When I started
In 1989, my older sister was the synchro coach at the pool complex a half mile away from my house. It was a summer team for the months we did not have school, so to continue the sport, I had to join another team that is only active during the school year.
How I started
My older sister was on the Columbus Coralinas, a local team in Ohio that swam against Toledo, Newark, Cincinnati, and Dayton and does not have any affiliation with a specific pool or recreation center. I liked what I saw at her meets and wanted to try it.
Why I love it
Synchro is one of the most beautiful dance forms (the other is ballet). It has two advantages over ballet, however: getting dizzy during spins, when your ears are underwater, is impossible, and the only way I can get hurt swimming is by not stretching before I enter the pool. There's also the added benefit of increased lung capacity that only swimming makes possible. Because it is dancing in water, the whole body gets a workout (including the brain), in a safe environment. Plus sequined routine suits and headpieces are always pretty to look at!
How I stay motivated
No matter what my scores were, I always loved swimming because it really is about having fun and getting my exercise, not the scores and ribbons. Of course I cared about my scores and ribbons, but I started swimming because it is fun, not to seek future glory.
Accomplishments
My best score ever was a 7 - the only 7 I ever got - for a solo routine in 1996. Because that score was crossed out, I was only credited for all the 6-something scores, but just knowing I had a 7 for the first time in my career was a great feeling. That happened at the Age Group meet in Cincinnati. I also was four points short of qualifying for North Zone, but can't remember when that happened. My last season (1995-1996 school year) ended with receiving the Coralina of the Year Award, not something I felt qualified for, and a 40-point club trophy. I got only one medal (bronze for team), but that final score was only two hundredths of a point under the second-place team's overall score.
Additional Info
Atlhough I decided to retire from competition instead of advance to be a Masters swimmer, I hated not being able to continue practicing just for fun with a private coach or exhibition team. Someday, I want to find a group of swimmers who want to perform for people who don't know what synchro is to spread awareness and popularity of the sport with a bad reputation and lack of recognition it does not deserve.
