synchronized swimming

Russian synchronised swimming team, May 2007

Synchronized swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers (either solos, duets, or teams) performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music. Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills, and requires great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside down underwater.

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.as well as age group routines and figures.

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

History

At the turn of the 20th century, synchronized swimming was known as Water Ballet. The first recorded competition was in 1891 in Berlin, Germany. Many swim clubs were formed around that time, and the sport simultaneously developed within several countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the USA. As well as existing as a sport, it often constituted a popular addition to Music Hall evenings, in the larger variety theatres of London or Glasgow which were equipped with huge on-stage water tanks for the purpose.

While exclusively a sport performed by men in its first days,, it quickly became a women's sport because the nature of the physical movements are more suitable to the female physique (i.e. center of gravity). In 1907, Australian Annette Kellerman popularized the sport when she performed in a glass tank as an underwater ballerina in New York.

In 1924, the first competition in North America was in Montreal, with Peg Seller as the first champion. Other important pioneers for the sport are Beulah Gundling, Käthe Jacobi, Dawn Bean, Billie MacKellar, Teresa Anderson and Gail Johnson. Many of the competitions in those days were still done in lakes and rivers.

See also

• A History of Synchronized Swimming, by Synthia Sydnor in the Journal of Sport History, Volume 25, Number 2.
• The History of Aquatics, in Aquatics International, July/August 2003.

Origins

In 1933-1934 Katherine Curtis organized a show, "The Modern Mermaids," for the World Exhibition in Chicago, which the announcer introduced as "Synchronized Swimming." This was the first mentioning of the term synchronized swimming, although Curtis still used the term rhythmic swimming in her book, Rhythmic Swimming: A Source Book of Synchronized Swimming and Water Pageantry (Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Co., 1936). See a photo of Motherwell's Rhythmic Swimming Display, 1946.

But it was National AAU champion swimmer, Esther Williams, who popularized synchronized swimming through (often elaborately staged) scenes in Hollywood films such as Bathing Beauty (1944), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), and Jupiter's Darling (1955).

Synchro as an Olympic Sport

Although first demonstrated at the 1952 Olympic Games, synchronized swimming did not become an official Olympic sport until the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.^[1]. It was not until 1968 that synchronized swimming became officially recognized by FINA as the fourth water sport next to swimming, platform diving and water polo.

From 1984 through 1992, the Summer Olympic Games featured solo and duet competitions, but they both were dropped in 1996 in favor of team competition. At the 2000 Olympic Games, however, the duet competition was restored and is now featured alongside the team competition. Meghan O'keef was the first champion in the Olympics for the United States. She started with ballet so her elegant lines.

Current Olympic Events

Duet

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1984 Los Angeles	Tracie Ruiz and Candy Costie (USA)	Sharon Hambrook and Kelly Kryczka (CAN)	Saeko Kimura and Miwako Motoyoshi (JPN)
1988 Seoul	Michelle Cameron and Carolyn Waldo (CAN)	Karen Josephson and Sarah Josephson (USA)	Mikako Kotani and Miyako Tanaka (JPN)
1992 Barcelona	Karen Josephson and Sarah Josephson (USA)	Penny Vilagos and Vicky Vilagos (CAN)	Fumiko Okuno and Aki Takayama (JPN)
1996 Atlanta	not included in the Olympic program
2000 Sydney	Olga Brusnikina and Maria Kisseleva (RUS)	Miya Tachibana and Miho Takeda (JPN)	Virginie Dedieu and Myriam Lignot (FRA)
2004 Athens	Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova (RUS)	Miya Tachibana and Miho Takeda (JPN)	Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova (USA)
2008 Beijing	Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova (RUS)	Andrea Fuentes and Gemma Mengual (ESP)	Saho Harada and Emiko Suzuki (JPN)

