A lift from Tauranga Synchro Hector's Dolphin team. Photo / Gail Stent Photography
A lift from Tauranga Synchro Hector's Dolphin team. Photo / Gail Stent Photography
Tauranga Synchro's team of 35 athletes shined at the 2020 NZ Artistic Swimming Championships held in Hamilton.
Over 170 athletes from around the country competed in the event, in a variety of solo, duet and team performances.
Artistic swimming, formerly known as synchronised swimming, is a mixture of swimming, gymnastics and dance performed in the water.
On the podium there were plenty of smiles for the Baywave-based club.
The biggest upset came from their Hector's Dolphins team, comprising Grace Fish, Grace Reid, Estella Sylvester, Jasmine Riley, Sophie Winters and Greta Nemedi, who won gold in the hard-fought beginner Dolphin category.
It was the first time in twelve years the club had won gold in the category. All the more remarkable given that the team included some swimmers who had only been with the club for a few months.
Hector's Dolphin team plus coaches Eden Worsley and Eva Morris who won a gold medal. Photo / Supplied
Dolphin co-coaches and senior New Zealand representative swimmers Eva Morris and Eden Worsley were stoked with the win.
"We only recently decided to take them to the championships," Morris said.
"We told them not to expect anything and that it was just a learning experience. And then they smashed it!"
Worsley was equally thrilled by the result.
"It was a massive shock. It's pretty remarkable to go from being new to the sport to part of the best Dolphin team in the country. I'm so incredibly proud of them."
Both Morris and Worsley were unrivalled in the senior category at the championships, taking all the top spots.
The gold winning Open Combo team. Photo / Supplied
Along with team-mates Sophie Black, Chloe Boyt, Eden Leach, Emily Carter, Eve Donoghue, Evander Claydon, Martha Bunce and Avalee Donovan, they won another hotly-contested category, the Open Combo.
"The Open Combo is the one all the clubs want to win," Worsley said.
"It's teams of the top swimmers from around the country, battling it out. It was brilliant for Tauranga to win this for the second year in a row."
More team events added to the club's impressive medal tally.
Gold for the Aqua Combo team, gold for the Junior tech team, and a silver for the 15 and under team.
In the solo events, Lucy Claydon won bronze in Aquanauts, Mairead Pidgeon bronze in Aquarinas, and Eve Donoghue a silver in the 15 and under category.
In the duets, Charlotte McColl and Greta Nemedi won gold for their Aquarina duet.
As a surprise, the four Tauranga Synchro coaches, Marie-Lou Morin, the head coach, Sasha Sowerby, Eva Morris and Eden Worsley swam as a team for the first time, winning the Senior Tech Team category.
"It's been a crazy year," Morris said.
"We wanted to give something back to our swimmers to make them smile. It worked!"
