How to Compete in a Synchronized Swimming Competition

Synchronized swimming combines the aspects of dance and ballet with the athletic aesthetics of water movement. It began over 100 years ago, though its first official competition didn't take place until 1939. If you want to compete in a synchronized swimming competition, you need to prepare and train accordingly.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bathing suit
• Bathing cap
• Nose-plugs

1. Learn synchronized swimming moves. The basic moves are the "sculls," designed to keep the body afloat and move it around the pool. There are literally hundreds of additional moves of varying difficulty levels, aimed at delivering an athletic or aesthetic impression: the more you learn, the more options you have in competition.

2. Train. Like every other sport, synchronized swimming requires extensive practice to master. You need to work on both individual moves and the overall routine--matching it precisely with your chosen music--and if you wish to compete in a duo, trio or team, you will need to practice together as much as possible.

3. Design a routine. Synchronized swimmers perform highly detailed choreography highlighting both their grace and athletic prowess. You (and your partners if necessary) need to select appropriate music, choose moves which match it well and keep the routine within the proscribed length for any competitions you choose to enter (usually from 2 to 5 minutes), as well as selecting appropriate costumes and waterproof make-up.

4. Hire a coach. Synchronized swimming coaches can help you perfect your technique and design a routine for competition. If you can't locate a formal synchronized swimming coach in your area, see if you can hire a dance teacher or a ballet teacher willing to work with a synchronized swimming routine.

5. Find a pool to practice. Organized synchronized swimming clubs may already have a pool set aside for their use. If not, you will need to schedule time at a local public pool or university pool. You can locate nearby pools using a swimmer's website, like ClubSwim.com (see Resources below).

6. Consider attending a high school or university with a synchronized swimming program. Though it is a small sport and can be difficult to find, some schools, such as the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan, do sponsor synchronized swimming programs (see Resources below).

7. Sign up for competitions in your area. Canada and the United States both have organizations which host synchronized swimming competitions throughout their respective countries. See the USA Synchro website or the Synchro Canada website to get specifics on competition requirements and schedules.

Tips & Warnings

• Synchronized swimming competitions start fairly early in life, with tournaments for swimmers in their early teens. If you are serious about wanting to compete in synchronized swimming, it pays to begin early.
• Although solo synchronized swimmers do compete, you will probably need at least one partner in order to partake in a synchronized swimming competition.

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Resources

• Find a pool using ClubSwim.com.
• The University of Minnesota synchronized swimming program.
• The University of Michigan synchronized swimming program.
• The Synchro Canada website for competition information.
• USA Synchro website for synchronized swimming competitions in the U.S.