Paige Hopper tops all-important figures standings at 2015 Canadian Espoir Championships

Saint John, June 3, 2015 — Paige Hopper of the Calgary Aquabelles kicked off the 2015 Canadian Espoir Championships in synchronized swimming on Wednesday by ranking first in the all-important figures standings in the 13-15 age group.

Hopper topped the almost 200-entry field with 73.3410 points. Cassandra Winkelaar, also of the Aquebelles ranked second at 73.1470 while Louisa Strutynski of Calgary Elite Synchro was third at 71.8440.

The top-35 in the 13-15 figures event advance to Phase 2 of the 2015 National Team Trials, a second figures event scheduled for Friday. The top-25 athletes from Phase 2 will meet again on Sunday for Phases 3 and 4 when a 12 member team will be selected. The team will take part in the 2015 Mediterranean Cup set for August in Italy.

In the 13-15 duet preliminaries, Winkelaar and Hopper are first at 74.7554, Emily Armstrong and Teghyn Gurney of Toronto’s Aretaic Synchronized Swimming Alliance second at 72.3782, and Signa Lauf and Ava Neely, also of the Aquabelles, third at 70.8687.

The Welcome Ceremony will take place tomorrow,Thursday, June 4, at 4:45 pm.

All events from the Championships will be 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 Thursday, June 4

8:45am – 11:45pm	11-12 & AWD – Figures
12:40pm – 2:50pm	13-15 – Solo Prelims
3:30pm – 4:25pm	11-12 – Duet Finals
5:45pm – 8:45pm	13-15 – Team Prelims

Tickets are available at the door for $10 per day or $30 for an all-event package.

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