Our first event of the Club year was, as always our main competitions of the British Synchro calendar, the National Age Groups and British Championships. These competitions were both held in December 2008 in Gloucester.

The synchro section usually fares very well at these competitions and once again we did not disappoint!

BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Senior Technical Solo
Beccy MacEnri 2nd
Lisa Marsh 8th

Senior Free Solo
Beccy MacEnri 2nd
Lisa Marsh 9th

NATIONAL AGE GROUPS

Figures
15/17 years-Anya Tarasiuk 4th, Isobel Collings 7th, Charlotte Frost 13th.
13/14 years-Sam Wilson 4th, Anastajia Bates 5th, Alice Dale 10th

Solo
13/14 -Sam Wilson 3rd
15/17 -Anya Tarasiuk 1st, Isobel Collings 6th

DUET
15/17 -Anya Tarasiuk & Alex O’Mahony 1st

TEAMS
12 & UNDER ‘A’ TEAM 1ST
12 & UNDER ‘B’ TEAM 7th
13/14 ‘A’ TEAM 1ST
15/17 ‘A’ TEAM (Competitive) 1st
15/17 ’B’ TEAM 2nd

Anya Tarasiuk was also awarded the Shacklock Trophy.  This is awarded annually to the Junior swimmer with the highest total routine score for solo, duet and team events at the National Age Groups.

Trials for the Junior Great Britain Squad 2009 were held initially at the National Age Groups and then at a training camp at Aldershot.  From those Trials, 3 swimmers from Bristol Central, Isobel Collings , Charlotte Frost and Anya Tarasiuk, were selected to represent Great Britain at the Junior European Championships in Gloucester in April.  Alex Marchant was also appointed as the Development Coach/Team Manager for the Junior GB Team and accompanied the girls through the busy training period and the competition. Anya who suffered an injury during training at the competition was thankfully fit enough to compete in the Combination event.

In December 2008 Anya Tarasiuk was also selected by the National Performance Director of Synchronised Swimming onto the Talent Programme. This enabled her to participate in land training with the Senior Great Britain Squad on Saturdays as well as being invited to train alongside the Senior squad on certain occasions.  Anya was one of only four swimmers to have been chosen.

The final event of 2008 for most of us was the Christmas show, which was held 14 December, and we were thrilled to see so many spectators.  Even a shortage of chairs did not spoil the event thanks to some very obliging parents and their garden chairs!  All routines of 2008 were performed to the delight of all who attended.

On the 20 December, when most of us were thinking of Christmas, Karen Thorpe, in her role as Talent Development Officer for Synchronised Swimming for the Amateur Swimming Association, assisted by Alex Marchant, held the National Development Squad Trials in Oxford.  Approximately 50 girls took part in the Trials to gain a place in the squad of 12.  A total of 3 swimmers from Bristol Central, Anastasia Bates, Alice Dale and Sam Wilson were selected into the England Talent Squad and attended various training camps during the year before competing in the Comen Cup, which was held in Belgrade in August.  Louisa Chadwick was selected as the Squads assistant coach.

The Elite, Academy and Talent Squads for the South West were again dominated by swimmers from Bristol Central, a total of 28 swimmers in all! The swimmers attended various training camps during the year with coaches Helen Condon, Louisa Chadwick, Hayley Coles and Natalie Coles delivering some of the training sessions.   Lynne Sissons helped organise all training for these squads. This was the first year the training sessions were not held at Quantock Lodge as unfortunately this had closed due to rising costs in December 2008, but other venues were booked and all seemed to be happy with the facilities they offered.

5 Bristol Central swimmers were selected into the Multi-Regionals Squad, which takes swimmers from the South East, South West and London Regions.  They attended a week long training camp in Aldershot in the summer.  Irene Marcoux from Canada (ex Canadian National Team swimmer and full time professional coach in Switzerland) took the group ably assisted by Helen Condon.  All swimmers thoroughly enjoy the camp.

In May, our 15/17 team were invited to give a display at the re-opening of the Portishead Open Air Pool.  Ty Pennington the US TV star of Extreme Makeover Home Edition and his team had spent the week renovating the pool prior to its re-opening after the pool had been chosen to feature in the reality TV show Ty’s Great British Adventure.  Some footage for the programme was filmed at the Bristol University pool during a normal training session. There were a few more spectators than usual that night!

