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Synchronized swimming
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Synchronised swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers (either individuals, duets, teams or combos) 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.
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Encyclopedia
Synchronised swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers (either individuals, duets, teams or combos) 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.
Synchronised Swimming is governed internationally by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation).
History
In its early days just before 1900, synchronized swimming was also known as Ballet in the water. It's origin can however be traced back to the Romans and Greeks with performances in amphitheaters. The first known competition was 1891 in Berlin, Germany. Many swim clubs were formed around that time and a parallel development occurred in several countries in the world, mainly in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the USA. While exclusively a sport performed by men it its first days, it quickly became a women's sport due to the difference in physique (centre of gravity). In 1907 Annette Kellerman from Australia performs in New York in a glass tank as an underwater ballerina and popularises the sport at the time.
In 1924 the first competition in North America happens 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.
In 1933-1934 Katherine Curtis organises a show "The Modern Mermaids" for the World Exhibition in Chicago, which by the announcer is introduced as "Synchronized Swimming". This is the first mentioning of the term synchronised swimming, while Curtis still uses Rhythmic Swimming for the book published by her in 1936.
In 1968 Synchronised Swimming became officially recognised by FINA as the fourth sport next to swimming, platform diving and water polo.
First demonstrated in 1952, synchronised swimming has been an official sport at the Summer Olympic Games since 1984. 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. See also Olympic Medalists
Preparation
When performing routines in competition, competitors will typically wear a 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 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 aid 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,some teams allow you to start a team as young as 7 years old, Juniors (elite 15-18), Seniors (elite 15 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. Many States have teams that practice year round. There is also year round competition. A swim meet in the United states usually begins with the swimmers doing figures which are individual positions like the: ballet leg, the dolphin,it depends on your age range and your ability which figures you will have to do in front of a panel of 4 to 5 judges who will score you from 1 to 10 ( 10 being the best). After the figure round the routines then the routines begin. 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 or 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. Ballet
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 (16-18) 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.
"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.
- 'Sail boat/ Bent knee: 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.
- 'Flamingo': Similar to Ballet Leg position where bottom leg is pulled up so that the shin of the bottom leg is touching the knee of the vertical leg.
- Knight: Where the body is in a back arch with legs in back lay-out position. And a leg is lifted so it is perpendicular with the water.
- Side Fishtail: Side Fishtail is a position where the as the leg is being lifted up into a crane, it is rotated so the legs and the body make a 'Y' position.
Further descriptions of technical positions can be found on the website
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 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, the height and weight of the swimmer.
See also
External links
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