Synchro routine.
The Olympium Synchronized Swimming Club's 13-15 National Team performs at the Provincial Trials on Jan. 22 in Hamilton. They swam to an upbeat “Looney Tunes” theme, and placed 4th in routine, and 3rd in overall championship.
Courtesy photo
The synchronized swimming season has kicked off and Etobicoke, with its Olympic-sized pool, is one of the few communities across the province and Canada where the sport is easily accessible.
Athletes from the local Olympium Synchronized Swimming Club, which trains out of the Etobicoke Olympium Pool on Rathburn Road, got their feet wet for the upcoming season with their first meet of the year recently in Hamilton.
The meet attracted more than 200 swimmers from across the province, many of them ranked as the best in Canada for their age group.
The local athletes are now gearing up for their second meet, which they will host at the Etobicoke Olympium Feb. 17 to 19.
These national-stream athletes train 20 to 30 hours per week at the Etobicoke Olympium with some of Canada's best synchro coaches, all the while deftly mixing in their school work at Etobicoke schools.
The younger swimmers (grades 5 to 8) attend Hollycrest Middle School's High Performer Program for athletes, and the older athletes (grades 9 to 12) attend Silverthorn Collegiate's High Performer Program
The club's head coach Elena Poldolski termed it "a great start to our season" and added "we have much to look forward to as this season unfolds."
For more info on the volunteer-run, non-profit Etobicoke-based club visit http://olympiumsynchro.com