Calgary Aquabelles win team and duet gold at 2015 Canadian Espoir Championships

Olympium Synchro takes top spot in 11-12 team event

Saint John, June 6, 2015 — The Calgary Aquabelles won the gold medal in the 13-15 team and duet events on Saturday to conclude the 2015 Canadian Espoir Championships at the Saint John Canada Games Aquatic Centre.

In the 13-15 duet event, Paige Hopper and Cassandra Winkelaar, who had already captured first and second spot in the figures event on Wednesday, took gold with 75.2887 points, edging Emily Armstrong and Teghyn Gurney from Toronto’s Aretaic Alliance, who were second with 74.0616. Catherine Barrett and Makenna Williams, also from Aretaic, were third at 72.0718.

“Our goal has always been to be national champions and we’re very proud to have reached it,” mentioned the pair, who were swimming together for the first year.

In the 13-15 team event, the Aquabelles earned 74.2964 points for the victory with Aretaic coming in second at 73.2320 and Montreal Synchro third at 70.4853.

“We were focused on having our best performance of the year this evening, regardless of the result,” stated the happy teammates after the medal ceremony. “All of the hard training paid off because we felt very energetic in the pool.”

In the 11-12 team event, Olympium Synchro from Toronto were the winners with 60.8025, Killarney Synchro from Calgary was a very close second at 60.5103 while the Calgary Aquabelles were third at 59.9697.

“We felt amazing in the water today,” stated in unisson the 4 members of team. “Our goal was just to come in the top 3 and to get a score in the 60s, which we had never done before.”

Head Coach Julie Thaden was especially proud of her athletes’ performance in figures. “This year was all about the basics for us, and it paid off as we ended up winning because of our strong figures score.”

Katy Orpin, from Variety Village Synchro club, won the AWD solo event in front of a very supportive crowd.

Paige Hopper wins Cairns and Parent Trophy

Paige Hopper from the Calgary Aquabelles was awarded the Cairns and Parent Trophy for the 2015 National Espoir Championships. The award is given every year to the athlete in the 13-15 category that competes in figures, solo, duet and team and accumulates the highest total score.

Hopper, who is still only 13 years old, had a perfect run this week, coming in first in figures and winning gold in solo, duet and team.

Terri Hambrook Memorial Trophy

Jessica Best, also from the Aquabelles, received the Terry Hambrook Memorial Trophy which is awarded yearly to the most promising coach who displays all-around coaching abilities in figures, solo, duet and team in the 13-15 age group.

Over 250 synchronized swimmers from 30 clubs and 9 Canadian provinces were in Saint John to compete in the 2015 Canadian Espoir Synchronized Swimming Championships, along with over 80 coaches and 30 officials.

Results are available online.

About Synchro Canada

Synchro Canada is an organization that fosters the pursuit of excellence while developing athletes, citizens, and ambassadors of the sport of synchronized swimming at all levels. From its 1924 beginnings in Montréal, synchronized swimming has been actively pursued by more than 70 countries worldwide. Canada proudly ranks among the best of these nations.

Synchro Canada would like to thank its sponsors:

Program partners: Sport Canada, Own The Podium, the Institut national du sport du Québec

Official Aquatic Supplier: Speedo Canada

Official Suncare: Shiseido Canada

Official make up: MAKE UP FOR EVER

Official suppliers: AdUp, National Car Rental

Official hotel: Hilton Hotels Canada

For further information, visit Synchro Canada’s Website at www.synchro.ca or follow Synchro Canada on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

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For information:

Stéphane Côté

Synchro Canada