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Originally called ‘ornamental swimming’, synchronised swimming (or ‘Synchro’ as it is commonly called) had its beginnings in Australia, North America and the UK in the early 1920s. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s synchronised swimming continued to develop as a sport—competitions became more organised and the sport itself became more physically challenging as swimmers continued to extend the boundaries of what they could accomplish. In the late 1940s, the name, ‘ornamental swimming’, was changed to synchronised swimming and featured as a demonstration sport at the 1952 Olympic Games. By the 1970s, Synchro had evolved into a truly demanding sport with the first World Championships held in Belgrade in 1973. Australia was represented by Beverley Balkind of NSW who reached the finals, placing 7th. However, it wasn't until 1984 that Synchro got its big break and made its debut as an Olympic event. Since that time, awareness, understanding, and respect for the sport have increased. Today, with more than 70 countries participating worldwide, Synchro swimmers enjoy the well-deserved prestige of being counted among the fittest athletes on earth.
Competitive synchronised swimming Competitive events There are seven competitive events in synchronised swimming competition at the World Chmpiosnhips: 1. Technical Solo (one swimmer) 2. Technical Duet (two swimmers) 3. Technical Team (usually 8 swimmers) 4. Free Solo (one swimmer) 5. Free Duet (two swimmers) 6. Free Team (usually 8 swimmers) 7. Team combination (10 swimmers taking turns in solo, duet and team modes). At other levels, competitions may be structured to include different combinations of the events. Except for the team combination, each event may consist of 2 or 3 components: · Free Routine + Figures, or… · Free Routine + Technical Routine, or… · Free Routine + Technical Routine + Figures Scores earned from each component of an event are added together and the winner of the event is the person with the highest total score for all the components. For example, in the Olympics, competitors in the solo event must perform a solo technical routine and a solo free routine. The scores from the technical and free routines are added together to determine the winner of the solo event. Figures The international governing body for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo and synchronised swimming is the Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA). All figures are defined by FINA in the FINA Handbook, which is updated every four years. In a figure competition, figures are executed without music. A figure is best defined as a series of transitions from one basic body position to another. The hands perform an arm action known as ‘sculling’ to support the body. There are many different types of sculls. Although a figure competition is no longer common at the highest international level, figures or hybrids of figures are still important parts of a routine. Synchronised swimming in Australia Synchronised swimming is a relatively young Australian sport. It is ideally suited to Australia's climate and aquatic-oriented population, and therefore shows great potential as a sport in which Australians can excel internationally. The Spectrum Program has been developed in NSW to increase participation in recreational synchronised swimming throughout Australia and provide swimmers with the enthusiasm for the sport and the basic skills necessary for further advancement, if desired. |
