Cover Story
Team “Irish� members get psyched up with a cheer before performing their routine. sport may find the bluntness offputting but that the directness was (continued from page 17) necessary. “You kind of get used to it. ... ships in Ohio on June 22. Circus They can’t be like ‘Oh, someone will be joined by “Irish,� another Aquamaids team for 13- to 15-year- was off count,’� she said, “because then everyone’s, like, ‘OK, who was olds. Circus and Irish qualified for off count?’� Two physically demanding skills the nationals by finishing first and third, respectively, in regional quali- swimmers must learn are “eggbeaters,� a technique to tread water, and fications on May 15. “We were kind of scared; we “sculls,� a technique that allows didn’t know if we were going to swimmers to have their legs in the make it,� said Irish member and air while the rest of their body is Gunn High School freshman Nicky submerged. The public doesn’t recognize Schmidt. the physical demands of the sport, Aquamaids has more than 70 swimmers, including eight from swimmers, coaches and parents Palo Alto, ranging in age from 8 to agreed. “Your core strength is huge in 22. Swimmers compete as soloists, this sport,� coach Robin McKinley duets, trios or in teams of eight. Swimmers wear makeup and col- said. Teams practice up to four hours orful suits that complement their movements, performing routines to a day, six days a week. The time commitment leads to girls staying music. Routines are judged based on the difficulty, execution and synchronization of poses, movements and lifts as well as artistic impression, which is where the smiling comes in. “It kind of comes naturally after a while,� said Elle Billman, a Circus member and Palo Alto High School sophomore. “But it is sometimes hard to hold a smile when you’re panting for air.� Billman is a “flyer,� who is lifted by other team members while she —Chris Carver, head coach holds a position or jumps. Being the most visible position, flyers have added pressure to exup late, waking up early or finding ecute. “You have to make sure the lift time in the middle of the day to finworks, especially in competition, ish their homework. “I actually have a desk in the car,� because if it doesn’t ... it’s pretty obvious,� said Billman, who is also said Maki Yasuda, an eighth-grada member of the United States na- er at Jordan Middle School. “So I study and do homework in the car tional team for 13- to 15-year-olds. On Monday, team members prac- on the way to swimming and on the ticed individual parts of their rou- way back.� What keeps young teenagers in a tines over and over again. “It’s a perfection-based sport. sport that demands so much time? Friendship with teammates was a There’s always more you can do,� said coach Kendra Zanotto, a former common response. “Because we spend so many hours Aquamaid who won a bronze medal with the United States national team as a team, we get close to everyone,� said Aimee Xu, a ninth-grader from in the 2004 Olympics. Girls sometimes laughed at their Fremont. Many of the girls said they were mistakes and bantered with their inspired to join the Aquamaids afcoaches. But coaches were blunt when giv- ter seeing one of the exhibitions the club holds every year on Memorial ing their “corrections.� “I’m not going to let you off this Day. “I just liked all the makeup, the lift,� Zanotto told Rachel Ye, who swimsuits, all those preparations,� was struggling in her role as flyer to pull off a pose. “You’re going to get Yasuda said. The Aquamaids club was founded it one way or another.� Billman said someone new to the in 1964 and has been a major force in synchronized swimming, produc-
Aquamaids
‘We get teased about smiling, but would you want us to look like we’re in agony?’
PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL
ing teams and swimmers that have won national and international competitions. Coach McKinley started swimming with the Aquamaids when she was 10 and was on the United States national teams that won the 1973 and 1975 World Aquatics Championships. She said the sport has changed since she competed, with patterns today being tighter and lifts much more elaborate. “Nowadays it’s gotten very acrobatic,� she said. Though synchronized swimming may not appear to be a contact sport on the surface, swimmers aren’t immune from injury. Zanotto said the repetition and flexibility the sport demands can lead to strained shoulders and knees, and spectators don’t see impacts that occur under water. “They’re getting punched or kicked, very similar to water polo,� Zanotto said. All team members are administered baseline neurological tests meant to aid a diagnosis in case of a head injury. In the last two years, one swimmer has been sidelined by a possible concussion, Zanotto said. Swimmers aren’t the only ones that make a time commitment to the club. In order to supplement the $100 monthly dues, parents are required to volunteer 25 hours each month at a bingo hall owned and operated by the Aquamaids. Parents who volunteer more have their dues waived. Aquamaids board president Bob Anger said the hall earns $2 million a year in net profit, which pays for coaches, travel and pool time. Alicia Barton, whose 15-year-old daughter, Claire, is on the Junior national team, said she spends around 10 hours a week at the hall. Barton said the large number of regulars assuaged her initial misgivings about the gambling aspect of the hall. “When you get to know the clientele, it’s a social habit they’ve planned (financially) for,� she said. While most swimmers will miss occasional school days when traveling to meets, Barton said her daughter will miss five weeks to train for and compete at the Junior world championships in Greece this September. As a result, she was unable to enroll in some honors classes, but Barton supports her daughter’s commitment to the sport. “Follow it now while you have (the passion) and you’re young and healthy and have all this support,� she said. N Editorial Intern Bryce Druzin can be emailed at bdruzin@ paweekly.com.
