Synchro Canada introduces the athletes training at its Centre of Excellence in 2016

Montreal, December 10, 2015 — Synchro Canada is pleased to introduce the members of its Senior National Team for 2016 who will start training at the Centre of Excellence in Montreal in January. The athletes were chosen following a 3-day selection camp in Montreal at the end of November.  

Athletes training at Synchro Canada’s Centre of Excellence in 2016 will be supervised by the Senior National Team Head Coach Meng Chen, assisted by Anastassia Goutseva, Lyne Piché and Miho Yoshida.

The Senior National Team members who will train at the Centre of Excellence in 2016 are:

BALL, Janelle (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC)
BOISVERT, Gabrielle (Québec, QC)
BRISSON, Gabriella (Calgary, AB)
FRAPPIER, Annabelle (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QC)
GILL, Sandy (Coquitlam, BC)
HARROWER, Rebecca (Edmonton, AB)
HOLZNER, Claudia (Calgary, AB)
MAULE, Rebecca (Guelph, ON)
*McGUIRE, GWENDOLYN (Sherwood Park, AB)
MORIN, Marie-Lou (Westmount, QC)
NEALON, Samantha (Morriston, ON)
SAVARD, Elizabeth (Laval, QC)
SIMONEAU, Jacqueline (Montreal, borough Saint-Laurent, QC)
THOMAS, Karine (Gatineau, QC)
*VÉZINA, Laurence (Ancienne-Lorette, QC)
*WONG, Kali (Calgary, AB)

* New member at the Centre of Excellence

“We are very pleased with the team we have assembled for our Centre of Excellence”, said Meng Chen, head coach of the national senior team. “At trials, these athletes showed they are strong, fast and high in their technical aspects. We know that they are going to proudly represent Canada and show we have established ONE TEAM through our high performance program that is striving for excellence at all levels. I would like to thank all the athletes, coaches, officials and HP technical directors from all provinces who participated in the trials. They have provided important and meaningful feedback to our organization and our HP program.”

“I also strongly encourage those athletes who were not yet ready for the Centre of Excellence program to keep pursuing their dream. The Centre of excellence coaching staff will share its knowledge and recommendations to assist them continuously in their careers as they attempt to gain a berth on the Centre of Excellence team in the future.”  

“The addition of three talented newcomers will help create the perfect development environment for our team as we continue working towards on our long-term goal of having a national team that is the strongest in the World – technically with more “complete” athletes and with a new and innovative Canadian style that is internationally recognized and admired”, added Chen. “We are looking forward to a great 2016-2017 season – Go Canada Go!!”

Synchro Canada CEO Jackie Buckingham concurred with Meng Chen.   “We are excited by the seasoned talent on Team Canada, and by the progress made during the past season, culminating in a very encouraging and successful trials. The new additions complement this very experienced team of 13 returning swimmers and we are extremely optimistic about our National Team’s prospects as we head into the qualification tournament for the Rio Olympics, and also in the longer term, looking ahead to 2020.”

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 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

Communications Coordinator