Team

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1996 Atlanta	United States (USA) Suzannah Bianco Tammy Cleland Becky Dyroen-Lancer Emily Lesueur Heather Pease Jill Savery Nathalie Schneyder Heather Simmons Jill Sudduth Margot Thien	Canada (CAN) Lisa Alexander Janice Bremner Karen Clark Karen Fonteyne Sylvie Fréchette Valerie Hould Kasia Kulesza Christine Larsen Cari Read Erin Woodley	Japan (JPN) Raika Fujii Mayuko Fujiki Rei Jimbo Miho Kawabe Akiko Kawase Riho Nakajima Miya Tachibana Kaori Takahashi Miho Takeda Junko Tanaka
2000 Sydney	Russia (RUS) Elena Azarova Olga Brusnikina Mariya Kiselyova Olga Novokshchenova Irina Pershina Yelena Soya Yuliya Vasilyeva Olga Vasyukova Yelena Antonova	Japan (JPN) Ayano Egami Raika Fujii Yoko Isoda Rei Jimbo Miya Tachibana Miho Takeda Yoko Yoneda Yuko Yoneda Juri Tatsumi	Canada (CAN) Lyne Beaumont Claire Carver-Dias Erin Chan Cathrine Garceau Fanny Létourneau Kristin Normand Jacinthe Taillon Reidun Tatham Jessica Chase
2004 Athens	Russia (RUS) Yelena Azarova Olga Brusnikina Anastasia Davydova Anastasia Ermakova Elvira Khasyanova Mariya Kiselyova Olga Novokshchenova Anna Shorina	Japan (JPN) Michiyo Fujimaru Saho Harada Kanako Kitao Emiko Suzuki Miya Tachibana Miho Takeda Juri Tatsumi Yoko Yoneda	United States (USA) Alison Bartosik Tamara Crow Rebecca Jasontek Anna Kozlova Sara Lowe Lauren McFall Stephanie Nesbitt Kendra Zanotto
2008 Beijing	Russia (RUS) Anastasia Davydova Anastasia Ermakova Maria Gromova Natalia Ishchenko Elvira Khasyanova Olga Kuzhela Svetlana Romashina Anna Shorina Yelena Ovchinnikova	Spain (ESP) Alba María Cabello Raquel Corral Andrea Fuentes Thaïs Henríquez Laura López* Gemma Mengual Irina Rodríguez Paola Tirados Gisela Morón	China (CHN) Gu Beibei Jiang Tingting Jiang Wenwen Liu Ou Luo Qian Sun Qiuting Wang Na Zhang Xiaohuan Huang Xuechen

Discontinued Event

Solo

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1984 Los Angeles	Tracie Ruiz (USA)	Carolyn Waldo (CAN)	Miwako Motoyoshi (JPN)
1988 Seoul	Carolyn Waldo (CAN)	Tracie Ruiz (USA)	Mikako Kotani (JPN)
1992 Barcelona	Kristen Babb-Sprague (USA)	none awarded*	Fumiko Okuno (JPN)
	Sylvie Fréchette (CAN)

• Kristen Babb-Sprague won gold and Sylvie Frechette won silver at the awards ceremony. However, that was the result of a judge's typing error and Frechette actually had the higher score. At a later time, Frechette got the gold medal she deserved, but Babb-Sprague did not give up hers and settle for silver. Frechette wrote a book about this titled Gold At Last.

Basic Skills

Sculls

Sculls (hand movements used to propel the body) are the most essential part to synchronized swimming. Commonly used sculls include support scull, head-first, foot-first, split scull, barrel, paddle, and thrust. The support scull is used to support the body while a swimmer is performing upside down. 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. The resulting pressure against the hands allows the swimmer to hold their legs above water while swimming. To move feet first your fingers face down and to go head first your fingers point up. You use support scull when you are upside down.

Eggbeater

"Eggbeater" is another important skill of synchronized swimming. It is a form of treading water that allows for stability and height above the water while leaving the hands free to perform strokes. An average eggbeater height is usually around chest level. Using eggbeater, swimmers can also perform "boosts", where they use their legs to momentarily propel themselves out of the water to their hips or higher.

Lifts

A lift is when swimmers use eggbeater to propel their fellow teammates out of the water. They are quite common in routines of the older age groups.

• Platform Lift:

The platform lift is the oldest form of lift. In a platform, one swimmer lays out in a back layout position. Another swimmer then steps onto their torso. The remaining teammates use eggbeater to hold the lift out of the water.

• Stack Lift:

A more modern version of the platform, a stack lift is comprised of three parts: the top (or "flyer"), the base, and the pushers. The base sets up in a squatting position a few feet underwater, with the pushers holding her legs and feet. The top then climbs onto her shoulders. As the lift rises, both the base and top extend their legs to achieve maximum height.

