 2 hours at a time. There are often extra practices available too which result in the competitive swimmers practicing for a total of 15.5 hours in a regular week. (http://www.nepeansynchro.com/competitive/training-schedule-1) This training program is comprised of many different types of training such as endurance, aerobic and anaerobic training, on land cross training, and routine specific training. Coaches use specific training methods to best train their athletes to perform to the level they are wanting. Here is an example of a summer training program made for me by my coach at the time, Michaela Kostron, to help me to improve for the next season. This will give you an idea of the types of exercises that synchro swimmers do during practices and to train.

The first and second pages are about me as an athlete and my previous athletic achievements as well as weaknesses. The point of this training plan was to improve my weaknesses to make me an overall better swimmer and my coach had designed exercises specifically for that goal.

The first workout that she gave me was to improve my power and upward momentum in body boosts which are a very fast and sharp movement exploding from the water. This workout is designed to work out and hopefully improve my fast twitch fibres. It is also to improve my strength in eggbeater which is more of a slow twitch fibre workout since you do eggbeater for the majority of the routine that you are above water for. The second workout was for speed, sculls, core strength and stability. This focused on improving my vertical line while upside down by focusing on the core strength and stability as well as improve my vertical height through training my sculls and the speed of my sculls.

  

The third workout focuses on endurance and slow twitch fibres of the athlete. Building this endurance will increase the athlete’s lactic acid threshold and allow them to perform at a higher standard for longer periods of time.

The first three workouts are in the pool to promote sport situated exercise so that when the athlete, in this case myself, are thrust into a sport specific situation they are able to apply those trained skills.

  

The next few workouts are a combination of land workouts and in water workouts, promoting the cross training that helps athletes develop and improve in their sport outside of a sport specific situation. The training plan focuses on how doing exercises outside of the pool will also help athletes in the pool. My coach focused on five main things for me with the combined on land and in pool workouts; flexibility, spins, eggbeater and body boosts, thrusts, and sharpness in figures. For each of these skills she gave appropriate land workouts that benefit that specific skill as well as in water drills and exercises to practice and perfect the skills. She also provided descriptions of how doing these workouts and the exercises can contribute to the improvement of that skill. My coach had also worked with me privately throughout the year and knew aspects of skills that I often had difficulty with. She made sure to add specific corrections to those skills that she knew I had trouble with to help me focus on them and keep those corrections in mind when practicing. This training plan was very helpful and improved me as a swimmer. When I came back for the next season after the summer I saw an improvement and had an advantage since none of my teammates had been training over the summer and weren’t at the same level of fitness that I was at.

Even though this training plan is specific to me as a swimmer, a similar one can be applied to any athlete and practices are structured in a similar way. During practice athletes will practice skills by breaking them down and working on improving all the little elements that are a part of the skills as a whole and perfect those before chaining them all together to make the skill itself. Athletes practice these skills multiple times a week and for weeks on end in order to get them as close to perfect as possible since for most of the skills done at practice, they are evaluated on at competitions. Being a competitive synchronized swimmer requires a great deal of time commitment and dedication to yourself as an athlete and your personal athletic development, which in turn improves the team’s overall athletic ability.

 

4.3 Olympic Level Training Methods

If you thought the commitment in the competitive level was a lot then the necessary commitment for the Olympic level will blow your mind. “Olympic-level synchronized swimmers have a high volume and high-intensity training program of 7 hr/day for 6 days/week (Mountjoy, 2009). The training regimen involves not only the synchro-specific pool training but also additional training in weights, ballet, Pilates, speed swimming, acrobatics, flexibility, and conditioning.” (Robertson, S., Benardot, D., & Mountjoy, M. (2014)) “Elite synchronized swimmers need to be both aerobically and anaerobically fit. Current requirements for more acrobatic manoeuvres may now involve less time spent underwater, but the long training sessions associated with the sport mandate a high level of fitness.” (Robertson, S., Benardot, D., & Mountjoy, M. (2014)) “The gymnastics-type movements that are performed within the high resistance of water requires that athletes develop a broad range of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal strength, typically attained through running, cycling, swimming, and practicing competition routines. Off season training commonly involves the use of free weights and plyometrics to improve leg and core strength. The typical training schedule involves the establishment of a quadrennial plan, usually established by national teams, which outlines the training goals and objectives of the 4 years leading up to the Olympic Games. The yearly training plan is divided into macrocycle, mesocycle, and microcycle phases, and the nutritional requirements of synchronized swimmers vary depending on the training phase and the volume and intensity of the work being performed.” (Robertson, S., Benardot, D., & Mountjoy, M. (2014))

