Russian synchronized swimming team, May 2007

Synchronised swimming demands incredible water skills, and requires incredible strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, not to mention exceptional breath control while upside down underwater. Developed in the early 1900s in Canada, it is a sport performed exclusively by women. In its early form it was sometimes known as "water ballet" so is not the case now.

First demonstrated in 1952, synchronised swimming has been an official sport at the Summer Olympic Games since 1984^[1]. The 1984 through to 1992 Olympics featured Singles and Duet competitions, but they were both dropped in 1996 in favour of a Team competition. At the 2000 Olympics, however, the Duet competition was restored and is now featured alongside the Team competition.

Olympic and World Championship competition is not open to men, but other international and national competitions allow male competitors. Both USA Synchro and Synchro Canada allow men to compete with women.

Competitors show off their strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance required to perform difficult routines. Swimmers perform two routines for the judges, one technical and one free.

Synchronised Swimming is governed internationally by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation).

Preparation

When performing routines in competition, competitors will typically wear a nose-clip. Hair is worn in a bun and flavorless gelatin is used to keep hair in place. Goggles are never worn. Competitors also wear custom swimsuits and headpieces, usually elaborately decorated, to reflect the type of music to which they are swimming. The costume and music are not judged, but factor into the overall performance and "artistic impression". Heavy eye make-up is often worn to help portray the emotions involved with the routine; it is very necessary to accentuate the eyes of each individual swimmer. Underwater speakers ensure that swimmers can hear the music at all times and also aids their ability to synchronise with each other.

Levels of competition

In the United States, the competitions are divided into the following age groups: Age Group, Juniors (elite 14-18), Seniors (elite 18 and over), Collegiate, and Masters. Within each competition there are different levels determined by age, point score or affiliation (for example, novice, intermediate, age group, junior (15-18), senior, varsity, club, master, etc. Individual swimmers may compete in up to three events, solo, duet, trio, and team. A team consists of four to eight swimmers, with .25 points added to the final score for each swimmer over the minimum of four. Swimmers also compete in individual figures and technical elements, which in some levels of competition are sometimes factored in with routine scores. Also, competition rules may limit the number of events that each team can participate in.

In Canada, synchronised swimming has a skill-based Tier Structure system with Tiers 1-7 as well as competition at the Masters and University levels. Tiers 6 and 7 are national stream athletes that fall in line with international age groups - Tier 6 is 15 and Under and Tier 7 is Junior (15-18) and Senior (18+) level athletes.

In the UK, competitions include county level, regional level through to the national age group competition usually held towards the end of the year. Competitors are split by age group, 12 and under, 13 & 14, 15/16/17, and 18 and over. To compete in the competitive strand of competitions swimmers must hold the required skill level for their age group. Recreational strands of competitions are also present to allow those competitors who have not achieved the desired level. Swimmers compete through figures, duets, teams and combination routines.

Basic Skills

Sculls are the basic elements of synchronised swimming and they are combined with one or more positions to form a figure, or complete movement. For more information about figures, USSS (United States Synchronised Swimming) publishes yearly a handbook of all the figures, including explanations and step-by-step drawings, that are recognised in the United States. It is available from their website.

Sculls

Sculls, or movements used to propel the body, are the most essential part to synchronised swimming. Commonly used sculls include head-first, foot-first, torpedo, dolphin, reverse scoop, split, barrel, paddle, support and canoe sculls. The support scull is used to support the body when a swimmer is completing a movement upside-down and underwater. Support scull is performed by holding the upper arms against the sides of the body and the lower arms at 90-degree angles to the body. The lower arms are then moved back and forth while maintaining the right angle. this allows the swimmer to keep a position above the water with incredible height.

Beating an egg or an "eggbeater" is another important skill of synchronised swimming. It is a form of treading water that allows for stability and height above the water while leaving the hands free to perform.

Positions

There are hundreds of different regular positions and seemingly infinite combinations of positions. These are a few basic and commonly used ones:

• Vertical position: Achieved by holding the body completely straight upside down and perpendicular to the surface usually with entire leg out of water.

