Fifty-five swimmers have gathered at the Institut National du Sport du Québec in Montreal for the 2017-18 Synchro Canada Fall Development and Evaluation Camp scheduled fr. With 18 senior athletes and 37 junior athletes participating, the focus will be on development for the future of the sport. The camp started Wednesday, November 22 and will run through the weekend until Sunday, November 26. Featured will be components for athletes and their coaches who are involved in several ancillary programs.
Synchro Canada has moved away from a centralized national team, and is taking a new approach to athlete development. “We are really thrilled with the commitment of the athletes invited to the camp this year, where we’ve shifted our focus to be on athlete development first and evaluation second,” said Julie Healy, Chief Sport Officer, Synchro Canada. “Developing and improving the abilities of both our athletes and our coaches across the country will allow us to expand our athlete pool, widen our training opportunities and send everyone home with clear directions on what to work on to continue developing after the camp.”
Synchro Canada’s newly appointed Next Gen Director/Head Coach, Leslie Sproule, will manage the technical programming for the athletes, while many of Canada’s leaders in the synchronized swimming community will also participate in setting the new course. Synchro coaching and development experts on hand are Michelle Caulkins, Gail Donohue, Sylvie Fréchette, Debbie Muir, Sherry Robertson, and Denise Sauvé. Judges participating are Leslie Ahara, Louise Kennedy, Nancy Reed, Lianna Sottile and Diane van der Pol, along with referee Pat McCann. The athlete rep who will be in attendance is Shelby Harding.
The athletes will be involved in speed swim tests, land flexibility and general core strength measures, synchro-specific water exercises and drills, including routine segment execution. At the conclusion of the camp, up to 16 senior athletes will be selected to form a training pool that will lead into international competitions in the upcoming year. It also serves as part of the selection process for up to 24 junior athletes who will form the 2018 Junior World Championships Athlete Pool and who will enter phase 2 of the selection process for that event following the camp.
The selection results will be announced by December 18th.