Synchronized swimming is
kind of a hybrid of swimming, dance, and gymnastics, consisting of
swimmers (either solos, duets, or teams) performing a synchronized
routine of elaborate moves in the water accompanied by music.
Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills and requires
great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry, and
precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside
down underwater.
Competitors show off
their strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance required to
perform difficult routines. Swimmers may perform two team routines
for the judges, one technical and one free, as well as age group
team routines, duets, solos, and figures.
Synchronized swimming is
governed internationally by FINA (Federation Internationale de
Natation).
synchro is fun, with
opportunities to make close friendships with teammates and meet
swimmers from around the city, province, country, and the
world
synchro is a unique water
sport that develops grace, strength, and endurance
synchro is fulfilling:
mastery of complex skills, positions, and movements develops a
swimmer's sense of accomplishment and well-being
synchro is competitive
and motivational
synchro teaches life
skills: teamwork, time management, commitment, perseverance,
respect, co-operation, nutrition, and the importance of involvement
in sport
swimmers develop not just
synchro skills but also strength, flexibility, and aerobic
fitness
synchro is an Olympic
sport, but even swimmers who don’t get that far may travel
far before leaving school
over 90 per cent of
Synchro Canada members go on to university of other postsecondary
education
synchronized swimmers
learn skills that can transfer to other sports and activities:
swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving, free diving, diving, water
polo, underwater hockey, gymnastics, coaching, life
guarding
synchro is a sport for
life; swimmers from ages five to 75 participate in synchro in
Edmonton
swimmers of all body
types can excel in synchro
water sports are
physically challenging but gentle on joints
synchro has a low risk of
injury
synchro has
music!
as well as athleticism,
synchro requires cognitive skills like counting, memorization,
rhythm, coordination, and visualization
fit children do better in
school (see the news item from the Globe and Mail); the
Canadian Paediatric Society recommends 90 minutes of exercise time
per day
swimmers can practice at
home by stretching or rehearsing their routines through
landdrilling a sequence of hand and arm gestures that represent
their movements in the water
synchro develops core
body strength, as you can imagine
Canada has a history of
success in synchro, medalling or placing well at the Olympics; in
2009 Canada won the FINA World Trophy artistic event, coming first
in three out of five events and first over all
Why
choose Aurora Synchro
The Edmonton
Aurora Synchronized Swim Club is a nonprofit sports club
run by a volunteer elected board of directors. All members are
welcome at board meetings and encouraged to be involved in club
activities.
Aurora Synchro offers
training and practice groups for swimmers of all ages and ability
levels, from novice to national. Our goal is to offer age-specific
training for all of our athletes, geared towards challenging each
individual and developing each individual to the best of their
abilities. Following Sport Canada's long-term athlete development
(LTAD) model, our programs implement optimal training and
development for swimmers of every age and stage.
We are constantly growing
and training young swimmers to maintain a well-rounded competitive
synchronized swimming team. We are proud to be recognized at a the
silver level by Synchro Canada’s club excellence program. We
are also fortunate to train in the heart of Edmonton’s river
valley at the Kinsmen Sports Cente, a world-class training
facility.
Here are some reasons to
join Aurora Synchro:
for
quality in coaching: all of our coaches have the
minimum certification level required by Synchro Alberta. Also all
of our coaches have competed at the national level; most of our
coaches have participated on provincial teams with some of our
coaches having previous National Team experience
for training at
a world-class facility: Kinsmen Sport
Centre is recognized as one of the best facilities in Canada to
train in, with two 50m competition pools as well as a dive tank and
two weight rooms and a track for dry land training, plus easy
access to running trails
for excellence in
synchronized swimming: the Auroras have a long-standing history of
being a successful at all levels, consistently placing in the top
six in figures, team, solos, and duets; participating on provincial
teams; and are the only athletes in the city to participate at
Canadian national team trials
for
travel opportunities: the Auroras have been
to many places for training and competitions, including Victoria,
Nanaimo, London, Whitehorse, St.John, Quebec City, Phoenix, Prague,
Nantes
for satisfaction
guaranteed: if you are not satisfied with the
program by the end of your first month, you will be given a full
refund
Edmonton Aurora
Synchronized Swim Club is the premier synchro club in Edmonton
since 1981, the only competitive club in northern Alberta operating
for 30 years
we’re passionate
about synchro
Aurora Synchro is
committed to encouraging and facilitating the pursuit of excellence
in sport for girls and women in the capital region
we offer all levels of
synchro, from novice to national, both recreational and
competitive: FUNdamentals through all the tier levels, from tier 1
to tier 7
we work with other clubs,
inviting them to camps and workshops
we look for opportunities
for participation in workshops and competitions both locally,
elsewhere in the country, and around the world (In 2009 a team of
13 to 15 year olds travelled with their parents to Prague to
compete with swimmers from the Czech Republic, Egypt, and
Russia.)