• Throw:

A throw lift is set up exactly like a stack lift. However, when the lift reaches its full height, the "flyer" on top of the lift will jump off of her teammate's shoulders, usually performing some sort of acrobatic movement or position. This is a very difficult lift, and should only be attempted by experienced swimmers.

Positions

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

• Back Layout: The most basic position. The body floats, completely straight and rigid, face-up on the surface while sculling at the sides.

• Sailboat: Similar to the back layout, but one knee is bent with the toe touching the inside of the other leg, which remains parallel to the surface.

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

• Flamingo: Similar to ballet leg position where bottom leg is pulled into the chest so that the shin of the bottom leg is touching the knee of the vertical leg.

• Vertical: Achieved by holding the body completely straight upside down and perpendicular to the surface usually with both legs entirely out of water.

• Crane: While holding a vertical body position, one leg remains vertical while the other is dropped parallel to the surface, making a 90-degree angle or "L" shape.

• Bent Knee: While holding a vertical body position, one leg remains vertical while the other leg bends so that its toe is touching the knee of the vertical leg.

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

• Knight: The body is in a surface arch position, where the legs are flat on the surface, and the body is arched so that the head is vertically in line with the hips. One leg is lifted, creating a vertical line perpendicular to the surface.

• Side Fishtail: Side fishtail is a position similar to a crane. One leg remains vertical, while the other is extended out to the side parallel to the water, creating a side "Y" position.

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

Routine

Swimmers perform in a team routine

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 synchronized 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 synchronization are all critical to achieving a high score.

Technical vs. free routines

Depending on the competition level, swimmers will perform a technical routine with predetermined elements that must be performed in a specific order. In addition to this, they will also perform a free routine, which has no requirements and is a chance for the swimmers to get creative and innovative with their choreography.

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.

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 addition, technical routines are shorter than free routines.

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%.

Preparation

When performing routines in competition, competitors will typically wear a rubber nose-clip. Some swimmers even wear ear-plugs to keep the water out of their ears. Hair is worn in a bun and flavorless gelatin, Knox, is used to keep hair in place. 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 marks will be taken if the headpiece falls off any swimmer while he/she is swimming the routine), 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. Lipstick is often used, and many teams see fit to smear some on their cheeks for a very vibrant and water-resistant blush. Underwater speakers ensure that swimmers can hear the music at all times and also aid their ability to synchronise with each other. Goggles, though worn during practice, are not permitted during routine competition, though exceptions can be made if a swimmer has a chlorine allergy.

Competitions

The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with English-speaking territories and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page.

In the United States...

In the United States, competitors are divided into groups by age. The seven age groups are: 10 and Under, 11-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-19, Junior (elite 15-18), Senior (elite 18+), Collegiate, and Master. In addition to these groups, younger swimmers may be divided by ability into 3 levels: Novice, Intermediate, and Age Group. Swimmers compete year-round at competitions called "meets". A standard meet in the United States usually begins with the swimmers doing "figures", which are positions performed individually without music. All swimmers must compete wearing the standard black swimsuit and white swimcap, as well as goggles and a noseclip. Figures are performed in front of a panel of 5 judges who score swimmers from 1 to 10 (10 being the best). After the figure competition, the routines begin. Each swimmer may compete in up to three of the following routine events: solo, duet, trio, and team (consisting of four to eight swimmers). Figure scores are combined with routines to determine the final rankings.

In Canada...

In Canada, synchronised swimming has a age-based Tier Structure system with age groups 8 & under to 16 & under there is also a skill level wich is tier 6 and 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 (16-18) and Senior (18+) level athletes.

In the United Kingdom...

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, 15-17, 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.

See also

• Esther Williams
• Aquatic timing system

References

• International Olympic Committee results database

v • d • e Synchronized swimming at the Summer Olympics 1984 • 1988 • 1992 • 1996 • 2000 • 2004 • 2008 List of medalists

External links

• USA Synchro United States Synchronized Swimming (USSS)
• Synchronized Swimming Canada (Canada)
• Great Britain National Team
• 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
• "Sync or Swim" Documentary film being made about synchronised swimming
• Colorado Time Systems