The pearl of the school through unified synchronized swim
March 24, 2023
In the deep end, pumping their legs and holding their breath lies a beautiful ballet beneath the surface. Elegant movements shrouded by bubbles and reflections make for an entertaining show for the crowd and a rigorous sport to participate in. As they begin to swim back to the ladder, impressed applause echo in the natatorium and the Varsity Synchronized Swim Meet comes to a close.
A mix of gymnastics, ballet and swimming, synchronized swimming is an underrated water sport that requires intense breath training, flexibility, gracefulness and control. Despite only having North students, the unified team is a place of support and creativity.
Head coach Lisa Aouad expressed her utmost compliments to the team and some history of the team, officially named the Blue Dolphins. Her opening speech detailed how the team placed third in the state and engaged the crowd with trivia questions.
“Every year they’re constantly challenging themselves to try something new and a little bit more difficult,” said Lisa Aouad. “That’s really exciting.”
One of the highlights of the night was the performance made by the three senior captains, Helen Aouad ’23, Paige Spence ’23 and Bella Yoakam ’23 who performed to the song CopaCabana. Successfully entrancing the audience with their skills and their fun loving atmosphere.
“It’s pretty difficult because we’re coordinating with other routines,” said Helen Aouad. “You don’t want to repeat a ton of moves.”
Throughout the entirety of the Senior Night Show, the benched team used pom-poms to hype up the crowd and encourage their fellow dancers in the water. Especially cheering after they accomplish a lift, which is difficult to perform since swimmers must hoist teammates out of the water while not touching the ground.
“Once a week we practice doing full lengths under the water to practice holding breath, but there’s a possibility of passing out underwater so we have to be careful, ” said Helen Aouad.
The awards ceremony concluded the night as Coach Aouad gifted the team customized medals and folders and showered them in compliments. Captains tossed the torch of captain to Juliette Aouad ’24 and Sarah Westrick ’24 who both expressed wanting to continue the playful and hardworking community.
Although the season is over, the girls remain as close and hope to have South swimmers participate and compete with them.
“We’re all here for each other all the time, that’s really our glue,” said Juliette Aouad.
If you’re interested in joining the Synchronized Swimming team, contact [email protected].
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