Tauranga Synchro athletes perform deck work at the 2021 North Island Artistic Swimming Championships. Photo / Supplied
Tauranga Synchro athletes perform deck work at the 2021 North Island Artistic Swimming Championships. Photo / Supplied
The 2021 North Island Artistic Swimming Championships were held at Baywave at the weekend, and the locals stole the show.
Teams from throughout the North Island met to compete in categories such as duets/trios, combos, teams, solos, and figures, with more than 130 competitors taking to the pool during two days of competition.
Representing Bay of Plenty was the sole club for the region, Tauranga Synchro.
With 35 members competing, the swimmers took home eight first places, six seconds, and three third places.
The impressive medal tally for Tauranga Synchro included gold for the senior tech duet, 13/14/15 duet, 13/14/15 solo (Sophie Black), 13/14/15 team, junior tech team, aqua combo, school solo (Sophie Black), and the much-coveted open combo.
Tauranga Synchro swimmers in action at the 2021 North Island Artistic Swimming Championships. Photo / Supplied
Silver was taken home by the junior tech duet, 12 and under duet, junior free solo, the youngest competing team, the Dolphins, 13/14/15 solo (Eve Donoghue), and the 13/14/15 figures (Eve Donoghue).
Bronze medals were awarded to the 13/14/15 solo (Eve Donoghue), the club's other aqua combo team, and school solo (Eve Donoghue).
With competitors' ages ranging from 9 to 23, the club is diverse and thriving. The swimmers hail from 15 schools in the region, with one athlete from the Waikato even calling Tauranga Synchro home.
Synchronised swimming is a growing sport in New Zealand. Tauranga Synchro launched in 2007 with only five members. Today it boasts 39 members in total and is going strong, as displayed by their success at the North Islands.
The sport is a combination of swimming, dance, and gymnastics, and has been included in the Olympics since 1984.
"People definitely do underestimate how difficult synchro is – even in the younger-age category," coach of the club's younger swimmers Sarsha Sowerby said.
The Tauranga Synchro swimmers. Photo / Supplied
"It takes a lot of co-ordination and concentration. It can take a long time for the younger swimmers to learn. They're using both sides of their brain at the same time. It can be challenging."
"I had 10 younger girls all under 13 competing. I'm so proud of how the girls went and how well they supported their clubmates. They showed great sportsmanship, and their huge improvements from the beginning of the year were obvious."
Scheduled to be held in Auckland in late May, the unexpected lockdown earlier in the year meant the competition was moved to early July in Tauranga.
The move to level 2 in Wellington recently meant it was touch and go as to whether the most southern North Island team would be able to travel to compete. Fortunately, the levels were moved and it was a full contingent at the pool.
Vesna Tomic, coach of the club's older athletes, said: "My swimmers train around 12 to 17 hours per week depending on age, including gymnastics-type training out of the water, strength training in the gym, underwater training, and technical elements.
Tauranga Synchro won medals in a range of different events. Photo / Supplied
"All of these skills then come together to create the routines that are put to music – and some competed in multiple routines.
"All of this requires a high level of endurance, strength and fitness to enable them to make it all look easy, and to perform with a smile. On top of that, they all either have school studies or work."
