Synchronised Swimming

I’ve always loved any sport that requires competitors to wear sequins and make-up. Dancesport, gymnastics, cheerleading…if they’d just make tapdancing an Olympic sport, life would be complete.

And then, of course, there’s synchronised swimming – the pinnacle of the glamour sports.

We went along to the synchronised swimming team finals at the 12th FINA World Championships on Saturday night at Rod Laver Arena and I wasn’t disappointed. There were sequins by the truckload, hair lacquered with what appeared to be a waterproof latex and lashings of mascara.

But the really impressive part was the athleticism of the teams. The things those girls do were amazing…at times it seemed almost physically impossible. They hold their breath for up to 2 minutes and are able to suspend themselves at almost any angle in or out of the water.

I think Queenie summed it up best when she said, “It’s just like cheerleading…but in 3 metres of water.”