Tauranga Synchro athletes achieved stunning success at the North Island Artistic Swimming Championships held at Baywave last weekend.

With 35 members competing, the swimmers took home nine first place wins, six second placings, and three third places.

The impressive medal tally for Tauranga Synchro had Gold for the Senior Tech Duet, Senior Free Duet, 13/14/15 Duet, 13/14/15 Solo (Sophie Black), 13/14/15 Team, Junior Tech Team, Aqua Combo, School Solo (Sophie Black), and the much coveted Open Combo.

Silver was taken home by the Junior Tech Duet, 12 & Under Duet, Junior Free Solo, the youngest competing team, the Dolphins, 13/14/15 Solo (Eve Donoghue), and the 13/14/15 Figures (Eve Donoghue).

Bronze medals were awarded for the 13/14/15 Solo (Eve Donoghue), 13/14/15 Figures 3rd place Sophie Black, the clubs other Aqua Combo team, and School Solo (Eve Donoghue).

Avalee Donovan won second place in the Junior Free Solo at the 2021 North Island Artistic Swimming Championships. Photo: Tauranga Synchro.

The 2021 North Island Artistic Swimming Championships, held at Baywave had teams from throughout the North Island meet to compete in multiple categories – such as Duets/Trios, Combos, Teams, Solos and Figures, with over 130 competitors taking to the pool over the two days of competition.

As the sole club representing Bay of Plenty, Tauranga Synchro had competitor ages ranging from nine years old all the way up to twenty-three years old. The club is diverse and thriving with swimmers hailing from fifteen schools in the region, with one athlete from the Waikato even calling Tauranga Synchro home.

Tauranga Synchro Junior Tech Team won first place at the 2021 North Island Artistic Swimming Championships. Photo: Tauranga Synchro.

Synchronised swimming is a growing sport in New Zealand. Tauranga Synchro launched in 2007 with only five members. Today it boasts 39 members in total and is going strong, as displayed by their success at the North Islands. The sport is a combination of swimming, dance and gymnastics, and has been included in the Olympics since 1984.

'We usually start preparing our routines in Term 4 of the previous year, leading into North Islands. However, due to Covid which pushed the Nationals out to December last year, we only had the first two terms of this year to prepare,” says coach Eden Wolsley. 'With that in mind, we are so impressed with the results and the routines that were performed at the North Islands.”

Tauranga Synchro 13/14/15 Team won first place at the 2021 North Island Artistic Swimming Championships. Photo: Tauranga Synchro.

In a sport where athletes are not allowed to touch the bottom of the pool, spend a good deal of their routines upside down and underwater whilst holding their breath, and train for hours a week, the level of fitness, stamina and strength required to compete is high.

The Tauranga Synchro club. Photo: Tauranga Synchro.

One of the strengths of the club is its focus on sportsmanship, and ensuring the athletes support and cheer each other on – literally and figuratively. Swimmers are encouraged to stay poolside throughout the competition, even when not competing, to be there for the club-mates as they perform their routines.

For anyone interested in learning more about Tauranga Synchro, go to their Facebook page.