Synchronised Swimming

SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING

Synchronised swimming is a growing sport in this country with the number of swimmers and clubs involved increasing nationally. Synchro is also now accepted internationally as a spectator sport, being one of the first events to sell out at the Olympic games. Competitive synchro swimmers must be extremely fit, and completely at home in the water. When tested and compared with other Olympic athletes the results showed that synchro swimmers ranked second only to long distance runners in aerobic capacity, and to gymnasts in flexibility. They must be strong yet graceful, interested in music sufficiently to be able to choose and interpret pieces of routines, and have stamina and determination. In order to achieve the standard needed for competition, swimmers must train with speed swimmers in distance work. Sessions are devoted to working on 'figures' - the set body positions and transition movements which form the basis of synchro. In addition, hours in training are spent working on routines. Swimmers work with partners for duet routines or in teams of between 4 and 8 swimmers, perfecting movements, developing the choreography of the routines etc. Landwork sessions include working on flexibility, strength and weight training, also creating, walking through and learning routines, listening to music and so on. Hythe Aqua Synchro has produced National, South East Region and County Champions and has had swimmers selected for GB Trials. Hythe Aqua Synchro swimmers have also achieved gold medals at National Schools competitions.

July 05 2019
Following on from the recent excellent Kent Championship results Hythe Synchro were in action again competing at the Combo Cup yesterday at the London Aquatics Centre.

A very long day for some, and an early start for the Feathers Team!

For The 15&U Division 1 Feathers Team this was their first experience of a National Level event, and they swam brilliantly to achieve 9th place in a tough age group of 20 entries.

The 13-18 Division 2 Tribal Warriors Team had an excellent swim, with improved patterns and figures from Kents a few weeks ago, and achieved 12th out of 18 in a very challenging age group.

For some swimmers it was their final event before they wave farewell and move onto pastures new - and we wish them all the best in their future careers and activities.

A big thank you must go to Phil Moo and Alison Cameron for giving up their day to judge with me, and to Ellie Sturgess and Kevin Sturgess for their excellent Team Management Skills throughout the day. Swimmers - don’t forget our fun session today - to celebrate your recent successes!

Hythe Aqua SC – Synchronised Swimming Success

Hythe Aqua Synchronised Swimming Club took 19 swimmers to Reading for the Invitational and Open Novice Event recently.
For some of the swimmers this was their first experience of competitive synchronised swimming, and they rose to the challenge. In the Ungraded section, 8-10 years, Eleanor Cameron Brookbank took the bronze medal position, closely followed by Ruby Stonestreet in 4th, Daisy Cooke in 6th, Lea Bibaud Coster in 9th and Rosa Bowden in 16th place. In the Ungraded section 9-12 years, Sandra Vroemen took the silver medal, with Madelyn Praman in 17th, Betsey Bowden 22nd, Mary Nunn 30th, Eve Cooper Montague 33rd and Stevie Redman in 43rd. In the Skill 1, 9-12 Age group, Amy Bondzio took Silver, teammate Imogen Clark took Bronze, and Isabelle Clark took 11th place. In Skill 1, 13-19 age group, Ellie Sturgess took the Gold Medal Position, with team mate Jessica Ellis in 19th. Skill 2, 13-19 age group saw Olivia Ellis taking the bronze medal position, with Lexie Foord in 10th, and Bethany Hook in 15th place. Hythe's 9-12 Combination team then performed their Monkeys themed routine to take joint 4th place out of 9 teams. The team were represented by Amy Bondzio, Imogen Clark, Isabelle Clark and Sandra Vroemen, with Madelyn Praman as reserve. Head Coach Erica Moo was very pleased with the results, explaining that all swimmers had worked very hard leading up to the event, and had performed well. The following day, Bethany Hook travelled to Croydon, where she passed her Skill Level 3 exam. This pass mark qualifies her to compete at the National Age Groups Championships in December in Gloucester. Hythe Synchro Squad are always looking for new members. if you are aged between 7 and 15, enjoy dance and swimming, and are interested in trying the sport, please contact hythesynchro@googlemail.com or phone 07821 413193 for more information.

Hythe Aqua Synchronised Swimming Club recently received a donation

Hythe Aqua Synchronised Swimming Club recently received a donation from 2 local businesses to enable them to purchase a new sound system to aid their training.

As music is an integral part of synchronised swimming, the club were struggling with their old sound system during training sessions. With thanks to the kind donations and sponsorship of local businesses Winstanley Windows and Independent Scaffolding, the club were able to purchase a brand new system to use at events and club training sessions.

Head Coach, Erica Moo said “with the generosity from these two local businesses, we can now train with a fully functioning music system, which combined with our underwater speaker system, enables the girls to practice their routines at every session. We are really grateful to have received these donations”.

Hythe Aqua Synchronised Swimming are always looking for new swimmers. If you are a keen swimmer and would like to try synchronised swimming please contact Erica at hythesynchro@googlemail.com.

South East Regional Novice competition in Farnborough, Hampshire

Hythe Aqua Synchronised Swimming Club recently took their novice swimmers to attend the South East Regional Novice competition in Farnborough, Hampshire.

In the Skill 0, 13years and over category, Ellie Sturgess took the gold medal, with a score of 61.754. Her teammate, Maya Stonestreet took the silver medal with a score of 57.9512 out of 27 swimmers.

In the 12years and under category, Hythe’s Amy Bondzio came 8th, Georgia Smith 14th, Eve Vallis 21st, Carys Rogers 41st, and Lani Ridley-Parish 42nd out of a large group of 45 swimmers.

In the Skill 1, 13years and over category, Hythe had 2 entrants, sisters Lexie and Sadie Foord, coming 6th and 9th respectively out of 15 competitors.

Erica Moo, the club’s Head coach stated, “I’m really proud of all the girls for their hard work leading up to this competition, and they all enjoyed the atmosphere of the event”

Hythe Aqua Synchro are always looking for new swimmers. If you are a keen swimmer and are interested in trying synchronised swimming, contact Erica at hythesynchro@googlemail.com