Synchronized Swimmers Carry on Strong Tradition

Imagine performing gymnastics while holding yourself suspended upside-down in the water so just your legs are above the surface. You must synchronize your movements not only with music, but also with as many as seven other swimmers, who you won’t be able to see. You will be expected to hold your breath for a long time.

You will not be allowed to touch the bottom of the pool, even when you’re asked to propel another swimmer into the air so she can perform an acrobatic flip before hitting the water. It will be grueling. But the judges will expect your routine to be graceful, creative and well-choreographed—and don’t forget to smile.

That's synchronized swimming.

“The whole premise of the sport is to make it look easy,” said Linda Gust, coach of the synchronized swimming team since 1997 and former team member. “We train hard to make it look like it requires no effort.”

That attitude has led to great success, with the team winning 25 state titles since its formation in 1961, and capturing the section title each of the 15 years it has been offered. The girls hope to continue their winning ways this season, although Gust said the level of competition is getting better.

She said her swimmers have become more serious about working on strength and conditioning in the offseason to gain a competitive edge, including sessions in the weight room with her daughter Jessica, an assistant coach.

“Strength and conditioning are number one,” she said.  “Any additional strength they can build up will help them do what they need to do.”

Many team members also participate in speed swimming and other sports.

“Anything that promotes body awareness, such as dance or gymnastics, is also good,” Gust said.

There are 35 girls in grades 7-12 on the team this year, about 15 of whom are new. 

“We have had more swimmers join in the last three or four years,” Gust said. “Even though our school population has gotten smaller, we have worked with the junior high and the Aquafins (a synchro club based in St. Louis Park) to recruit more girls.” She added that the team takes all interested swimmers and does not have cuts.

The synchro season is divided into two types of meets—figure and routine. During the first part of the season, swimmers perform required moves known as figures. All competitors wear a black swimsuit and white cap, and each is assigned a number so judges don’t know which team they represent.

The second half of the season is dedicated to routine meets. Routines are performed as solos, duets, trios and in teams of up to eight swimmers. Swimmers compete in three divisions, based on the difficulty and length of their routines, and are judged on technical merit and artistic impression. For routine competitions, swimmers wear embellished, often custom-sewn swimsuits and decorative headpieces that they help design.

Gust said her swimmers also are very involved in writing their routines, and that writing a three-minute routine can take up to 10 hours.

At section and state meets, swimmers perform both figures and routines, and both scores are factored into placement.

“We have worked a lot on figures this year, which are 50 percent of our overall score at sections and state, so we should benefit from that,” Gust said.

Synchronized swimming dates to know:

May 21 — Section meet at Bloomington Jefferson High School

May 26-27 — State meet at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center