Historic wins for Granite Synchro and Variety Village at Synchro Canada's 2014 Canadian Qualifier Championships

Montreal, March 16, 2014 – Toronto’s Granite Synchro won its first gold medal in the junior team event while Variety Village won its first national title ever by winning the 13-15 team final at a national championship on Saturday at Synchro Canada’s 2014 Canadian Qualifier Championships.

In the junior team final, Granite Synchro earned 76.2360 points. The Calgary Aquabelles were second at 76.0202 and Montreal Synchro third at 74.2365.

“Winning gold was one of our goals this season”, said Mady Duboc of Granite Synchro. “We also want to be world class and continue that path towards the Canadian Open Championships. In the final we improved our first acrobatic jump by being more explosive and taking control of the pool.”

In junior solo, Clare McGovern of Granite Synchro took gold with 77.6385 points, Kali Wong of the Calgary Aquabelles was second at 76.1281 and Laurence Boutin of Montreal Synchro third at 74.9175.

“I’m very happy”, said McGovern, also first in figures, team and duet this week. “I feel I improved a lot from last year especially my consistency. I also improved my stability thanks to training with weight belts. I also put less pressure on myself than last year.”

First national title for Variety Village

In the 13-15 team final, Variety Village Synchro Club earned its first-ever national title at 71.3714. The Calgary Aquabelles were second at 70.4398 and Granite Synchro third at 70.0459.

“We are very proud of what we have accomplished over the past two weeks”, said Variety Village team member Grace Klodt. “Each one of us made our personal corrections and we all worked as a team.”

In the 13-15 duet final, Sabrina Barnes and Meaghan Ozikizler of Granite Synchro were first at 71.6035, Emily Armstrong and Teghyn Gurney of Variety Village second at 70.7186 and Charlotte Maheu-Savard of Montreal Synchro third at 70.3834.

“We feel amazing”, said Ozikizler. “We are really proud that we achieved our goal to win this event and we have no regrets.”

Elizabeth Savard of Dollard Synchro won the senior solo event.

Best overall artistic performance MAKE UP FOR EVER Awards

The Calgary Aquabelles won the best overall artistic performance MAKE UP FOR EVER Award for the 2014 Canadian Qualifier Championships for their free team routine “Insects”.

This award were given to the top junior team based only on the artistic marks during the team final. All winning athletes and coaches received products from MAKE UP FOR EVER.

The Canadian Qualifier Championships are the opportunity for athletes of the junior and senior age group to earn a ticket to the Canadian Open Championships, which will be held April 30-May 4 in Saskatoon, SK. For the athletes of the 13-15 age group, they will look to qualify through the Canadian Espoir Championships, held June 4-8 in Kamloops, B.C.

The competition has attracted a Synchro Canada record 504 athletes.

Schedule and results for the 2014 Canadian Qualifier Championships are available on-line 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:

Patrick Godbout

Synchro Canada

Communications Manager