In July 11 swimmers took part in the Regional Figure competition held in Bristol. For most this was their first competition of this type and we were all extremely pleased with their results.

In August 4 of our swimmers took part in the Trials for the Senior GB Squad. Our congratulations go to Anya Tarasuik, who was selected into the Squad and has now centralised to Aldershot.  Anya joins Katie Dawkins, another Bristol Central swimmer, who has been a member of the GB Senior squad since 2007.

We gave a display at Bristol South Pool on 6 September during their open day.  (We had given a display at the same event in 2008 and were “the stars of the show” according to the organiser so we were asked again this year).  To the delight of the spectators our 12 & Under B team swam their routine together with our 15/17 solo and duet routines from Issy Collings and Alex O’Mahony.

The most dramatic event in September though was a fire at Bristol University which meant the pool was closed and our training schedule had to be completely changed. We thank everyone for their patience and commitment as we appreciate different days and locations can cause all sorts of logistical problems for parents and coaches alike.  However we managed to secure some pool time for all squads and our training continues.

We were disappointed that our planned Club Championships for the 3 October had to be postponed, especially as we appreciate this meant our Novice Team who have practiced their routine for several months were denied the opportunity to swim.  However it is hoped that the competition can be arranged when the University pool is re-opened.

In October we travelled to Morden Park for the Multi-Regional Age Groups.  It was a long day but we had good results which we hope to improve on at the National Age Groups in December.

The results were as follows:

5 swimmers in the top 10 in the figures event.
SOLO
15/17 2nd Issy Collings 3rd Alex O’Mahony

DUET
15/171st Issy Collings and Alex O’Mahony

TEAMS
15/17 competitive team -1st
13/14 recreational team - 2nd
12 & Under ‘A’ Recreational Team - 2nd
12 & Under ‘B’ Recreational Team - 5th

At the end October our elite swimmers took part in the Scottish National Age Groups and Championships.  This was the first time for several years we had entered this competition and we brought home some medals!

Results as follows:

5 swimmers in the top 15 in the figures event
TEAM
15/17 Free Team 1st
Senior Team Combination 2nd
SOLO
15/17 2nd Issy Collings

During the year many of our swimmers have attended skill assessment days not only in Bristol but across the country. These are always fairly stressful for the swimmers and coaches alike but so far nearly half of our swimmers have improved a skill level.

Starter courses have been run throughout the year which has increased our membership numbers considerably and continues to improve the awareness of Bristol Central’s synchro section.

It’s not only our swimmers who have been busy, since the beginning of the year we have had several parents working on poolside with Georgie Coombs learning the basics of Synchro and assisting at training sessions.  Some of our existing volunteers have attended training courses, Hayley Coles and Louisa Chadwick passed their UKCC Synchro level 2 and Helen Milliner passed UKCC Synchro level 1. Alex Marchant is now a qualified Team Manager and Lisa Marsh passed her level 1 Teaching Aquatics.  Hayley Pearce and I both attended and passed a basic judges course.  Jade Cook is now a qualified lifeguard and Alice Waldock successfully renewed her lifeguard certificate.

During 2009 the Amateur Swimming Association approved funding for 6 Performance Synchronised Swimming Clubs across the UK and we are extremely proud to announce Bristol Central Synchro is one of those being considered. The funding will pay for each club to employ a full time Head Coach for a period of 3 years and after that time the clubs will be sustainable to continue at this level.  The Coach’s main duties will be to produce a World Class Synchronised Swimmers scheme that underpins the World Class programme at Aldershot.  Additionally, these new programmes will have a key role in developing volunteers, coaches and assist with Regional development, as well as focus programmes for delivery of the Advanced Coaching Scheme, UKCC, CPD’s & Coach Apprenticeship programmes. The aim is to provide a high quality environment for developing synchronised swimming, within a self-sustaining club structure, so that these programmes will be self-sufficient after the 3year period.

On another note not all of our successes were in the pool!  On the 21 January Lynne Sissons gave birth to a beautiful daughter called Natasha and Katie Wren, now Mrs Green, married Phil in August.

As you can see our coaches are involved with squads of all levels up to and including the Junior Great Britain Squad.  These coaches together with all our helpers, scorers, judges and assessors team managers give up their time all year to help our swimmers gain success at competitions and do this voluntarily.  They all work and have their own families but continue to give their time willingly.  So I would like to say a big thank you to all of them for without them the synchro section could not exist.

Christine Marsh.