SEE MORE ONLINE
www.PaloAltoOnline.com Watch local Aquamaids practice their routines and talk about synchronized swimming in a video on Palo Alto Online.
About the cover: Nicola Schmidt, center, of Palo Alto, and fellow teammates hoist Emily Anger of San Jose into a flip while practicing their routine at Gunderson High School on June 11. Photo by Veronica Weber.
CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26 ***************************************** THIS IS A SUMMARY OF COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS. THE AGENDA WITH COMPLETE TITLES INCLUDING LEGAL DOCUMENTATION CAN BE VIEWED AT THE BELOW WEBPAGE: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/agendas/council.asp (TENTATIVE) AGENDA–SPECIAL MEETING-COUNCIL CHAMBERS June 25, 2012 - 5:30 PM CLOSED SESSION 1. Potential Litigation (1) 2. Labor (2) ACTION ITEMS 3. PUBLIC HEARING: 195 Page Mill Road (Continued from 6/4/12) 4. PUBLIC HEARING: Wireless Telecomm Towers at Utility Substations Discussion and Direction Regarding City Policy for the Use of Utility Substation Sites, City Hall and Other City Property for Siting Wireless Communications Facilities 5. PUBLIC HEARING: Palo Alto Rail Corridor Study: Adoption of a Resolution Amending the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan To Incorporate Certain Findings of the Palo Alto Rail Corridor Study and Approval of a Negative Declaration (Staff requests item be continued to July 9, 2012) STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Regional Housing Mandate Committee meeting will be held on June 26, 2012 at 3:00 PM regarding; 1) Review of Draft Housing Element and Recommendation for Authorization to Submit to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) (continued from 6/14/12), and 2. Update Regarding Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS) and Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) The City Council Rail Committee meeting will be held on June 28, 2012 at 8:30 AM regarding: 1) Follow-up Discussion on Senator Simitian’s Request for Input on HSR Appropriation Language, 2) Discussion on Sending a Letter to the California Attorney General Requesting a Public Opinion on the Legality of a Blended System Relative to Proposition 1A, 3) Discussion of Possible Revisions and Updates to the Rail Committee Guiding Principles, 4) Discussion of the Meaning of Caltrain Modernization, and 5) Discussion of Possible Changes in the Composition of Representation of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. (TENTATIVE) AGENDA–SPECIAL MEETING COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM–June 26, 2012 - 5:30 PM 1.
Board and Commission Interviews- Architectural Review Board, Planning & Transportation Commission, and Utilities Advisory Commission.
Palo Alto UniďŹ ed School District Notice is hereby Given that bids will be received by the Palo Alto UniďŹ ed School District for bid package: PAUSD Uninterruptible Power Supply Equipment Purchase Contract No. 12-P-06-E DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK: The work includes, but is not limited to: Supply Uninterruptible Power Supplies to augment current equipment. Bidding documents contain the full description of the work. All requests must include the Bid # 12-P-06-E, PAUSD Uninterruptible Power Supply Equipment Purchase. There will be a mandatory pre-bid conference at 3:00 P.M. on June 27, 2012 at the Palo Alto UniďŹ ed School District, 25 Churchill Ave, Room A, Palo Alto, California 94306. Bid Submission: Bids must be received at the District Purchasing OfďŹ ce, Attn: Denise Buschke by 3:00 p.m., PTD, Room A, on Monday July 16, 2012, Room A. Bidders may request Bidding Documents Via email: dbuschke@ pausd.org or, at the District OfďŹ ce, Business Services Department, 25 Churchill Ave Palo Alto, CA 94306. Please call Denise Buschke @ 650-329-3802 to schedule appointment. All questions can be addressed to: Palo Alto UniďŹ ed School District 25 Churchill Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94306-1099 Attn: Denise Buschke Phone: (650) 329-3802 Fax: (650) 329-3803
ĂœĂœĂœÂ°*>Â?Âœ Â?ĂŒÂœ"˜Â?ˆ˜i°VÂœÂ“ĂŠUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠ Ă•Â˜iĂŠĂ“Ă“]ÊÓä£ÓÊU Page 19