File:Synchronised swimming - Russian team.jpg
Synchronised swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers (either solos, duets, or teams) performing a synchronised routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music. Synchronised 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.
Synchronised Swimming is governed internationally by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation).
History
At the turn of the 20th century, synchronised 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 popularised 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 "Synchronised Swimming." This was the first mentioning of the term synchronised 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 popularised synchronised swimming through (often elaborately staged) scenes in Hollywood films such as Bathing Beauty (1944), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), and Jupiter's Darling (1955). In the 1970s and 80s, Ft. Lauderdale swimming champion Charkie Phillips revived water ballet on television in The Brady Bunch Hour (1976-77), NBC's The Big Show (1980), and then on screen with Miss Piggy in The Great Muppet Caper (1981).
Synchro as an Olympic Sport
Although first demonstrated at the 1952 Olympic Games, synchronised swimming did not become an official Olympic sport until the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.. It was not until 1968 that synchronised 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
Team
Discontinued Event
Solo
- 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 synchronised 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 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 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
2006-07 Men's Swimming Team Photo - DUQUESNE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
Duquesne University Athletics Site: complete coverage of all NCAA sports including basketball, football, baseball, soccer, volleyball, Sailing and swimming. Contains scores, stats ...
Ottawa Swim Club
The click to enlarge, seems to have worked again for the Ottawa Swim Club! Photo Courtesy of Tom Nash
Evergreen Hurricanes Swim Team Photo, Video, and Audio Consent ...
Evergreen Hurricanes Swim Team Photo, Video, and Audio Consent & Release Form From time to time photographs, videos, and/or audio clips may be taken of the Evergreen Hurricanes ...
Torpedo Swim Team - Home
Photo Gallery; Games & Fun Stuffs; Terms & Conditions ... "TORPEDO SWIM TEAM HAS A NEW HOME" For Learn To Swim Classes in Jurong West Aquatic Centre:
Photo Bureau :: Swim Team Service Project: Cedar Rapids Flood Relief
Swim Team Service Project - Flood Cleanup - photo Devin Parker - Jerry Johnson (johnsjer)
Home - Waterview Swim Team
Contact Us: Coaches: Swim Team Rules: Practices: Meets: Events: Volunteer: Photo Gallery ... If it is a deluge of rain, swimming will stop because of safety. If ...
Team Photo
© Whitman College | 345 Boyer Ave. Walla Walla, WA 99362 | Contact us
2006-07 Duquesne Swimming Team Photo - DUQUESNE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE ...
Duquesne University Athletics Site: complete coverage of all NCAA sports including basketball, football, baseball, soccer, volleyball, Sailing and swimming. Contains scores, stats ...
King's College Athletic Department
2007-08 King's Swimming Team Photo Front Row (L-R): Maggie Nealer, Sara Schmader, Nick Ponte, Pat Seslar, Brian Seslar, Ron Argus, and Travis Nicolette,.
FlyFins Swim Team: Photo Albums
flyfins swim team:league web site hosted at eteamz - Fairfield, Connecticut 06824 USA