About Synchronized Swimming

Synchronized swimming is a wonderful marriage of sport and creative performance.  That said, know that there is more to synchronized swimming than what appears on the surface! Besides demanding strength, endurance, flexibility, grace and artistry, it also requires developing good breath control.

Unusual, but vital, equipment will help synchronized swimmers maintain the illusion of effortlessness - no simple task considering they perform strenuous movements upside down and underwater while holding their breath:

• A nose clip prevents water from entering the nose, allowing you to remain underwater for longer periods.
• An underwater speaker allows you to hear the music clearly while underwater, so you can achieve the split-second timing critical to synchronized swimming.

In competition, synchronized swimmers perform highly technical and physically demanding routines in the water and are marked by a panel of judges. Solos, duets, trios, and teams (4-8 athletes) perform a technical routine and a free routine. The draw for the technical routine is open, while the free routine is seeded on the basis of results from the technical routine. Judging of each routine consists of two marks: technical merit and artistic impression.