we have a variety of ways
for parents to get involved, from assisting at meets to sitting on
the board
we have great gear,
including swimsuits, t-shirts, jackets, and bags
we’re proud of our
club and its success
we have a program of
recognition awards
we have highly qualified,
well-respected coaches
our parents are dedicated
to their children’s success
we swim at convenient,
consistent locations, with free parking
we create opportunities
for parents and swimmers to make friends at practices, meets, and
social events
we host water shows twice
a year for swimmers to demonstrate their skills
we hold camps:
end-of-summer tune-up camp, Christmas camp, spring break camp,
summer camps for all levels of swimmer all summer
long
Aurora Synchro swimmers
have opportunities to train with world-class high-performance
coaches like Leslie Sproule and Ren Wang
we participate in star
level testing for FUNdamentals swimmers
we offer opportunities
for travel; recent trips include destinations such as Nanaimo,
Montreal, Arizona, Nevada, and Prague
we offer cross-training
in activities such as diving; flexibility; drama; dryland workouts
including running, stair climbing, and weight training; yoga;
breath holding workshops offered by world-class free divers; and of
course swimming stroke improvement
Aurora Synchro programs
follow Sport Canada’s sport for life (CS4L) and long-term
athlete development (LTAD) programs
we offer a free trial
lesson for new swimmers
we develop successful
swimmers who place well in provincial, regional, and national
competitions, including swimmers who have joined Canada’s
Olympic team
it is not uncommon for
high level Canadian swimmers to move to Edmonton to swim with
Aurora Synchro
we employ successful
coaches who have the highest levels of certification and have been
chosen to coach national-level teams
we have great volunteers
who support the well-run events we host
we have wonderful parents
who are involved in the club and their children’s
success
we use first-class
facilities, including Kinsmen Sports Centre and Fountain Park
Pool
we use a powerful website
application to co-ordinate our programs and events
our website is kept up to
date with calendars and upcoming events
detailed descriptions of
programs and policies are readily available on
website
at the Kinsmen Sports
Centre parents can work out at the same time as their children,
utilizing the Kinsmen’s many fitness options: weight room,
cardio equipment like treadmills and ellipticals, lane swimming,
badminton, track, sauna, fitness classes such as step or
spinning
our programs are fairly
priced, comparable to other synchro programs in the
city
Why the
Auroras?
1. For
quality in coaching
All of our coaches have the minimum certification level required
by Synchro Alberta. Also all of our coaches have competed at the
national level. Most of our coaches have participated on provincial
teams with some of our coaches having previous National Team
experience.
2. For training at
a world-class facility
Kinsmen Sport Centre is recognized as one of the best facilities
in Canada to train in. There are 2-50m competition pools as
well as a dive tank. For dry land training there are 2 weight
rooms and a track. Kinsmen is located in the river valley which
allows easy access to running trails.
3.
For excellence in synchronized
swimming
The Auroras have a long-standing history of being a successful at
all levels. Our swimmers place consistently in the top six in
figures, team, solos, and duets. They participate on Provincial
Teams and are the only athletes in the city to participate at
National Team Trials.
4. For
travel opportunities
The Auroras have been to many places for training and
competitions. Here are a few of the places we have been or will be
going; Victoria, Nanaimo, London, Whitehorse, St.John, Quebec City,
Phoenix, Prague, Nantes
5. For satisfaction
guaranteed
If you are not satisfied with the program by the end of your first
month, you will be given a full refund.
Aurora
Synchro testimonials
Great sport for grace,
concentration, and flexibility with a huge team atmosphere, older
girls helping younger ones. It has helped my daughter with her self
confidence, and it’s nice to have the older girls for her to
look up to; they've been great role models, poised and friendly.
The coaches are fantastic; they seem to know each girl so well.
— Michelle and Ryann, age 10, tier 1 swimmer
We Love Aurora. Alexis
watched one of your water shows at the Kinsmen and wanted to try it
out. We loved the free lesson and then attended the summer camp for
a week. She and I were hooked. She looks forward to the classes
every week. Even though she is one of the youngest in the
FUNdamental program, she fits in with all the swimmers. She
loves when the older swimmers help out in the class. Our
instructor, Jessica, is excellent and very supportive. Overall, the
club already makes you feel as if you belong to a great
organization. We look forward to many years with the club.