Olivia Allison is an Olympic synchro swimmer for the United Kingdom. She practices 6 days a week and her weekly plan is outlined below. This is an example of what any Olympic synchro swimmer generally does for her training.  (Allison, O. (2009, January 10))

 

My typical week

Monday

7-8am: Warm-up. I run on the spot to get warm, do 30 sit-ups and other core muscle work and use resistance bands to get my arm and leg muscles working. I also practise stretching and the splits.

8-9.30am: 5,000m of speed training in the pool. This involves both power and endurance sets using a combination of strokes, and we do monthly timed swims of 400m.

9.30am-12.30pm: Routine training in the pool.

2.30-3pm: Land drills (a walk-through of the routines on land).

3-5pm: Routine training in the pool.

Tuesday

7-9am: Strength training and conditioning. We have set individual programmes designed to target weaknesses, enhance strengths and avoid injury tendencies. The muscles being worked are related to pool work.

9am-1pm: Routine training in the pool.

Wednesday

As Monday.

Thursday

As Tuesday.

Friday

7-8am: Land warm-up.

8-9.30am: Speed training in the pool.

9.30am-1pm: Routine training in the pool.

Saturday

8am: 30-minute land warm-up and stretching followed by a cardio workout in the gym.

9.30am: Strength training and conditioning.

11am-12noon: Stretching, flexibility training such as over splitting (where the legs split over 180 degrees for extra flexibility), gymnastics.

Sunday

Day off. I don’t have a lot of spare time, but when I’m not training I lifeguard to earn some extra money or I see my boyfriend. My training hours will gradually increase as I get closer to competitions.

(Allison, O. (2009, January 10))

This type of training is what Olympic synchro swimmers must do to maintain their body composition, muscle mass, endurance, and aerobic and anaerobic strength.

Here are some examples of exercises that synchro swimmers would do in their weekly training. 

Core training: sit-ups, plank holds, bicycle crunches, hanging leg raises 

 hanging leg raises  bicycle crunches  sit ups 

Arms: support scull with bands, arm curls, pushups (tricep and regular)

  bicep curls tricep pushup

Flexibility: scorpion, forward backwards stretch, pigeon, leg swings (forward, backwards, sideways)

 scorpion  leg swing sideways 

 forward   backward

 pigeon

Plyometric exercises: high kicks, butt kicks, lunges, ankle hops, tuck jumps, squat jumps, box jumps, cone hops

  lunges  tuck jumps box jumps

Stretching: As seen in this video syncho swimmers have to stretch out their body before they swim. This is only an arm and leg stretch video, leg swings (forward, backwards, sideways), back stretches (arching, cat and cow, child pose), leg stretching (touching your toes, straddle and reaching to each foot and the middle) 

 straddle cow  cat  back arch 

Routine training: swimming routine with weights, practicing sections to music or taps, practicing with partner, working on one specific figure or arm until perfect

 practicing figures

Swimming training: synchro IM (underwater, back crawl, breast stroke, front crawl), endurance training (400m timed swim, sets including unders and front crawls), breathing and no breathing sprints, synchro sets (sets with synchro laps included, a lap of ballet leg, a lap of vertical travelling sideways, under with a figure at the end)

 vertical holds  front crawl

(Koh, S. (2014, March 17), http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/the-go-hard-core-workout-routine) 

These are just a few examples of exercises that you can do, there are many other options but these are the kinds of exercises that are done during practices and are expected of athletes to do at home as well. 

