Synchronised swimmers put on a show in Tauranga

The Tauranga Dolphin combination team perform at the North Island Synchronised Swimming Championships. Photo / Andrew Warner

If we learned anything about Tauranga's synchronised swimmers at the weekend it was that they know how to find their way to a podium.

Tauranga Synchro had 25 athletes competing in the North Island Synchronised Swimming Championships, held at Baywave on Saturday and Sunday, and they won medals in every event they entered.

Head coach Lara Teixeira Cianciarulo, a three-time Olympian from Brazil, said it was a "really busy weekend" for the club with swimmers in almost every event.

"I think our strength as a club is our teamwork and we showed that - it was an amazing championship for us. I was really happy, it was even above my expectations."

In the schools competition, Ōtūmoetai College swimmers Chloe Boyt and Sophie Black took gold in the Secondary School Duet and Bethlehem College swimmers Charlotte McColl and Greta Nemedi won silver in the Intermediate School Duet.

In the main championships, the club continued its impressive medal haul with a bronze for their beginner Dolphin routine featuring Claire Zeng, Jessica Cha, Leonelle Matthee, Lucy Claydon, Rylee Kara, Eden Leach and Sophie Black. Amelia Stoutenburg won gold for her Aquanaut Solo, and Sophie Winters and Cori McLaughlin won bronze for their Aquanaut Duet. In the Aquarina category, Ella Claydon won two golds – one for her solo and the other for Figures.

Tauranga's Eden Worsley (left) and Eva Morris compete in the senior tech duet at the North Island Synchronised Swimming Championships. Photo / Andrew Warner

The club's 15-and-under swimmers added to the medal tally with Avalee Donovan's bronze for her Solo, Chloe Boyt and Sophie Black's silver for their Duet, and another silver for the 15-and-under team's crowd-pleasing surfing themed performance.

Zyleika Pratt-Smith and Karlina Steiner won gold in the Junior Free Duet and Junior Tech Duet. Pratt-Smith added more gold medals for her Junior Free Solo performance, plus another two for her 13/14/15 Solo and for Figures.

The club's Senior and Junior swimmers also hauled in the medals. Eva Morris won gold for her Senior Free Solo, Isobel Pettit was first in the Senior Free Duet, and Eden Worsley completed the senior hat trick with gold in the Senior Tech Duet.

Our goal as a club is to grow and grow with quality.

Tauranga Synchro head coach Lara Teixeira Cianciarulo

The larger team routines entertained the Baywave crowd with their impressive lifts and technical manoeuvres. Tauranga's combination teams continued the club's success with a gold in the Open Free Combo with their team of 10 swimmers, and a silver in the Aqua Combo category.

Cianciarulo said it was pleasing as a coach to have competitors in so many different age groups - from the five preparing to compete at the World Championships in July to the juniors getting their first taste of competition.

"Our goal as a club is to grow and grow with quality. We are definitely looking for this new generation to learn with the older ones and be able to get even better results. It's really, really good to see that next generation coming through."

The Tauranga Synchro Club members, excluding the Dolphin team, who collected an impressive haul of medals at the North Island Synchronised Swimming Championships. Photo / Supplied

It was also valuable for the younger competitors to compete at the same event as the seniors and see what they can aspire to.

"They competed at the same event which is awesome because they can cheer them on and see what the high performance looks like. That's a really good environment."

She said for the club's New Zealand representatives, it was crucial they find form just a month out from the World Championships.

"They got really good scores and that's what we want, a preview of what they can do at the World Championships with New Zealand. They did an amazing performance, I was really proud of them."

North Island Synchronised Swimming Championships - Tauranga Synchro placings

Routines:
Dolphin Combination Team: 3rd Claire Zeng, Jessica Cha, Leonelle Matthee, Lucy Claydon, Rylee Kara, Eden Leach, Sophie Black.
Aquanaut Solo: 1st Amelia Stoutenburg.
Aquanaut Duet/Trio: 3rd Sophie Winters & Cori McLaughlin (Reserve: Ella Cleaver). Aquarina Solo: 1st Ella Claydon.
13/14/15 Solo: 1st Zyleika Pratt-Smith, 3rd Avalee Donovan.
13/14/15 Duet: 2nd Chloe Boyt & Sophie Black.
13/14/15 Team: 2nd Chloe Boyt, Sophie Black, Eden Leach, Emily Carter, Avalee Donovan, Eve Donoghue.
Junior Free Solo: 1st Zyleika Pratt-Smith.
Junior Free Duet: 1st Karlina Steiner, Zyleika Pratt-Smith (Reserve: Martha Bunce).
Junior Tech Duet: 1st Karlina Steiner, Zyleika Pratt-Smith (Reserve: Martha Bunce).
Senior Free Solo: 1st Eva Morris.
Senior Free Duet: 1st Eva Morris, Isobel Pettit (Reserve: Eden Worsley).
Senior Tech Duet: 1st Eva Morris, Eden Worsley (Reserve: Isobel Pettit).
Aqua Combo: 2nd Greta Nemedi, Isabelle Hume, Amelia Stoutenburg, Sophie Winters, Ella Cleaver, Cori McLaughlin.
Open Free Combo: 1st Eva Morris, Isobel Pettit, Eden Worsley, Karlina Steiner, Zyleika Pratt-Smith, Avalee Donovan, Martha Bunce, Ella Claydon, Chloe Boyt, Emily Carter (Reserves: Eden Leach & Sophie Black).

School Competition:
Intermediate School Duet: 2nd Charlotte McColl & Greta Nemedi – Bethlehem College.
Secondary School Duet : 1st Chloe Boyt & Sophie Black.

Figures:
13/14/15: 1st Zyleika Pratt-Smith.
Aquarinas: 1st Ella Claydon.