Is this even a sport? (continued)

Last time I posted I looked at what it takes to be a synchronised swimmer, the physical demands of the sport and the dangers associated with it. It seems amazing that anyone would want to submit to such rigours. And yet many do.

Girls often start as young as four years old and dedicate the majority of their teenage years to attempting to get to the top.

Of course, that’s not unique to Synchro swimmers; whilst most of us are warm and cosy in bed youngsters throughout the world are out there grooming horses, thwacking tennis balls, sprinting on tracks in all weathers – and plunging into chilly waters. All for their dream of a brief moment of glory. But the routine for a synchronised swimmer seems especially tough.

Training will often start at 7am and will comprise up to six hours pool work each day. A typical session may start with a warm-up and then progress to practising basic technique skills. Next, come rehearsals for individual elements and set pieces, breath control before finally piecing all these elements together into a full routine. And all the while they need to ensure they are aware of and complementing the performance of their teammates. It sounds easy when you say it like that but it involves many repetitions with attention to the smallest details to perfect. And that’s not the end of training for the day. To finish it’s off to the gym for another two hours lifting weights, running and other cardio work plus stretches and flexibility work.

It’s a pretty full-on schedule. And when all that’s over it’s back home to start homeschooling for the day to keep up with their education. Normal social life is pretty much impossible and it’s little wonder that the bonds made between team members tend to be incredibly close as the demands of the lifestyle can only really be understood by those who are making similar sacrifices.

Most are affiliated with a club. In the US it is generally recognised that the top two clubs in the country are the California-based teams from the Santa Clara Aquamaids and the Walnut Creek Aquanuts.

The coaches for both clubs are all ex-Olympians. When you hear them talk it all seems very wholesome. Kim Probert of the Aquanuts speaks about a “balance between attaining an elite Olympic standard and having fun and fitness at a grassroots level”. Her Aquamaids counterpart Sonja Van Der Velden talks about having a “culture of swimmers, coaches and parents working together…to create a community where you can grow as a person”. Fine words indeed and certainly the success of the teams lay testament to their success. But make no mistake that the girls are driven hard and I’m sure tough decisions need to be made for those who don’t make the grade.

Because attention to detail is everything. In competition, a wrongly pointed toe or an inaccurate flick of the wrist can mean the difference between success and failure. The complexity of the lifts and the sharpness of the routines score highly but the smallest of details can bring everything crashing down.

Earrings, jewellery and goggles are all banned. Nose clips are OK - and pretty essential given the amount of time the swimmers are upside down. (In fact, it is not uncommon for a spare set to be clipped to the costume in case the main set is lost).

Routines can begin out of the water but all swimmers must have left dry land within ten seconds to avoid disqualification. The music is a big part of any routine and powerful underwater speakers ensure the swimmers are always able to hear it. However, it is essential that it is played at the right time and is the right tune otherwise points are deducted ruthlessly.

Imagine that. You’ve dedicated the last six months of your life to perfecting a routine and it all goes to nothing because some clown forgets to press “play” on the cassette recorder.

The way the swimmers look is also highly regulated. Often swim caps are not allowed and in these instances the hair needs to be always neat and tidy with no wayward strands to spoil the look. To achieve this a strong gelatine is applied, usually via a paintbrush, which glues the hair in place whilst giving it a shine and lustre.

This works well right up to the point when it needs to be removed again. Getting this gunge off the scalp is an art in itself and swimmers often describe it as the most difficult thing about the sport!

If skills with a paintbrush are needed for the gelatine then similar skills in DIY appear to be in order for the make-up which might as well be put on with a trowel. Because the spectators and judges are seated at quite some distance, there is little subtlety involved in the look. Even a panda bear might think some of the styles are a little overboard.

Obviously, it is essential that all the make-up is waterproof and doesn’t run or smudge so care must be taken to use only the best, which often means the most expensive, products.

But the cost of make-up can pale into insignificance when compared with the costumes worn by the girls. These are designed with the latest fabrics with great attention paid to the design to ensure the maximum freedom of movement whilst the material remains light and strong. Bespoke costumes are usually required for each routine so the lifespan of a garment is pretty short. And at a cost of around $300 per costume for each member of the team this pretty quickly mounts up to be a significant sum. Add to this the cost of travel to competitions plus accommodation for swimmers, coaches and guardians and the maintenance costs associated with running training facilities it is easy to see that this is not a cheap sport in which to participate.

Creative solutions may be required to literally keep everything afloat and the Aquanuts and Aquamaids both employ the same somewhat surprising solution.

Bingo.

Yup, regular bingo nights are a big part of both organisations. And if this brings to mind an image of a few elderly ladies sitting around in a drafty church hall, well think again. This is fund-raising on an industrial scale. The bingo halls are state-of-the-art and huge. Annual turnover is counted in the millions and rapidly approaching the tens of millions. Parents of swimmers volunteer to man these events (although one suspects there is very little that is voluntary about it if their daughter is to remain on the team) and their job is to service every need of the players, serving drinks, food replenishing supplies etc all whilst gently fleecing them for every last dollar they have – and, learning a bit from the swimmers - maintaining a happy grin throughout.

Even this fairly superficial look behind the scenes of synchronised swimming has revealed truths to me – and maybe you too – of which I was previously only vaguely aware. It’s a sport which is physically incredibly demanding (and at times downright dangerous). The sacrifices made by the girls who participate are immense. But the pressures on the families should not be overlooked either, as they not only support their child, but also can be helping to maintain a huge financial juggernaut to fund it all.

So next time you watch a synchronised swimming display (and I hope you will) don’t be taken in by the fixed smiles. They hide an incredible amount of hard work which has gone into just three minutes of performance.