ATHLETICS
SYNCHRO
Synchro Competes at Junior Olympics Synchro swimmer Andrea Percic also competed with Team USA in Israel, while the masters team swam in inaugural USA Masters Games
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AC Synchro made a big splash at the 2016 Junior Olympics in Long Island, New York, competing in multiple age groups. The competition started off with a great performance by MAC’s 11-12 age-group team, earning them an 11th place finish, and making it two years in a row that the group has made it into the finals at this competition. The team included Sophia El-Ebrashi, Presley Girard, Grace Huffman, Cambell McMillan, Emma Miller, Isabel Penna, Sophia Rath, Ella Rau and Ellisa Rooker. The 11-12 duets of Huffman and Miller, and Penna and Rooker, placed 20th and 39th respectively. In the 13-15 age group, the MAC team of Aliyah Blank, Rory Davis, Carly Isselmann, Jamie Kojiro, Katie Reveno, Zoe Tomlinson, Nadia Vondeling and Elina Yang swam the best routine of the season to finish 18th in a very competitive field. The duet of Katie Reveno and Jamie Kojiro finished in 17th place. The 18-19 team led by two senior athletes, Ayeza Bajwa and Caroline Dotter, finished the meet strongly with a 16th place finish in the team event. Swimming with Bajwa and Dotter were Phoebe Frank, Saffron Du, Hannah Noyes and Kenna Mather. Dotter earned the highest placement of the meet for MAC with a ninth place finish in the 18-19 solo division.
Percic swims with Team USA While MAC Synchro was competing in Long Island, MAC’s own Andrea Percic represented Team USA at the Comen Cup in Tel Aviv, Israel. With her help, the team finished a very strong fourth place in the 13-15 age group. Percic also swam in the prestigious duet event, earning a sixth place finish for the USA. Practices resume in the fall for the 2016-17 season.
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OCTOBER 2016
Synchro Masters competition Two synchronized swimming masters attended the inaugural USA Masters Games in Greensboro, North Carolina, in July. The USA Masters Games is a major multisport event featuring competition for athletes ages 21 and over. There were more than 2,000 athletes from 11 countries and 47 states representing 24 sports. Erin King and Lucie Svrcinova competed in the 40-49 duet event, winning gold with a final score of 149.70. The games are intended to be a celebration of adult sports. Toward that end, the games included entertainment and a number of special events designed to ensure that social activities are just as much a part of the games schedule as sports competitions. This included opening and closing ceremonies, a health and fitness expo, beer garden, athlete socials and live bands. King and Svrcinova were able to watch and support other sports including diving, table tennis, ice hockey, basketball and track and field. Earlier in the week, before the synchronized swimming started, other sports included swimming, ice skating, baseball, functional fitness, golf, pickleball, soccer, tennis and others. The athlete social was a good chance to meet other swimmers and have a fun night of dancing after competition. The closing ceremonies were a perfect way to end the event at an open-air amphitheater with more music and dancing. The competition was exciting as always, but it was the social activities that really made the event. The 2018 USA Masters Games will be held in San Diego, California, during the summer of 2018. MAC synchro encourages masters athletes from all sports at MAC to consider attending the next USA Masters Games. It is a blast! The MAC Synchro Masters are attending the U.S. Masters Championships with three team routines and several small routines in Arizona in late October. Best wishes to all the competitors at this upcoming competition. WM