SynchroWA

Leaving for Claremont pool, camera and notepad in tow, I was not sure what to expect as I prepared to sit through my first West Coast Splash Synchronised Swimming training session. West Coast Splash is a fairly new organisation that has grown quickly in Perth, Western Australia. The sport had been described to me as a cross between dance and gymnastics performed under water. Having done a lot of ballet and other forms of dance, I was fairly certain I would be impressed by synchronised swimming. I was not wrong. Synchronised swimming is a sport that requires fitness, discipline and performance from its participants. In addition, it encourages teamwork and establishes friendships to last a life time – all this and more, I would discover during my time spent with the West Coast Splash Synchronised Swimming Team.

My few weeks at training sessions and three days spent poolside with the girls at the Synchronised Swimming National Championships in Melbourne certainly gave me an idea of the way in which members interact with each other. In both training and competition, West Coast team girls of all ages were ready to cheer for their friends whenever they surfaced from the water. It was easy to locate the West Coast Splash girls in the grandstand of the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre; I often found the whole club bunched around a team of girls sat on the floor, all getting involved in preparing them for their event in as many ways as possible. The way in which the coaches and older competitors are able to mentor and encourage the younger girls seems to establish a fun and exciting atmosphere for all involved in such a competition – the younger girls enjoyed having their hair and makeup perfected by one of the older girls or coaches, and this seemed to strengthen the team bond that West Coast Splash shared.

Having familiarised myself with the physical aspect of the sport during the girls’ training hours, this tight knit atmosphere was the aspect of the sport that I first noticed during the competition. Deborah Tsai, a 19 year old team member, commented that after doing most of her training with older team members, she found it very interesting spending time with younger girls in the competition atmosphere. She added that “though there are more responsibilities with younger girls, in many ways they make it more fun – they’re kids, kids are always fun”. Indeed, Coach Natasha Haynes is frequently asked by coaches and parents of other teams how she is able to keep her girls so united. Her response is that she and the other coaches have “spent a lot of time working on the culture of the club and the behaviour they expect of their members from the start”. As a result, it is easy for anyone at the pool to notice when any West Coast Splash swimmer prepares to begin their routine.

As a sport requiring such aerobic fitness, synchronised swimming undoubtedly necessitates its participants to be willing to train hard if they expect to achieve. According to Natasha Haynes, the West Coast Splash girls are, on the whole, dedicated to put in what they expect to get out of their sport. They certainly proved this by winning the overall Championship ahead of teams from New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Noumea, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. The coach suggested that their victorious performance indeed reflects their training, commenting that the girls have a “very structured training programme and with some girls having only been training with us for a year, to come here and win has been absolutely amazing”.

In the midst of high level competition, it is perhaps not a surprise that the Team have experienced various levels of stress tolerance while in Melbourne. Having witnessed such a united and energetic team on poolside, I was interested to ask Marsea Nelson, West Coast Splash Coach since December 2012, how the girls have been coping at other stages of the competition. “Consistency is what we train for” was her initial response, “of course there are always other factors that the girls are unable to control during competition, but dealing with these factors is part of their training”. She noted that though the girls deal with stress very differently, they have all been great at supporting each other and ensuring that the competition is enjoyed by all.

As the competition comes to an end, I begin to realise that I will miss the West Coast Splash girls. In addition to making me feel welcome, all members of the Club interact so well with one another that I find them a highly energetic and fun group to be around. It has been fascinating learning about synchronised swimming as a sport, both in its physical aspect and the way in which it encourages friendship and teamwork. I feel lucky to have been in some way associated with the team spirit the West Coast Splash girls brought to training and competition alike, and hope you all continue to have such fun in your sport. Thank you team!

WA athletes head to Melbourne

synchroWA — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:26:05 +0000

West Coast athletes are headed to Melbourne for the 2013 Australian Open and Age Group Championships held 4-7 April. The event is the largest national competition of the season.

National team members Debbie Tsai and Aoife McCann will compete in the Open Duet competition, with their routine choreographed to music from the movie Moulin Rouge. Debbie will also perform in the Open Solo event, swimming to Paganini Rhapsody by violinist David Garrett. Fellow national team member Jade Haynes-Love will swim her solo in the Junior category. Aoife and Jade will be joined by team members Simone Helberg, Isabelle Smith, Rebecca Wilson, Natalia Malinowski , Anna Oganova, Holly Thompson, Caelie Jones and Alana Jenkinson to perform their Michael Jackson “Thriller” routine in the Free Age combination category. Isabelle and Natalia will also compete in Open Duet to music from the movie Rio. Jade will team up with Sydney-based national team member Amie Thompson for the Junior Duet competition.

