About Synchronized Swimming

Synchronized Swimming Clubs are comprised of routines featuring solos, duets, trios and teams. Teams may have as few as four swimmers but no more than eight swimmers. The recently introduced combo routine may have up to ten swimmers but no more than eight performing the routine at the same time. Soloists synchronize their movements to the music. Duets, trios and teams synchronize to the music and to one another. Fifty percent of the final routine score comes from combined individual compulsory figures and 50% comes from the artistic and technical scores for the routine swim.

Technical Merit has three major components.
1. Execution: The perfection of swimming strokes, propulsion techniques, figures, patterns and transition.
2. Synchronization: The ability to match one with the other and to move with the music.
3. Difficulty: The height of movements above the water, the complexity and multiplicity of the movements, the strength needed for the length of time movements require and the complexity of synchronization.

Artistic Impression has three major components.
1. Choreography: The variety and creativity of the movements, transitions, fluidity, patterns and pool usage.
2. Music Interpretation: The use of movement to interpret the music, its dynamics and rhythms.
3. Manner of Presentation: The poise with which the routine is presented, the ability to communicate through the choreography, and the seeming effortlessness of the performances.

There are three categories for swimmers. Typically, they begin and compete as Novices, move to Intermediates, and finally into Age Group. There are five age groups: 11 and under, 12–13, 14–15, 16–17 and 18–19. The age group of your routine is determined by the oldest member in the routine. For example last years SPS’s 18–19 Age Group Team was comprised of three high school seniors (18–19 age group) and five sophomores (16–17 age group). SPS-Synchro coaches work with over thirty routines in these three categories and five different age groups, all with different music, figures and choreographies.

Age Group swimmers have to place in the top three in their State Association to qualify for their Regional Meet. The top three in each routine at the Regions qualify for the National meet.

SPS Synchro is in the North Zone which is comprised of 15 states. SPS is in North Zone Region C (Age Group Region 10) which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri. In 2003 SPS-Synchro qualified 11 routines for the National Age Group Championships. At the National meet all the qualifying regional routines swim in a preliminary round. The routine has to place in the top 10 to make it to the final round. If you are in the top 10 you then do figures and that becomes one-half of your final score along with a second performance of the routine swim. Figures are done individually and a team’s figure score is a combination of all 8 swimmers.

The United States National Age Group Championship is the largest synchronized swimming competition in the world with over 1000 regional qualifiers competing. It is held every year in late June through the 4th of July.




	Synchronized Swimming Clubs are comprised of routines featuring solos, duets, trios and teams. Teams may have as few as four swimmers but no more than eight swimmers. The recently introduced combo routine may have up to ten swimmers but no more than eight performing the routine at the same time. Soloists synchronize their movements to the music. Duets, trios and teams synchronize to the music and to one another. Fifty percent of the final routine score comes from combined individual compulsory figures and 50% comes from the artistic and technical scores for the routine swim. Technical Merit has three major components. 1. Execution: The perfection of swimming strokes, propulsion techniques, figures, patterns and transition. 2. Synchronization: The ability to match one with the other and to move with the music. 3. Difficulty: The height of movements above the water, the complexity and multiplicity of the movements, the strength needed for the length of time movements require and the complexity of synchronization. Artistic Impression has three major components. 1. Choreography: The variety and creativity of the movements, transitions, fluidity, patterns and pool usage. 2. Music Interpretation: The use of movement to interpret the music, its dynamics and rhythms. 3. Manner of Presentation: The poise with which the routine is presented, the ability to communicate through the choreography, and the seeming effortlessness of the performances. There are three categories for swimmers. Typically, they begin and compete as Novices, move to Intermediates, and finally into Age Group. There are five age groups: 11 and under, 12–13, 14–15, 16–17 and 18–19. The age group of your routine is determined by the oldest member in the routine. For example last years SPS’s 18–19 Age Group Team was comprised of three high school seniors (18–19 age group) and five sophomores (16–17 age group). SPS-Synchro coaches work with over thirty routines in these three categories and five different age groups, all with different music, figures and choreographies. Age Group swimmers have to place in the top three in their State Association to qualify for their Regional Meet. The top three in each routine at the Regions qualify for the National meet. SPS Synchro is in the North Zone which is comprised of 15 states. SPS is in North Zone Region C (Age Group Region 10) which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri. In 2003 SPS-Synchro qualified 11 routines for the National Age Group Championships. At the National meet all the qualifying regional routines swim in a preliminary round. The routine has to place in the top 10 to make it to the final round. If you are in the top 10 you then do figures and that becomes one-half of your final score along with a second performance of the routine swim. Figures are done individually and a team’s figure score is a combination of all 8 swimmers. The United States National Age Group Championship is the largest synchronized swimming competition in the world with over 1000 regional qualifiers competing. It is held every year in late June through the 4th of July.

Copyright & used with the permission of the Walnut Creek Aquanuts, 2002 The sport of synchronized swimming has come a long way since its early beginnings as “water ballet” in Esther Williams’ movies. Today’s synchronized swimmer must have the grace of a ballerina, the strength and flexibility of a gymnast, the skills of a speed swimmer and water polo player, the lungs of a pearl diver, and the endurance and stamina of a long distance runner. Add to that the requirement for split-second timing and a dramatic flair for musical interpretation and choreography. “But it looks so easy,” many people say. Making a routine look easy is an important part of the sport and is just one of the things that the judges look for in competition. To get a better appreciation for the demands of this sport, imagine a gymnast performing on the balance beam while holding her breath for up to half of her routine. Now throw in additional gymnasts performing the same routine concurrently and in complete synchronization. The training regimen of a synchronized swimmer is more demanding than many sports. Top level synchronized swimmers may train for up to 8 hours per day. Weight training, flexibility exercises, not to mention many hours spent in the pool are all part of a synchronized swimmer’s workout. Synchronized swimmers compete in teams of eight, and in duets and solos. Junior and age group level swimmers may also compete in trios. Synchronized swimming has been an Olympic event since 1984. The first Olympic competitions featured only the duet and solo events. In the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the team event replaced the duet and solo competition and at the 2000 Olympics, synchronized swimming was represented with the duet and team events. Most synchronized swimming competitions are comprised of two parts. First is the “Figure” or “Element” competition where each swimmer performs a series of technical moves individually in front of a panel of judges without music. Then comes the “Routine” competition where the swimmers perform a routine comprised of technical moves choreographed to music. Swimmers are judged on technical merit and artistic impression. The technical merit score is based on synchronization, time underwater, difficulty and how high the swimmers can propel themselves out of the water. The artistic impression score includes how well the choreography is matched to the music and the grace of the swimmers in the water. A percentage of the athlete’s figure score is combined with a percentage of the routine score to determine the final score awarded.
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