A Different Kind of Swimming

(The following guest column comes from the Minnesota Synchronettes.)

Swim season is here and Minnesota pools are filling with kids of all ages working on their strokes or learning how to swim. Mention “swim team” and you hear plenty of tales, comments and advice on swim team life. However, a few girls in the western suburbs experience a totally different kind of swimming than the usual race down the length of a pool—it’s called synchronized swimming.

Do you have one of those girls who loves dance, loves swimming, loves gymnastic moves? Synchro ‘does it all!’ With synchronized swimming you don’t have to choose just one!

A synchronized swimmer will tell you that they consider theirs the most difficult sport in the world because it is a combination of several sports. You need the flexibility of gymnasts, the endurance of a marathon runner, the propulsion of an Olympic swimmer, the artistry of a figure skater and the grace and ease of a dancer. And you have to do it all while holding your breath, smiling and staying in synch with your teammates!

A lot of people may not even be aware that there is a synchronized swimming club giving kids the opportunity to have fun in the water, build friendships, learn teamwork and develop as all-around athletes!

The Minnesota Synchronettes offers several clinics this summer introducing the sport and skills of synchronized swimming—truly a sport that’s fun for the participants (who doesn’t love holding their breath while upside down in a pool!) and has exciting and breath-taking performances!

Clinics will be held during the months of July and August at the Minnetonka Aquatics Center – (http://tinyurl.com/7xbclut) and Hopkins (http://www.mnsynchronettes.org/). Clinics are 1.5 to 2 hours Monday through Thursday. Specially geared to swimmers new to synchro, plan on learning some new "moves" in the pool!

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Note: The Minnesota Synchronettes (MNS) is a non-profit U.S. Synchronized Swimming (USSS) club that practices in the west metro areas of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) and competes in numerous USSS synchronized swimming meets and championships throughout the year. MNS offers clinics and camps during the summer for both novice and experienced synchronized swimmers. Basic swimming skills are required.