WHAT IS SYNCHRO? Any form of movement in water in which the swimmer synchronises with or without music and/ or with or without other swimmers. Only included as a World & Euorpean sport since the 1970’s & Olympic event as late as 1984, synchro has been around since the 1890’s although it was known then as “Scientific & Ornamental Swimming” & both men & women competed. More recently it seems to have become a “girls only” event but there are no rules preventing boys competing & there are a growing number of male synchro’ swimmers both in the UK & in other countries.
Clacton Swimming Club’s synchro section was born in the late 1970’s & has grown & improved in both popularity & success since then. Today Clacton S.C. Synchro’ has members & swimmers (& coaches) who compete at County, District & National levels.
WHAT IS INVOLVED?
Competitive synchro’ swimmers must be extremely fit & completely confident in the water. Reaserch showed that amongst Olympic athletes, only long distance runners ranked higher than synchro’ swimmers in aerobic capacity & only gymnasts in flexibility!! Synchro swimmers must have grace & poise, be able to choose & interpret music for routines yet also be strong & extremely flexible. In order to achieve this, training is a balance between distance work (for stamina), figure work (in order to compile routines) & land training (for strength, flexibility & learning routines).
WHAT DOES CLACTON SYNCHRO’ OFFER? The skills described above are all part of the training programme at Clacton S.C. Synchro’. You will be coached in basic skills such as sculling & synchro’ strokes (which are based on, but different from ordinary ones). You will then start to learn “figures”/ “skills” which are positions /movements your body takes in the water which when put together form “routines”. These are what everyone knows outside the club as “Synchronised Swimming”