Calgary's Paige Hopper wins 13-15 solo gold at 2015 Canadian Espoir Championships

Rosalie Boissonneault takes top spot in the 11-12 age group

Saint John, June 5, 2015 — Paige Hopper, from the Calgary Aquabelles, finished off a perfect season in solo by winning gold at the 2015 Canadian Espoir Championships on Friday. Earlier in the season, Hopper had captured gold in the solo event at the Canada Games in February and at the National Qualifier in March.

“I put in a lot of hard work this year and I’m glad I was able to reach my goals for my solo. I felt well prepared going in today and the cheering crowd gave me a lot of confidence”, said Hopper after the medal ceremony.

Hopper received 78.4333 points for her routine for a combined score of 75.8872. Emily Armstrong from Toronto’s Aretaic Alliance came in second with 74.8747 while Cassandra Winkelaar, Hopper’s teammate from the Aquabelles, captured bronze with 73.6235.

In the 11-12 solo finals, Montreal Synchro’s Rosalie Boissonneault earned 66.9630 points from the judges to win the gold medal. “I was a bit nervous at first but I gave I really gave it all I could,” said a smiling Boissonneault after her performance. Meaghan Lapierre of Gloucester Synchro was a close second at 66.5792 and Marissa Enns of Olympium Synchro third at 65.2187.

Earlier in the day, the top 35 athletes from this week’s figures event competed in Phase 2 of the 13-15 National Team trials. 25 of them will be invited to the final selection day on Sunday where the 12 member squad will be selected.

All events from the Championships are webcast live, exclusively on Bell Aliant Community One.

Over 250 synchronized swimmers from 30 clubs and 9 Canadian provinces are in Saint John to compete in the 2015 Canadian Espoir Synchronized Swimming Championships, along with over 80 coaches and 30 officials. The competition continues through to Saturday, June 6.

Schedule and results are available online.

Schedule for Saturday, June 6

10:05am – 11:20pm	13-15 – Duet Finals
12:45pm – 2:05pm	11-12 – Team Finals
2:10pm – 2:30pm	AWD – Solo Finals
3:45pm – 5:15pm	13-15 – Team Finals

Tickets are available at the door for $10 per day.

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