Increased exposure sought from synchronised swimming championships

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

Synchronised swimming will parade its beauty, elegance and uniformity when Synchro Stars stages the fourth Jamaica International Synchronised Swimming Championships, which will run over three days.

In an effort to increase the popularity of the sport, the championship will be staged at two separate venues.

The novice category - persons who have been doing synchronised swimming for less than a year; and the intermediate category - synchronised swimmers who have been in the sport for over a year, but are not yet able to represent the country, will be held at the YMCA.

Competition will take place on Thursday and Friday from 3-6 p.m.

The age-group category, which caters to persons who are qualified to represent the country, and for the first time the Masters category, will compete at the Bournemouth Swim Complex on Saturday (8 a.m.-noon). The Masters category will see a male and a female compete against each other.

It will cost children $50 to enter, while adults will be required to pay $100. Children in uniform will be allowed in free.

"What we have seen is that nobody comes to the championship, so by having it at YMCA where everybody has to pass, more persons will have an idea of it," said Diahann Campbell, vice-president Synchronised Swimming Jamaica, while explaining the reason for the use of two venues.

The championship will also be introducing the 2012 Olympic standard three score system, as well as a new meet management set-up, which will see a judging panel being used instead of the chair-judge system.

Up to standard

"It is only fair that we bring our athletes up to standard with what they will see overseas," Campbell explained.

"The scoring system in the past was not helping the athletes to identify the areas that they have to work on, so the scoring is now geared towards the athletes' improvement," she added.

The country will also be staging the 2012 CARIFTA 2012 Synchronised Swimming Championship for the first time. It is an open championship, hence not limiting participants to only CARIFTA countries, and will therefore attract world-class athletes.

Campbell is hoping that a successful staging of the CARIFTA Synchronised Swimming Cham-pionship and the expertise garnered from staging the local competitions will enhance the country's ability to host 2013 Union Americana de Natacion Synchronised Swimming Championships.