4.4 In Conclusion

The training methods for the different levels vary greatly in difficulty and requirements since the different levels demand different things from their athletes. They all demand dedication and a certain level of athleticism for the athletes to be able to succeed in the sport. The recreational level demands less of the athletes and isn’t nearly as an intense training program. The competitive program is slightly more intense and demanding of its athletes. It is a big step up from the recreational program but not as big a step up from the competitive program to the Olympic training program. Olympic level synchro swimmers dedicate their whole life to training and the results really pay off when they get to go and represent their country on an international scale and stand on that podium.

Canada’s synchronized swimming team stands on the winners podium after winning the bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. (CP Photo/ COA)
L’équipe de nage synchronisée du Canada célèbre après avoir remporté la médaille de bronze aux Jeux olympiques de Sydney de 2000. (Photo PC/AOC)

Photo: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/001064/f1/0914synchro7-v6.jpg

Conclusion: Synchronized Swimming at the Different Levels

There are different streams for different types of athletes in every sport. The different streams in synchronized swimming require different levels of competence from their athletes.

Recreational level athletes do not require a specific body type or any kind of specific cellular characteristics in order to be allowed into the program. Anyone can join recreational synchro though having a certain body type or useful cellular characteristics can contribute to the swimmer’s success in the sport. These swimmers can generally eat whatever they want, as long as they stay healthy, to be able to swim. There are no real dietary restrictions. They also have a very laid back and fun training program that doesn’t require that much dedication from the swimmers or their families.

Competitive has a few more specific requirements in order to truly succeed at your age level. Swimmers with a mesomorphic body type generally succeed more in synchro at the competitive level. Swimmers that have a medium metabolism, a good circulatory system, and muscles that contract efficiently and are mostly type IIA muscle fibres generally are more successful. These characteristics do not determine whether you are able to participate in the sport which is what makes it different from Olympic level. Competitive swimmers have to be more health conscious but mostly just before a competition. While away at competitions the teams eat as healthily as possible and the athletes are encouraged to the same at home leading up to the competition. As for training, competitive level swimmers train significantly more than the recreational level but significantly less than at the Olympic level.

Olympic swimmers have the most requirements as to whether they can be involved in the Olympic stream or not. They must be a mesomorph with a medium metabolism, excellent circulatory system, and mostly consist of type IIA muscle fibres. All these elements are important since there are so many people trying to join the Olympic stream so having any kind of advantage over other athletes can help a specific athlete get onto the team. Olympic swimmers also have a very restricted diet that fuels their body for practices and competitions without changing their body composition or affecting their body fat and muscle mass. They also have very high intensity training programs that all lead up to one goal; the Olympics and that podium. It is all these elements that allow these athletes to make it there, make it to gold.

Overall synchronized swimming is a very women positive sport and influences so many young women. Here are two articles written by two previous Nepean Synchro athletes on their love for synchro. The first is written by Greer Gemin who swam with Nepean for 7 or more years and continues to coach with them now. (Gemin, G. (2013, April 1)) https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxuZXBlYW5zeW5jaHJvMXxneDo4NjlmZmU0MTU5ZTUxNDU

Greer Gemin swimming her solo to Amelie in 2014 (http://danrobichaud.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v72/p1472677752-11.jpg)

The second article is written by Lily Dong who swam for 8 or more years and coaches now with London Synchro in London Ontario. (Dong, L. (2014, June 16)) https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxuZXBlYW5zeW5jaHJvMXxneDoyYTRhNDMwNDdiN2EwM2I3

Lily Dong’s coach profile photo on London Synchro’s website 2015

(https://sites.google.com/site/londonsynchroclub/_/rsrc/1413378288369/about-the-team/lily-dong/_MG_8260.jpg?height=320&width=213)

Both of these women were incredibly dedicated athletes in the competitive stream who coached recreational swimmers to share their love for synchro with young girls and continue to do that even now. (http://www.nepeansynchro.com/2014-15-recreational-season/join-our-club)