Synchronised swimming looking up

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Diahann Campbell, first vice-president of the Synchronising Swimming Association, said that she is expecting great things from her charges as they look to capitalise on their success last year.

"Synchronised Swimming is on a path of rediscovery and rebirth and so, in 2010, Jamaica saw an upsurge of companies interested in synchronised swimming through the Synchro Stars' initiatives to expose it," said Campbell.

"We are also going to get more involved in the schools programme because headway has now been made, as we are speaking with the Ministry of Education to see how we can tie it up in the schools' curriculum," she said.

Jamaica, represented by the Synchro Stars, won the Claro Jamaica International Synchronised Swimming Championships, which included teams from the United States, Panama and Curacao and was held at the Bournemouth Bath Swim Complex.

CCAN Games

Shannon Marsh, Michelle-Ann Gabbidon, Breann Campbell and Jahmielya Shaw were among Jamaica's most outstanding participants at the championships, which was held at the Bournemouth Bath for the first time.

Campbell added that the CCAN Games, which will be held in the Dominican Republic as well as the Pan American Games and the CARIFTA Games, are some of the major championships they will be hoping to participate in this year.

"There are plans to have more frequent competition to get the girls to understand what it is like to be in front of a judge," she said. "There will also be more competitions to expose the judges ... and there will also be more competitions to allow the spectators to come and watch."

She added that a national trial will be held at the Stadium Pool in February, from which a team will be selected and coach appointed for the CARIFTA Games in April.

Support from parents

Campbell added that much of their finances come through parents of swimmers, who have also played an integral part in helping to develop the sport. She explained that the parents talk to companies and the association (Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica) oversees what is done. "We also make presentations to companies and we talk to sponsors and ... we also do a lot of initiatives on our own," she said.

"We have a plan for 2014 to take on the Youth Olympics in Beijing, China and this is our four-year plan. Now we are getting the foundation in and we are also getting the potential stars in, and anybody who comes in the 12-and-under age group will be poised for that because that is the age that they are excited, committed and their bodies can still be shaped and moulded to where they need to get to."

She also said the stars in the 16-to-18 age group are going to go on to bigger things because they are going to be at the collegiate level.

"They are now going up to the senior level, which is the next step that we need to get to," Campbell pointed out.