• Crane position: While holding a vertical body position, one leg is vertical while the other is horizontal parallel to the surface making a 90-degree angle.

• Flamingo: Similar to the vertical position, but one knee is bent with the toe touching the inside of the vertical leg.

• Ballet Leg: Beginning in a back layout, one leg is extended and held perpendicular to the body, while the other is held straight along the surface of the water.

• Split position: With the body vertical, one leg is stretched forward along the surface and the other extended back along the surface.

• Open-legs position: With the body vertical, one leg is stretched to the far left with the other stretched to the far right; resulting in both legs being left wide open. This was popularised and often used by Alyssa Gerbert; a Canadian Synchronised swimmer.

Further descriptions of technical positions can be found on the International Olympic Committee website

Routine

Swimmers perform in an upside-down vertical position

Routines are composed of "hybrids", figures, and arm sections. They often incorporate lifts or throws, an impressive move in which a group of swimmers lift or throw another swimmer out of the water. Swimmers are synchronised both to each other and to the music. During a routine swimmers can never use the bottom of the pool for support, but rather depend on sculling motions with the arms, and eggbeater kick to keep afloat. After the performance, the swimmers are judged and scored on their performance based on technical merit and artistic impression. Technical skill, patterns, expression, and synchronisation are all critical to achieving a high score.

Technical Vs. Free Routines: Depending on the competition level, the swimmers will perform a free routine - no specific choreography requirement - and either a technical routine with predetermined elements or technical elements - a sequence of positions performed individually in front of a panel of judges.

Length of Routines: The type of routine and competition level determines the length of routines. Routines typically last two and a half to five minutes long, the shortest being solos, with length added as the number of swimmers are increased (duets, trios and teams).

In technical competitions, solo swimmers have only two minutes to perform their routine. In free routines solos are three minutes, duets three and a half minutes and teams four minutes.

Scoring: Routines are scored on a scale of 100, with points for both artistic impression and technical merit. The artistic mark is worth 60% of the total and the technical mark is worth 40%.

Combination (Combo) Routine: A new category has recently been incorporated into international Synchronised Swimming called the Combination Routine. In this event, up to ten swimmers compete a single continuous routine with two segments of team, two segments of duet and two segments of solo. During parts of the routine when some swimmers are not performing, they tread water alongside without touching the side or bottom of the pool. It is up to the discretion of the coach to determine the combinations of swimmers who will swim. The degree of involvement for any specific swimmer may vary. For example, a single swimmer may compete in both duet segments with two different partners or a swimmer may only perform in a single solo segment of the routine. This event is new but is gaining popularity with teams and audiences on an international level.

High school synchronised swimming

While there are hundreds of clubs around the United States, few states support Synchronised Swimming as an official high school sport. Each program structure may vary from place to place.

Michigan also has a high school varsity program. Its structure is similar to the USSS Age Group program with free and technical team, duet, and trio routines. Figures are also performed at competition and are divided into four levels (A-D), depending on the ability of the swimmer.

See also

• Esther Williams

References

External links

• Synchro Swim Ontario
• eSynchro (California)
• '''Go Synchro!''' -Further information on synchronised swimming, including pictures. Also has the history of the sport in Australia and includes contact details for Australian clubs
• Synchronized Swimming BC (British Columbia, Canada
• "Sync or Swim" Documentary film being made about synchronised swimming
• Synchronized Swimming Canada (Canada)
• USA Synchro United States Synchronized Swimming (USSS)
• '''PLC Synchro Club''' -Based in Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
• University of Minnesota Synchronized Swimming Team
• University of Richmond Synchronized Swimming Team
• University of Michigan Synchronized Swimming Team
• Boston University Synchronized Swimming Team
• 
• Synchro Alberta (Canada)
• Mississauga Synchro (Ontario)
• Indy Synchro (Indianapolis, IN)
• KW Synchronized Swim Club (Ontario)
• Walnut Creek Aquanuts (California)
• Swimkins Synchronized Swimming (Buffalo, NY)
• Saint Paul Stars Synchronized Swimming (St. Paul, MN)

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