In the 13-15 Team competition, Alessandra Ho, Orla McCann, Alana Jenkinson, Gabrielle Percic, Hannah Burkhill, Anna Oganova and Kazia Zenke will perform their dance-themed routine. WA will showcase two 13-15 Duets, Orla with Alessandra and Hannah with Kazia.

In the 12 and Under age group, WA will be represented in the Solo category by Gabrielle Percic and Jessica Eidne. Jessica will be joined by Marnie Kennedy to perform their Greek-themed Duet. Jessica and Marnie will also be competing in the Team competition with teammates Rebecca Wilson, Celeste Johns and Athena Emmott. Rebecca and Celeste will swim their penguin-themed routine in the Duet category as well.

Athletes will be accompanied by coaches Natasha Haynes, Aine McCann, Skye Reynolds, Jess Thompson and Marsea Nelson. Alexandra Miller will represent WA as a national judge.

A special thanks to the team mums for this event: Dee McCann, Ruth Smith, Jess Yin, Fiona Wilson and Nikki Eidne.

Congratulations to all of the athletes for their hard work this season, and best of luck on the East Coast!

Sun Smart State Championships Display WA’s Synchro Talent

synchroWA — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:41:49 +0000

SynchroWA staged the Sun Smart State Championships at Challenge Stadium on Saturday, March 2. West Coast Splash participated in the event with 18 swimmers, ages 10 to 18, competing in the solo, duet, team and combination categories. Mary Andreotta managed the event; Alexandra Miller, Dee McCann, Hilary Tsai and Ann Ferries judged. Bridget Ammon and Silvia van Amersfoort acted as shadow judges.

Among the many good performances across the age groups, special mention must go to Jade Haynes-Love who won the Roberts Memorial Shield for being the most consistent Junior in the State Titles.

The results were:

12U Figures – 1st Gabriella Percic; 2nd Jessica Eidne; 3rd Marnie Kennedy
12U Solo – 1st Gabriella Percic; 2nd Jessica Eidne
12U Duet – 1st Jessica Eidne, Marnie Kennedy; 2nd Rebecca Wilson, Celeste Johns
12U Team – 1st Jessica Eidne, Marnie Kennedy, Rebecca Wilson, Celeste Johns, Athena Emmott
13-15 Figures – 1st Gabriella Percic; 2nd Alessandra Ho; 3rd Alana Jenkinson
13-15 Duet – 1st Alessandra Ho, Orla McCann
13-15 Team – 1st Alessandra Ho, Orla McCann, Alana Jenkinson, Gabriella Percic, Hannah Burkhill, Anna Oganova
Junior Figures – 1st Jade Haynes-Love; 2nd Holly Thompson; 3rd Caelie Jones
Junior Solo – 1st Jade Haynes-Love
Open Figures – 1st Debbie Tsai; 2nd Aoife McCann; 3rd Isabella Smith
Open Solo – 1st Debbie Tsai
Open Solo Technical – 1st Debbie Tsai
Open Duet – 1st Debbie Tsai, Aoife McCann
Free Age Combo – 1st Aoife McCann, Simone Helberg, Isabelle Smith, Rebecca Wilson, Anna Oganova, Jade Haynes-Love, Holly Thompson, Caelie Jones, Alana Jenkinson

In addition, 5 swimmers from the recreational synchro class at Aqua Jetty in Warnbro performed their display routine.

Thank you to the parents, volunteers and coaches who made this event possible. Congratulations to all of the athletes and best of luck as you make your final preparations for April’s National Championships in Melbourne.

Synchro WA breaks Australian record

synchroWA — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 02:33:41 +0000

Synchro WA broke its own record for Australia’s biggest ever synchro routine during the Sun Smart Big Sync Event at Claremont Pool on February 24th.
Fifty-seven participants—ranging from girls brand-new to the sport to Australian national team members—joined together to learn and successfully swim a one-minute routine. They bested the 2010 record by 14 swimmers.
You can view the performance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBw-ffb8shg&feature=youtu.be. (right click > ‘open link in new tab’ if you are having problems viewing the video).

