Variety Village Synchro win team and duet gold at 2014 Canadian Espoir Championships

KAMLOOPS, B.C., June 7 – Toronto’s Variety Village Synchro Club won the gold medal in the 13-15 team and duet events on Saturday to conclude the 2014 Canadian Espoir Championships in synchronized swimming.

In the 13-15 duet, 14-year-olds Emily Armstrong and Teghyn Gurney of Variety Village took the gold with 72.4236 points edging Sabrina Barnes and Meaghan Ozikizler of Granite Synchro in Toronto second at 72.2296. Charlotte Maheu-Savard and Rafaelle Valiquette of Montreal Synchro were third at 71.5002.

“This is our first national title and we are very excited”, said Armstrong, who joined forces with her partner three years ago. “We came in with a new routine this year that was much higher in difficulty. The biggest challenge was the endurance aspect of the swim.”

Interpreting their Tiger routine, Variety Village earned 73.9359 points for the 13-15 team victory with the Calgary Aquabelles second at 72.6532 and Granite Synchro third at 71.6760.

“It took a lot of work and commitment to successfully repeat as winners after this year’s Qualifiers”, said Variety Village team member Grace Klodt. “We were motivated to do our best and live up to expectations.”

In the 12 and under team event, the Calgary Aquabelles were the winners with 63.3943, Granite Synchro was second at 62.5400 and Variety Village third at 61.2946.

“It was wonderful how our team was so committed this year”, said Aquabelles team captain Taylor Williamson. “We had a lot of new faces from last year and we worked really hard to make sure we could successfully defend our title.”

The winners in the athletes with a disability category were Grace Lowe, Ruby Stevens and Nicole Flynn, all of Variety Village.

The competition was hosted by the Kamloops Sunrays and Synchro B.C. under the leadership of Synchro Canada. A total of 273 athletes from 23 clubs across Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan) competed.

Awards

Best overall artistic performance MAKE UP FOR EVER Award

The Variety Village Synchro Club team won the best overall artistic performance MAKE UP FOR EVER Award for the 2014 Canadian Espoir Championships. This award is given to the top 12 and under or 13-15 team based only on the artistic marks during the team or combo events. All winning athletes and coaches received products from MAKE UP FOR EVER. MAKE UP FOR EVER is the official make up supplier of Synchro Canada.

Emily Armstrong wins Cairns and Parent Trophy

Emily Armstrong of Toronto and the Variety Village Synchro Club was awarded the Cairns and Parent Trophy. The award is given to the athlete in the 13-15 category that competes in figures, solo, duet and team and accumulates the highest total score at the 2014 National Espoir Championships. Armstrong was 2nd in figures, won silver in solo and gold in duet and in team.

Brianna MacLellan wins Terri Hambrook Trophy

Brianna MacLellan, of Granite Synchro in Toronto, was awarded the Terri Hambrook Trophy as the most promising coach. The award is for the coach who displays all around coaching abilities in figures, solo, duet and team at Synchro Canada’s 2014 Canadian Espoir Championships.

Results for the 2014 Canadian Espoir Championships are available online at www.synchro.ca.

About Synchro Canada

Synchro Canada is the national organization governing synchronized swimming in Canada. It represents 10 provincial associations, a territorial association, as well as some 150 clubs and 12,000 members across Canada. A member of FINA, the world’s governing aquatic sports organization, Synchro Canada promotes the quest for excellence by developing the athletes, citizens and ambassadors of the sport of synchronized swimming at every level.

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 make up: MAKE UP FOR EVER

Official suppliers: Knox Gelatine, 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

Communications Coordinator