— Trish and Alexis, age 5, FUNdamentals
swimmer
I chose the sport of
synchronized swimming because I grew up watching my mom and sister
do it. It is a lifelong sport that combines muscles, coordination,
and music in the water. I am loyal to the Auroras because it
is the club I competed for as a youngster. I was a member of the
Auroras when it originated, and grew up with the club as a swimmer
and a coach. The Auroras has always produced top athletes in the
sport, with a focus on team spirit and individual excellence.
— Jennifer, former swimmer and current coach
I like that this club is
so positive and happy. I transfered from another club and was
expecting it to be hard core, like the rumors said Auroras was. I
was shocked when everything was so happy and easygoing. I have way
more fun here! Don't get me wrong, this club works you hard!
— Megan, age 14, tier 4 swimmer
I recently switched to
Aurora Synchro from a recreational club where I'd been swimming for
many years, and my change was amazing. I first swam competitively
last year, and before that had no competitive experience. It was a
huge change, but it was easy and fun with the assistance of helpful
and patient coaches, wonderful teammates, and constant
encouragement. I have improved more then I ever dreamed possible.
Now I always look forward to going to the pool, to working hard, to
having fun, and to learning. It's the best thing that's ever
happened to me.
— Allison L, age 13, tier 6
swimmer
This is my ninth year as a competitive synchro
swimmer, and my third year with the Auroras. Pretty much from the
time I started synchro, I have held an undeniable passion for this
sport. It is my life. I had tried out many different sports and
activities during my childhood, but nothing ever stuck. Synchro did
though; why? Many reasons I think, one being that you can never get
bored with it. It is a sport designed to push you to your limits.
How much higher can you get? How much more flexible? Stronger?
Faster? At what point does it become easy? It never does, of
course; you will always be trying to push past your own personal
limitations because nothing is ever completely mastered. It is this
intrigue (for one) that keeps me around. Moving to the
Auroras was a move I had to make if I wanted to become a successful
swimmer, although I was a little bit sceptical at first because of
the stories that circulated through the synchro world. These
stories turned out to be nonsensical tales in the end, and since
then I have grown to love the Auroras and its participants. The
girls are my second family, the club my second home. My time spent
here so far has been extremely worthwhile, my skill and ability in
the sport has increased a thousand-fold, and I have been lucky
enough to be part of some fantastic experiences (team Alberta,
first place nationals etc.) alongside some amazing people. —Meg H ;), age 20, tier 7 swimmer
(If you're an Aurora
Synchro member and would like to contribute a testimonial, please
use the Contact
form. Thanks. ~ Janet)
History of Aurora
Synchro
The Edmonton Aurora
Synchronized Swim Club arose from a merger in 1981 between two
competing clubs in Edmonton, the Aquadettes and the 700 Wing
Kippers. The Head Coach of the 700 Wing Kippers, Leslie
Ringrose (now Leslie Sproule), became the head coach of the newly
merged club, which became the only nationally competitive club
within the city.
Although the Edmonton
Aurora Synchronized Swim Club was formed in the 1981, real success
did not begin until the mid-’80s. In 1987 Aurora Synchro had
members on the Canadian national team for the first time in
club history. This was the start of a very successful period.
Aurora Synchro placed members on every national team. Kirstin
Normand, an athlete who started synchro in the 1980s, went on to be
the captain of the 2000 Olympic team that won bronze in
Sydney.
Within the last 10 years
Aurora Synchro successes include winning two national
championships, three appearances in the Speedo catalogue, five
appearances on TSN, several top three finishes at international
events, and multiple top three and six finishes at Nationals. Some
recent prominent athletes from Auroras were Lindsey and Nicole
Cargill, who were longtime National A team members, with Nicole
being a member of the 2004 Olympic team in Athens.
Recently, in 2007,
Madison Allen became the first Aurora to make it on the 13-15
Canadian National Team. And current Head Coach Vanessa Bray was the
assistant head coach for the 13-15 Canadian National Team in the
summer of 2008. This team went on to win every event at the 2008
UANA Championships.
Our 2009 Canadian
national competition accomplishments include a third-place finish
by Emily Whalen and Nicola Allen in tier 7 seniors technical duet
and a fourth-place in tier 7 seniors free duet, a sixth place
finish by Emily Whalen in tier 7 seniors free solo, a second-place
finish in tier 7 seniors team technical routine, a 29th (out of
114) for Madison Allen in tier 7 juniors figures, and a first-place
finish in tier 7 seniors free team.
In 2010 at the Canadian Open Synchronized
Swimming Championship Natasha Ridenour placed fifth in tier 7
senior solos (technical and free combined); Emily
Whalen of the Auroras came first
overall in tier 7 seniors solo events; Meghan and Samara
Hipkin placed first in tier 7 seniors duets; and the Auroras came
second in tier 7 seniors team, missing first place by .001.