Synchro WA would like to thank all of the coaches, parents and swimmers whose enthusiasm and support made the day a success.

International synchronised swimming event comes to Perth

synchroWA — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 01:54:32 +0000

Perth held the first Sun Smart International Synchronised Swimming Club Championships at Challenge Stadium on Sunday, 17 February. Athletes, judges and officials from Perth, Sydney, the Gold Coast, the Philippines, Singapore, Great Britain and New Zealand participated in the event.

The event, organised by SynchroWA, saw competitors ages 8 to 22 competing in the solo, duet, team and combination categories. Western Australia was represented by 20 athletes from the Claremont-based club West Coast Splash.

Results in order for 1st, 2nd and 3rd:
12U Figures – Gabby Percic, Jessica Eidne, Marnie Kennedy.

12U Solo - Gabby Percic, Alina Mitrokhing (Speediswim), Jessica Eidne.

12U Duet – Jessica Eidne & Marnie Kennedy, Rebecca Wilson and Celeste Johns.

12U Team - West Coast Splash.

15U Figures - Debbie Soh (Singapore Sports School), Gwyneth Goh (Singapore Sports School), Miya Hsing Yong (Speediswim).

15U Solo - Debbie Soh (SSS), Gwyneth Goh (SSS), Aik Fen Tay (Speediswim) 15U Team West Coast Splash.

15U Duet - Debbie Soh & Gwyneth Goh (SSS), Aik Fen Tay & Miya Hsing Yong (Speediswim), Alessandra Ho & Orla McCann.

15 & Over Figures - Bianca Hammett (Gold Coast Mermaids), Jade Haynes-Love, Olia Burtaev (Gold Coast Mermaids).

15 & Over Solo - Jade Haynes-Love, Amie Thompson, Natalie Chen (SSS).

15 & Over Duet – Bianca Hammett & Olia Burtaev (GCM), Jade Haynes-Love & Aime Thompson, Ruth Desiree Abiera & Jemimah Nissi Tiambeng (Rosenrei Synchro Sirens).

15 & Over Technical Solo - Debbie Tsai.

15 & Over Technical Duet – Gold Coast Mermaids.

Free Age Combo - West Coast Splash.

Scoring Details (click a link below to download as pdf):

15 & over technical duet

15 & over technical solo

15 & under duet

15 & under figures

15 & under solo

15 & Under team finals

free age combo

Sun Smart Synchro WA 2013 Calendar of events

synchroWA — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 04:44:33 +0000

Sun Smart Synchro WA 2013 Calendar of events – Click here to download as a PDF

Sun Smart Synchro in the Wheatbelt

synchroWA — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 05:21:11 +0000

SynchroWA brought synchronised swimming to the Wheatbelt over the Australia Day weekend as part of its Sun Smart Regions in Sync programme, sponsored by Healthway. National team members Debbie Tsai and Aoife McCann, along with coach Marsea Nelson and parent Hermann Tsai, taught three free sessions at the Koorda Swimming Pool, giving local residents the opportunity to try the sport.

SynchroWA is proud to promote the Sun Smart message and this initiative follows on last year’s successful trip to Derby in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

SynchroWA is grateful to the Department of Sport & Recreation for providing support for Marsea Nelson, who is our visiting coach from the USA.

Synchro in the Wheatbelt

synchroWA — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 06:54:19 +0000

SynchroWA is bringing synchronised swimming to the Wheatbelt as part of it’s Regions in Sync programme, sponsored by Healthway. National team members Debbie Tsai and Aoife McCann, along with coach Marsea Nelson and parent Hermann Tsai, will teach free sessions at the Koorda Swimming Pool over Australia Day weekend, giving local residents the opportunity to try the sport.

SynchroWA is proud to promote the Sun Smart message and this initiative follows on last year’s successful trip to Derby in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

SynchroWA is grateful to the Department of Sport & Recreation for providing support for Marsea Nelson, who is our visiting coach from the USA.

US coach joins West Coast Splash

synchroWA — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:40:42 +0000

West Coast Splash is pleased to welcome Marsea Nelson to its coaching roster. Marsea previously coached nationally-ranked age group athletes in the state of Virginia, and she comes to Perth to help take the competitive program to the next level. As a swimmer, Marsea was a junior national champion, and her coaching accomplishments include winning South Zone Coach of the Year in 2011. She will work on further developing the skills, figures and routines of the competitive team athletes, and will also assist with the recreational program.