The competitive girls’ team from the Comox Valley Orcas Synchronized Swim Club participated in the Mable Moran Regional Meet at Watermania in Richmond earlier this month.
As this was the girls’ first meet in the competitive stream, the six girls from Courtenay and Comox swam in the novice competitive group.
As every synchro meet has two components – figures and the routine – each did figures on their own, followed by the group routine. Figures are a combination of skills and positions that require strength, control and flexibility, and the girls do not know which figures will be required until they attend the meet.
Emmy Lan and Anika Wulff competed in the 12 and under figures. As this was Lan’s first year in synchronized swimming and her first competition, she could have entered the competition in the novice rec category, but because the team needed a sixth person for their routine, she has swam competitive since only the middle of September of 2015.
In figures Lan received eighth place and Wulff came in second.
In the 13 and over category, Alex Grant came in first for her figures. Jillian Bryson placed fourth, Aili Forrest placed fifth, and Bella Anderson placed sixth – all finishing within the top 10.
After swimming their routine to Candy Man by Christina Aguilera, and adding their figures totals, the girls’ marks put them in first place in their stream and the province!
Teams came from as far as Vernon, Kamloops and Prince George.
The girls were also required to take part in the LTADs, Long Term Athletic Development, which as described by the Synchro BC website, gives athletes “a solid foundation of physical, practical, and mental skills, upon which they will build their athletic abilities, establish an active lifestyle, and develop a love for the sport of synchronized swimming.”
Some of these exercises included chin-ups, squats, planks, splits, and headstands, in addition to synchro-specific water drills.
“I am so proud of them and really impressed with their mental strength and fortitude they showed at the meet,” said coach Leona Hamm.
Next month, both teams of Orcas, the Comp and the Rec Stars will be competing closer to home at the Aquatic Centre in Nanaimo at the Jean Peters Provincial Championship and Recreational Island Meet.
More information about the CV Orcas can be found at www.cvorcas.com or on Facebook at Comox Valley Orcas.
Registration for the next synchro session will start in the fall for anyone (child to adult) who is interested. Try-It sessions are a great way to get in the water for a class to see if you want to join the CV Orcas.
